Tuesday Dives

3-25-3

Each Tuesday I meet Curt for an afternoon dive. He is a great guy, long time diver and looks forward to Tuesdays as much as I do.

So far we have just been doing various shore dives but now that the days are getting longer we will be able to take the boat out and get back before dark.

This Tuesday we did a 119' for 53 minutes. We spend the first 6 minutes of the dive poking around down to our max depth where there is a sunken runabout and 1 minute there and then another 5 minutes poking around at 110'.

We saw a several lings guarding eggs around the runabout and a huge ling lying alongside a log... she looked like another log! We also saw a very large Cabezon in the same area with many large Rockfish.

We took 11 minutes moving up the slope to the 30' level where we spent the next 25 minutes putzing around. I was looking for octopus in this area and Curt was looking for bricks... he collects bricks. No octopus, plenty of bricks and several masses of Squid eggs.

I found a cockle and decided to have some fun at his expense. I set him down in front of a sea star and watched as the sea star moved over the top of him rapidly (at least for a starfish.)

All of a sudden the sea star jumped up and moved a few inches across the bottom as the cockle attempted to get away. The cockle sensing what was happening to him used his digger foot to thrust against the bottom but instead of escaping he was taking the sea star with him!

I though for a moment I would have to intervene to save the cockle but eventually he was able to flip out from underneath the sea star (which surprised me since sea stars little sucker feet really hang on tightly.)

The cockle kept flipping him self until he was several feet away and then decided to rest for a while. Since the sea star wasn't going to give up that easily and was still on the chase I decided to help the cockle by moving him to an area that wasn't so infested by hungry sea stars.

We spent the next 5 minutes to the surface.

Curt dives air with a dive computer. I dive EAN32 with a depth gauge/bottom timer. We both survived.

and an excellent example of a good dive profile.

I really need a fix. Haven't been wet since mid February, and this just egged on the urge even more.

Maybe Saturday for a dip.


I need to move closer to the water? =-)

I really enjoyed your dive report. thanks,

Sounds like a great dive. I have to ask and I'm sure you expected someone too...what did you calculate for an ending presure group? Oh and what tables were you using?

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
what did you calculate for an ending presure group? Oh and what tables were you using?

Click to expand...

I didn't do any calculations... and I wasn't using any tables.

I just know that if I spend a certain amount of time deep I need to spend a certain amount of time shallow.

But I did guess my average depth on the way home as being 50' for the whole dive and when I checked the Stinger it said the average was 52'.

Next Tuesday I will put the Stinger in computer/air mode and let it keep track of Curt while I use my Uwatec BT/DG to watch myself.

Then I will download the Stinger and see how we did.

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

I didn't do any calculations... and I wasn't using any tables.

I just know that if I spend a certain amount of time deep I need to spend a certain amount of time shallow.

But I did guess my average depth on the way home as being 50' for the whole dive and when I checked the Stinger it said the average was 52'.

Next Tuesday I will put the Stinger in computer/air mode and let it keep track of Curt while I use my Uwatec BT/DG to watch myself.

Then I will download the Stinger and see how we did.

Click to expand...

Interesting. As an excersize I came up with 55 ft not including the 5 min ascent from 30 ft which is significant in a good way.

Thanks.

Your report just makes me want to get on a plane. Gee did you miss the harbor seal on that dive too?

Uncle Pug once bubbled...
Next Tuesday I will put the Stinger in computer/air mode and let it keep track of Curt while I use my Uwatec BT/DG to watch myself.

Then I will download the Stinger and see how we did.

Click to expand...

This sounds like a great experiment. Looking forward to the report.

I also come up with 55 feet as an average.

Waterlover once bubbled...
Gee did you miss the harbor seal on that dive too?

Click to expand...

They are around there all the time but most of the time I seem to miss them.

You know, I was thinking about you guys while writing this report and wishing you were still out here! BTW the lings we saw at Alki were small fry compared to the cow we saw on this dive!