Starting 2010 in Puerto Vallarta

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico January 1st, 2010. The first night was hard to find a place because almost all the hotels were booked so all five of us had to stay in one room in "La Rosita" hotel, which is where the movie {en:The Night of the Iguana} was filmed. The rest of the nights we stayed at the "Los Arcos" hotel in "Viejo" Vallarta. Old Vallarta seems to be a mix of margaritaville and gayborhood, it's really cool. The crowd that hangs around this area tends to be much older (40+).

During the morning (waking up at 7am) I would go scuba diving with PV Scuba. I did a total of a little under 6 hours of bottom time with the max depth at 105ft. The temperature was warm (70s F) and I only used a 5mm wet suit. The spots that I dive where:

• Los Arcos (twice in two days) -- Named after its two arches Los Arcos is a protected National Marine Park with crystal clear water and lots of tropical fish. The wall sections are 5m (15 ft) in height and are covered with hard corals, sponges and fan corals. On the sandy areas the diver can find turtles, groupers and stingrays. The arches shelter schools of fish, moray eels and many Crustaceans.Close to these rocks, by the rock that looks like a turtle, is a submarine drop popularly known as The Devil's Canyon (Cañon del Diablo) for the deep impression of its silent abyss. I'm not sure, but one of the dive master said the abyss is a 1,5000 meter drop. That seemed like an exaggeration so I did a little bit of research and found that it is about 500 meters (1,640 feet). However, I also found that it can go as deep as 600 meters (1,968 feet) and then extend another 800 KILOMETERS (497 MILES) to the continental plate


• Majahuitas -- Majahuitas is a coved area that can only be access by boat, with a gradual slope and is populated by schools of tropical fish. The dive shop online dive site list says it's populated by schools of friendly tropical fish, but one little fish bit me after jumping in reverse from the boat so I'll take that with a grain of salt :P. The site also says the max depth is 120 ft (36.7 meters), but I went down to 105 ft (32 m) to check to see if I could see the bottom and didn't see the bottom and visibility was more than 20 ft (6m) so I think it's a little deeper than stated.On this dive site, the two lads from Montreal stated they saw a Manta Ray for a few seconds, but I didn't get to see it since my face was 3 inches from the floor looking at the small fish. The dive master didn't see it either.


• Las Marietas Islands -- A group of islands that entry to the Bay of Banderas. With a steep rocky surface, nobody would guess these islands hide precious underwater treasures – coral reefs, tropical fish, manta rays, dolphins, turtles and octopuses. I got to see very large schools of Yellow Goatfish (Mulloidichthys martinicus) and also how they use their whiskers to look for food. I have never seen them before and their whiskers caught me off guard because they don't look like a fish that would have whiskers.I also noticed that the island smelled like ammonia so I'm guessing is it due to all the bird feces on the island.On the way to the Marieta Islands we saw two {en:Humpback Whales}. On the way back from the islands, we saw a few more Humpback whales, baby humpback whales, and dolphins playing with the boat and also with the whales. I even got to see two dolphins jump about 10 to 15 feet in the air next to a whale, one on either side of the whale. It looked like some water shown out in the ocean. I managed to take a picture of it.

During the night, we would go out to the clubs and bars. Night life in Puerto Vallarta ends at 7am, but we only stayed as late as 3am because I had to wake up early the following day to go diving. The places we went to where:

• La Vaquita


• Mandala


• De Santos


• Andale

During our visit in Vallarta, we mainly met people from Guadalajara, Mexico or from Canada. There were a few Mexicans from D.F. and Americans from Wisconsin and Seattle, but the majority were either from somewhere in Canada (Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Alberta) or from Guadalajara metro area.

