Dive #1: Pasir Panjang House Reef
Date: 24 August 2006
Day: Thursday
Time: 16:27 (GMT +8:00)
Location: Redang Island Malaysia
Duration: 0:46
Cumulative Time: 0:46
Max Depth: 9.1 meters
Sky: Clear
Waters: Calm
Visibility: 6-9 meters
Bottom Temp: 30 ºC
Starting Air: 3,000psi
Ending Air: 1,000psi
Surface Interval: N/A
Starting Pressure Group: N/A
Ending Pressure Group: I
Dive Buddy: Soon Yean
Divemaster: None
My first open water dive, of course under the supervision and direction of my instructor Chewy. We geared up as we had been thought during the confined water sessions in the pool, but the scene was going to be quite different now that we were at sea.
I estimate that my total gear weight (which includes trunks, wetsuit, mask, snorkel, booties, fins, weights, BC, tank, regulator & gauges) to be around 15-20kgs. With all that gear on, it was hard enough to maintain balance while standing, but we were made to walk 300-400 meters to get from the dive centre to the point-of-entry. 'Shore dive' makes it sound pretty easy, but the hike along the beach, and really soft fine sand was almost like slavery - the kind where you carry huge bags of coal on your back out of mines.
Once in waist deep water, it was time to don the fins so that we could swim the rest of the way out to point-of-descent. I looked forward to getting the fins on because my shoulders & back were getting tired, but even that was a chore. Even with the support of my dive buddy SY, it was still extremely hard to maintain balance on one leg as the waves rushed by one after the other. Fortunately I accomplished that without falling, as it would have been even harder to get to my feet again with the weights and tank strapped to me.
The weight completely disappeared as the gear began to submerge and air filled my BC. It was the gear's turn to carry my weight at the surface. With the mask, snorkel & fins on, the swim out to point-of-descent was almost effortless. And here's where the skills began.
Some of the basic skills we covered in the swimming pool were tested again here at a depth of 6-7 meters. This included mask clearing, replacing the mask (salt water stings the eyes really bad!!!), regulator recovery, buddy breathing, cramp removal & the tired diver tow. No one had any major problems and it wasn't long before Chewy took us for a short tour of the house reef.
My first visit to a reef wasn't anything to shout about. Aquatic life at this reef would be considered low as there wasn't really that much to see. It was almost the same stuff you get to see from the surface while snorkelling at other places. However, it was good fortune that a black tipped reef shark, just over a meter long, swam by a few meters away from us. I only got a quick glimpse before it faded into the shadows of distant waters, but it was more than enough to get me excited. It was thrilling, not fear.
The excitement was shortlived because nothing else extraordinary found its way into the view of my lenses. The dive ended with a long surface swim back to shore, and another long hike back to the dive centre. Nonetheless, I was not disappointed at all.
Day: Thursday
Time: 16:27 (GMT +8:00)
Location: Redang Island Malaysia
Duration: 0:46
Cumulative Time: 0:46
Max Depth: 9.1 meters
Sky: Clear
Waters: Calm
Visibility: 6-9 meters
Bottom Temp: 30 ºC
Starting Air: 3,000psi
Ending Air: 1,000psi
Surface Interval: N/A
Starting Pressure Group: N/A
Ending Pressure Group: I
Dive Buddy: Soon Yean
Divemaster: None
My first open water dive, of course under the supervision and direction of my instructor Chewy. We geared up as we had been thought during the confined water sessions in the pool, but the scene was going to be quite different now that we were at sea.
I estimate that my total gear weight (which includes trunks, wetsuit, mask, snorkel, booties, fins, weights, BC, tank, regulator & gauges) to be around 15-20kgs. With all that gear on, it was hard enough to maintain balance while standing, but we were made to walk 300-400 meters to get from the dive centre to the point-of-entry. 'Shore dive' makes it sound pretty easy, but the hike along the beach, and really soft fine sand was almost like slavery - the kind where you carry huge bags of coal on your back out of mines.
Once in waist deep water, it was time to don the fins so that we could swim the rest of the way out to point-of-descent. I looked forward to getting the fins on because my shoulders & back were getting tired, but even that was a chore. Even with the support of my dive buddy SY, it was still extremely hard to maintain balance on one leg as the waves rushed by one after the other. Fortunately I accomplished that without falling, as it would have been even harder to get to my feet again with the weights and tank strapped to me.
The weight completely disappeared as the gear began to submerge and air filled my BC. It was the gear's turn to carry my weight at the surface. With the mask, snorkel & fins on, the swim out to point-of-descent was almost effortless. And here's where the skills began.
Some of the basic skills we covered in the swimming pool were tested again here at a depth of 6-7 meters. This included mask clearing, replacing the mask (salt water stings the eyes really bad!!!), regulator recovery, buddy breathing, cramp removal & the tired diver tow. No one had any major problems and it wasn't long before Chewy took us for a short tour of the house reef.
My first visit to a reef wasn't anything to shout about. Aquatic life at this reef would be considered low as there wasn't really that much to see. It was almost the same stuff you get to see from the surface while snorkelling at other places. However, it was good fortune that a black tipped reef shark, just over a meter long, swam by a few meters away from us. I only got a quick glimpse before it faded into the shadows of distant waters, but it was more than enough to get me excited. It was thrilling, not fear.
The excitement was shortlived because nothing else extraordinary found its way into the view of my lenses. The dive ended with a long surface swim back to shore, and another long hike back to the dive centre. Nonetheless, I was not disappointed at all.
posted by Mervyn at 6:19 AM
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