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Last weekend we went for the camp-out up in the mountains and a very good trip it was too. We all reached the site thanks to detailed instructions from Mike and despite the GPS co-ordinates being a full degree out. Anyone trusting the numbers would have found themselves only 2km from the Taha wreck – clearly a problem for your average 4x4. After pitching tents, we cracked a few tins, lit the fire and settled down to relax and enjoy the barbecue. By the wonder of technology, we managed to have a word with Uwe in Lübeck. Last time we used this camp site, Uwe managed to erect a street light to help us see the food we were cooking – those days are missed!

In the morning, having had some breakfast, we de-camped and headed down to Dibba with the idea of diving Dibba Rock. There is a slip at the Royal Beach Hotel which is close to the rock but we soon found there were too many obstacles blocking the way. Instead Mike launched the boat from Dadna, about 9km down the coast. While we waited on the beach, Mike drove up to meet us, finding time to tackle a fire in the port engine on the way. Fortunately the damage doesn’t look terminal and Dibba rock is only a short distance off-shore and reachable on one engine.

This week’s prize for novel diving technique goes to Derek. Attempting to execute a backward roll off the boat, he didn’t notice the ladder over his feet. His fins got caught in the ladder, the ladder caught the side of the boat and Derek found himself dangling upside down, head in the water feet in the air. Unfortunately, he managed to wriggle free before we could get a camera out.

After that, anything might seem like an anti-climax but it was a very good dive. Apart from the morays, cuttlefish and the usual reef residents, there were shoals of snappers and some silver fish that seems relaxed about divers in their midst and were large enough to blot out some of the daylight. PJ was taking some video footage so hopefully we’ll have something to see on Tuesday. Mike and Wendy had the best of it on the second wave as they ran into five or six reef sharks, the largest of which may have been a couple of metres in length.

A few photos of the weekend are attached. Thanks to Mike for doing the organizing and the fire-fighting.
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After last week’s non-dive it was good to get back in the water on Friday. We took the boat in reasonably calm seas out to the Jumbo and the Neptune. The Jumbo is a cargo vessel now lying on its port side in about 23m of water. It was sunk deliberately as an artificial reef for the benefit of local fishermen. It was known to exist for a long time but no-one knew the location until it turned up on a sea-bed survey, a copy of which we had acquired.

Descending the line we saw that the viz was very good – 10 to 15m – which is unusually clear. The second thing we noticed was a large cow-tailed ray that had just emerged from the sand. As we stayed stationary, the ray came towards us and swam between us before disappearing out of sight. The rest of the dive didn’t quite match that but we did come back with another spare anchor which Mike found on the bottom. We were also escorted up the line by some barracuda.

The Neptune is only a few minutes away – in fact both wrecks are served by the same cardinal buoy. It is a barge that was damaged when it collided with a rig (whilst tackling a fire) and it sank whilst under tow back to Sharjah. There used to be some nice swim-throughs towards the stern and there may still be but since our last visit (in November) a section of hull in this area has collapsed. Mike and I were running into deco at this point so we weren’t able to explore further but next time we go there we’ll be able to see what you can or can’t do now. We saw another ray at the start of the dive but this one wasn’t so friendly and promptly swam away.
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An interesting day out was had last Friday but not quite in the way we had anticipated. We thought we’d go and have another look at the co-ordinates we tried last week (wreck “I”) when we failed to locate anything despite some interesting looking shapes on the seabed. Alas, this time nothing appeared on the echo sounder except flat and sandy bottom. What we saw last week is anyone’s guess – I was only drinking bitter lemon I swear. After 45 minutes driving around in circles, squares and other patterns we gave up and the appearance of a pod of dolphins gave us something more interesting to look at.

We next headed for Karen’s Dhow so that we could at least get a dive in. Lamjed and Apolostolis secured the anchor and the rest of followed down the line. The fish life was a tad disappointing compared to what it can be like but it was an enjoyable dive nonetheless. However the highlight was to come. PJ, Richard and I were the last up having freed the anchor. Richard had climbed back on board when I noticed a dolphin right behind PJ’s shoulder. Looking below, there were six or seven swimming around us and the boat, not quite close enough to touch. Unfortunately, we couldn’t let go of the boat in the strong current or we might have been able to get closer but it was a memorable close encounter.

It would have been difficult to top that and after a search for another possible target (wreck “J”) had again yielded nothing, we headed home.

Ordinarily that would have been the end of the story but on the way back we spotted something very odd in the water, apparently under tow. Closer inspection showed it was the cutter-head of a dredger, clearly at an angle its maker never intended. We had a chat with the tug boat skipper, who told us it came to grief five days previously and it was under tow into Ajman. He was expecting some divers to fix some floats to the wreck to get it more or less upright for maneuvering in shallow water. The correct response (“Sure that’s us – just give us ten minutes to kit up”) didn’t occur to us in time but it was an interesting story all the same. If they don’t succeed in getting the dredger into port, they won’t have much option but to let it sink.

