Not a bad weekend at all! It didn’t go exactly according to plan – the original targets were the Neptune and Jumbo but after half an hour heading into a worsening sea state, we diverted to the dhows which at that point were only ten minutes away. 

We went first to Karen’s dhow which used to be home to a lot of baby barracuda. These appear to have grown up and left home but there was plenty of other fish in evidence. The dhow was carrying a consignment of glassware when it sank and we invariably come back with a few plates and bowls, this dive being no exception. We also retrieved a copper nail from the rudder. Some of these are already in the club and one or two others were donated to the Sharjah Maritime Museum (which has yet to display them!). The one brought up on Friday seems to be the last.

Leaving Karen’s dhow we took a look at a location known only as “1039” on the GPS. Mike did a quick bounce dive on the site and reported a small barge – plenty of fish but not otherwise very exciting. I think we’ve probably visited this before but didn’t find it interesting enough to become a regular target.

The second dive of the day was on the Bigpro dhow (or Bigprop, Nopro, Noprop – take your pick). It’s quite small but generally has some good fish life. On this occasion there were plenty of snappers, tuna and some real granddaddy barracuda patrolling the wreck. These were unusually friendly and let you get quite close although some caution was obviously needed. Uwe found and retrieved a brass oil cooler which should polish up nicely. Mike and Derek also had a close encounter with a turtle and to add the icing to the cake, some dolphins came up for a look just as we were hauling the anchor up. They didn’t stay around long but never mind – it capped a good trip. Who needs Friday brunches anyway?

Geoff Taylor recently donated some old photos of the club which I’ve finally got around to scanning. This is a work in progress but they will be fed on to the website in batches along with some others I got from Harry some time back. Some of the faces are identifiable but the names of others have disappeared into the mists of time so if anyone recognizes their friend, lover, dive buddy, partner in crime etc, this information would be gratefully received.

In a slight break with tradition, we have a plan for the next couple of weeks:
27 May  – Taha
3 June   – Martini Beach
10 June – Zainab.
All weather permitting of course although Martini Beach is less susceptible to the whims of nature than the offshore wrecks.

Last Friday we went back to the Dara for the first time since the 50th anniversary dive last month. We packed all ten divers into the big boat which made it a bit cramped but the wreck isn’t far away from Hamriyah and the sea state was forecast to be very calm as indeed it turned out to be in reality. The current was also minimal and the viz better than I’ve seen on the Dara for a long time. It was a rare pleasure to float in mid water several metres above the wreck and look down on so much of it. The Dara is very broken up and it can be difficult to navigate in poor viz unless you know it reasonably well.

The fish life was as abundant as usual on the wreck although there was nothing really noteworthy apart from a medium size leopard ray briefly seen by some divers near the stern and a cloud of dust and debris surrounding Mike and a bathtub. By 4pm we were back at the club, boats and gear washed and enjoying some liquid refreshment.

It has been suggested that an east coast dive is a bit overdue. This may not happen this Friday but will be arranged in the near future. Apart from the change of scene, we can accommodate more divers and recent demand has been high. Not a bad problem to have I guess.

Thanks to the efforts of PJ, we may shortly be able to access the money in our accounts for the first time in a long while. I am tempted to name the bank that has raised inefficiency to an art form but I remember the trouble the “name and shame” approach caused Dubai club a couple of years ago. But if anyone is thinking of opening an account, I’d be happy to advise them where not to go!

After last week’s day off, normal service has been resumed although there were one or two moments on the way out (and back) where this didn’t seem a good idea at all. The sea state wasn’t bad as in dangerous but it was certainly lumpy and didn’t make for a comfortable ride. Still we got there (to the Taha) and had a couple of nice dives. The engine room is still proving elusive although Mike and Uwe are making progress. The galley has yielded a couple of plates and the bridge telegraph still awaits cleaning and polishing. It was also good to see two full boats –     13 divers in total. Nice also to see the barracudas are still there    in force. There was also a lionfish which are not common on this coast.

For the first time there some other divers on the wreck – a team from DSDC came out half way through the day. Hope you enjoyed the wreck guys – we’ll forgive the near collision with our boat! 

Some of you may remember Michelle and Peter Wright who were members here a few years back. Michelle and Peter now live in Australia and have sent the following:

“G’day 
In less than 14 days we’ll be running the Noosa Half Marathon. But we thought, why run just for ourselves? So we're trying to raise some money for the Cancer Council Queensland at the same time. Any contributions welcome!
Please click on the  ink below to visit our very own fundraising page to find out all about it. It only takes a few seconds.
You can visit our fundraising page at 
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/team_blackdogs
Spread the word and send to as many people as possible.
Thank you!
Love
M and P xxx”

To finish a quiz question:
You’re back at the club after a day’s diving. You find yourself clutching a sweaty item of underwear that you don’t want anywhere near sensitive parts of your body. Do you:

a. Take home and put through the wash (possibly several times) or
b. Hang up in the equipment room

The person who answers b. can expect a 10 Dirham fine on Tuesday!