bshort4
Contributor
I guess I'm rambling on a bit so I'll try to wrap this up now.
Batu Balong dive site--this got a bit hairy.
Third dive of the day. Falling tide--negative entry. At about forty feet everything was fine--nice dive, lots of fish--white tips, usual reef fish and lots of them---then noticed we were drifting deeper---before we knew it we were at 90 feet and still falling. At 96 feet I was close to the wall and kicked over and grabbed onto it to keep from being pulled deeper. My dive buddy was right above me clinging to the wall as well as was our guide a few feet higher up. We started climbing the wall up and after about ten feet the down current slowed down and we managed to get back up to about 30 feet---we started swimming along the wall and the going got hard again and the guide signaled current and to turn around. About 50 feet the other way the same thing happened--she signaled a down current--no place to go. The fourth diver that had joined us from another group signaled she was low on air--after 25 minutes--I looked and I was down to about 1600 psi or110 bar.One of the other groups was right next to us and our guide signaled for us to join them and she would take the diver with the low air up and we could continue our dive. I looked at the other guide who signaled me to join up with my buddy who when I looked was ten feet above me following our DM to the surface--really? I kicked up and rejoined my dive buddy and did our safety stop. The current was wild we clung to the wall right below the surface. The DM told me to let go and go to the surface---instantly I was blown off the wall and was 40 yards out into the blue when I hit the surface. I saw the pickup boat coming and the other three divers had surfaced closer to it. It stopped to pick them up and I started kicking to get over to it but was getting nowhere--I could see the river of current on top of the water and I was being pulled toward it--still kicking like hell when the boat pulled up next to me--I was one tired puppy! I asked my dive buddy why she went up instead of joining the other group. She said she was having equipment problems--her BC she was trying to inflate didn't seem to be working--I explained that she was in a heavy down current and it was working fine--just not being able to lift her in the current. Dive time was 31 minutes and I was fine with calling the dive---another first. That was the worst current I've ever experienced--dives the next two days were also swift but nothing like that. The Cauldron and Shotgun dive were pretty fast and exciting but the current is why you do those dives. So to wrap this up---exciting dives--new things to see for me---and sooo happy I went with Uber Scuba--yes it wasn't luxury but was more than comfortable and the people in the crew and the dive guides made the trip wonderful. Would I use them again--yes in a heartbeat. Oh one more thing--day trips. I did one day of day trips with them--didn't care for that at all--long trip out in the boat (90 minutes) to many people on the boat (18 divers) just not my cup of tea after being on their liveaboard. I'm in the Philippines for the next 28 days and will be diving in Sipalay and Dauin for the next two weeks before flying home to chilly Colorado. Good diving to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
Batu Balong dive site--this got a bit hairy.
Third dive of the day. Falling tide--negative entry. At about forty feet everything was fine--nice dive, lots of fish--white tips, usual reef fish and lots of them---then noticed we were drifting deeper---before we knew it we were at 90 feet and still falling. At 96 feet I was close to the wall and kicked over and grabbed onto it to keep from being pulled deeper. My dive buddy was right above me clinging to the wall as well as was our guide a few feet higher up. We started climbing the wall up and after about ten feet the down current slowed down and we managed to get back up to about 30 feet---we started swimming along the wall and the going got hard again and the guide signaled current and to turn around. About 50 feet the other way the same thing happened--she signaled a down current--no place to go. The fourth diver that had joined us from another group signaled she was low on air--after 25 minutes--I looked and I was down to about 1600 psi or110 bar.One of the other groups was right next to us and our guide signaled for us to join them and she would take the diver with the low air up and we could continue our dive. I looked at the other guide who signaled me to join up with my buddy who when I looked was ten feet above me following our DM to the surface--really? I kicked up and rejoined my dive buddy and did our safety stop. The current was wild we clung to the wall right below the surface. The DM told me to let go and go to the surface---instantly I was blown off the wall and was 40 yards out into the blue when I hit the surface. I saw the pickup boat coming and the other three divers had surfaced closer to it. It stopped to pick them up and I started kicking to get over to it but was getting nowhere--I could see the river of current on top of the water and I was being pulled toward it--still kicking like hell when the boat pulled up next to me--I was one tired puppy! I asked my dive buddy why she went up instead of joining the other group. She said she was having equipment problems--her BC she was trying to inflate didn't seem to be working--I explained that she was in a heavy down current and it was working fine--just not being able to lift her in the current. Dive time was 31 minutes and I was fine with calling the dive---another first. That was the worst current I've ever experienced--dives the next two days were also swift but nothing like that. The Cauldron and Shotgun dive were pretty fast and exciting but the current is why you do those dives. So to wrap this up---exciting dives--new things to see for me---and sooo happy I went with Uber Scuba--yes it wasn't luxury but was more than comfortable and the people in the crew and the dive guides made the trip wonderful. Would I use them again--yes in a heartbeat. Oh one more thing--day trips. I did one day of day trips with them--didn't care for that at all--long trip out in the boat (90 minutes) to many people on the boat (18 divers) just not my cup of tea after being on their liveaboard. I'm in the Philippines for the next 28 days and will be diving in Sipalay and Dauin for the next two weeks before flying home to chilly Colorado. Good diving to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