It seems the Al Khan coastguards are indeed expecting to see Emirates ID cards for anyone going out. Whether this is the case at other launching points we don’t know yet but it may be prudent to assume that it is. Take note.

One for the diary: a camp-out is planned for 27th April. Details to follow.

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Last Tuesday was Harry and Karen’s last fling in the Dive Club (for now at any rate) and we all had a few drinks to see him off. My memories of their previous leaving parties are a bit hazy but this one was good and we look forward to the next one!

At the weekend we got back out on the water. The initial target was Karen’s Dhow, which we dive quite a lot these days – there’s plenty of fish life and it’s nice to bring back some glassware for the mantelpiece. We hooked a bit of coral rather than the wreck itself but Mike D and Derek followed the right bearing (and field of debris) and found the wreckage.

For the second dive, we decided to investigate some co-ordinates we have been given courtesy of Mr Lugg. There are three targets close to the dhows so this seemed like a good opportunity. At the zero point, there was nothing visible on the echo sounder but trawling round we did indeed find something interesting on the seabed. Unfortunately, despite a couple of circular searches, nothing was found apart from a few stray bits of timber (part of another dhow?). Still, whatever it is won’t go away and we’ll be back sometime for another look.

One thing to note: when reporting in to the coastguard at Al Khan, he told me that in future only Emirates ID cards will be accepted as identification. Whether this will be enforced rigidly only time will tell.

One for the diary: a camp-out is planned for 27th April. Details to follow.

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leaving party 23/03/2012
 

Harry Adamson – co-builder of the dive bar – will be having his latest leaving do at this week’s dive night – Tuesday 27th March. Karen apologizes for the short notice but explains that this time she didn’t want him to find a new job at the last minute. Come along and say farewell!
Regards
Ian
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Another one-tanker on the Dara last Friday. In truth that wasn’t the original plan. We’d decided – perhaps optimistically in hindsight – to go to the Neptune and Jumbo. Even on Thursday evening there were signs that the weather might not co-operate on that one and by Friday morning, the forecast had deteriorated still further. Reasonable sea-state in the morning but picking up to 6-9ft offshore in the afternoon said the recorded message and past experience (not to say common sense) tells you that you don’t want to be around when that happens.

 One of the benefits of the Dara is that it’s only 11km from Hamriyah, meaning that you’re not too far from shore if a quick exit is required. We hooked the anchor close to the bow for a change and it took a few minutes to work out exactly we were. Once the bow was found all was clear and we also got to see a large stingray gliding into the distance. Again no photos but at least this time Derek and I both spotted it. Derek, incidentally had joined us having just stepped off the plane from Beijing. The viz was reasonable and there was very little current considering it was a spring tide.

After we’d all done one dive the promised rise in sea state was clearly starting to happen so we decided not to push our luck any further and headed back – forced to spend the afternoon with a couple of drinks by the pool. It was tough but someone’s got to do it.

It has been suggested that a camp-out in a couple of weeks time might be a good plan while the weather allows it. Watch this space.

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Evelyn and Gordon, Jutta and Peter at the Club
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Some severe waves (16 – 20ft offshore) during last week led us to suspect the worst but by the weekend the sea state had calmed down enough for us to get out there. In fact the sea was calmer than advertised and the current was minor despite the spring tide. It was a bit chilly down there though – 5mm wetsuits (at least) are recommended for the next month or so.

Our targets were the two dhows that we go to regularly. These are neither huge wrecks nor massively challenging but they do have good fish life and it’s also nice to go to places that no-one else does. The first was the Bigprop dhow, so named for the unfeasibly large propeller that we spent several dives sawing off and the next 12 months trying to move back to shore. On this occasion there was a pair of batfish on the stern posing for photographs, a shy grouper, a large and unusually friendly barracuda and on the bow and some large silver fish now positively identified as minstrel sweetlips (thanks Peter). There was also a cuttlefish lurking in the timbers that gave Derek a squirt of ink when he tried for a photo.

The curse of the banana struck PJ twice over. Having consumed the offending fruit on the way out, he then got up close and personal with a jellyfish on the first dive. Less painful for him but more entertaining for the rest of us, he proceeded to execute a backward roll entry that was perfect in all respects save for a crucial deficiency in the fin department. As club treasurer, he will no doubt be keen to donate 10 dirhams to club funds!

The second dive was on Karen’s dhow, a couple of kilometers away. The viz was a lot worse on this wreck for some reason but we still saw some more barracuda and groupers. PJ also managed a close encounter with a turtle that wasn’t spotted by anyone else. He had his camera running so we can’t dispute his story!

