Simple post...
Busy with courses.... BUT...!
Roys wreck dive here...
https://vimeo.com/43076003
xx
SD
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Sunday 27 May 2012
27th May 2012
ECO all the way this week.
The Beach & Dive Site Clean Up was yesterday and either side of that we've been building new structures for Junkyard :-D
As so many people find it so difficult to navigate to our site from the buoy line (which is just disgraceful) we thought we'd make it a bit easier for them and construct 3 metal pyramids leading the way to the dive site. The pyramids have also been designed so that we can transplant corals onto them, which was our main aim :-D
Earlier this morning, we loaded the structures onto the longtail along with some concrete slabs that we scrounged from the Regal hotel and Si & We motored out to Junkyard to drop them off at Junkyard. Not wanting to just throw them overboard and destroying anything below, Si put his mask & fins on and checked out below. I quickly & easily launched the pyramids but I didnt have the strength to move the slabs so Si had to try and move the longtail around on his own, jump back on the longtail and then lift and throw the slabs into the water before drifting back.
Exhausted and mission completed, we headed back to Crystal and waited for the eco volunteers who's afternoon mission was to correctly place the pyramids and secure them with the concrete slabs and for the girls in the team, we'd attempt to fix some of the broken fixtures and clean some of the coral nurseries. 28 minutes into the dive the weather had turned, rain, big swells and we noticed that our boat (Crystal II) was starting to drag the buoy line which wasnt secured properly yet, ...which was the last thing we wanted. So we aborted the dive and got all the divers out of the water as quickly as possible so we could unhook from the line and head back to base. We have planned to go out again tomorrow moring to finish off, perhaps just on the longtail this time but let see what the weather has planned.
The Beach & Dive Site Clean Up was yesterday and either side of that we've been building new structures for Junkyard :-D
As so many people find it so difficult to navigate to our site from the buoy line (which is just disgraceful) we thought we'd make it a bit easier for them and construct 3 metal pyramids leading the way to the dive site. The pyramids have also been designed so that we can transplant corals onto them, which was our main aim :-D
Earlier this morning, we loaded the structures onto the longtail along with some concrete slabs that we scrounged from the Regal hotel and Si & We motored out to Junkyard to drop them off at Junkyard. Not wanting to just throw them overboard and destroying anything below, Si put his mask & fins on and checked out below. I quickly & easily launched the pyramids but I didnt have the strength to move the slabs so Si had to try and move the longtail around on his own, jump back on the longtail and then lift and throw the slabs into the water before drifting back.
Exhausted and mission completed, we headed back to Crystal and waited for the eco volunteers who's afternoon mission was to correctly place the pyramids and secure them with the concrete slabs and for the girls in the team, we'd attempt to fix some of the broken fixtures and clean some of the coral nurseries. 28 minutes into the dive the weather had turned, rain, big swells and we noticed that our boat (Crystal II) was starting to drag the buoy line which wasnt secured properly yet, ...which was the last thing we wanted. So we aborted the dive and got all the divers out of the water as quickly as possible so we could unhook from the line and head back to base. We have planned to go out again tomorrow moring to finish off, perhaps just on the longtail this time but let see what the weather has planned.
Tuesday 22 May 2012
22nd May 2012
Sorry it's been a few days from our last post.
Lets see, what's happened?! Well after our Junkyard assessment dive, a crew of us went out the following afternoon to move the cement blocks which were the final items to be moved back 100 or so meters just south east of the original buoy line. Whilst Si took all the strong lads with him, I took Sarah, my Underwater Naturalist student for a tour of Junkyard and then we went over to the coral nursaries and gave them a clean. When I say clean, I mean removing all of the ascidians growing on the base of the corals. As in time they'll grow up and suffocate the coral. It's a long job and think after a couple of 76 minute dives, we'd done an excellent job and the rest of the team had successfully moved all the blocks and for the moment, just laid them on the anchor. We'll have to arrange another couple of dives in order to put the sand screws in and secure everything down.
It's been pretty quiet at Crystal, so not much teaching. Simons always busy though, working on UK stuff amoungst other things. We did take a student out on a Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) transect line. Basically going over a 100meter line, 5x5mtrs and recording, fish, invertebrate and what substrate, type and health it's in with Emma, a Divemaster form Master Divers who's training to be an instructor for the 'EMP' ..she seemed very competent and passionate which was refreshing.
