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Dive logs for Vance Stevens, P.A.D.I. Open Water SCUBA Instructor #64181

Straits of Hormuz, May 12, 2000
Dives 343 and 344
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Diving with: Scuba International from the Oceanic
Dive sites: Straits of Hormuz, Tuwaqr Island and White Rock

Dive buddies: Bobbi and Dusty
Others in dive party: Ali Bushnaq, Russell Bowen, Scott Benson, Bill Maurice
Al Smith and Jim, Emma and Stuart from BSAC

Others at site: Anita ..

Sea condition: mild

Water temp: 25/24

Visibility: 9-10 meters

Wetsuit combo: warm with farmer john and 3 mm longsleeve top; 2nd dive wore lycra skin in lieu of longjohn

Weight: needed 12 kg 1st, 8 2nd

Data from dive computer:

Dive 343 – 35.6 meters, 30 min. (Dive time includes 3 min. safety stop) = http://www.vancestevens.com/divelogs/dtrak343.jpg

Surface interval – 2:21

Dive 344 – 34.5 meters, 25 min. (Dive time includes 3 min. safety stop) = http://www.vancestevens.com/divelogs/dtrak344.jpg

Despite the fact that we dropped in first dive on top of a resting leopard shark, the two dives we did here were disappointing.  We were hemmed in by currents, and I was diving on my computer, going a bit deep and chasing the time remaining, with the result that dives were short, and there was not enough time for the pretty fish near the surface.  Vis seemed not too good, and it was dark at depth.  At Thuwaqr Island we were hemmed in about 100 meters of reef face, and going beyond that we’d be swept out to sea.  At White Rock, Bobbi and Dusty took too much time getting in the water and the boat drifted far from the site.  The boatman was not competent enough to see the predicament we would be in when we entered the water and were carried by the current to make no progress toward the entry zone.  He eventually revved the engines and tried to drag us nearer but we succeeded in picking up one other drifting diver.  We had to reboard the boat and reenter the water by the rock where the others had been waiting 20 min, but confidence in this operation was a bit compromised, and the dive itself was again one hemmed in by currents.  We cut our hands on the animals in the coral as we had to hang on.  Al, first in, had seen a shark on entry, snorkeling, but it avoided all divers.   The only thing of note was a huge school of a couple hundred bat fish.

One interesting thing was on the trip out, an engine conked out.  The Oceanic people were about to call for another boat and I suppose take us diving to Liwa Rock or some reduced venture, but Ali got on the phone and had Bimah at the Club paged, and Bimah managed to talk Al through locating the thermostat that was sticking and causing the siren warning.  The offending part was removed, and we resumed out day’s diving.

 

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Last updated: May 26, 2000 in Word 2000