In the past when anyone claimed a sighting of whale sharks, manta rays or some other marine exotica, the response was always: “Show us your photos!” By implying doubt, one could keep the bragging within sensible limits and in the days when underwater photography was comparatively rare, this was an almost foolproof system. With the advent of inexpensive digital photography and video, anyone asking for photos now is likely to be shown not just photos but a 20 minute movie complete with opening / closing credits and a musical soundtrack! Oh well – it should be a good film. We look forward to the premiere tomorrow.

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Some severe waves (16 – 20ft offshore) during last week led us to suspect the worst but by the weekend the sea state had calmed down enough for us to get out there. In fact the sea was calmer than advertised and the current was minor despite the spring tide. It was a bit chilly down there though – 5mm wetsuits (at least) are recommended for the next month or so.

Our targets were the two dhows that we go to regularly. These are neither huge wrecks nor massively challenging but they do have good fish life and it’s also nice to go to places that no-one else does. The first was the Bigprop dhow, so named for the unfeasibly large propeller that we spent several dives sawing off and the next 12 months trying to move back to shore. On this occasion there was a pair of batfish on the stern posing for photographs, a shy grouper, a large and unusually friendly barracuda and on the bow and some large silver fish now positively identified as minstrel sweetlips (thanks Peter). There was also a cuttlefish lurking in the timbers that gave Derek a squirt of ink when he tried for a photo.

The curse of the banana struck PJ twice over. Having consumed the offending fruit on the way out, he then got up close and personal with a jellyfish on the first dive. Less painful for him but more entertaining for the rest of us, he proceeded to execute a backward roll entry that was perfect in all respects save for a crucial deficiency in the fin department. As club treasurer, he will no doubt be keen to donate 10 dirhams to club funds!

The second dive was on Karen’s dhow, a couple of kilometers away. The viz was a lot worse on this wreck for some reason but we still saw some more barracuda and groupers. PJ also managed a close encounter with a turtle that wasn’t spotted by anyone else. He had his camera running so we can’t dispute his story!

In the past when anyone claimed a sighting of whale sharks, manta rays or some other marine exotica, the response was always: “Show us your photos!” By implying doubt, one could keep the bragging within sensible limits and in the days when underwater photography was comparatively rare, this was an almost foolproof system. With the advent of inexpensive digital photography and video, anyone asking for photos now is likely to be shown not just photos but a 20 minute movie complete with opening / closing credits and a musical soundtrack! Oh well – it should be a good film. We look forward to the premiere tomorrow.

 
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After a couple of abortive weekends we managed to get wet last Friday. In fact the seas were as flat as a millpond enabling us to travel 45km out to Brian’s wreck (“Wreck X”), which we’ve tried to dive several times but never quite reached – usually because of the sea state. I didn’t get to see the whole wreck but PJ and Mike covered the whole length and report that it’s about Taha size (say 50m) but considerably older. It’s sitting in 35m of water making it deep by the standards of most of our wrecks which meant that without nitrox the dives were a bit short. Given a water temperature of 21˚C, this might have happened anyway.

The wreck was home to a big shoal of the largest jacks I have ever seen. At the risk of sounding like the fisherman describing the one that got away and knowing that things appear larger underwater anyway, some of these fish were approaching a metre in length and were circling round like barracuda do sometimes. There were barracuda around as well and although large, they seemed less out of the ordinary. A return visit with a richer gas mixture seems in order when the weather permits.

For our second dive we went to the Taha, about 17km back in the direction of home. Instead of the very big, here we found the very small – a vast number of tiny jacks and barracuda. PJ memorably described it as “like a cloud of sperm” and at one point I nearly swam off the wreck, being unable to see where I was going. All in all a very good day.

Having let the boat slip off the buoy a few weeks back, Richard was observed securing the painter with knots that would have defeated Harry Houdini. I guess no-one wants to be caught out a second time!

Saad writes the following:

“Just wanted to let you know that I run a DSDC dive on the East Coast most Saturdays.

We launch from the Fujairah Marine Club and go as far up the coast as Inchcape 1. This gives us access to all 3 Inchcape wrecks, plus Martini Rock and a few other reef dives. Max depth is 30m, but most sites are at the 20-25m mark. We meet up around 0730 and are back in the marina by 1700. The drive from Dubai is about 1.5 hours, although it will be a little quicker from Sharjah.

Although some Saturdays the weather has held us back, most of the time the sea is quite calm - esp. when the West Coast is getting battered. We've had some nice days out there.

So, if anyone from the 406 would like to join us, it will be a pleasure having their company onboard. Just let me know by Tuesday evening and I'll get their names on the roster. The boat carries a max of 8 divers - sometimes it's full, sometimes only half - so always worth finding out.”

I

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