We played RISK the other night, world domination, which went on for hours and in the end around 1.30am we decided to call it a night as Simon went out early in the game and the 3 of us that were left would have been there for days :-D
Yesterday we pottered around in the morning and then went to the pool and played ball for a few hours. Early evening we headed home, made roast potatoes, sweetcorn which was going to go with a veggie stuffing mix but on opening it, it smelt a bit odd. Only 3 months out of date:-D
A movie and a few glasses of wine later, we retired.
x
Jenny
I
Lets see, what's happened?! Well after our Junkyard assessment dive, a crew of us went out the following afternoon to move the cement blocks which were the final items to be moved back 100 or so meters just south east of the original buoy line. Whilst Si took all the strong lads with him, I took Sarah, my Underwater Naturalist student for a tour of Junkyard and then we went over to the coral nursaries and gave them a clean. When I say clean, I mean removing all of the ascidians growing on the base of the corals. As in time they'll grow up and suffocate the coral. It's a long job and think after a couple of 76 minute dives, we'd done an excellent job and the rest of the team had successfully moved all the blocks and for the moment, just laid them on the anchor. We'll have to arrange another couple of dives in order to put the sand screws in and secure everything down.
It's been pretty quiet at Crystal, so not much teaching. Simons always busy though, working on UK stuff amoungst other things. We did take a student out on a Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) transect line. Basically going over a 100meter line, 5x5mtrs and recording, fish, invertebrate and what substrate, type and health it's in with Emma, a Divemaster form Master Divers who's training to be an instructor for the 'EMP' ..she seemed very competent and passionate which was refreshing.
We played RISK the other night, world domination, which went on for hours and in the end around 1.30am we decided to call it a night as Simon went out early in the game and the 3 of us that were left would have been there for days :-D
Yesterday we pottered around in the morning and then went to the pool and played ball for a few hours. Early evening we headed home, made roast potatoes, sweetcorn which was going to go with a veggie stuffing mix but on opening it, it smelt a bit odd. Only 3 months out of date:-D
A movie and a few glasses of wine later, we retired.
x
Jenny
I
Friday 18 May 2012
17th May 2012
Today, I finished a 2 person Advanced Open Water. A French couple had continued through from their Open Water course with me, and it was quite enjoyable to teach them.
After completing their morning dives, Jen, me and a few other jumped onto the longtail to head out to Junkyard. The day before, during bad weather, the SeaTran ferry decided to park on Junkyard's buoyline. Being a rather large boat, they dragged the anchor and sandscrews about 100m to the East hitting the edge of the coral reef. We were really concerned about the direction it had dragged it, and I had visions of 3 years of work on our nurseries was trashed.
Once we found Junkyard with Carsten snorkelling and me driving the boat around in circles (and rough waves!), Carsten dove down to tie a temporary line for the longtail to moor up on.
Carsten and his group surface swam to the anchor 100m away, while Jen and I dropped down to assess the damage.
The path of the anchor was clear... and it had missed causing massive damage to our coral nursery by inches.. it actually had only clipped the edge causing some structural damage... which I can happily live with.
Jen and I swam the path of the anchor and met the other guys, where we used lots of lift bags to raise the sandscrew and anchor to return them to Junkyard... It was a tough task and we have to return to move the concrete slabs tomorrow, but a lot got done.
With the anchor and sandscrews back, we plan to return tomorrow and secure the anchor about 20m South East of Junkyard to lower the risk of the same thing happening... we shall see how it goes!
That evening, yet another dive (night) with my 2 students, and then home to bed... I think we both fell asleep 5 mins later...
xx
SD
After completing their morning dives, Jen, me and a few other jumped onto the longtail to head out to Junkyard. The day before, during bad weather, the SeaTran ferry decided to park on Junkyard's buoyline. Being a rather large boat, they dragged the anchor and sandscrews about 100m to the East hitting the edge of the coral reef. We were really concerned about the direction it had dragged it, and I had visions of 3 years of work on our nurseries was trashed.
Once we found Junkyard with Carsten snorkelling and me driving the boat around in circles (and rough waves!), Carsten dove down to tie a temporary line for the longtail to moor up on.
Carsten and his group surface swam to the anchor 100m away, while Jen and I dropped down to assess the damage.
The path of the anchor was clear... and it had missed causing massive damage to our coral nursery by inches.. it actually had only clipped the edge causing some structural damage... which I can happily live with.
Jen and I swam the path of the anchor and met the other guys, where we used lots of lift bags to raise the sandscrew and anchor to return them to Junkyard... It was a tough task and we have to return to move the concrete slabs tomorrow, but a lot got done.
