Dumaguete Trip report feb 24-26

[paolov]

The best time to go out to dive would be an hour before high tide (at the high tide mark the water virtually stops or pauses as it prepares to pull back out).

Slack Tide


.

 

[Spoon]

During a full moon and a new moon (and sometimes during days before and after that lunar period), changes in water height from low tide to high tide and back are usually more than a meter because the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun pull in one direction. Ever wonder why sometimes the water at the beach is so far off the usual shoreline and when high tide hits goes quite high? that is caused by a full moon or a new moon and during the months of june/july is further exagerated by the summer/winter solstice. Due to the more than usual amount of water moving from high to low or low to high, currents tend to be stronger and in the case of coconut point is exagerated because that big body water flowing from the south hits the island at that spot. Last saturday water movement in Cebu port (roughly the same in apo island) was more than a meter and could have caused the strong currents.

On normal days, water movement during tide intervals would be less than a meter. Here is for this weekend

Saturday 2006-03-04
Sunrise 6:11 AM CST, Sunset 6:05 PM CST
Moonrise 9:14 AM CST, Moonset 10:18 PM CST
High Tide: 1:18 AM CST 0.7
Low Tide: 6:57 AM CST 0.2
High Tide: 1:12 PM CST 0.9
Low Tide: 8:20 PM CST -0.0

Sunday 2006-03-05
Sunrise 6:10 AM CST, Sunset 6:05 PM CST
Moonrise 10:01 AM CST, Moonset 11:17 PM CST
High Tide: 2:25 AM CST 0.5
Low Tide: 6:50 AM CST 0.2
High Tide: 1:44 PM CST 1.0
Low Tide: 9:49 PM CST -0.1

Don't bother with the moonrise and sunrise, just look at the high and low tide times and the amount of water movement. The best time to go out to dive would be an hour before high tide (at the high tide mark the water virtually stops or pauses as it prepares to pull back out).

thanks for the explanation jai guess last weekend was just special. glad i experienced the extra strong currents

 

[Xizang]

Slack Tide


.

ayun! I was trying to remember the word for that! high slack, tama ba pao?

 

[Spoon]

ayun! I was trying to remember the word for that! high slack, tama ba pao?

wheres the fun i that?

 

[Xizang]

thanks for the explanation jai guess last weekend was just special. glad i experienced the extra strong currents

here is free tide tool software you can install in your PC. they have ports for a lot of coastal towns in the philippines including apo reef, pg, anilao, coron as well as thousands of other places in the world.

www.wxtide32.com/links.html

check it out everytime you go diving so you would know if its gonna be rock and roll or just chillaxin' tunes playing at your favorite dive sites

 

[Spoon]

here is free tide tool software you can install in your PC. they have ports for a lot of coastal towns in the philippines including apo reef, pg, anilao, coron as well as thousands of other places in the world.

www.wxtide32.com/links.html

check it out everytime you go diving so you would know if its gonna be rock and roll or just chillaxin' tunes playing at your favorite dive sites

thanks bud! i like that rock n roll description

 

[pakman]

BTw, glad u survived but remind me not to use that DM in dumaguete. Seriously, any decent DM should know the tide schedule and should DEFINITELY know better not take divers out during a serious tidal change like that*... especially considering that this point is known for some severe currents as Jai mentioned. As much as I like thrill seeking, I'll pass on that.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Actually its pretty damn easy to see the downwellings from the surface... and perhaps go somewhere else...

 

[Spoon]

BTw, glad u survived but remind me not to use that DM in dumaguete. Seriously, any decent DM should know the tide schedule and should DEFINITELY know better not take divers out during a serious tidal change like that*... especially considering that this point is known for some severe currents as Jai mentioned. As much as I like thrill seeking, I'll pass on that.

actually the dm was fine but he gravely underestimated the currents. like i mentioned glad i experienced this dive but would have preferred that i be informed prior to the actual dive. also glad that it was only me and chip, their could have been serious trouble had mons come along for this white knuckle dive

Actually its pretty damn easy to see the downwellings from the surface... and perhaps go somewhere else...

we actually could not see the downwellings from the boat becasue the waves at the surface were overpowering the boat. we had to donn our gear and jump at the dms signal and do negative descents

 

[Xizang]

be prepared but its a definite must. this is by far the most dangerous divesite i have ever been too. darn fantastic!!!

check this out:

http://news.inq7.net/regions/index.php?index=1&story_id=28915

just a note on this report, michael and raymond were not newbie divers, they were hardcore experienced divers diving the area for a long time already. I don't buy the statement

"Pascobello stressed that the incident could have been avoided had they hired local dive guides familiar with the currents in the various dive spots in the island"

both divers were as good or probably better than any dive guide in dumaguete.