Grand Cayman Trip Report Dec. 7-12

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RiverRat

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
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Location
Connecticut
# of dives
500 - 999
Trip Report - Grand Cayman 12-7-03 - 12-12-03 with Fisheye Divers - Warning very long post!

These were my first "REAL" dives after certification! Email me with any questions on Cayman and I'll see if I can help.
I was getting worried, shoveled out of the Nor' Easter at 4:00 AM to fly last Sunday but made it to NY. I flew through Miami, not too bad on the way out but yes, it's a mess. All my gear was on the plane with me Thank You. Got to Cayman, ahhhhhh paradise. Yes, a little touristy but I stayed at Treasure Island resort up a bit from Georgetown. I ate at Pirates Den, good food, $30.00 US but I was stuffed! I ate breakfast at Tortuga Tim's ($6.50 - $8.50 CI) Good big breakfast but much cheaper than the hotel. Then I found Coconut Joe's! Good food and even better Yaegermeister! And the Canadian women......man! I had a blast with both divers and non-divers out there. Ok, for the dives with Fisheye, Rebecca and Dusty were great! You want your gear setup, already done. You want to do it yourself, no problem. And Bart in the store was a trip, VERY helpfull in every respect. This is NO cattle operation. Very laid back crew. A little windy (typical Nor' Wester) so we dove 3 days out of the Northwest point. Last day we dove the North Wall. Man, was I blown away flying over that sucker at 100 fsw! I started diving overweighted 15# (what else is new when you're a newbie) and sucked my air in 21 mins. on the first dive. It was all uphill after that. I got down to 3# on the belt and using NO air in my wing, just lung volume to maintain neutral buoyancy all throughout my dives! We dove with River's Sport Divers one day (it's a little slow out there, so they pair up sometimes) and they were a nice bunch. Helped me bigtime with weight calcs etc. Glad I bought a Vyper DC and dove Nitrox on this trip. After I got my air consumption under control (by losing belt weight primarily) I really noticed the benefits of multilevel diving on Nitrox. I got blessed with a great dive buddy all week and she dove air. She had great air consumption but after several dives I caught up. She usuallly got close to her NDLs' while I had plenty of air and NDL time left. I went from a 21 min. 100 fsw. deep dive with 500 psi. left to 100 fsw dives for 35 mins. with 1200 psi. left! Thanks to FredT, SeaJay and many others on this board that helped me to get to this point!

Here are some pics I took on dive 6 at 53 fsw with a so so digital camera I rented (the first pic is me, see how my trim is dead on):
http://www.northeastcomputer.net/familypics/scuba/photos.html

OK, now to the dives:

Equipment on all dives:
Henderson 3mil shortie
FredT 9# backplate with 2# STA’s – 11#
Apeks ATX200 Reg and ATX50 Octo
Booties and SP Jetfins
Suunto Vyper, Compass and a pressure guage
I ditched the snorkel
Aluminum tank
Gas – Nitrox except last Stingray City dive @15 fsw

12/08/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Sand Chute
Visibility: 100 fsw plus
Time In: 9:31 AM
Start Pressure: 3000 psi
End Pressure: 500 psi
Max Depth: 99 fsw
Average Depth: 54 fsw
Bottom Time: 21 minutes (hooved it up bigtime)
Water Temp: 81 degrees F
Weight: 15# (way to heavy)
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox
Nice swim throughs, many fish etc.

As a new diver was trying to do too much, excited, overweighted, etc. Rebecca gave me little “stern” warning about making sure I notified them when down to 1500 psi and again down to 1000. They were looking out for me, I really liked that. (They must have been going, Oh boy, here we go) Later on they confided it takes them a dive or 2 to “figure out” what kind of diver you are. In any event every dive was much better after that. This was my first deep dive over 60 feet. No narcosis apparent. Just adrenaline! Trim much better with BP/W. No push forward at surface!
Narcosis? What’s that? Never noticed anything unless was very subtle………

12/08/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Angel Fish Reef
Visibility: 100 fsw plus
Time In: 10:53 AM after 1:00 hour SI
Start Pressure: 3000 psi
End Pressure: 500 psi
Max Depth: 59 fsw
Average Depth: 43 fsw
Bottom Time: 35 minutes
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 15# (still way to heavy)
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox

Air consumption much better (also shallower dive) Saw a black ray, trigger fish, brain coral etc. Got a rash on my right cheek but went away a day later, rubbed homebrew swimmer’s ear on it (50% alcohol-50% white vinegar) and it went away? Found a small coral crab in my wetsuit ....