With the anchor and sandscrews back, we plan to return tomorrow and secure the anchor about 20m South East of Junkyard to lower the risk of the same thing happening... we shall see how it goes!
That evening, yet another dive (night) with my 2 students, and then home to bed... I think we both fell asleep 5 mins later...
xx
SD
Wednesday 16 May 2012
16th May 2012
Nice gruesome update for ya..!
I completed a 5 person Open Water, with dodgy ears, which are improving day by day.. and then 2 of the students (French, and quite funny) continued on to Advanced...
Anyway... Day 1, was PPB and Navigation dives... the waves are huge, and boat was hiding from them as much as possible... On the way back, I managed to scrape my toe on deck and pull it off half way.. Not to show my pain in front of students.. I stuck a plaster on, went back to the bar and commenced with the Eco Movie nite...
Eco Movie over, and back home for some serious convincing to Jen.. "Just pull it off" "I can't!" " Do IT!!" "NO!!" etc...
Anyway, Jen plucked up the courage and on the 3rd attempt... the whole nail came off... not nice.. but I guess now it has gone... the body shall repair.. Enjoy the pic.. my nail is resting on my toe.
xx
SD
I completed a 5 person Open Water, with dodgy ears, which are improving day by day.. and then 2 of the students (French, and quite funny) continued on to Advanced...
Anyway... Day 1, was PPB and Navigation dives... the waves are huge, and boat was hiding from them as much as possible... On the way back, I managed to scrape my toe on deck and pull it off half way.. Not to show my pain in front of students.. I stuck a plaster on, went back to the bar and commenced with the Eco Movie nite...
Eco Movie over, and back home for some serious convincing to Jen.. "Just pull it off" "I can't!" " Do IT!!" "NO!!" etc...
Anyway, Jen plucked up the courage and on the 3rd attempt... the whole nail came off... not nice.. but I guess now it has gone... the body shall repair.. Enjoy the pic.. my nail is resting on my toe.
xx
SD
Friday 11 May 2012
11th May 2012
So, back to normal......
The family have landed safely back in the UK, and I have been snotty for 3 days, and now taking antibiotics to kick its butt..
In the meantime I have been hammering away with UK work, while Jenny has been teaching.. Another whaleshark spotted yesterday.. at White Rock... with Open Water students on the 4th dive... lucky sods!
Any way, I put together a quick vid of Roy's Deep Dive... Its not HD... that'll take a while!!
https://vimeo.com/41974158
Next up, will be Roys Wreck Dive!
xx
SD
The family have landed safely back in the UK, and I have been snotty for 3 days, and now taking antibiotics to kick its butt..
In the meantime I have been hammering away with UK work, while Jenny has been teaching.. Another whaleshark spotted yesterday.. at White Rock... with Open Water students on the 4th dive... lucky sods!
Any way, I put together a quick vid of Roy's Deep Dive... Its not HD... that'll take a while!!
https://vimeo.com/41974158
Next up, will be Roys Wreck Dive!
xx
SD
Tuesday 8 May 2012
8th May 2012
The past week has been brilliant. Lazy days at the pool, going for massages, diving, eating out, Muay Thai with the odd sleep over ..I wish more family would come and visit!
After getting over the shock of Si's mum surprising us like that, she and Roy are now on their long journey back. Where has the time gone? It's been an emotional day and it feels very empty and quiet without them. If only they could have stayed for longer. We were just getting started on the tan, the nights out and diving ..next time!! We wish them a very safe and quick journey home..
Simon is straight into his backlog of UK work, and I am straight back into teaching an Open Water course tomorrow morning. A video of Roys dives will be uploaded as soon as Simon gets some time to edit it!!
xx
Jenny
After getting over the shock of Si's mum surprising us like that, she and Roy are now on their long journey back. Where has the time gone? It's been an emotional day and it feels very empty and quiet without them. If only they could have stayed for longer. We were just getting started on the tan, the nights out and diving ..next time!! We wish them a very safe and quick journey home..
Simon is straight into his backlog of UK work, and I am straight back into teaching an Open Water course tomorrow morning. A video of Roys dives will be uploaded as soon as Simon gets some time to edit it!!
xx
Jenny
Friday 4 May 2012
4th May 2012
So, the last couple of days have been filled with some diving with Roy and hopefully completing his Advanced Open Water tomorrow..
We also sat by the pool relaxing, having a few bevvies, and one evening we went to Muay Thai boxing.
Besides that Roy and I went for a bike ride to my house, as you can see in the video below...
x
SD
Besides that Roy and I went for a bike ride to my house, as you can see in the video below...
x
SD
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