Where did I go with my force fins?

[TN Traveler]

I will be taking my Force Fin Pros on my upcoming cruise to the southern Caribbean. I know I will be diving in Dominica. Now I have to decide on either a wreck in Tortola or reefs in St. Kitts, or maybe both.

Your wreck dive in Tortola would be on the Rhone. It is a good dive, but be warned - it can have a fairly stiff current. As long as you are prepared for it, it should be fine. We found that BVI diving lacked color and sea life was a little sparse - but that may just have been the week we were there.

We had a very good dive in St. Kitts from our cruise ship. Made our own reservations with Kenneth's Dive Center and had a good trip.

I'd dive both if I could.

Dive Safely

 

[Blair Mott]

dk2943,
Great to hear you are going to Dominica. It holds a special place in my life as I started out my professional diving career in 1989 with Dereck Perryman at Dive Dominica. The island has so much to offer above and below the water. I have always wanted to dive the Rhone, but never had had the chance - go for it! My diving in St Kitts entails a night dive on a wreck where we did a live underwater broadcast to a cruise ship so I do not have much feedback on the reef diving.

I love the history of the BVI's and there is a lot of places to explore depending how you are traveling. I would go for the BVI's, but as you mentioned if both is also an option dive on!
Here is to safe diving and good vis! Have a great time!

 

[dk2943]

Thanks for the advice. I promise to report back after the cruise.

 

[dk2943]

Thanks for the advice. I promise to report back after the cruise.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Yesterday, August 25, started off with the wrong foot. It was a beautiful sunny day with a low tide right at midday so I decided to go snorkeling in the bull kelp forest of Keystone Jetty to get more practice taking pictures with the new Canon S90, the Fantasea strobe light and Ikelite housing that Sambolino44 and I bought few months ago. Well while I was pressing the buttons of the housing to make sure that they worked OK one of them got stuck and eventually broke! Then I tried to switch on the Fantasea focus light and it was dead!
I thought:'Oh dear! I am glad that my new scuba gear, including the force fins, is not falling apart like this disappointing housing and flash light!'

Fortunately we also decided to replace the Canon A570 that broke while I was in Alaska. The major reason to go snorkeling in the first place was to take pictures and video clips of the kelp forest before it becomes too seasoned and dies out.

I packed everything in the car, drove for 30 minutes to the jetty. The sea was calm and beautifully sparkled under the bright sunlight, the breeze was cool and overpowered the heat of the sun at times, the water was way out there and the stipes and blades of the bull kelp were lazily lounging on what looked like a clear surface from a distance! I could not wait to get into my old semi-dry suit (in lakes I can get away wearing a torso heater and a shorty but not here) and the other neoprene stuff, the fins etc. to splash in that waterylight.

Then when I began to look for the camera to put it inside the housing I could not find it anywhere inside the car....After searching left and right without missing any corners I had to face the hard fact that the camera was still at the Rock House!

My stubborn determination to stick to my plan replaced an increasing sense of frustration with positive action! I drove back home to pick up the camera while I desperately tried to get some decent music out of the local radio stations to make my trip go faster. At home I was also able to grab a tape of music that I really like too!

At last I had everything I needed to get into the water!

I spent two hours snorkeling at the jetty! It was amazing-awesome! I saw an invertebrate that I have never seen before. I am still debating whether it is a nudibranch or a snail. Any guesses?

I also saw a fish that I have never seen before there either. It was rather large and at first glance looked like a moray eel! I think it may be a kind of prickleback not sure which one, though.

[vimeo]14460695[/vimeo]

These are just two of the many creatures that I saw there. The water was clear but crammed with particles of all sorts. I will go back there snorkeling as soon as the weather gets better! ...and where are the particles and the kelp? Still in unedited video clips that it will take me a while to sort out. I have such a backlog!:depressed:
​

 

[Soakedlontra]

Your wreck dive in Tortola would be on the Rhone. It is a good dive, but be warned - it can have a fairly stiff current. As long as you are prepared for it, it should be fine. We found that BVI diving lacked color and sea life was a little sparse - but that may just have been the week we were there.

We had a very good dive in St. Kitts from our cruise ship. Made our own reservations with Kenneth's Dive Center and had a good trip.

I'd dive both if I could.

Dive Safely

The biggest wreck I have ever visited underwater was the Odyssey in Roatan. Like the BVI there was not much life on and around it (one solitary grouper and few sponges). However on the sandy bottom next to the wreck there was a 'garden' of garden eels!

I hope you will have the chance to see one!

 

[Soakedlontra]

On Saturday, August 28, is going to be Sambolino44's turn to celebrate his birthday...Oh dear! Yes! We are both Virgo...What a pair!. He has decided to go diving somewhere in Southern Puget Sound. I edited the following video about my 48th Birthday Dive while checking endless current and tide predictions, cooking some lunch and packing camping and scuba gear.

Recently the Seattle Times has published an interesting article about the Chimaera. Apparently it is the most abundat fish in the Puget Sound. It might well be but one thing is sure I don't encounter this fascinating creature every dive. I will never get tired of flying with the Chimaera.

[vimeo]14491567[/vimeo]​

 

[uncleavi]

I am doing some wreck diving off West Palm Beach with my Pros tomorrow then up to Alaska to pick up a u-haul and drive back to Florida.

 

[Soakedlontra]

You never know what life has in store for you next. I guess that is what makes it so interesting.

After our first dive in downtown Port Townsend Sambolino44 and I found ourselves in the middle of a smartly dressed crowd. Those folks were celebrating the union of a bride and groom while we were celebrating Sambolino44's birthday!

During our first dive Sambolino44 had the chance to spend some time with his favorite marine creature: the Giant Pacific Octopus!

while above us a couple was getting married.

The Bride was in white like a White-Lined Dirona:

and all the men were in black like Sambolino44 (funny..now that I am thinking about it most of the other women were dressed in light blue and my suit was blue too!...weird!)

While the Bride and Groom exchanged nuptial kisses, underwater another kind of nudibranch was busy mating!

Let's toast to Life!

​

 

[Soakedlontra]

I am doing some wreck diving off West Palm Beach with my Pros tomorrow then up to Alaska to pick up a u-haul and drive back to Florida.

Have fun in the HOT sun! I wish I could come with you, it's getting cold here already! Aaarrggghhh!:depressed: