WHEN to dive WHERE in SEA?

[billt4sf]

Banda Sea I would change as I found plenty of muck around - I may be wrong but I would think most LOBs visit Ambon and Banda Neira where you will find muck diving.

Feel free to add or change at will, Wingy.

 

[billt4sf]

NEW PAGE ON THE SPREADSHEET

I added a second page on the spreadsheet, hoping that the experts will chime in as they did so wonderfully on the first page.

SEA (and more) Dive Calendar

Now I'm trying to get AN OVERVIEW (not a complete picture!) of what kinds of dives are found at the various areas. I structured columns for Reefs, Walls, Muck, Macro Muck, Pinnacles, Mantas common, and a few other things guaranteed to create differences of opinion


I filled in a few cells that I have experience with -- a strikingly small number! -- and I invite those with more experience to add, change, change the structure or approach, or simply tell me it's a stupid idea, stop making trouble, and spend more time on FaceBook instead


Thanks in advance. Hope it's helpful.

- Bill

One thing that is sure to create discussion is that I made one column for "Muck" and one column for "Macro Muck". I'm not entirely sure this is sensible, but I have have been to so-called "muck" sites where there were sandy or trashy bottoms and lots of interesting creatures I could see. Then I have been to "muck" sites where I could see nothing of interest with the naked eye. So to me, these are vastly different experiences.

FWIW, when I dive with my gay friends and someone mentions "sandy bottoms" there is always a bit of a giggle. I have decided not to ask.

- Bill

 

[charlier]

Banda Sea I would change as I found plenty of muck around - I may be wrong but I would think most LOBs visit Ambon and Banda Neira where you will find muck diving.

Snooze...

 

[dirtfarmer]

One thing that is sure to create discussion is that I made one column for "Muck" and one column for "Macro Muck". I'm not entirely sure this is sensible, but I have have been to so-called "muck" sites where there were sandy or trashy bottoms and lots of interesting creatures I could see. Then I have been to "muck" sites where I could see nothing of interest with the naked eye. So to me, these are vastly different experiences.

FWIW, when I dive with my gay friends and someone mentions "sandy bottoms" there is always a bit of a giggle. I have decided not to ask.

- Bill

Muck...Macro muck

Ohh geez! are you trying to put us all out of our hobby? How are we to have any way to give people our well varied opinions and experiences if all they have to do is read a damn speadsheet.

I guess I'll have to start diving the Caribbean again so I'll have something to do while I goof off from working.

Bill what next a spreadsheet of all the resorts and ratings of accommodation, food, and service? How about dive guides and their ratings?

Sorry for the rant...I in now way am attacking you personally, we all have our desires for information. ( I love shirking work to research my next trip) I might be crabby because I just spent 3 hours and more cruising back and forth while 7 other locals in boats paddled around in boats dunking their heads in the water looking for a damn whaleshark to no avail. And I've seen the sun all of 1 partial day in what should be the dry season.

Oh back to the muck macro muck conundrum get a damn magnifying glass. Or some reading glasses lenses in your mask, or just about the nifftyiest thing I've seen a pair on a bungee that goes on the outside of your mask for us that want to know which way to shoot that rice grain sized nudi if our guides don't show us without unscrewing my damn diopter and sewing it back again. ( I've just spent 6 days diving in Romblon where the only critterr I saw bigger than a pea was the rare Melibe Colemani (BUT NOW I HAVE PHOTOS)

You do know that muck sites tend to have low current?...since your not a fan of current.

OK rant over...everybody start hating me now.

Oh by the way poor owners of scubaboard, after this speadsheet is done no one's is going to need to post questions, and their ad revenue is going to go in the tank.

 

[WetPup]

Can we not turn this thread into a pissing contest about muck diving? If you don't like it, fine. Whatever floats your boat. Some of us like those tiny little critters.

 

[Wingy]

Do you need me to wake you up Charlier?

Actually AFAIK you are the only other person I know who has dived Cubadak - I've done it in May and February - what times of the year have you been there.

Muck...super muck..how about creepy muck lol. At Banda Neira there is a jetty as you come into the 'harbour' - we did a night dive there's a few months ago - absolutely bizarre the amount of pigs skulls and other bones down there. Not an arborek jetty type dive that should make the lists but ...interesting. I want a creepy muck column!

Re Malaysia - langkayan, rendang and pom pom

 

[Tippytoes12]

Muck...Macro muck

Ohh geez! are you trying to put us all out of our hobby? How are we to have any way to give people our well varied opinions and experiences if all they have to do is read a damn speadsheet.

I guess I'll have to start diving the Caribbean again so I'll have something to do while I goof off from working.

Bill what next a spreadsheet of all the resorts and ratings of accommodation, food, and service? How about dive guides and their ratings?

Sorry for the rant...I in now way am attacking you personally, we all have our desires for information. ( I love shirking work to research my next trip) I might be crabby because I just spent 3 hours and more cruising back and forth while 7 other locals in boats paddled around in boats dunking their heads in the water looking for a damn whaleshark to no avail. And I've seen the sun all of 1 partial day in what should be the dry season.

Oh back to the muck macro muck conundrum get a damn magnifying glass. Or some reading glasses lenses in your mask, or just about the nifftyiest thing I've seen a pair on a bungee that goes on the outside of your mask for us that want to know which way to shoot that rice grain sized nudi if our guides don't show us without unscrewing my damn diopter and sewing it back again. ( I've just spent 6 days diving in Romblon where the only critterr I saw bigger than a pea was the rare Melibe Colemani (BUT NOW I HAVE PHOTOS)

You do know that muck sites tend to have low current?...since your not a fan of current.

OK rant over...everybody start hating me now.

Oh by the way poor owners of scubaboard, after this speadsheet is done no one's is going to need to post questions, and their ad revenue is going to go in the tank.

Oh no ...so sorry that you haven't seen whalesharks or the sun !

 

[dirtfarmer]

Would the creepy muck include diapers in the water? or would that be gross muck?
Or what about junk muck? like tires and cans and bottles

Twilight Zone in Ambon had loads of diapers but it also had 6 different kinds of frog fish and a juvenile roughsnought ghost pipe fish. Just down the way from TZ was where every old tire in Indo seems to go to die, harboring amazing amounts of moray eels and a juvenile rhinopia.

Some people's junk is some critters home. I have some super cute footage of a coconut octopus using and old cigarette carton as its hiding place.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Oh no ...so sorry that you haven't sen whalesharks or the sun x

Yeah but that's life Tippy! Right now the wind is howling and mudslides blocking roads and yahoo locking me out of my account because I'm in the Phillipines, but hey I'm on vacation, I'm diving, and I'm still loving it..
just a bit crabby for the moment.

 

[Wingy]

I love that Dirtfarmer, one mans muck is another critters home.

sorry you're Crabby at the moment but hey, you're right, you're on Holiday - and obviously no brown out at the moment which is one thing I Guess.

Ambon in October - for those who complain about the amount of trash in Lembeh, rhinopias galore at this spot