Uumh... to the ignorant: What do bloodworms do if you don’t wear a hood?
Tips for the Belize Aggressor III?
- Thread starter Ayisha
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Uumh... to the ignorant: What do bloodworms do if you don’t wear a hood?
Ministryofgiraffes
Contributor
Get into your ears....allllll the way dooowwwnnnnn and you can feel them wriggling in your head.....they die quickly though and you spend the next 24 hrs digging out the pink goo with a cotton bud...
‘Sound of people frantically purchasing diving hoods’..
‘Sound of people frantically purchasing diving hoods’..
Doc's Proplugs will also stop anything from getting in your ears. They are sold at my LDS for under $20 a pair.
My wife has trouble equalizing and those things solved her problem. I don't have problems equalizing so I've never tried them.
I've done a number of night dives in the carribean area and never encountered (or even heard of) bloodworms. Apparently it's a real thing, there's videos around the internet about them. I guess I might have to consider packing a pair of proplugs on my next trip. I hate wearing a hood, but I will tolerate one if it's really cold. Wearing a hood in warm water when there's another way to solve the problem is unappealing to me.
My wife has trouble equalizing and those things solved her problem. I don't have problems equalizing so I've never tried them.
I've done a number of night dives in the carribean area and never encountered (or even heard of) bloodworms. Apparently it's a real thing, there's videos around the internet about them. I guess I might have to consider packing a pair of proplugs on my next trip. I hate wearing a hood, but I will tolerate one if it's really cold. Wearing a hood in warm water when there's another way to solve the problem is unappealing to me.
Ministryofgiraffes
Contributor
I should add that they are very attracted to me because i am usually nightdiving with ‘stadium lighting’ 
10,000 lumen + for video. And they go wherever the light is.
If you just have a standard underwater flashlight, they will likely not bother you unless you keep the spot trained on one area for a long time.they also don’t bite as some falsely report. It is really cool to train lights on corals though and whatch them gorge on the bloodworms when they swim too close..
I also have a trick with a vertical flashlight in The sand ‘bloodworm fish feeding frenzy’
10,000 lumen + for video. And they go wherever the light is.If you just have a standard underwater flashlight, they will likely not bother you unless you keep the spot trained on one area for a long time.they also don’t bite as some falsely report. It is really cool to train lights on corals though and whatch them gorge on the bloodworms when they swim too close..
I also have a trick with a vertical flashlight in The sand ‘bloodworm fish feeding frenzy’
I switched to a shaving kit that can hang from a hook years ago due to limited storage and counter space on most boats. This style is more popular with females but some of the smaller models work well for men. The zipper on my old one recently died so I replaced it with this one from Amazon, recommended: AmazonBasics Hanging Toiletry Kit, Black
Unfortunately some hotels appear to have hired submarine engineers to design their bathrooms so the utility of this feature is not wasted.
Unfortunately some hotels appear to have hired submarine engineers to design their bathrooms so the utility of this feature is not wasted.
OP
Ayisha
Contributor
Haha, I'm a walking pharmacy too. I carry a little pouch in my purse with sleeves of each of the over-the-counter meds we might need. If you become sick even in just an exotic location (never mind a liveaboard), it's not always convenient to find meds, so I prefer to take them with me.
I carry:
Buckleys Cold & Sinus
Sudafed
Reactine
Gravol
Loperamide (Immodium)
Ibuprofen (Advil)
My Vitamin B12
My Vitamin D
I put a hood in my gear bag just in case, but I have yet to use one in warm water. I never saw blood worms in Belize before, but I think I may have seen them for the first time in Exumas a couple of years ago. There was a crazy light little wormy thing spastically wriggling in our faces on a night dive as we were about to ascend at 30 feet. We turned our lights off right away but it kept hitting us in the face and I kept waving it away repeatedly. We ascended to 15 or 20 feet and it left us alone.
I carry various chargers/cables for my devices
1 128 Gig USB
2 SD cards
2 phone & camera batteries
1 RCA cable to connect my/other phones (music) to their stereo if people are interested
1 short AV cable to connect cameras to their TV
Extra o-rings
I'll take a surge protector extension cord and a little multiple USB plug.
I read on the BA3 to take a CD/DVD, so I'll pack those.
I'll take a light dollar store type over-the-door organizer.
We'll definitely let them know if we have special requests. We did already let them know about food restrictions, but will make sure they're on the form they'll send us.
It's good the bottom bunk is wider so it's there to soften my fall off the top bunk.
Thanks guys for all your help!
OP
Ayisha
Contributor
Thanks everyone for all your tips!
I took a surge protector extension cord just in case but didn't need it. There were enough extension cords and many had free spots most of the time. However, my little surge protector with outlets plus USB ports was the only one, came in very handy and was very popular.
They told us a similar speech about charging only cell phones in the cabin and only while we were in there. So I charged everything else on the charging table, np.
The over-the-door shoe organizer was an awesome idea and we used it for the cell phone, phone charger, sunglasses, camera moisture munchers, extra sandals, etc. It came in really handy for easy access to small stuff.
