Not diving today and just going to catch up on stuff (like updating my website :-) plus it's raining hard here at the moment with the occasional sound of thunder to accompany it 
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SUnset turns out to be good though:
Back to Bangkok tomorrow...
A stroll up to the Scuba-Evolution dive shop and I book 2 dives for tomorrow. The first diving since the wonderful 'anchor dive' in Limon. Can't see it being as bad as then though!!!
Then, continuing my stroll around the Lonely Beach 'town' there are lots of places to rent scooters for 150 baht per day, this wasn't up for rent but am sure there's a story behind it...
Then onto one of the local bars for a Chang beer and some food:
Dropping everyone off on the way I'm staying at the Worapura Resort on Lonely Beach whilst I'm here:
A very nice, quiet place and not a bad view:
I'm off down to Koh Chang on Tuesday to do some diving.
A one hour flight from Suvarnabhumi to Trat:
Into the overly priced taxi, a ride to the ferry and across to Koh Chang:
I flew to Phuket and met Chris Owen at the airport.
We then drove to Chalong and Chris got me the study materials for the courses...
Quite a bit to take on-board with studying, knowledge reviews, practical demonstrations, writtene exams...you know, the normal score for these kind of courses.
Four days of 'hard' work and exams and I passed the Emergency First Response (and Secondary), Care for Children, EFR Instructors, EANx and EANX instructors.
Big thanks to Chris Owen for all his help during the week and also to Mat for the EFR course and Tim who was the victim during my EFR instructors.
Have decided to do some more diving courses.
I need to redo my Emergency First Response (EFR) Course as it's kinda expired but also want to do my EFR Instructors course.
Additionally, I've always been meaning to take my Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx) course AND I want to do the instructors course for that.
I decided to contact a few dive centres in the UK (one in London, one in Portsmouth) and a couple of Health & Safety teaching companies (for the EFR).
Well, to cut a long story short....
The price for doing the first aid courses was quoted as being around £400 plus of course accommodation needed, travel, etc. Ok!
I emailed a dive center in Phuket and enquired about the cost of courses with them...
Chris Owen, Course Director with Indepth Diving has quoted me 23,500 THB for the lot: that's £430 (approximately) and includes manuals, PIC[s], etc.
Guess I'm off to Thailand then...
Board the bus for the 4.5 hour ride to San Jose and then have a day in San Jose before getting a 5 am taxi to the airport.
Back up to Mexico City, across to Cancun and then down to Puerto Aventuras to see Adam, Emily and family again.
It's good to see them all again and, after a day sorting stuff out, Adam gives me a lift to Cancun for my flight to New York and then back to London Heathrow.
Speaking to some people who have been here a while (20+ years), they say that they have neer seen rain like it...
It's going on far too long into the 'season' and will affect everyone here, especially the diving 
Ah well, life goes on... 
It kinda rains a lot here!
Depending on who you talk to it's either 'normal' or the dry season is late coming.
Either way, there's a bit of swell running (which is great for the surfers here) or the seas haven't calmed down a lot before the next downpour - and the consequent poor visibility
Haven't been on here for a while as I don't have my laptop with me and the one pc in the place I'm staying is always in use.
All good here. Not much diving going on at the moment but helping Dave (along with Robin, Jessica, Shawn and Dave) get his dive shop back up, open and running.
Will post more but having no laptop makes things a tad slower...
Dave, Jessica, Robin and myself went to Limon to locate the anchor lost by a freighter about a week or so ago.
We made our search plan, had all the information and equipment that we needed and under the scorching hot sun took the boat up to Limon.
We anchored near the gps location given to us and, Dave, Jess and myself got our scuba gear and went in to begin the search...
Five minutes later, we were out...!!!!
My dive computer showed the depth being 14.6m - unfortunately, I didn't know this until I resurfaced as it was PITCH BLACK from 7m down and none of us could see any of our instruments (depth gauge, compass, contents gauge - nothing).
Totally unprepared for absolutely NO visibility Dave and I tried a second time but to no avail - we surface, abort the search and return, a bit deflated to Puerto Viejo.
None of us had ever dived in those conditions. The best way I can explain it is sit in a dark room, close your eyes and then 'double the darkness', that'd be close.
Then, because we're underwater with no idea of depth, direction, length of dive, no idea on air consumption, and, once you are off the seabed, you can't tell which way is up it doesn't make for a pleasant environment.
