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Any Fellow Divers Out There?

63sg

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Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
311
duaneflowers: I've got the GoPro Hero 2 as well, so I'll bring back some Cabo footage to post in late December.

By far the gnarliest diving was in Palau in October, 2013. Wrecks, sharks, big turtles, caves, reef hook in over the abyss edge, shark/manta cleaning stations from 30 feet away, it was incredible.

I stayed on the Palau Siren, 140 ft liveaboard dive yacht for a week. Got around 26 dives in total (three night dives) in six days, plus a land tour of Peleliu / battle and Jellyfish Lake. Expensive (around $14k for my wife & I for 10 days all included) but it was jam packed with dives, wrecks, you name it. Here's the site for the ship: http://sirenfleet.com/liveaboards/palau.html
 

63sg

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
311
Blue Corner in Palau was one of my favorite dives!
New Drop Off was where we did a "reef hook-in" dive, just the other side of Blue Corner. (For those who don't know, it's a 10 foot rope on a hook, and you hook into the coral on the reef. Then you inflate your vest and float above the coral so you don't bang into it.)

The current was really strong after 20 minutes. We all unhooked. I was at 70 feet, the others were from 50-90. One of the guys at 90 feet was propelled back up over the reef to a depth of 40 feet, then got caught by down current on the other side (Blue Corner). He was breathing Nitrox (we all were) and he took the 110 foot depth limit seriously. When he got swept down to 105 feet, he fully inflated his vest and shot to the surface.

He spent the night in the hyperbaric chamber getting re-pressurized. Two others sucked oxygen for hours when they got back on the boat. I was ok, though, I was swept up to 30 feet, then down to 80 feet, and I swam sideways to get out of the down current. Then I ascended normally.

Long story short...you'd better be an advanced/Nitrox trained diver if you're in Palau. Next trip, Truk Lagoon to see the sunken ships that litter the lagoon bottom!
 

tdarian

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
3,575
In Palau it really helps to have a guide who is fluent in the local currents and tides!
 

hoss

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Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
6,748
The diving was excellent! Warm air and water, abundant reefs and cool wrecks. You'll need to be comfortable diving off of smaller zodiacs in swift currents.
Oh yeah, been to lots of wrecks at the southern tip of Sinai, made 6 dives at the SS Thistlegorm.

We had one drift dive at Ras Mohamed that we had to abandon as the current had turned and was 180° to the briefing :##
 
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Rev.WillieVK

Active member
Joined
Jul 26, 2002
Messages
9,268
You guys are killing me, I have to stop looking at and reading this thread.

:dang

:)
 

hoss

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Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
6,748
One of the top 10 wrecks in the world
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Thistlegorm

lob_3_0.jpg
 

tdarian

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Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
3,575
Deco time @ Truk. That's the remains of a Japanese building that was mostly destroyed along with the fleet. We gave way too much candy to the kids and then dove the Betty Bomber, the shallowest dive of the trip. We were on the Odyssey, just 5 in our group, a father & son, Lenny, Cara and the crew. That trip was a blast. Maria and I continued on to Palau from there via Guam.

KidsonTruk.jpg
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
Deco time @ Truk. That's the remains of a Japanese building that was mostly destroyed along with the fleet. We gave way too much candy to the kids and then dove the Betty Bomber, the shallowest dive of the trip. We were on the Odyssey, just 5 in our group, a father & son, Lenny, Cara and the crew. That trip was a blast. Maria and I continued on to Palau from there via Guam.

KidsonTruk.jpg

Underwater :photos... or you watched from the beach... :rofl:rofl:rofl
 

hoss

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Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
6,748
A tank and cannon on the Thistlegorm, pics taken by me in 2002

thistlegorm_panzer.jpg


thistlegorm_kanone.jpg


A torpedo, taken in 2003

08thistle_torpedo.jpg
 

Triburst

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
4,353
I got my PADI certification in 1982, then went back for advanced a few years later (all at "The Dive Site" in Marathon, Florida Keys).

I find that as I've gotten older, I like longer, shallower dives where the color doesn't get all washed out. Seriously, some of my favorite diving spots are less than 10 ft. deep -- really snorkel spots, but I like the relaxation the scuba gear allows.:jim
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
I do deep/wreck/nitrox/drift/night diving for adventure and shallow dives more for relaxation. With little diminishing of reds or brightness, photography is much easier in the shallows and sea life is generally more abundant. I also like going out with beginners which allows me to re-experience many of the thrills I had when I was first starting out 30 or so years ago... which is nice! :salude
 
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