Can you believe I took the hood and didn't use it for the first 2 night dives? Until I got a blood worm in the ear. I get really close to the coral and sand to take pictures, and the bloodworms were ferocious. I have never seen that before (except 1 or 2 in Eleuthera). They kept hitting my hands and my face and my ears, and I kept hiding my light and swatting them away. One bloodworm wriggled into my ear in the last 10 minutes of a night dive and the wriggling was horrifying. I kept trying to dig it out with my finger as I was diving but it wouldn't come out. Finally as I climbed the ladder, I told the crew and this time, I managed to get it out with my finger. They said, "yup, that's a bloodworm". Eeeew. Captain Jerome joked with me that they can put me under and they have tools to do surgery on me if they need to. Nope, I wore my hood and my gloves for every night dive after that and it was so much more pleasant.
I only took 6 spring loaded clips just in case, but the crew suggested to use them for swimsuits and cover-up dresses on the hangers. My buddy didn't bring any so we shared the 6 spring clips, which was way too few. Other people also brought some. I'd suggest having at least 6 - 8 per person, depending on what you'll be hanging. They wrap a weight belt around each set of wetsuits/swimsuits every night or when traveling.
Thanks again for all the tips! We had a fabulous time! We spent a week in Belize including overnight to Tikal Mayan Ruins in Guatemala, then cave river tubing, and diving at Glovers before the BAIII. My review and pics are at: Belize and Guatemala April 2019
I took a surge protector extension cord just in case but didn't need it. There were enough extension cords and many had free spots most of the time. However, my little surge protector with outlets plus USB ports was the only one, came in very handy and was very popular.
They told us a similar speech about charging only cell phones in the cabin and only while we were in there. So I charged everything else on the charging table, np.
The over-the-door shoe organizer was an awesome idea and we used it for the cell phone, phone charger, sunglasses, camera moisture munchers, extra sandals, etc. It came in really handy for easy access to small stuff.
Can you believe I took the hood and didn't use it for the first 2 night dives? Until I got a blood worm in the ear.
I get really close to the coral and sand to take pictures, and the bloodworms were ferocious. I have never seen that before (except 1 or 2 in Eleuthera). They kept hitting my hands and my face and my ears, and I kept hiding my light and swatting them away. One bloodworm wriggled into my ear in the last 10 minutes of a night dive and the wriggling was horrifying. I kept trying to dig it out with my finger as I was diving but it wouldn't come out. Finally as I climbed the ladder, I told the crew and this time, I managed to get it out with my finger. They said, "yup, that's a bloodworm". Eeeew. Captain Jerome joked with me that they can put me under and they have tools to do surgery on me if they need to. Nope, I wore my hood and my gloves for every night dive after that and it was so much more pleasant.I only took 6 spring loaded clips just in case, but the crew suggested to use them for swimsuits and cover-up dresses on the hangers. My buddy didn't bring any so we shared the 6 spring clips, which was way too few. Other people also brought some. I'd suggest having at least 6 - 8 per person, depending on what you'll be hanging. They wrap a weight belt around each set of wetsuits/swimsuits every night or when traveling.
Thanks again for all the tips! We had a fabulous time! We spent a week in Belize including overnight to Tikal Mayan Ruins in Guatemala, then cave river tubing, and diving at Glovers before the BAIII. My review and pics are at: Belize and Guatemala April 2019
Ministryofgiraffes
Contributor
...a genius of a guy once said......
. You aren’t the first person to ignore my advice and won’t be the last ..at least you have a good story !
OP
Ayisha
Contributor
...a genius of a guy once said......
Actually, the funny thing is that between packing the hood in January and going in April, I had forgotten why I packed the hood. When I was unpacking my gear on the dive deck when we arrived, I paused while holding the hood and gloves and I said, "hmm, I never get cold. Well, maybe I'll just keep it in the bin in case." The DM said, "if you never get cold, just leave it in your bag. We can always get it if you need it". So, it got put into storage in the ship.
On the first night dive, I remembered exactly why I packed the hood. I was going to ask them to take my bag out, but I felt bad asking them in case it was hard to get to. The second night dive was when the bloodworm got in my ear, and I asked to get my hood out. The next day, they got my bag out, which happened to be right at the front of the hold. Oh well...
Beanie works too and not as much a pain in the butt as an actual hood.
I definitely needed it in Raja Ampat, whilst watching the mantas at Manta Point. Those of us not wearing beanies had cleaning wrasses trying to do our ears. Stings like a son of a gun.
I also bring the big 3M removable hooks. Always have for travel and before those came out, used to carry plastic over the door hooks.
Never would have thought of a shoe thingy. Will consider such.
I definitely needed it in Raja Ampat, whilst watching the mantas at Manta Point. Those of us not wearing beanies had cleaning wrasses trying to do our ears. Stings like a son of a gun.
I also bring the big 3M removable hooks. Always have for travel and before those came out, used to carry plastic over the door hooks.
Never would have thought of a shoe thingy. Will consider such.
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