UAE East Coast Temperatures

[hedonist222]

5mm and hooded vest, got cold on the boat returning to the marina.

Might use my drysuit on Thursday

Was hoping that you'd say yeah, still warm enough for a skin suit.
I dislike wearing anything thicker than a skin suit.

 

[Searcaigh]

I like to be warm, but if you're fine in a skin suit at 26C for an hour at a time multiple dives that's good.

The long boat rides back to the shore can be cold.

 

[hedonist222]

I like to be warm, but if you're fine in a skin suit at 26C for an hour at a time multiple dives that's good.

The long boat rides back to the shore can be cold.

I remember 26° feeling chilly.

I asked a dive guide friend based on alaqqah and he said it's 24°'these days.

I don't intend to dive till March anyways.

Enjoying the outdoors while weather is nice.

 

[cerich]

24c yesterday

 

[Searcaigh]

24c yesterday

In that case it's drysuit for Thursday

 

[Searcaigh]

And drysuit it was although I still registered 25C on Thursday (Boxing Day) and yesterday (Saturday).

Thursday was a surprise of sorts, met up with one of buddies I hadn't seen this year, Ernie, and did a couple of laid back dives with him off Sharq Island and Hole in the Wall.

It was alate start too plus we had a full boat accommodating a Finnish family of six and included a DSD during our SI of 90 minutes then back to FIMC at around 3pm.

On Saturday my regular buddy Kerstin was with me, and we were on a boat of 14 divers. I managed to persuade Mohammed to take out BDC 1 and split the group, so we had five in BDC 1 and more space to sort ourselves out, plus we were all well experienced tech divers in one boat although not doing tech dives.

Mark and Koko came across a 1m cuttlefish, sorry can't post the video of it that Koko took, at Angels Reef.

At CC2 we were disappointed with the nudi count, only two

Goniobranchus annulatus

Hypselodoris infucata

 

[hedonist222]

lovely photos, Gordon.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Searcaigh]

First dives of the year with Barracuda today on Angels Reef (Fujairah) and then on Inchcape 10.

Water temps are 24C

Best find and surprise today was two pineapple fish (on Angels Reef), which we've seen nearby on Ruby Reef in the past.

My buddy Ernie also joined the ranks of drysuit divers today, happily no leaks and all went well.

Visibility was miserable though 2-3m.

Second dive on Inchcape 10 had loads of actions with barracuda and jack hitting the shoals of fusiliers and snapper. Watching them dive in was a real buzz, and when the shoals flew past I could feel the water pressure from them. Should have had wide angle video.

The jellys are also beginning to return, we saw quite a few on the deco stop over Angels Reef.

 

[hedonist222]

I did 60 dives over the summer at alaqah and never saw pineapple fish.

I'm wondering if they're more prevalent in winter or somehow just never congregated 20 km north of Fujairah.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Searcaigh]

I've seen one at Car Cemetery 1, near Khorfakkan.

Very shy fish and more likely to see one on a night dive than daytime.