Here are the pictures:

[st picasa=http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/tristann9/albumid/5423337818234661121?alt=rss&kind=photo&hl=en_US]

Labor Day Rawlings

This Labor day I took a trip with Rich and Christie to Lake Rawlings to get some dives in and then end the day with the classic, and always favorite, dinner at Hooters in Chester, Virginia.  Those girls are pretty!!!   We did two dives (2 hours and 40 minutes total):

1. Dive 1:
   
   
   
   • Bottom time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Bottom temp: 55 F / 13 C
   
   
   • Weather: Raining
   
   
   • Summary:  We saw a missile looking bomb toward the back side of the lake.  This was the first time we encountered this object in this lake, so it was a surprise.  I also found a snorkel at the deepest part of the lake (67 ft / 20.5 m).
   
   
   • Exposure: Dry suit
   
   
   
   


2. Dive 2:
   
   
   
   • Bottom time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
   
   
   • Bottom temp: 55 F / 13 C
   
   
   • Weather: Raining
   
   
   • Summary:  We found the missile/bomb again by coincidence.   We also found a pile of fallen rocks that formed a small little cave where it was really cool to see our exhaust bubbles rush through a funnel type hole deep in the rocks.
   
   
   • Exposure: Dry suit
   
   
   
   

Weekend dive

Took a quick escape to lake Rawlings to get a dive in and I managed to get two dives in with a total of two hours of bottom time ( avg 30 ft / 9m) with one 119 cu.ft. tank and still had almost 900 psi / 62 bar left, which is about 31 cu.ft left in the tank. In the second dive I broke my bottom time record of 90 minutes.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Today I received my new babies, Flotsam & Jetsam (two Worthington X8-119 steel tanks).   I do admit I did spent a while trying to think up names for them.  These were my other choices:

• Deco & Narc


• giddily & giggly  -- confusing, but funny


• Cheeky & Chops


• Fish & Chips  -- i do hate fish and chips


• Bonnie & Clyde -- too common


• Borat & Bruno -- ha ha ha


• Cheech & Chong -- too common


• Chaos & Control  -- too geeky


• Ron & Jeremy -- When I double them up, I don't like the idea of having Ron Jeremy strapped to my back


• Emile  & Gagnan -- too historical


• romus & remulus


• Starsky & Hutch -- The name of my previous cats


• Alexander & Lodygin -- complicated and historical


• Rucking & Fetarded -- stupid


• don & quijote


• Glenn & Quagmire


• And other names people would find offensive :-)

The specs of each tank (source 1 & source 2):

Service Pressure  3442 psi / 230 bar
Nominal Capacity (metric): 14.8 liters
True Capacity (imperial): 123.0 cu ft.
Buoyancy FULL (salt water): -10.9 lbs / - 4.9 kg
Buoyancy EMPTY (salt water): -2.0 lbs / -0.9 kg
Weight Empty 42 lbs / 19.0 kg
Outside Diameter: 8.00 in / 203mm
Cylinder Lenght: 24.0 in / 60.1 cm

 So, for a while I been diving with Faber Low Pressure Steel 95s, some 100s, 120s, 65s and Al 80s,  and I think it's time I got myself my own pair.   I have been looking for tanks where their height does not exceed 25 inches and it's able to hold quite a bit of air at 3000, but can take more if filled higher.   I was considering getting a Faber 95, which is slightly shorter than the 119 by 0.2 inches and weights 4.8 lbs less.  The Faber 95's service pressure is 2640, but some divers (e.g. cave divers) over pressure them so they reach 129.5 cu ft at 3600 psi.   I probably won't be over pressurizing my 119s past the service pressure of 3442, but if I were to over pressurize them to 3600 then it would hold 128.6 cu ft.  Even though the dimensions are almost the same, I felt more comfortable with the 119 since it seems it’s a stronger tank with thicker walls even though it holds a little less air than the Faber 95 at the same pressure and also weights more when empty.

German WW II U-352 & U.S.C.G.C. Spar

For the 4th of July, I traveled from Rawlings, VA to Morehead, NC (5 hours) to do some wreck diving and watch the great fireworks show.   The fireworks were great and lasted about 30 minutes, which is one of the longest shows I have seen.  On the drive to Morehead, VA from Rawlings, VA we passed a lot of tobacco farms (shown on the left) since we had to cut through some farm roads.

