So here is a report of our weekend....
On Saturday and Sunday morning, we worked with students on OW, AOW and Rescue Diver certifications at the Blue Hole. The process was complicated by the fact tha the city had the entire parking lot closed for all of Saturday morning while they did some kind of work related to the stage they built for the coming affair mentioned above. There were quite a few divers there, and they all had to park and pitch tents near Stella's place and on the other side of the visitor center, then carry everything all the way to the Blue Hole.
After we were done with that Saturday morning, we headed over to Rock lake to work on some technical training. We did that through Tuesday morning. It was beautiful there. There was no wind, and the water was glassy smooth. Big fish were jumping high out of the water. Once a solitary duck swam across the still water, making a beautiful picture as the wedge-shaped trail followed him across. The contrast between the quiet serenity of Rock Lake and the hustle and bustle of the crowded Blue Hole was striking. The usual late summer algae bloom in the arm upper layer of water lowered the normal visibility quite a bit, but the toast warm water at that level (about 74°) was quite welcome. The thermocline was quite distinct, but it was still a relatively warm 63° below it.
I am happy to say that two students did a fine job in completing their OW requirements for Tec 45. On the final dive on Tuesday, we explored the area around the pinnacle south of the East ascent/descent line, hitting a maximum depth of 140 feet. The students had planned the dive the night before, and they hit every step of their plan perfectly. It was a great ending to a fine weekend.