12/09/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Signal Rock
Visibility: 100 fsw or a little worse today
Time In: 9:23 AM
Start Pressure: 3000 psi
End Pressure: 400 psi
Max Depth: 107 fsw
Average Depth: 59 fsw
Bottom Time: 33 minutes
Water Temp: 81 degrees F
Weight: 12# (better, still way to heavy at the safety stop)
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox

Buoyancy better with 12# but finning too much and using air in BC. Nice, deep swim throughs. SLOW was lit (again) on Vyper, very conservative, keeps you at 30 ft. per minute, nice! Air consumption getting better…


12/09/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Three Trees (Coral Fingers)
Visibility: 100 fsw or a little worse today
Time In: 10:43 AM after :47 minute SI
Start Pressure: 3100 psi
End Pressure: 1000 psi (YES! Getting better!)
Max Depth: 57 fsw
Average Depth: 39 fsw
Bottom Time: 45 minutes (YES! Getting better!)
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 9# (way better, still too heavy at the safety stop!)
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox

Getting better! Many fish, eels, barricuda, groupers? (don’t know all my fish yet) Dove the Coral “fingers” Nice. Still heavy. No problem at the line @ 20 fsw with 1000 psi. Started to see the benefits on multilevel diving on Nitrox as my buddy Doreen with great air consumption was starting to near her NDL’s on air (not Nitrox certified) while I had plenty of bottom time according to the computer and my air consumption was getting better as I dropped weight. Still, according to one guy don’t push the computer too much and stay close to the pre-set dive profiles (especially as a new diver). Life is good……………..



12/10/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Round Rock with River’s Sports Divers (they work with Fisheye when it's slow)
Visibility: 100 fsw plus
Time In: 9:37 AM
Start Pressure: 3100 psi
End Pressure: 1200 psi (YES! Even better yet!)
Max Depth: 99 fsw
Average Depth: 52 fsw
Bottom Time: 33 minutes (YES! Getting better on deep dives!)
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 6# (way.way better, still too heavy at the safety stop!)
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 32% Nitrox

Not too much data on the dive itself, forgot to log it. Saw a purple anemonie I think. Went out with River’s Sports Divers. Nice bunch of older guys, bald heads and bandannas, I call them the Pirates. Taught me a lot on my rig and weighting, to use my 12# lungs to dive! Even saw a “horse collar”. Now I see why the goal is to dive neutral at all time. Should not even “need” air in the BC/wing. Getting closer.



12/10/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Three Trees with River’s Sports Divers (work with Fisheye)
Visibility: 100 fsw plus
Time In: 10:59 AM after a 47 minute SI
Start Pressure: 3100 psi
End Pressure: 500 psi
Max Depth: 53 fsw
Average Depth: 36 fsw
Bottom Time: 49 minutes (WOW! Getting better on shallow dives!)
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 6# (way.way better, still too heavy at the safety stop!)
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox

Per one of the River’s Sport Divers I dropped the belt at the bottom of the mooring line and grabbed it at the end of the dive. Dived well with no belt! Rented a bottom end (1.2 mega pixel) digital camera and got 90 shots! Wow! I used photoshop “suck” out some color and actually got about 24 decent amateur shots of mostly coral, a giant lobster and some diver shots! Nice!
I’m bitten by the photo bug but gonna start slow……….Yeah right……Trim is dead nuts….Air consumption way better…….
Picked up the belt on my way up the line, a little light at 20 fsw. (belt in my hand on the line)
Going to 3# tomorrow.


12/11/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Pennies Pinnacle-North End, back with Fisheye)
Visibility: 100 fsw plus
Time In: 9:27 AM
Start Pressure: 3100 psi
End Pressure: 800-900 psi (Yes! On a deep dive!)
Max Depth: 102 fsw
Average Depth: 52 fsw
Bottom Time: 34 minutes
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 3# PERFECT! No air in BC required! Using my lungs now as a BC J
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox (kept an eye on my MOD on this one!)

This is it! Last day diving. Because of the wind we dove the North Wall. YES! I’m pumped! Icing on the cake! The wall dive was awesome! Cruising along at around 100 fsw looking down at least 200 –300 fsw until everything disappeared to 3000’ plus.
Like flying over the GrandCanyon……….I was just freaking out……….(in a good way) Very cool!


12/11/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Main Street -North End)
Visibility: 100 fsw plus
Time In: 10:41 AM after a 39 minute SI
Start Pressure: at least 3000 psi forgot to log it
End Pressure: at least 500 forgot to log it
Max Depth: 64 fsw
Average Depth: 49 fsw
Bottom Time: 38 minutes
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 3# PERFECT! No air in BC required! Using my lungs now as a BC J
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 32% Nitrox

Another great dive, did not log too much, was so pumped! Saw lots of Tarpon just hanging there, cool…….

