OP
Video from last week's Ines dive using an Olympus TG5 camera with dome port.
UAE East Coast Temperatures
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Dan
Contributor
Any interesting things did you see there at 70m?
OP
72m to the sand under the wreck
Not last week unfortunately, but we've seen guitarsharks sitting on the bottom, last year I spotted a Mola Mola at the rudder, and when I was doing my Normoxic course 4 years ago we spotted a whale shark swimming off (no camera of course).
Generally there is a huge school of jack / trevally swimming around as well as barracuda.
On ascent I'm so focussed on my computer until my first gas change at 21m so I don't tend to photograph anything once we leave the wreck until after the first gas change or at the final deco stop at 6m.
OP
And today's boat diving was cancelled due to unknown reasons, it certainly wasn't due to weather which was apparently calmer than yesterday.
Plan B, shore dive at Al Aqqa, courtesy of Al Boom.
Nice long 120 min dive with @RainPilot on the artificial reef. Amazing vis, loads of fish but no nudis so only 8/10
Thanks Brendon
More scorpionfish than you could shake a stick at, and plenty of morays too.
Lots of tiny stuff too around the sand as well as shoals of fish circling around including a large shoal of juvenile barracuda.
Plan B, shore dive at Al Aqqa, courtesy of Al Boom.
Nice long 120 min dive with @RainPilot on the artificial reef. Amazing vis, loads of fish but no nudis so only 8/10
Thanks Brendon
More scorpionfish than you could shake a stick at, and plenty of morays too.
Lots of tiny stuff too around the sand as well as shoals of fish circling around including a large shoal of juvenile barracuda.
Hi Searcaigh,
Always great posts, please keep them coming!
BTW:
Send nudibranchs: the alien invasion happening in the UAE's waters
"..Marine Biology (who or what is this?).."
Always great posts, please keep them coming!
BTW:
Send nudibranchs: the alien invasion happening in the UAE's waters
"..Marine Biology (who or what is this?).."
OP
Back again with Barracuda yesterday and out to Deep Reef followed by Inchcape 10, although we were told the second dive was to be Car Cemetery 2!
Although we had no boat issues we did have a slight altercation with the boat driver who wanted to anchor on the reef instead of using a shot line. In the end we won and a shot line was used. They just don't seem to understand the effects of using an anchor on the reef.
Kerstin and I jumped in first since we planned on a deco dive and we were using 12L steels with 230 bar fills and our 50% stages.
First thing we noticed was the plethora of slipper lobsters, must be mating season, they were all over the place.
I'd be very tempted to take one next time.
Next thing I know Kerstin is screaming at me as a Mobula ray was directly behind me, and as I turned around it disappeared into the gloom, not that my 60mm macro lens would have been helpful.
Next thing I know Kerstin is off strobe flashing at something and when I catch up I notice a small group of razorfish moving around the corals.
They were very swift at moving around which surprised me.
The highlight of our dive was this nudi that we had seen before, Phestilla melanobrachia
Water temps on the bottom (28m) were 25C and we had a nice 30C at 6m on our deco stop, Kerstin was looking very happy.
However, unbeknown to us, a WHALE SHARK had been circling the boat while we were down below and the other divers had been having a whale of a time (pun intended) photographing it. Apparently it had been there on Friday too but nobody had bothered to mention it to us prior to going out!
The second dive was at Inch 10 and vis was back to the normal 2-5m, but certainly better than what we had 2 weeks ago.
Nothing of note, but sufficient numbers of nudis to keep both Kerstin and I happy for 69 mins. Water temp at 22m was 26C.
Although we had no boat issues we did have a slight altercation with the boat driver who wanted to anchor on the reef instead of using a shot line. In the end we won and a shot line was used. They just don't seem to understand the effects of using an anchor on the reef.
Kerstin and I jumped in first since we planned on a deco dive and we were using 12L steels with 230 bar fills and our 50% stages.
