UAE East Coast Temperatures

[hedonist222]

Yesterday's dives were a bit "Meh" not that I am ungrateful for being able to dive, I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to be in the warmer water north of Fujairah. Bottom temps at 26C

Soap Box Time

I had chosen my dives partially based on the boat that was going to the destination (Martini Rock / Hole in the Wall) as well as the camera set up for these dive sites.

My first issue was that the boat going to the location had been changed to the another boat that has a shorter ladder, which is becoming an issue for me at times, and I prefer the other boats at BDC specifically because they have longer ladders making it easier to get back onto the boat with my kit on.

I was offered to go on alternate boats to different sites, but I was set up camera wise for wide angle, plus my gases were set up for shallower sites.

I mentally kicked myself as we (eventually) left the marina as I realised I had a twinset in the back of the car and could have easily dived with that. My gases for this trip were EAN33 in an AL80 and Air in an AL65.

Boats were supposed to leave at 08:30 but most of the people were either not there yet and others were still setting up their gear. We left 15 minutes later than planned, and this meant that we were also late in getting back (around 14:00) delaying the afternoon boat which was going out with people from our boat, who were in fact included one of the latecomers!

Myself and a couple of others were quite vocal about this, be there on time or tough sh!t It was frikken hot >30C and humid.

The boat was full (15 divers + Instructor + boat driver) and fortunately three of us had the seats behind the helm as we motored north but with too many people closer to the bow the boat struggled a bit to plane the waves and move fast.

During the SI some divers left their gear all over the place, which was annoying when trying to swap tanks around. Why do people leave masks lying on the deck FFS.

Then on the second dive I see this

View attachment 660701

Yes temperature has warmed up.
We did the deep reefs that day and bottom temperature was a nice 25 degrees.
I actually took my hood off for the second dive.
I think next week will be a rash guard and Water Proof 3mm vest & hood!

And you're right, the BDC 2 ladder is a step short.
Haha I find myself looking for the last step - from the under water, I I imagine myself appearing like a drunkard trying to get on the boat haha.

For sake of solidarity Searcaigh, Paradise and Deep reef were also mediocre that day.

I did see an immaculate Map Puffer though. What a magnificent specimen. Perfectly contoured lines, no signs of animal-savagery. It would come first place in a pedigree puffer beauty pageant.

 

[Searcaigh]

And you're right, the BDC 2 ladder is a step short

I think you mean BDC3

BDC1, BDC2 and the dhow all have longer ladders

 

[Searcaigh]

Summer is here, although bottom temps on Paradise Reef (28/30m) were still cool at 24C, the temperature increased as the depth decreased (from my Petrel 2) as follows;
30-21m: 24C
21-13m: 25C
13-9m: 26C
9-5m: 27C
5-4m: 28C
4-3m: 29C
3-surface: 30C

Just past full moon and vis was crap, perhaps around 3-4m and even less on Car Cemetery 2 which was around 2m.

Only found one seahorse and one sea snake on Paradise Reef, the latter right at the end of my NDL. Fortunately I always carry some 50% with me so I did use it today.

We had a fair bit of current too, I think most of the seahorses were sheltering like this one

I followed the sea snake for a few minutes and was also thinking of changing to video with the TG5, but that is something would have taken up too much time and flaffing around, which given a deco obligation I decided against doing so. If it had been earlier in the dive I would have changed to video.

The second dive on CC2 was uneventful

 

[hedonist222]

On Friday, we went to Hole in the Wall and Martini Wall.

Nothing extravagant on Martini Wall - but I love the shallow side of HIW (where it meets with the end of Martini Wall). A lot of hard coral with so many critters.
A yellow goby with silver accents.
A few saron shrimp.
Crabs that look like tarantula.
Mantis Shrimp.

Then we did a night dive on Inchcape 1 and I found the pair of resident star gazers (still not convinced they're scorpion or stone fish).
We also found a large puffer with what appears to be a massive tumor on its back. The size of an orange! Protruding like an orange - about twenty centimeters. Poor thing.

The highlight of the night dive was a behemoth moray eel out in hunt.
A very vicious hunt. It caught two fish.
The first in a full lunge and the second by trapping it.
It contorted its tail around it - like a fishing net and then faced back towards its tail and ate it.
Quite the spectacle.

 

[BoltSnap]

On Friday, we went to Hole in the Wall and Martini Wall.

Nothing extravagant on Martini Wall - but I love the shallow side of HIW (where it meets with the end of Martini Wall). A lot of hard coral with so many critters.
A yellow goby with silver accents.
A few saron shrimp.
Crabs that look like tarantula.
Mantis Shrimp.

Then we did a night dive on Inchcape 1 and I found the pair of resident star gazers (still not convinced they're scorpion or stone fish).
We also found a large puffer with what appears to be a massive tumor on its back. The size of an orange! Protruding like an orange - about twenty centimeters. Poor thing.

The highlight of the night dive was a behemoth moray eel out in hunt.
A very vicious hunt. It caught two fish.
The first in a full lunge and the second by trapping it.
It contorted its tail around it - like a fishing net and then faced back towards its tail and ate it.
Quite the spectacle.

Do you have photos for all of this?

 

[hedonist222]

Do you have photos for all of this?

hahaha why do I feel like I am being interrogated ?

the critters in hard coral - no
could just not get the lighting/focus right
little bastards also kept dodging me
So I just enjoyed with my magnifying glass and sentience memory

star gazers - yes
photographs and video
one of the pair was in hunt-mode

 

[hedonist222]

Do you have photos for all of this?

is that you Seedee Burhan?
I just noticed you did a moniker change.

 

[Searcaigh]

The highlight of the night dive was a behemoth moray eel out in hunt.

Was it one of the honeycomb morays?

This is a Stargazer, very different to scorpion and stonefish

 

[hedonist222]

Was it one of the honeycomb morays?

Yes
One of the two resident honeycomb eels
There are other juvenile eels but hard to discern

Some of our American divers refer to the pair as Fred and Wilma

 

[BoltSnap]

hahaha why do I feel like I am being interrogated ?

the critters in hard coral - no
could just not get the lighting/focus right
little bastards also kept dodging me
So I just enjoyed with my magnifying glass and sentience memory

star gazers - yes
photographs and video
one of the pair was in hunt-mode

No photos, it didn't happen