12/11/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Tarpon Alley – North End
Visibility: 100 to 150 fsw plus
Time In: 1:56 PM after a 2:36 minute SI
Start Pressure: at least 3000 psi forgot to log it
End Pressure: at least 500 forgot to log it
Max Depth: 108 fsw
Average Depth: 52 fsw
Bottom Time: 34 minutes
Water Temp: 82 degrees F
Weight: 3# PERFECT! No air in BC required! Using my lungs now as a BC J
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 31% Nitrox

I planned to only dive twice today as I’m flying tomorrow. But my dive buddy Doreen talked me into it. I’m feeling good about it as I’ve been diving Nitrox all week. Second deep dive of the day but a nice 2:36 minute SI. I’ll have 24 hours just before flight. I dove conservatively all week never missing a stop, slow ascents etc. Just as I figured Tarpon Alley had many nice groups of Tarpon. Dusty knew right where they were. Great swim throughs. Divemaster Dusty paired me up with another “buddy” during the second half of the dive with 1500 psi. They were great (Fisheye), after I got it together he would let me and Doreen cruise off on our own on the second half of the deep dives and quite often it was our choice on the second dives of the day. Suggested we still stay close to the pre-configured profiles. Anyway, my new “second” dive buddy signaled he was down to 1000 psi and gave me a thumbs up. I said ok but then right from there he started to ascend! I was hoping he would go over towards the line with me and Doreen but he kept going. I did my best and watched his ascent, looked pretty fast to me so I stayed at the line with my first buddy. I was diving all week and not about to blow my brains out. I made a nice controlled, slow ascent and extended safety stop. Even then my Vyper flashed a ceiling warning while I was watching my new buddy I crept up a few feet too fast (must have been over 30 feet per minute) Kinda got nervous as I thought I was going into a deco dive but it was just the Vyper telling me to chill a bit.


12/11/03 Grand Cayman - Site: Stingray City - Reef
Visibility: 100 to 150 fsw plus
Time In: 2:58 PM after a 27 minute SI
Start Pressure: at least 3000 psi forgot to log it
End Pressure: at least 500 forgot to log it
Max Depth: 13 fsw (yeah well last dive)
Average Depth: 11 fsw
Bottom Time: 38 minutes
Water Temp: 86 degrees F
Weight: 9# Overweighted to stay down and feed the Stingrays
Wind out of the NW
Gas: 21% Air as this was only a 15 footer.

I had already snorkeled Stingray with Kaye from Vancouver (my new friend, she did NOT like the Stingrays) Wednesday but all was good. After we played and fed the Rays Doreeen (my dive buddy all week) and I went off on our own to explore the reef and she tried her hand at digital underwater photography. Actually, I wish I had started there as there is lots of sand to work on shooting up at your subject as well as extended bottom time @ 15 fsw. We saw the big resident Moray eel, he actually started to eat my fin until I noticed him behind me! (I was on the bottom watching while another group of divers played with him)

Overall conditions out there were NW wind causing us to dive the Northwest point and the North Wall. Typical December Nor' Wester according to locals. Fisheye did a good job of getting us to diveable site in their area.

Well that was it. Not bad for my first real dives. Learned a TON out there. Now I’m writing this in blizzard number 2 in the Northeast US. Got a party at the local dive shop tonight at 6:00 PM. Bringing my pics……
 
Amazing! You learned more about weighting and neutral buoyancy in one dive trip than I did in ten. You were extremely fortunate to be dealing with DMs who actually cared about the quality of your experience and passing on knowledge. Many just want to get you in the water and out again as quickly as possible and if you are overwieghted then that will happen faster!
 
Were you including your 9 lb backplate and 2 lb STA in your calculations ?

If not, that would have you at 26 lbs with a 3mm shorty on the 1st day. I can understand your buoyancy problems.

In the end, you were happy with 3 lbs on your belt. That would make 14 lbs total.

Have you considered an aluminum backplate for warm water diving ? A 2 lb aluminum backplate plus your 2 lb STA and 10 lbs on your belt would be an alternate way to get to 14 lbs. Going this route you have more ditchable weight and a much lighter suitcase.

What size wing are you using ?
 
Another point for Fisheye, I usaully suggest them to people that ask. In the past I've enjoyed their sensibility while diving with them - they let my wife and I do our own thing, which I appreciate!