First thing we noticed was the plethora of slipper lobsters, must be mating season, they were all over the place.
I'd be very tempted to take one next time.
Next thing I know Kerstin is screaming at me as a Mobula ray was directly behind me, and as I turned around it disappeared into the gloom, not that my 60mm macro lens would have been helpful.
Next thing I know Kerstin is off strobe flashing at something and when I catch up I notice a small group of razorfish moving around the corals.
They were very swift at moving around which surprised me.
The highlight of our dive was this nudi that we had seen before, Phestilla melanobrachia
Water temps on the bottom (28m) were 25C and we had a nice 30C at 6m on our deco stop, Kerstin was looking very happy.
However, unbeknown to us, a WHALE SHARK had been circling the boat while we were down below and the other divers had been having a whale of a time (pun intended) photographing it. Apparently it had been there on Friday too but nobody had bothered to mention it to us prior to going out!
The second dive was at Inch 10 and vis was back to the normal 2-5m, but certainly better than what we had 2 weeks ago.
Nothing of note, but sufficient numbers of nudis to keep both Kerstin and I happy for 69 mins. Water temp at 22m was 26C.
OP
Yesterday's dives were a bit strange.
As we (my buddy and I) try to tell the boatman for the umpteenth time, drop people up current so we drift onto the shotline buoy. What is so difficult to understand about that!
One day there will be a mutiny.
Anyways I digress (but more to come later )
As we descended from a reasonably humid 34C air temp I was waiting for the thermocline, except it didn't happen.
Water temp was 31C at 29m Thankfully my hood was still in my dive bag so I could laugh at Kerstin wearing hers.
Vis wasn't as good as last week but it was still 10m and 40 mins soon passed with no major finds except coming across a pair of razor fish, which were in the same area as last week.
Hanging in the blue on deco was also pretty relaxing, just something about that makes me feel good
The second dive was supposed to be Three Cars, but as we found out no mooring line in place and our boat driver being pretty sh!t at finding dive sites unless there is a mooring on it, it was decided to head to Car Cemetery 2, which was just as well as another event unfolded.
Vis on CC2 was better than average for this site but the warm temps usually mean few nudies. 32C at 21m!
Came across a cuttlefish giving me the V sign
as well as several of my favourites, crocodile fish
plenty of Phidiana militaris and indica around but this is my favourite shot of the day of a P. militaris munching its way through some hydroids
As we reached our safety stop I noticed something swimming in midwater, looking like a pipefish of sorts but moving strangely so I decided to investigate.
Not a clear shot, but the shape of the head is odd
Looks weird and it took a wee bit of research and a message to one of my learned dive buddies to confirm that this is a juvenile snake eel. The odd thing is that it was in midwater and so far from the bottom where they live in the sand.
As we had drifted off the line we decided to swim back to it when we surfaced, possibly 10 or so meters but the boatman decided to unhitch the boat to pick us up.
Bad move as he had issues starting the engines and then the rod that links both engines broke, and not for the first time either as this happened a month ago! WTF,
He spent 20 mins farting around before we were back on the boat.
Fortunately we were not too far from the marina and we returned back with the boat being steered by two people moving the second engine accordingly not something we'd need from Deep Reef.
Not sure what we'll do next Friday, but I might use another dive op.
As we (my buddy and I) try to tell the boatman for the umpteenth time, drop people up current so we drift onto the shotline buoy. What is so difficult to understand about that!
One day there will be a mutiny.
Anyways I digress (but more to come later
)As we descended from a reasonably humid 34C air temp I was waiting for the thermocline, except it didn't happen.
Water temp was 31C at 29m
Thankfully my hood was still in my dive bag so I could laugh at Kerstin wearing hers.Vis wasn't as good as last week but it was still 10m and 40 mins soon passed with no major finds except coming across a pair of razor fish, which were in the same area as last week.
