OP
UAE East Coast Temperatures
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They all seem to be haning out there this year.
---------- Post added August 25th, 2014 at 04:29 PM ----------
Simon-, nice blenny! Too bad about your camera, can you get it fixed?
The weather forecast for coming weekend looks much better!
OP
yea looks promising on Wind Guru ….. going to pop round to Stevie tomorrow and get my trimix sorted for Friday 
Sadly yes, user error. Pinched the main O ring. Insurance claim in process. Waiting for the report from Nikon on the camera body and the lens, and will probably be sending the housing to ikelite to check the TTL circuitry etc. They will probably recommend a full service of all seals etc, which hopefully will be covered by the insurance as they will no doubt state it is required as a result of the flooding.
---------- Post added August 26th, 2014 at 03:13 PM ----------
Thanks for photo comment. As for the camera, I await the wise words from Nikon on that front. Insurance should cover it all though.
OP
Dived with Blue Planet today, nice set-up and friendly staff and definitely a place that I plan to return to.
We only dived Dibba Rock, which proved to be nice and relaxing, lots of life but the visibility was 5M or less, still the warm temperature of 30C was very pleasant in particular since my last dive was 19C.
Few cuttlefish around, and the odd nudibranch
We only dived Dibba Rock, which proved to be nice and relaxing, lots of life but the visibility was 5M or less, still the warm temperature of 30C was very pleasant in particular since my last dive was 19C.
Few cuttlefish around, and the odd nudibranch
OP
Friday 24th
My daughter's visa was expiring the day I fly off to Barcelona at the beginning of November. I had planned to get a residence visa for her, but she has to have her birth certificate authenticated back in Malaysia (new rules), wish I and known before she came over. The alternative is to get a new visit visa but she must exit the country first.
So today's plan;
Drive to Oman via the Hatta / Wajaja crossing towards the east of UAE, then head up the coast to the Khatmat / Kalba crossing into Fujairah then go diving with Blue Planet.
Boat leaving at 11:30 for Inchcape 1
Ah best made plans ..
Car was packed last night, up at 06:30, shower breakfast etc and on the road by 07:30
1 hr 30 mins to the Hatta / Wajaja border as planned
30 mins at border planned, darn a bus that pitched up but as the forms are in Arabic / English and I was prepared (had two pens in my pocket) we got in the Q and filled the forms up as we shuffled along, visas issued and passports stamped in 25 mins.
Planned 30 mins to the Khatmat / Kalba border arriving at 10am as planned with 1 hour drive to Blue Planet from that border.
4 lanes of traffic , pick a lane took the far right one, wrong choice, about 5 cars ahead of us, the next lane was processing 5 cars to our 1, WTF
Soon realised that the truck drivers who use a different channel wet also using our line to get their visa to exit Oman enter UAE.
We eventually get to the border post and the guy tells us to go to the building, no explanation. Okay we go the the admin building and when I enter I know something is wrong, Emirati uniforms! Uh oh! We did not get exit stamps from Oman, we did not see any signs earlier and thought we were at the Oman exit but we were already in UAE.
So back to Oman to find where to get the passports stamped with an exit stamp then head back to the Emirati border post, all this took around 45 mins.
So we were an hour from Blue Planet and 45 mins before the boat was due to leave. I had tried to time everything for an 11am arrival but the border crossing got really screwed up, (first time I had used this crossing too). No point in driving like a maniac to get there.
Called Blue Planet and told Alla we were not going to make it, she told me that we could get on the 3.30pm boat but Yanni had to be back to meet friends at 5pm, so that plan was shelved.
Made a few calls to other dive centres that were closer but all their boats were fully booked or already out for the day (2 tankers)
in the end we drove back to Dubai (2 hrs) an ate our packed lunch on the way.
Plan to dive with Coastal Technical Divers in Fujairah tomorrow, Inchcape 10 . fingers crossed
Saturday 25th
All good to go with CTD, Duff and Samir were there too with their RBs their plan with two new trimix students to lift an anchor that Duff had found a few weeks ago near Inch 10
Viz was amazing 10M but one helluva current closer to the surface. I had planned to shoot wide angle today so was pretty happy. descended to 24M and Yanni spots a nudibranch on the sand Chelidonura livida
Usual plethora of snapper too
Inside the wheelhouse it is pretty colourful
The other guys were pretty successful raising the anchor too using 4 large SMBs, looks like it is from a local dhow
Oh and temperature was 27C at 24M still in my 3mm
My daughter's visa was expiring the day I fly off to Barcelona at the beginning of November. I had planned to get a residence visa for her, but she has to have her birth certificate authenticated back in Malaysia (new rules), wish I and known before she came over. The alternative is to get a new visit visa but she must exit the country first.
So today's plan;
Drive to Oman via the Hatta / Wajaja crossing towards the east of UAE, then head up the coast to the Khatmat / Kalba crossing into Fujairah then go diving with Blue Planet.
Boat leaving at 11:30 for Inchcape 1
Ah best made plans ..
