I have about decided that the best time to dive is when conditions are at their worse
. Today's dive was scheduled at 10a. I was awaken this morning by thunder and rain. The sky was overcast and it was raining on and off. One diver called me and bailed out cause he was afraid he would get wet I guess
:lightingz Jokingly, I assured him that PADI told me that if I hold my instructor card to the sky that the clouds would part, the sun would shine and the angels would sing
As I left the house for the dive to Clark Hill (18 miles) it was raining. However, as I crossed the Savannah River the clouds parted, the sun shone and the angels sung (well maybe it was John Boy and Billy)
Well of course I had to call the diver that bailed out and tell him that it worked
The dive conditions were excellent. We had 15'+ vis, a flat lake. A thermocline is forming at 20' - 55 to 60 degrees. Not that 60 degrees is warm, but it felt like hitting a sauna on the ascent. Dive one was to 99' for 1:04. We dove down to the 3 big rocks (48') and hung out with the fish for a while. We continued past the pool filters to the 40' ledge (32' today). Mega fish at the budda and horse skull. We dropped down to the angel statue and went through the trench - both sides visible. We hung a right to where the mass of rope from the old bouy is and then dropped down through the forest to the 100' wall. I turned on my light only once the whole dive just to get a diver's attention for a turn. Great vis, yes and schools of fish (small) even at this depth. This ain't susposed to be happening, but it is. The 80' wall was great. Vis may have been 20'. I swam on my back a while just looking up at the wall. At the end of the 80' wall we swam back up to the 3 big rocks then along the bouyancy course, rocks and to the exit after a long safety stop. We saw several bigggggg bass during the dive. No, I'm not going to say where cause I don't want the fishermen messing with them. A nice alligator gar too, and a river otter??? Great first dive. I also did a 2nd shallow dive to 60' for 1:06 with a friend whose Doc has just given him permission to return to diving. Nice bass and fish this dive too.
