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The hunt for the Al Jasourah has so far yielded nothing concrete (or steel) but investigations continue. Without any useful coordinates for this wreck we decided to revisit last week’s plan and go back to the Sea King 5 to take some more measurements. This time the weather co-operated and we got there without difficulty. The anchor missed the wreck but Mike laid a string line to the bow which we all followed.
To measure the ship’s dimensions I used the same system as we’d used on the Ajman Glory – laying a string-line down the length and across the width of the vessel. Then put a knot in the line establishing the dimensions which can be measured later by comparison with the Wanderers swimming pool. It worked fine at the Ajman Glory but on this occasion my reel jammed half-way down the starboard side so we tied on Peter’s reel to finish the job. Naturally the two lines got tangled but nevertheless we sorted them out and can now report the vessel to be 35 – 36m long by 10m wide. Peter took a video of the dive but with hindsight this and a measurement survey was probably too much to do in one dive and another trip without cameras is probably needed to finish the survey. For the second dive we headed for the Dara or at least some of us did! One of the region’s oldest wrecks to follow diving one of its youngest. Our last experience of the Dara was not that pleasant but this was much better – the wreck is still covered in nets but the viz was much better and the nets are much less threatening if you can see them before you swim into them. There was a group of large batfish and a pufferfish at the entrance to the cathedral and some barracuda at the stern as well as the usual profusion of fish life for which the Dara is noted. We now come to a story which can’t be allowed to pass although I must warn you that anyone with small children may want to censor this paragraph unless they’re prepared for some complicated explanations. Picture the scene: A diver – call him Peter – has finished his dive and is trying to remove his wetsuit which stubbornly refuses to move past his ankles without outside help. So he turns to the nearest person – call her Polly – and says: “Give me a pull!” Polly’s reply is not recorded.
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Authors-Ian Hussey and Dive Member Contributions. Archives
March 2023
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