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Dive Logs for Vance Stevens PADI open water scuba instructor #64181 Dive 364 November 9, 2000 Bateen Breakwater, Abu Dhabi

Diving with: Marina Divers
Dive sites: Abu Dhabi Bateen Breakwater
Dive buddy: Mark Kindermann, Bob Campbell
Others in dive party: Al Sharifi and Naser and various divers
Conditions: mild
Water Temp: 26 C
Visibility: not great, 4-5 meters
Wetsuit combo: typhoon top
Weight: 6 kg, or maybe 4.5 (Al says what I've thought were 2 all along are 1.5 each ??!!)
Diving from: Al's boat, Al at the helm, with flu

Training conducted: Bob Campbell's first PADI Open Water dive (tour for pleasure; no skills) plus optional third tour dive for Mark Kindermann (Mark had completed academic session 1 and confined water dive 1)

Dive 364

Data from dive computer:

Time started down: 11:14
Max depth: 7.6
Time started up from chart: at 39 min.
Dive time from computer: 00:40
Min Temp: 26 degrees C
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

PSI/Bar in: 210 bar
PSI/Bar out: 100+ bar
Pressure group out: G

Description of dive:

Bateen Breakwater was a good choice for a nice safe dive with beginning students, and the boat ride was short, and Al had the flu and didn't need a long boat ride, but ... well ... what can you say about the breakwater? The dive went well from a tech standpoint, and I deployed my sausage at the end just to check trim, re-think how to unhook it, and remind myself to let out on the reel quickly! before getting hauled up from the extra buoyancy. Plus we surfaced within meters of the boat (for a change).

The students did well. Mark showed good command of buoyancy moving up and down the rocks while I kept Bob nearer the bottom since he had chosen a full wetsuit and was slightly underweight for his skill level, though he did fine (but fighting buoyancy cost him a lot of air, and I handed him weight twice during the dive). Fishwise, not much about underwater. We looked at gobies guarding crab holes and saw a few colorful butterfly fish, and there was a grouper being shy under a rock. A few hermit crabs, clams, and a nice (if sparse) variety of coral. On top, dolphins could be seen playing both outside the breakwater and inside the harbor near Khalid's Palace.

Vance Stevens, vstevens@emirates.net.ae | http://www.vancestevens.com/
Page updated December 3, 2000 in Hot Metal Pro 6.0