Diving in between the rain...

29 October

Last week’s problems with the coastguard seem to have been resolved (thanks Sami) which is good news as the UHF locator they wanted us to install is a seriously expensive bit of kit.
Thanks go to Brendan for doing the nitrox course last Tuesday. Nitrox 32 which we mix at the club is ideal for the depths that we dive round here and gives you either added bottom time or greater safety or both depending on how you set your computer.
I wasn’t involved with the dhow trip last weekend but Janette sent in a report and Derek and Jutta sent a few photos:

The day started off well with everyone arriving on time apart from one member and his partner who could not get their passport from their employer.  The Dhow was a little smaller than expected and was too slow to reach Lima rock.  We headed off up the coast not really knowing where to dive since the storms a few years ago had ruined many of the sites we used to dive.

Time was not on our side so we decided to check out a couple of sites that used to be quite good. The sea was fairly calm but there was a swell that affected one or two of the none divers, the up side was that as they deposited there breakfast in the sea it attracted a variety of fish life.

The first dive was at midday. As we were kitting up, a reluctant diver announced he couldn’t dive because he had forgotten to pack his BCD! Fortunately, we were able to accommodate him and provide the necessary BCD.  At the end of the first dive we were a little anxious as Peter and Simon were enjoying themselves so much they were just over the hour mark when they surfaced. (Much to my relief!)  We pulled further into the cove for lunch where everybody could splash around for a while.

After minor repairs and tweaking, the second dive was just across the bay and although all the stag horn coral had died there was a fantastic variety of hard corals.
You have heard about the slow boat to China well it could never have been as slow as the return Dhow to Dibba, a bottle of the Irish nectar did help to pass the time and prepare the way for the Stagg ceremonies later in the evening. It was pitch black when we got back, but everybody made a very effective chain and we quickly managed to offload and disperse all the equipment to the appropriate cars.
We hope to have regular trips in the future but certainly not on the slow boat.  I will check out the other dhows and let you all know when the next one is planned.
Jannette