2017 Dive Stats and Highlights

[billt4sf]

I logged 103 dives in 2017. All but 10 were in Raja Ampat, the 10 were in Bali.

The biggest diving event in 2017 wasn't the number of dives - it was that I developed (and recovered from) sciatica. Cost us 5 months return to the US, but thankfully no surgery.

Another important development of 2017 is that we developed a real taste for high current dives! Seeing the fish line up into the current, then the sharks coming in, is a new experience for us that we hope to repeat again and again.

At the same time, it is now all but certain that we have given up cold water diving. Do it while you can!!

- Bill & Emily

 

[Dan]

I logged 103 dives in 2017. All but 10 were in Raja Ampat, the 10 were in Bali.

The biggest diving event in 2017 wasn't the number of dives - it was that I developed (and recovered from) sciatica. Cost us 5 months return to the US, but thankfully no surgery.

Another important development of 2017 is that we developed a real taste for high current dives! Seeing the fish line up into the current, then the sharks coming in, is a new experience for us that we hope to repeat again and again.

At the same time, it is now all but certain that we have given up cold water diving. Do it while you can!!

- Bill & Emily

Cold-water diving (like in Galápagos & Channel Islands) once in a while is OK, I think. It makes me appreciate the warm-water diving even more.

 

[billt4sf]

Cold-water diving (like in Galápagos & Channel Islands) once in a while is OK, I think. It makes me appreciate the warm-water diving even more.

Good point! We would want to take the GUE class with drysuits first.

- Bill

 

[Dan]

Good point! We would want to take the GUE class with drysuits first.

- Bill

I get by with 7mm wetsuit & 3mm hood down to 60F (15C). That’s pretty much the bottom limit that I’d like to dive in cold water. I have no interest in wearing drysuit (yet).

 

[BDSC]

Had a decent year last year. Right at 83 dives not counting quarry dives.

Palau - 33 dives
Cozumel - 16 dives
Sea of Cortez - 34 dives (Did it twice)

Both Palau and the Sea of Cortez were new destinations for me.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Cold-water diving (like in Galápagos & Channel Islands) once in a while is OK, I think. It makes me appreciate the warm-water diving even more.

I'm the opposite way. I find warm water diving boring at times, and I hate current. Calm, cold water allows me to find small invertebrates that most divers overlook. The diversity of life along the west coast of North America rivals any reef elsewhere.

 

[iamrushman]

really enjoy reading this thread.......it's good to see the dive log is not dead...i had a relative slow diving year 2017...only 87 dives and all in southeast Florida broward/ palm beach county...one thing i have discovered is that there is a lot of love in the diving communities....diving buddies and friends are life long friends that really care..

 

[TMHeimer]

I get by with 7mm wetsuit & 3mm hood down to 60F (15C). That’s pretty much the bottom limit that I’d like to dive in cold water. I have no interest in wearing drysuit (yet).

We didn't "snowbird" to the panhandle this winter, so I'm stuck with the one dive weekly at home (gearing up & down in basement). But we're moving into the city soon, so that probably won't be a winter option unless I want to drive somewhere and freeze taking it all off outside. I'm feeling the cold more and more since our move 13 years ago from northern Manitoba. I still dive wet with the 7 mil farmer john, but look to curtail winter diving that way as the years pass anyway. No point in going dry if we are able to head south in the future for Jan.-March. That only leaves Nov., Dec. and April without diving. Water temp. here is still 42, but will get into the 30s and will still be only 45 in June. But in May/June you get decent air temps. Then in late Oct. air gets chilly but the water is still 50s, at times throughout Nov.

 

[divinh]

26 dives in 2017...

French Polynesia
6 Bora Bora - first time seeing someone with a mask squeeze (one bloodshot eye); hit 100th dive
11 Rangiroa - all drift dives; first experience in very strong current, down the center of Tiputa Pass, and having the boat not find us because we ended up on the wrong side of the lagoon; dolphins and sharks everywhere
5 Fakarava - more drift diving, Garuae Pass "Alibaba"
4 Moorea - first time within a few feet of 9' Lemon Sharks who persistently followed along

- first time logging dive sites (using Garmin VivoActive HR's "save location" feature and drop pinning the locations later in Google Maps using the recorded longitude and latitude GPS coordinates)
- first time making a concerted effort to note wetsuit (thickness or lack of), tank size and type, amount of weights (or lack of)
- first time logged everything into Subsurface (which gives me access to all the data on computers, tablets, and mobiles via free cloud service)

 

[SoFlaDiver954]

-17 in Roatan. Stayed at Anthony's Key. Nice relaxed style diving that is much more suited for my wife's style of diving (taking pics on the reef) but I'd do it again for the value.
-2 shark tooth dives in Venice, FL. Really enjoyed these, my wife found a ~2.5inch tooth!
-12 in the Upper Keys. Highlight was spending a few weekends sailing around on our friends' catamaran, diving in various spots.
-8 in Riviera Beach area. Had some great dives for the Goliath Grouper aggregation and saw my first real panicked diver at 95ft. It was enlightening.
-80 or so in Broward. Highlights were seeing a couple Great Hammerheads cruise by us on the 3rd line off Pompano. Also played hookie from work one day and had a great dive on the Hydro Atlantic.

Last highlight was the yellow oxycheq wing my wife gave me for my birthday. I like having a yellow wing, she likes being able to instantly spot me.