Oh yeah, did I also mention there are Scorpion Fish around here, someone also mentioned a possibility of Tiger Sharks and crocodiles... ah well, maybe next time!!
Unfortunately, down here in Puerto Viejo, I have no phone signal!
I'm told that the only people who can hae mobile phones/Costa Rican SIM cards are locals or businesses.
Basically, if you need to contact me then it's email, Facebook or I may see you on Skype...
Adam and Emily drive me to Cancun airport and I fly across to Mexico City and, after a two hour gap catch the flight down to San Jose.
A $20 taxi ride to the hotel and I manage to get my head down at 1 o'clock in the morning.
A walk around San Jose during the day:
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...and catch the bus for the 4.5 hour drive to Puerto Viejo in the morning.
Back over to Playa Del Carmen and then down to Puerto Aventuras to sort my stuff out to [not to take] to Costa Rica.
My mate Dave says that petty crime can be a problem so advises me against bringing 'certain' stuff.
What to take, what not to take?
Isn't it amazing how easily qnd quickly we get used to 'luxuries' and take them for granted: laptop, ipods, etc.
I can't for one minute imagine travelling without my ipod so it's coming with me. Just hope it stays with me.
Get back to Adam and Emily's in PA and find out that Adam is on a fitness phase at the moment. Guess no hangovers between now and Monday then (him not me :-)
Blue XT Sea is another small dive operation and we have a maximum of 6 divers on the boat over the 3 days I am there.
There is a fair bit of wind from the north so all the dives are on the southern side of the island (which is a pity but that's life)
We dive:
- Palanqua Caves
- Delilah Reef
- Eagle Ray Wall
- Columbia Deep
- San Francisco
- (and one other I can't remember the name of :-)
I have to admit that these dives are amongst some of the best that I have experienced. The reefs are amazing, the sea life abundant and the experience is great in every way.
A little cold again towards the end of the dives (it's that shortie again :-) but is a small price to pay for 60-70 minute dives in such a place.
Best experience was seeing 8 Eagle Rays: first a single one, then a group of four, then 3 more!! Fantastic.
Unfortunately, my two-and-a-half year old 5.1 megapixel Sony Cybershot camera decided to give up and I got no decent photo's at all - gutted!
The guys I dived with: Chuck, Taren, Kenny, Mike, Vikki, etc., said they'd send me some...please do.
Carlos from Aquanauts recommends a dive center over in Cozumel so, hangover in tow, I get dropped off in Playa Del Carmen and catch the ferry across to Cozumel.
It's only a half hour or so and is a little lumpy: the weather forecast for the next few days isn't brilliant but I've booked my flight to Costa Rica for the 9th February and need to get across to Cozumel and dive if it's going to happen.
I check in at the Plaza Cozumel which, somehow (I don't know how), has a four star rating!! The room is a fair size, is clean but that's it really - 4 star, mmmmm!
Walk down to Blue XT Sea dive center and book a 6 dive package for the next 3 days.
Booked four dives with Aquanauts divers in the marina at Puerto Aventuras.
It's a fairly small operation in that there weren't any more than around 6 - 8 divers on the boat (which is great :-)
Also, unlike A LOT of dive centres I have dived with, they let you burn off a tank of air - no 40-45 minute dives here. This means that on a typical 30+ meter dive, we got 60 minutes+ underwater: superb!
Some really good dives and the only downside was that it was getting a tad chilly towards the end of the dives (in a 2mm shortie that is :-)
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Over to Cozumel next...
Over to the center at 8 am and book in for the dives.
Mine costs me 80CUC for a two tank dive. 35 each for the dives and 10 CUC rental for the equipment.
Can't remember the names of the dive sites but both dives are very good.
In addition to the dives, the boat guys caught a fish about 2 minutes after leaving the dock:
Anchor of MLG and go ashore and check-in.
Dave and I lay a bet that they search the yacht here; I'm pleased to say he won! This is the first time we've stopped and they haven't searched the yacht - a miracle!
The officials here are very friendly and the process is completed fairly quickly.
Over to the dive center and book two dives for the following day - yee ha!!
We push on for a couple of short days, anchoring each night. For some strange reason, being away from the prying eyes of the Guarda Frontera, Ministry of the Interior, etc., does wonders.
Obviously nothing illegal is going on but one detects a sense of paranoia in this country. Still, their laws, their rules.
We move out to the reef at the west end of Cuba and drop anchor. Gear up and then drop in in about 13m of water.
There's not much to see but it sure feels good to get the dive gear on and get in the water again.