Dive Safe
Caymaniac:)
 
ronrosa,
For some reason I used my 28# cold fresh water weighting to try and figure in my saltwater trip. Wrong thing to do. Also, according to Mike when diving a 3mil shortie I could have used the 5% of body weight calc to get a rough weight instead of the 10% I had figured in. After I redid my calcs I actually came up with 3#! I had originally estimated 9# - 13# but never guessed I would be down to 3#! I figured if I used Mike's formula of 5% then I would not have had to calculate the drop in neoprene @ 2# x 4mil = 8# (7 down to 3) Mike's calc would have been 5% of 220# = 11#.......3# difference from the neoprene 8# calc. Close....Interesting stuff. As I see it the 12# lung volume control gives one several pounds of tweaking depending on how you breathe?

See "Weighting" post below:

caymaniac - Yes, fisheye is great! Just a nice bunch, laid back, get you out there and dive safe. Computer divers extra 10 minutes and quite often on the shallower dives just let you do your own thing. Even on deep dives when they get to know you usually after the tour you can blow off on your own. If you really want a DM then they will jump in also....they cater to the diver. I can't wait to go back........

Link to thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39924&highlight=fredt

Weighting:

OK,
I'm a new diver but here's what I learned last week in G. Cayman (first "real" dives!) The North Wall by the way was intense! Hope this helps.......

I'm male weighing in @ 220 lbs. Some muscle, some flab

Cert. dives in cold freshwater quarry:

7 mil full wetsuit
7 mil hood
5 mil gloves
5 mil booties
Jet Fins (negative)
Rental Jacket style BC

28 lbs. on the belt, tried diving 24 lbs. but when down to 1000 psi I could not re-decend. Went back to 28#. The extra weight was needed for the hood, gloves, BC etc. Trim was horrible!

I decided to get the weight on my back and off the belt so I went out and got a FredT SS 9# backplate with his 2# STA's. There's 11# off the belt. I paired this up with an Oxycheq 45# wing (thank you SB!) and I'm sure I lost 2 or 3 lbs. "hidden" buoyancy going with the BP/W over the Jacket style. I did not get to dive this new rig yet in cold freshwater with same wetsuit etc. for direct comparison but will do so in the spring.

OK- Grand Cayman!

3 mil shortie (2# per mil so roughly 8# off the belt?)
Going fresh to salt (UP another 2#)
NO hood (some weight)http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39924&highlight=fredt
NO gloves (some weight)
NO jacket BC but 9# backplate, 2# STA's, Oxycheq 45# wing
Jet Fins

Rough calcs:

10% of 220# = 22#
- 11# rig = 11#
+ 2 Fw to Sw = 13#
- 2# hidden BC buoyancy = 11#
- 8# (7 mil to 3 mil = 4 mil x 2# = 8#

= 3# on the belt!

Almost forgot, diving Aluminum Tanks both instances. I'm guessing when I go back to my cold water config with a 10# P-Weight I'll be diving 5# on the belt. Or 15# with out the extra PWeight on the BP. Still, much better than 28#! So if I went with a steel tank I could actually dive this rig with NO weight and still be slightly heavy in seawater!


I wish I broke this out like this BEFORE I went to Cayman! I did some calcs using my freshwater 28# as a benchmark, wrong.....
I started out with 15# on the belt. WAY too much! To make a long story short my last 2 days I was diving 3# on the belt and using NO air in the wing, only lung volume! I attained neutral buoyancy throughout the dive! My hang was fine with 400-500 psi. When I was fine tuning I dropped my 6# belt at the line, did the dive with no weight and grabbed it on the way back up the line, a little light at 500 psi. (belt in my hand on the line so I was still diving no weight) Went back to 3#. Maybe a tweak of 1# in either direction but I'm there.

Thanks SB!


Mike Ferrara's Comment:
RiverRat,10% of body weight is a guestima...
RiverRat,

10% of body weight is a guestimate at a starting point using a full thickness wet suit. With a three mil that should probably be cut to 5%.

Again it's just a guess at a starting point. The weight really needed depends on the person, equipment and the water you're diving in.
 
Thank you so much for your comments.
Here at Fisheye, we always try to give our valued customers a positive experience, and it helps everyone to keep giving all they have to that cause when we hear feedback like that.
Naturally we look forward to welcoming you back on your next trip.
I have shown your comments to Dusty and Rebecca.
We are all delighted that you had such a great time.

Bart Robinson
Manager
Fisheye of Cayman
www.fisheye.com
 
Welcome to Scubaboard!
 

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