Moved to my 3mm suit yesterday, with a 3mm hooded vest
The 3mm hooded vest proved to be a wise one as it was still 23C at the bottom but the top 8m was like soup.
Couple of seahorses spotted on Deep Reef (29m), as well as slipper lobsters, cuttlefish and a massive shoal of mackerel from around 16m to 8m just below the thermocline.
No nudis on this dive, which was a bit disappointing but lots of shrimp looking for something to clean.
The second dive at Car Cemetery 2 (21m) was totally different, although still 23C at the bottom. I did start getting cold after 60 mins though.
There was a plethora of Hypselodoris dolfusi with more than 3 on each car wreck.
The usual Phidiana / Caloria species were around as well as a few other Hypselodoris species
H. infucata
H. carnae
My usual dive buddy and I had a third photographer join us on both dives, and although he was also diving Nitrox, he did join his two mates on the first dive leaving Kerstin and I alone to continue our first dive, which for our usual plan is a deco dive. (We carry stages with 50%).
On the second dive however I was surprised to see him hovering above us at 60 mins, when most other divers had already left the site. Given that Kerstin and I were now using EAN40, I had a feeling that he may possibly be close to his NDL.
Within a few minutes I looked up again from my photographic subject and saw that Kerstin had deployed her long hose and was breathing off her octopus. The guy had run out of gas.
All three of us then ascended the mooring line together to the surface.
The only words I said were "I fail to understand why you didn't ascend earlier when you had reached 50 bar" he did not respond!
I hope he learned a lesson.
The 3mm hooded vest proved to be a wise one as it was still 23C at the bottom but the top 8m was like soup.
Couple of seahorses spotted on Deep Reef (29m), as well as slipper lobsters, cuttlefish and a massive shoal of mackerel from around 16m to 8m just below the thermocline.
No nudis on this dive, which was a bit disappointing but lots of shrimp looking for something to clean.
The second dive at Car Cemetery 2 (21m) was totally different, although still 23C at the bottom. I did start getting cold after 60 mins though.
There was a plethora of Hypselodoris dolfusi with more than 3 on each car wreck.
The usual Phidiana / Caloria species were around as well as a few other Hypselodoris species
H. infucata
H. carnae
My usual dive buddy and I had a third photographer join us on both dives, and although he was also diving Nitrox, he did join his two mates on the first dive leaving Kerstin and I alone to continue our first dive, which for our usual plan is a deco dive. (We carry stages with 50%).
On the second dive however I was surprised to see him hovering above us at 60 mins, when most other divers had already left the site. Given that Kerstin and I were now using EAN40, I had a feeling that he may possibly be close to his NDL.
Within a few minutes I looked up again from my photographic subject and saw that Kerstin had deployed her long hose and was breathing off her octopus. The guy had run out of gas.
All three of us then ascended the mooring line together to the surface.
The only words I said were "I fail to understand why you didn't ascend earlier when you had reached 50 bar" he did not respond!
I hope he learned a lesson.