GUE Cave 1 Scuba Diving report Part Three of Three November 25, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : CaveDiving , 2commentsDay Five
After more academics covering diveplanning and more geology we were back to Ginnie to scuba dive in the eye this time. This involves running the reel quite aways through a more restricted passage favoured by some of the sidemount guys. I saw plenty of sidemount scuba divers during my trip and the Armadillo setup they were using was quite neat and tidy, a good solution I think, if you want to choose that type of diving. By this time in the week my fingers were starting to suffer what is commonly called as �Florida Finger� which is a result of bad pulling and gliding technique in harsh limestone environments with water soaked skin, and my finger tips were starting to bleed and very sore. Can�t wear gloves though, you just have to improve your technique. These two dives were OK, and we did a lost buddy drill, consisting of tying a spool of to the mainline and searching for a simulated lost buddy. More light failures and an Out of gas exit through the restricted tunnel finished the day.
GUE Cave 1 Scuba Diving report Part Two of Three November 25, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : CaveDiving , 1 comment so farThe Course
5 days earlier I had arrived in Florida, driving up to High Springs, cave country, the headquarters of GUE, Extreme Exposure and Halcyon, where DIR scuba diving began, and stayed at the High Springs Country Inn. The course was taught by Tyler Moon, an excellent instructor who has been with GUE right from the start and has been instrumental in developing the Cave and Tech courses from the days when he worked in Ginnie Springs with JJ teaching scuba diving.
Day One was spent on academics and equipment, Tyler never needing slides or notes and choosing topics and asking our views and then analysing our responses, pointing out the positives and negatives. We discussed where GUE came from, and how the organisation sits alongside the NACD and the NSS-CDS cave scuba diving organisations. After a bite to eat we set up our kit and Tyler went over it, my only changes were taking the boltsnap from the ballast on my light and swapping out the comfobite mouthpiece on the longhose for a standard one. Tyler spent a long time going through each piece of kit and explaining why it is where it is, not accepting any vague responses, he wanted us to truly understand the whole DIR system and why it is how it is. I learnt a lot in this session.
GUE Cave 1 Scuba Diving report Part One of Three November 24, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : CaveDiving , 1 comment so farA Cave Scuba Dive
The entrance to the underwater cave is unseen, the crack in the ground masked by the tannic water from the Santa Fe river. After signalling my buddy, I drop down first into the crack, the force of the spring forcing my scuba diving reg to freeflow as I crawl headfirst vertically into the cave below, my light in one hand, my reel in the other, struggling to find time to clear ears, adjust drysuit, check on my buddy, and look for a decent primary tieoff. A pointy looking rock looks promising and I wedge my knees into the rocks in order to stay still and secure the line. Getting an OK from my buddy I then continue down scuba diving into the cave and reach the floor below at about 15 mtrs. Crawling along the floor pulling against the strong flow I find a good place for a secondary tieoff and quickly secure the line.
A quick check to ensure my buddy is still with me and after a quick look ahead I venture further into the cave where the flow eases a little to tieoff to the mainline. The mainline is on the ceiling so I tieoff to a rock and for the first time inflate my BC. I am now at 20 mtrs. After what seems forever I gain positive buoyancy and run the line to the ceiling, finding the mainline and tieoff my reel finally, where it will stay until the end of the scuba dive, ensuring we have a safe route to open water. All OK, check gauge for gas, and begin todays sojourn into the cave.
Scuba Diving the Merchant Royal, Evertsen and Pangani, August Bank Holiday 2005 November 23, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , 1 comment so farThis was a DIR-UK trip and we were based on Wey Chieftain, which has rapidly become my favourite scuba dive boat. Grahame is an excellent skipper, and the boat is well designed for relaxing diving. The guys on the trip: Dave Robbins, Howard Radcliffe, Bob Cooper, Greg Roach, and me Some guys had dropped out at the last minute and so we had plenty of room on the boat. Paul Larriet also came along on the Monday for a dive.
The Merchant Royal
Saturday’s dive was the Merchant Royal,
Quote:
Originally Posted by wreck-database
The Merchant Royal was a British cargo steamer, formerly known as the Goodwood. She was 5.008 tons, 416ft long and had a beam of 55ft. She was built in 1920 by J Redhead & Sons at Sunderland and was fitted with a huge Doxford triple-expansion three-cylinder steam engine. On the 3rd July 1946, carrying her cargo of steel and wood, she collided with another vessel and sank. Attempts to rescue her by tugs despatched from Portland were in vain.
She lies in about 57 metres of water with her bows blown off but her mid section and stern are upright, listing heavily to starboard.
We had been told the viz wasn’t going to be great, but I took the video camera anyway, as I have learnt that sometimes when its supposed to be crap… it isn’t. Needless to say this wasn’t one of those times and the viz whilst scuba diving was about 2 mtrs and very, very dark…
Scuba Diving the Blue Hole at Belize November 23, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel , 1 comment so farI always keep note of the places I’d like to go and scuba dive. After reading this article by Vladimir Soto, the Belize Blue Hole is one of those places.
Belize has the second largest reef system in the world, and the Blue Hole is a famous diving destination for anyone visiting Belize. The Blue Hole is about 1000 feet in diameter and nearly 450ft deep, with vertical walls. There are enormous stalactites and stalagmites hanging from or rising up, from various ledges and overhangs which occur on the otherwise smooth walls.
‘Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Belize’s Blue Hole’s magic is in the masked eyes of the diver who explores it. So, is it worth it? Is it cool? What’s the fuss all about? You be the judge. ‘
Penny Glover, British Rebreather Expert, feared dead on Scuba Diving Trip November 23, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Accidents, Rebreathers , 1 comment so farFrom Dive Magazine
BSAC rebreather chief instructor Penny Glover is feared dead after going missing on a dive in the South of France on Monday 21 November. Penny, 42, and her buddy were diving with friends in Hyeres in the Mediterranean, when they both disappeared.
The French coast guard said a search was continuing for the two divers, however, was unable to release any further details.
Penny first learned to dive in 1986 and became a highly experienced and respected technical diver and BSAC volunteer. An instructor trainer for semi-closed and closed-circuit rebreathers, she was instrumental in developing the first-ever rebreather courses for BSAC launched this year.
“It is extremely sad,” BSAC chairman Marcus Allen told DIVE. “Penny gave so much to the club for so many years and was highly regarded in the diving community. It is a great loss to diving. Our thoughts go out to friends and family of both divers.”
Clare Peddie, BSAC’s national diving officer, added: ‘This is an extremely sad loss for all of us who have been privileged to know Penny. Her warmth and kindness will be so deeply missed. Penny was a leading light in the BSAC.’
