UAE East Coast Temperatures

[RainPilot]

Great weekend of diving on the inaugural RAID Easter Splash, unbelievable vis on Inch 1. Could see the entire wreck from about 10m, and on the bottom see the entire wreck bow to stern and make out individual divers by their wetsuit markings. Temps 24 at the bottom and 26 on the surface. Wore a 3mm and was toasty, Dibba rock with a rash vest and shorts, occasional cold swirl to make you remember its not summer yet but super comfortable in the shallows

 

[Searcaigh]

Brendon, I have been following the outing on WhatsApp

I will need some Musandam trips soon.

 

[Searcaigh]

Back diving wet again in UAE, although temps were 24C I was okay in my 5mm with hooded vest but pushing exposure limits with a 76 and 96 minute dives on Car Cemetery 1

My buddy Kerstin was needing her nudi fix and we dived with Extreme Watersports, previously Scuba 2000.

Our last encounter there in September last year was not so promising when we had booked to dive Inch 1 and CC1. When we turned up they had a bunch of OW students and could not dive Inch 1 and didn't think CC1 was suitable with plans to do two dives on Three Rocks. That really pissed off Kerstin big time and we just forgot about them.

However recently we had reports that they were looking to appease photographers so we thought of trying them again, and we were not disappointed.

The old Scuba 2000 has been totally revamped and is looking more like a dive resort - I'll post some pics after our next visit, a major improvement including a ramp and steps down to the water.

CC1 proved to be a nice fix for our insatiable appetite for nudis plus a large seahorse as a bonus.

Gymnodoris ceylonica

Trapania sp.

Another Gymnodoris that wandered by the G. ceylonica

and of course the seahorse

Planning to return next Friday and possibly looking at a night dive too on CC1

 

[BoltSnap]

Do they still have the rooms for rent there?

 

[Searcaigh]

Do they still have the rooms for rent there

Indeed they do, I might be staying there next Friday night and will let you know how they are.

 

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Back at Xtreme yesterday, water temps now up to 27C, time to change to my 3mm

A boatload of photographers including my usual buddy Kerstin.

Loads of nudis, but the number of Thecacera pacifica was amazing, some around 3cm in size, which for this species is huge! I have never come across more than one of this species whilst diving in UAE.

Also some large Dendrodoris denisoni

Another that I still have to ID

And quite a few spindle cowries around too

 

[Searcaigh]

Yay, back in my 3mm suit, daytime water temps 27-29C and during the night dive 30-33C.

Three dives and four hours later I had very little battery life left in my focus light at the end of my last dive.

Quite a few nudis around Car Cemetery again but I couldn't find the seahorse.

Lots of Gymnodoris sp (? impudica)

Lots of tiny stuff too, including Hypselodoris carnae

and this Aegires sp.

On the night dive we came across two very large seahares, well over 30 cm in size and too large to photograph with my 60mm lens.

Usual goatfish laying around

And opportunistic lizardfish

Since it is currently Ramadan there were only four of us in the boat at Xtreme this weekend, nice to have so much space

 

[BoltSnap]

Usual goatfish laying around

I LOVE this picture!! Visibility appears to have been very good, was it?

 

[Searcaigh]

I LOVE this picture!! Visibility appears to have been very good, was it?

3-5m on the first dive when I took that shot, it was down to 2-3m during the second dive, tide coming in and some current on the second dive too.

 

[JohnnyC]

Did two dives off Sharm Rock with some coworkers who were doing OW #3&#4. Temps were alright, small thermocline around 8-10m, vis was meh, 5-10m, although it was an open water class so pre-splash vis was much better .

Suffice it to say, I was the last off the boat, the last to the bottom, but easy enough to just follow the cloud of silt.

First dive not in a drysuit in a couple years. Rash guard and board shorts were more than sufficient.

Didn't see anything particularly special unfortunately, but not surprising.