BSAC 406
  • DIVE LOG
  • HOME
  • CONTACTS
  • TRAINING
  • MARINE ENVIRONMENT
  • GALLERY
  • CLUB HISTORY
  • T-SHIRTS
  • LINKS
Welcome To Bsac 406 Dive Logs
The Spirit Of BSAC
BSAC 406 - LAUNCH A MEMORY SUPPORTING THE RNLI
Picture
Picture

Octopus Of The Nasteran - May 2019

21/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Hi all
We had an almost full boat at the weekend which was very gratifying. The main reason for this was the return to the fold of those that for some strange reason, prefer to go hiking or fishing during the winter months. Anyway, the initial target was the Sea King 5 but it quickly became obvious that the sea state wasn’t going to allow this, so we diverted to the much closer Nasteran. This proved very interesting in a number of ways, so much so that we stayed for two dives on the site rather than moving on elsewhere for the second dive.

First a word about the wreck: the Nasteran is an upside-down landing craft in about 22m of water, almost directly offshore from Ajman. Once little more than a metal box and hence not much dived, it became much more interesting when the sides started to corrode and break up, allowing us access inside the wreck. It was here that Uwe discovered the spare propeller that now adorns the outside of the Dive Club office. There are two levels for exploration: the cargo deck which being upside-down represents the space between the deck and the seabed and the lower (upper) deck which was the living accommodation.

On exploring the wreck, we found significant changes due to last winter’s storms. The cargo deck has partially collapsed towards the seabed, effectively cutting this section in two although there seemed to be a route between them on the starboard side. Many of the holes allowing access into both upper and lower sections have become enlarged although the entrance near the bridge seems to be a lot tighter now. No doubt we’ll do a further visit or two to assess the wreck’s condition more thoroughly.

The viz was excellent and we saw the usual angelfish, snappers and shoals of jacks and barracuda. There were also a couple of large sweetlips. The highlight was just off the wreck where Brian turned over a rock to find a small octopus guarding a collection of eggs – young octopuses waiting to be born. I don’t ever remember seeing an octopus on the west coast before and in fact they’re not common on the east coast either. A memorable experience.

The sea state was pretty poor by this time and it was a slow journey back, but well driven by Cara and back at the club we were joined by Richard and Sharon, Richard having the weekend off from Saudi. A few refreshments followed. An excellent day.

From Angela:
Here are a few photos from the weekend.
If you zoom in on the octopus detail photo you can see the spotted body of the baby octopuses. Brian's eyesight was better than mine -he could see that underwater.
The flatworm has a nice reptilian pattern.
The anemone hermit crab has a symbiotic relationship with the anemone - the crab benefits from camouflage and protection and the anemone benefits from a ride and scraps of food. The symbiotic relationship with the plastic bag is yet to be determined.
 
Eid Al Adha
Response to this year’s Eid trip has so far been disappointing. At some point we will need to decide whether to proceed and I would greatly appreciate it if those who normally participate could indicate their intentions this year. See below logs for details about the trip. 
------------------------------------
DAN insurance website: https://www.daneurope.org/home
----------------------------------
The Dive Club meets every Tuesday night in the Dive Bar.
See you there!
 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Authors-

    Ian Hussey and Dive Member Contributions.

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    October 2008
    May 2008
    March 2004
    June 2002

    Picture
  • DIVE LOG
  • HOME
  • CONTACTS
  • TRAINING
  • MARINE ENVIRONMENT
  • GALLERY
  • CLUB HISTORY
  • T-SHIRTS
  • LINKS