Car was packed last night, up at 06:30, shower breakfast etc and on the road by 07:30
1 hr 30 mins to the Hatta / Wajaja border as planned
30 mins at border planned, darn a bus that pitched up but as the forms are in Arabic / English and I was prepared (had two pens in my pocket) we got in the Q and filled the forms up as we shuffled along, visas issued and passports stamped in 25 mins.
Planned 30 mins to the Khatmat / Kalba border arriving at 10am as planned with 1 hour drive to Blue Planet from that border.
4 lanes of traffic , pick a lane took the far right one, wrong choice, about 5 cars ahead of us, the next lane was processing 5 cars to our 1, WTF
Soon realised that the truck drivers who use a different channel wet also using our line to get their visa to exit Oman enter UAE.
We eventually get to the border post and the guy tells us to go to the building, no explanation. Okay we go the the admin building and when I enter I know something is wrong, Emirati uniforms! Uh oh! We did not get exit stamps from Oman, we did not see any signs earlier and thought we were at the Oman exit but we were already in UAE.
So back to Oman to find where to get the passports stamped with an exit stamp then head back to the Emirati border post, all this took around 45 mins.
So we were an hour from Blue Planet and 45 mins before the boat was due to leave. I had tried to time everything for an 11am arrival but the border crossing got really screwed up, (first time I had used this crossing too). No point in driving like a maniac to get there.
Called Blue Planet and told Alla we were not going to make it, she told me that we could get on the 3.30pm boat but Yanni had to be back to meet friends at 5pm, so that plan was shelved.
Made a few calls to other dive centres that were closer but all their boats were fully booked or already out for the day (2 tankers)
Plan to dive with Coastal Technical Divers in Fujairah tomorrow, Inchcape 10 . fingers crossed
Saturday 25th
All good to go with CTD, Duff and Samir were there too with their RBs their plan with two new trimix students to lift an anchor that Duff had found a few weeks ago near Inch 10
Viz was amazing 10M but one helluva current closer to the surface. I had planned to shoot wide angle today so was pretty happy. descended to 24M and Yanni spots a nudibranch on the sand Chelidonura livida
Usual plethora of snapper too
Inside the wheelhouse it is pretty colourful
The other guys were pretty successful raising the anchor too using 4 large SMBs, looks like it is from a local dhow
Oh and temperature was 27C at 24M
still in my 3mm
OP
26C on Dibba Rock and 23C on Inchcape 1, time to hang up the 3mm and dust off the 5mm.
Incredible viz on Dibba Rock 10-15M, just spectacular.
Found an agreeable pipefish at Dibba Rock, usually they just don't want to look at the lens.
Could have shot wide angle today, it was so good
Second dive on Inch 1 was also pretty good, Yanni and I were the only two using Nitrox, so we had the wreck to ourselves for 10 minutes after the air breathers left us, fortunately we were the only boat on the mooring as it was 11:45am
Incredible viz on Dibba Rock 10-15M, just spectacular.
Found an agreeable pipefish at Dibba Rock, usually they just don't want to look at the lens.
Could have shot wide angle today, it was so good
Second dive on Inch 1 was also pretty good, Yanni and I were the only two using Nitrox, so we had the wreck to ourselves for 10 minutes after the air breathers left us, fortunately we were the only boat on the mooring as it was 11:45am
OP
So first dive today was Inchcape 1, buddied up with a French guy (Jean-Michel), who lives in Abu Dhabi, another photographer. No Frogfish (and no pun intended), but we found a huge 15cm / 6 in seashorse
It was in a very awkward position and difficult to manipulate my housing and strobes
Temperature was 23C, same as last week, but I had my 5mm on, still a bit cool on the boat journey back to Dibba though.
Second dive was at Dibba Rock, we had bit of a drift at the beginning heading south which was fun but 2M viz :shocked2: then I began looking for a large agreeable pipefish to photograph. Third one lucky, seemed quite passive and posed reasonably well for me. I was actually talking to it, which seems mad, but I hoped that the tone of my voice might be soothing. The things you think of when trying to coax a creature to behave.
At the end of the dive I found a pair of Risbecia puchella having sex on a rope
Temperature at Dibba Rock was 25C, yep winter is a comin'
It was in a very awkward position and difficult to manipulate my housing and strobes
Temperature was 23C, same as last week, but I had my 5mm on, still a bit cool on the boat journey back to Dibba though.
Second dive was at Dibba Rock, we had bit of a drift at the beginning heading south which was fun but 2M viz :shocked2: then I began looking for a large agreeable pipefish to photograph. Third one lucky, seemed quite passive and posed reasonably well for me. I was actually talking to it, which seems mad, but I hoped that the tone of my voice might be soothing. The things you think of when trying to coax a creature to behave.
At the end of the dive I found a pair of Risbecia puchella having sex on a rope
Temperature at Dibba Rock was 25C, yep winter is a comin'
Diving at Stoney Cove tomorrow (surface temp 12C, 6Cat 35m.). The thought of 25C waters will hopefully keep me warm
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