UAE West Coast Temperatures

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Are you using the single unit configuration or the dual unit?

Single, but I might get another one to double it up at some point.

 

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Water temps off the west coast in the Persian Gulf have dropped significantly with some of my friends reporting 19/20C

Fortunately when my buddy @outofofficebrb came to visit it was only 22C when we tested out her nice new BPW.

We did a shore dive at The Bridge and managed 71 mins before we called it quits.

A rare nudibranch was spotted, as well as a couple of cuttlefish, and a toadfish.

Goniobranchus cazae



Toadfish, Colletteichthys occidentalis



Still no seahorses since August 2023, but looking forward to some warmer water soon.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Water temps off the west coast in the Persian Gulf have dropped significantly with some of my friends reporting 19/20C

Fortunately when my buddy @outofofficebrb came to visit it was only 22C when we tested out her nice new BPW.

We did a shore dive at The Bridge and managed 71 mins before we called it quits.

A rare nudibranch was spotted, as well as a couple of cuttlefish, and a toadfish.

Goniobranchus cazae



Toadfish, Colletteichthys occidentalis



Still no seahorses since August 2023, but looking forward to some warmer water soon.

My computer recorded 21C! My boltsnap hangers can confirm.

 

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Back at the Bridge last Wednesday with my buddy Philippe from Abu Dhabi, Eid holiday but everyone else is ether out of town or not available. I was however ready to do a solo, and in fact for a fair bit of the dive I was due to the 1m visibility and only sighting Philippe occasionally.

After 40 mins I found a seahorse, took some photos and left a chopstick marker.



By the time I found Philippe and then relocated the seahorse, at least 15-20 mins had passed and the seahorse was now hanging onto the chopstick.



Water temp was 25C, so getting a bit more comfortable, especially for long dives. Today was 101 minutes.

 

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Back at the Bridge yesterday, first dive since I returned from Indonesia as I've been rather under the weather since my return due to a combination of factors, but I desperately needed a dive and the Bridge was calling.

Unfortunately no seahorses, but the water was a lovely 30C and I did find one nudi, Goniobranchus obsoletus.



Also came across a cuttlefish that didn't hang around. Vis was around 3m.

 

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A nice lazy two hour dive at the Bridge this morning with one of my favourite buddies Vangie.

She found two tiny nudis

10mm Goniobranchus obsoletus



And a 15mm Hypselodoris infucata



Water temp was 32C and vis a reasonable 2-3m, better than my dives off Fujairah last Sunday

We came across a few juvenile cuttlefish too, some barely 4cm. There must have been a recent hatching recently in the area.

Edited to add: This was my 100th dive at the Bridge since I started diving at this location in July 2022. And no I didn't dive it naked.

 

[BoltSnap]

And no I didn't dive it naked.

And thank God for that

 

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High tides are perfect at the Bridge for consecutive morning dives Friday through to Tuesday, saving on fuel driving to the east coast too. Water temps are a nice 31/32C also, very comfortable in a skin.

Yesterday I found loads of headshield slugs, Chelidonura livida, but today they were gone



Today I found another species of headshield slug, Philinopsis sp

 

[BoltSnap]

Yesterday I found loads of headshield slugs, Chelidonura livida, but today they were gone

These things move so slow, they are SLUGS!!! How are they gone????

 

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These things move so slow, they are SLUGS!!!

The Chenidonura were moving pretty fast to be honest.

However, many bury themselves in the sand, and I really need to do a night dive there soon. My last planned night dive last Wednesday was cancelled when my buddy called to say she was still at work.