Steve, Dan and myself went out to 'Fish Cave' to do some diving and Ollie and Natalie stayed on the boat as safety. We left a little early because of forecast 'bad' weather later on in th emorning.
The dive was good, a few big Groupers, a huge lobster, lots of Lionfish and a small manta.
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Cheers Dan, cheers Steve.
As I have my instructor rating and am fairly experienced, I'm given 'open season' on the dive. Basically this means I can go where I like, on my own (though there are upwards of twenty divers on the wreck) and penetrate where I consider it safe.
All certified divers are responsible for their own dives: equipment, plan, depth, air consumption, profile, etc.
The vast majority of divers I have met, dived with, etc., understand their abilities, their constraints, their limitations, etc, and I have no problem diving 'on my own' as it were.
We tie up onto a line attached to the wreck and, once the box jellyfish at the stern of the boat had departed the dive started.
The dive is very good and the wreck is impressive. Though the dive is around the conning tower, this is the largest wreck I have ever been on (the Oriskany is 911' long - 3+ rugby fields, enormous).
Lots of Barracuda, Jacks, Butterflyfish and at least two box jellyfish!!
Visibility is not brilliant and any photography (mine anyway :-) is not going to be good.
All in all a good days diving. A pity about the visibility and the cost (this days diving was the most I had ever spent on diving, even surpassing diving on the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns) and I would really like to dive this site again with a few changes:
- [at least] Nitrox.
- Better dive computer
- Visibility (as always)
- Less divers (as always)
- Cheaper cost (as always :-).
I can of course only influence two of those...just have to wait for my current computer to fail (had it for two and a half years and have done 99 dives with it) - think I'll definitely do a Nitrox course though. Just need to fit it in :-)
A 1.5 hour boat ride to the dive site and one other dive boat in attendance.
The top of the 'bridge' of the Oriskany was originally 68' but apparently it dropped another 10' when Hurricane Gustav went across not so long back. So that's a depth of close to 25m before we get to the wreck.
The problem for me is that I haven't done a Nitrox course and using a Suunto Mosquito dive computer (which has very conservative algorithms for No-deco times) I'm either going to have fairly short dives or fairly long deco stops on the way up.
The deck of the carrier is around 45m depth and that's outside the recreational dive limit (safety, insurance, etc.) so the dive is going to be constrained to circling and penetrating the bridge.
An additional consideration is my camera housing is only rated to 40m (though I've taken it lower before). I'm still using the original housing seal (nearly 3 years) and it is showing no signs of damage at all, can only last so long though. As always, it's at my risk.
Up at 6.30 am to get to the boat for the days diving.
Fortunately I was up as the fire alarm goes off a few minutes later. Out into the corridor to see what's happening and 'neighbours' tell me it's a regular occurence when the 'chefs' are preparing breakfast... no need to evacuate but what a pain. Ah well, off to the boat.
Arrive in Gulf Shores at 4pm and not sure whether to dive tomorrow, Monday or Tuesday I drive over the the Down Under dive shop and talk to Mitch about diving the USS Oriskany.
Fortunately I went in because they only dive the Oriskany at weekends in the low season and they cancelled today's trip because of forecast bad weather and have rescheduled for tomorrow. That's that one sorted then.
I wanted to dive out of Key West, but looking at the prices for accommodation I was put off very quickly. I'm fairly sure I could've driven down there and obtained cheaper accommodation but...
Decided to head west towards Pensacola and dive the USS Oriskany. This was an attack carrier that was used in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was sunk as an artificial reef in 2006.
Accommodation prices in Pensacola look to be twice that in Gulf Shores so it's off to Alabama I go...
Did some more diving in Ambergris Cay for the remainder of the week.
All the dives we did were no more than a 5 minute boat ride from the dive centre (would have liked to have dived some of the northern dive sites though) and all seemed to end up near the same point - finishing with Nurse sharks, a very friendly Green Moray eel...
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Some Nurse Shark videos taken during the week:
- One (4.5 MB )
- Two (10 MB )
Was going to do a Night Dive but was told about an 'event' taking place at the Spindrift Hotel that evening.
This particular event, known as the Chicken Drop (aka Chicken S**t Bingo), would take place from 7 o'clock. Never having seen such an event I decided to abstain from the night dive and go and view such an occasion.
I purchased 5 lucky numbers and awaited the drop with baited breath.
Slight disappointment in that a) the event only lasted around 20 seconds, and b) I didn't win...
Ah well, never mind!
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