Where did I go with my force fins?
- Thread starter Soakedlontra
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
Soakedlontra
Contributor
Puerto Aventuras is about 15 miles (estimate) South of Playa del Carmen.
The only place I have seen other force fins is at the local quarry. At most dive destinations the others on the boat look at me like I am an alien
Mikee
The only place I have seen other force fins is at the local quarry. At most dive destinations the others on the boat look at me like I am an alien
Mikee
OP
Soakedlontra
Contributor
Puerto Aventuras is about 15 miles (estimate) South of Playa del Carmen.
The only place I have seen other force fins is at the local quarry. At most dive destinations the others on the boat look at me like I am an alien
Mikee
I know the feeling...I am an Alien anyway so it doesn't bother me!
Last edited:
OP
Soakedlontra
Contributor
OP
Soakedlontra
Contributor
The underwater geology of Roatan was really fascinating. Where I usually dive on Whidbey Island there are not spectacular canyons with smooth round-shaped walls full of ledges and holes, caverns and narrow swim-throughs like in Roatan.
One of the dive sites that really impressed me was the Spooky Channel. Unfortunately the photographs and video clips that I took during that dive were stored in one of the memory cards that were stolen at West Bay beach. The only visual reference of that dive is a quick sketch that I drew in my log book:
The sketch does not give justice to how the underwater topography of the site really unfolded in front of my eyes while swimming first over a shallow reef then into a canyon whose space got smaller until there was just enough room for a diver to swim through without getting stuck and reaching a deeper channel with higher vertical walls while the visibility dropped from 80 to about 20 Ft! (That's why the site is called Spooky Channel). Instantly I felt I was in a familiar environment and I thought of home.
I tried to follow the group down to the bottom of the channel but my ears oddly and stubbornly did not want to equalize. My buddy waited for me while I tried several times to release the pressure inside my ears but it did not work. While hovering at about 30ft I saw the other divers disappearing slowly into that poor visibility. Then I signalled to my buddy to keep swimming in the same direction maintaining a depth of 30 fsw. My ears were able to cope without hurting.
Maybe it was a blessing that we did not keep up with the group at the same depth because it was like swimming in the middle of an uncanny threshold. When I looked up I could see the sun rays penetrating the blue water and pinnacle corals stretching out towards the light, when I looked down I could barely make the white sandy bottom out, the water was like fog that turned solid rock into a more ethereal material and when I looked on both sides I could gaze at the solid walls of the channel full of cracks and holes that looked totally lacking of life at first glance. Then I looked harder and banded coral shrimps began to appear, then an upside down king crab and small shy tropical fish.
After a while I spotted the bubbles of the other divers. Eventually they came into view. My buddy and I were swimming above them. They had reached the end of the channel, turned around and began to swim back. I decided to give another go at equalizing my ears. Slowly I began to drop from 30ft toward the bottom. This time my ears cooperated and we were able join the group at about 50 fsw.
We did not go through the narrow swim-through again but slowly swam upwards along the walls of the channel until we reached the shallow part of the reef. At some point along the way by magic the visibility switched from 20 ft back to 80 ft.
The following images taken in other dive sites may give an idea of what it was like diving the Spooky Channel
One of the dive sites that really impressed me was the Spooky Channel. Unfortunately the photographs and video clips that I took during that dive were stored in one of the memory cards that were stolen at West Bay beach. The only visual reference of that dive is a quick sketch that I drew in my log book:
The sketch does not give justice to how the underwater topography of the site really unfolded in front of my eyes while swimming first over a shallow reef then into a canyon whose space got smaller until there was just enough room for a diver to swim through without getting stuck and reaching a deeper channel with higher vertical walls while the visibility dropped from 80 to about 20 Ft! (That's why the site is called Spooky Channel). Instantly I felt I was in a familiar environment and I thought of home.
I tried to follow the group down to the bottom of the channel but my ears oddly and stubbornly did not want to equalize. My buddy waited for me while I tried several times to release the pressure inside my ears but it did not work. While hovering at about 30ft I saw the other divers disappearing slowly into that poor visibility. Then I signalled to my buddy to keep swimming in the same direction maintaining a depth of 30 fsw. My ears were able to cope without hurting.
Maybe it was a blessing that we did not keep up with the group at the same depth because it was like swimming in the middle of an uncanny threshold. When I looked up I could see the sun rays penetrating the blue water and pinnacle corals stretching out towards the light, when I looked down I could barely make the white sandy bottom out, the water was like fog that turned solid rock into a more ethereal material and when I looked on both sides I could gaze at the solid walls of the channel full of cracks and holes that looked totally lacking of life at first glance. Then I looked harder and banded coral shrimps began to appear, then an upside down king crab and small shy tropical fish.
After a while I spotted the bubbles of the other divers. Eventually they came into view. My buddy and I were swimming above them. They had reached the end of the channel, turned around and began to swim back. I decided to give another go at equalizing my ears. Slowly I began to drop from 30ft toward the bottom. This time my ears cooperated and we were able join the group at about 50 fsw.
We did not go through the narrow swim-through again but slowly swam upwards along the walls of the channel until we reached the shallow part of the reef. At some point along the way by magic the visibility switched from 20 ft back to 80 ft.
The following images taken in other dive sites may give an idea of what it was like diving the Spooky Channel
Last edited:
grandizer52
Contributor
Swear by them..and the kill zombies
Bob Evans
Contributor
grandizer, I feel like a Zombie after not diving this last year, then I found out my good Friend Rob Gibson who did so much for Santa Barbara Junior life guard passed on.The Santa Barbara Independent In Memoriam My Dad Gordon B. Evans say's " Nothing good last forever". Better get my fin"s while I am still making them.
OP
Soakedlontra
Contributor
Sorry to read about your friend. I hope you did take your fins and splashed into the ocean. Wouldn't it be the best way to celebrate his life? From what I have read it sounds he was a passionate and dedicated Ocean lover.
Bob Evans
Contributor
Soakedlontra, Thank you for caring. my eyes did not look good today since the sorry hit home last night. Seems like Force Fin has taken over my life, with out a moment to call my friends, or even go diving. I see the surface of the Ocean in my mind, below at 45 feet. I like to go deeper, to the edge of the reef, looking down into the depths. Time to join Greg Holt of Scuba Radio to escape to my home below the Waves. I took some great photo's of Rob Gibson with his swim kid's one day when I broke away to see him at UCSB Swim pool. I will post these pictures and continue to support the Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguard Programs. Time for Susanne and I to hit the pool tomorrow. Your Friend, Bob
Similar threads