Hanging in the blue on deco was also pretty relaxing, just something about that makes me feel good
The second dive was supposed to be Three Cars, but as we found out no mooring line in place and our boat driver being pretty sh!t at finding dive sites unless there is a mooring on it, it was decided to head to Car Cemetery 2, which was just as well as another event unfolded.
Vis on CC2 was better than average for this site but the warm temps usually mean few nudies. 32C at 21m!
Came across a cuttlefish giving me the V sign
as well as several of my favourites, crocodile fish
plenty of Phidiana militaris and indica around but this is my favourite shot of the day of a P. militaris munching its way through some hydroids
As we reached our safety stop I noticed something swimming in midwater, looking like a pipefish of sorts but moving strangely so I decided to investigate.
Not a clear shot, but the shape of the head is odd
Looks weird and it took a wee bit of research and a message to one of my learned dive buddies to confirm that this is a juvenile snake eel. The odd thing is that it was in midwater and so far from the bottom where they live in the sand.
As we had drifted off the line we decided to swim back to it when we surfaced, possibly 10 or so meters but the boatman decided to unhitch the boat to pick us up.
Bad move as he had issues starting the engines and then the rod that links both engines broke, and not for the first time either as this happened a month ago! WTF,
He spent 20 mins farting around before we were back on the boat.
Fortunately we were not too far from the marina and we returned back with the boat being steered by two people moving the second engine accordingly not something we'd need from Deep Reef.
Not sure what we'll do next Friday, but I might use another dive op.
OP
Well Friday 13th didn't really make for good photography in particular when the boatman can't find the right mooring to tie up on for the wreck we were supposed to be diving!
C'est la vie as they say.
The best shot of the day was this wire coral ........ spot the goby
On top of that we the boat was full of, as Kerstin described them, dive monkeys!
10 other divers with three computers between them, all using rental gear and treated it like "who gives a sh!t" mainly youngish 25-30 yr olds.
During the first dive one lost his Go Pro, two ran out of air and another guy surfaced with his AL80 floating out behind him as the camband appeared to have loosened.
On the way back to Dibba, four of them decided to swim ashore at Al Aqah Meridian to have a beer instead of going back to Palm Dive Centre, I hope they made it back to the dive centre to pay for their dives.
Water temps were a chilly 23C, especially unpleasant in a 3mm suit and no hood
C'est la vie as they say.
The best shot of the day was this wire coral ........ spot the goby
On top of that we the boat was full of, as Kerstin described them, dive monkeys!
10 other divers with three computers between them, all using rental gear and treated it like "who gives a sh!t" mainly youngish 25-30 yr olds.
During the first dive one lost his Go Pro, two ran out of air and another guy surfaced with his AL80 floating out behind him as the camband appeared to have loosened.
On the way back to Dibba, four of them decided to swim ashore at Al Aqah Meridian to have a beer instead of going back to Palm Dive Centre, I hope they made it back to the dive centre to pay for their dives.
Water temps were a chilly 23C, especially unpleasant in a 3mm suit and no hood
Dan
Contributor
Well Friday 13th didn't really make for good photography in particular when the boatman can't find the right mooring to tie up on for the wreck we were supposed to be diving!
C'est la vie as they say.
The best shot of the day was this wire coral ........ spot the goby
View attachment 469002
On top of that we the boat was full of, as Kerstin described them, dive monkeys!
10 other divers with three computers between them, all using rental gear and treated it like "who gives a sh!t" mainly youngish 25-30 yr olds.
During the first dive one lost his Go Pro, two ran out of air and another guy surfaced with his AL80 floating out behind him as the camband appeared to have loosened.
On the way back to Dibba, four of them decided to swim ashore at Al Aqah Meridian to have a beer instead of going back to Palm Dive Centre, I hope they made it back to the dive centre to pay for their dives.
Water temps were a chilly 23C, especially unpleasant in a 3mm suit and no hood
I hope I wouldn't be a dive buddy with one of those dive monkeys.
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