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Dive Logs for Vance Stevens PADI open water scuba instructor #64181 Dive 375-376 January 4, 2001 Musandam, Lima area

Diving with:ADSAC
Dive sites: Stack and Lima Headland
Dive buddy: Mark Kindermann
Others in dive party: Ron and Mary, Helen, Andy
Conditions: mild
Water Temp: 22 degrees C on dive computer
Visibility: not great, 4 meters, lots of particulate in the water, ropes covered with algae when hauled in
Wetsuit combo: typhoon top and farmer john inside
Weight: 8 kg, or maybe 6 plus one kg in the pocket
Diving from: Yellow diver

Training conducted: PADI Open Water advanced deep and naturalist dives for Mark Kindermann

Dive 375 The Stack

Data from dive computer:

Time started down: 11:37 on my dive computer
Max depth: 22 meters
Time started up from chart: 27 minutes
Dive time from computer: 00:27
Min Temp: 22 degrees C (chilly)
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

PSI/Bar in: 210
PSI/Bar out: 80
Pressure group out, from tables: M

Description of dive:

This was Mark Kindermann's Advanced Open Water deep dive. Mark calculated a minimum surface interval on the boat in one minute and did about the same underwater. We threw a tank over with a reg on it and left it at 5 meters (flagging in the current). We went in, down to 22 meters, and compared numerous depth guages I had along, all about a meter apart. After the cognitive task, we explored for pleasure, watched our depth, but didn't have to worry about keeping to 37 min because Mark needed to come up well before that. Currents were a big factor, nasty on this particular day, with the final slog back to the rock being particularly taxing. We had to skimp on the 3 min safety stop because Mark was too low on air for it, and he was fighting a buoyancy problem we decided later he could have avoided by evacuating air from his kidney dump, since he was clasping coral, legs overhead. He did very well though considering the dive was done under less than ideal conditions and it was only his 8th, and first in any kind of current or depth.

I didn't get lost on this one. I went down on the shoulder of the rock and kept east of it. We found the sand gap and the dropoff but stayed above it due to depth limitations. Coming back against the current, across the gap in the void, was done on faith and a compass, but we ended up at the rock.

Not much to see due to the horrid vis (well, other than the usual plethora of corals and fish that always hang out at the stack). I found a remarkable Spanish dancer nudibranch. Mark saw a moray.

Surface Interval: 1:45
Pressure group in: B

Dive 376 Lima Headland

Data from dive computer:

Time started down: 13:54 on my dive computer
Max depth: 19.2 meters
Time started up from chart: 31 minutes
Dive time from computer: 00:31
Min Temp: 22 degrees C (chilly)
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

PSI/Bar in: 200
PSI/Bar out: 90
Pressure group out, from tables: P

Description of dive:

This was Mark Kindermann's Advanced Open Water underwater naturalist dive. We were first in and, having no idea of the way the current was running, I got our mates to drop us in near the point inside the headland I'd been up and down on previous dives there. Not sure if the tide would be with or against us (we didn't know when high tide was unfortunately), I didn't want to not be able to reach the point since sometimes there are barracuda there (in case the tide was running against us). I figured we could go down on the point, see what was there, and either get swept back toward Lima cove or around the point and along the far wall. NOT.

We spent the dive pretty much trapped in that point area. Had we dropped further in along the wall, the current would have carried us nicely to the point (it turned out). And at the point itself, rather than being swept around the point, it wanted to push us away from it, out to sea. So we spent the dive moving up and down the point area at various depths, trying to hide away from the current. Ten minutes into that I sent up an SMB (so those on the boat would see if we moved around the point). The SMB got pulled and tugged itself when we hit the stronger currents, making it difficult for me to negotiate them. Not an entirely pleasant dive, but executed within standards and expectations.

Remarkable soft corals on this dive. Also a sea turtle. And a significant puffer fish.

Two aquatic plants: algae ...
Four aquatic invertibrates: nudibranch, sea anemone, various corals, clams, urchins
Five vertibrates: turtle, puffer, triggers, snappers, moray, grouper

Vance Stevens, vstevens@emirates.net.ae | http://www.vancestevens.com/
Page updated February 2, 2001 in Hot Metal Pro 6.0