We originally planned for 4 dives, but the last two were canceled due to bad weather so it was a shame because the first two were some of the best dives I have done so far.   With the first two dives I broke my deepest record so far and got to see lots of fish and sand tiger sharks.

First dive: German WW II {en:U-352} submarine.

My Max Depth: 112 ft / 34 m

My breathing gas: 30% oxygen nitrox mix

Time: 29 mins

Decompression stop: No, 2 minutes away from a mandatory decompression stop.  Performed a 8 minute safety stop at 15 ft / 4.5m for the sake of extra safety.

Visibility: Very good

Temperature: Upper 70s F / low 20s C

Location: Click here

Description (Wikipedia):

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Unterseeboot 352 or U-352 was a type VIIC Nazi German U-boat that served in the North Atlantic during World War II. It was launched on 7 May 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Rathke, with a crew of 49.

In January 1942, U-352 began active patrols in the northern Atlantic toward the United States of America. Operating chiefly out of St. Nazaire and Kiel, U-352 was ordered toward the eastern coastline of the United States on 7 April 1942. The United States Coast Guard cutter Icarus intercepted and sank it on 9 May. Thirty-three crewmembers survived, were taken prisoner, and served the remainder of the war as prisoners of war.

The U-352 lies in about 100 feet of water off the North Carolina coast. She sits at a 45-degree list to starboard.

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This site was discovered in 1974 by Olympus owner and Captain, George Purifoy, and several friends. The history behind this site has been televised and featured on the History® Channel, and is one of North Carolina's best known dive sites.

Second dive: The {en:USCGC Spar (WLB-403)} wreck

My Max Depth: 105 ft / 32 m

My breathing gas: 30% oxygen nitrox mix

Time: 35 mins

Visibility: Very good

Temperature: Upper 70s F / Low 20s C

Description:

The Coast Guard Cutter Spar was sunk as a diver friendly wreck, the180ft long and 37ft wide Spar sits upright in 100ft of water and is completely intact. The Spar got its name from the US Coat Guard Motto "Semper Paratus, Always Ready" which was an appropriate name for the Coast Guard buoy tender commissioned June 1944. Making port at various locations up and down the Northeast US, the Spar was one of the most awarded vessels in the Coast Guard fleet and served in a variety missions during its 50 year service including submarine hunting and oceanography assignments. After being decommissioned in Feb of 1997, the ship was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Morehead City. Now home to Sand Tiger Sharks, the Spar is a very popular site since it sits upright and has lots of opportunities for penetration.

Here is a better video than what I took of the Spar, courtesy of Olympus Dive Center.  Click "HQ" if it does not play.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f0pPNCFpac

Camping at Rawlings

This weekend I went camping to Lake Rawlings to get some dives in and enjoy the outdoors.  On this trip I wanted to try out my new NeoSport 5mm wetsuit and I regret buying it since it's such a pain to put on compared to other wetsuits I have tried.  I would return it, but it's too late now since I'm going to need it for the ocean dives at Morehead, NC early next week.  Also new on this trip is Rich's new grill that is attached to the back of his truck.  Check out the pictures.

During our bottom of the lake dive, Rich found a titanium knife which is very odd considering that knifes are illegal in the lake.  I found a 1 lbs and 4 lbs weight near the deepest part of the lake.

Also, check out the cool RV with the scuba flag on it:

Diving the Texas Clipper

I used to live 26 miles from South Padre Island, TX for 7 years (1992 to 1999) and I never took advantage of some good warm water diving. However, I didn't know how much fun it was nor did I have the money. I was certified Open Water December of 2005 and I have dived in the Sea of Cortes, Mexican Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, North Eastern US fresh water lakes, and the Mexican Riviera, but never the Gulf of Mexico and I also didn't have an excuse because I come here almost every year. This time I got in contact with American Diving (South Padre Island) and they took me out to dive the USTS {en:Texas Clipper}, a 473 foot ship.

The Texas Clipper was sunk on November 17, 2007, approximately 17 nautical miles (31 km) Northeast of South Padre Island, TX. It was placed in 132 feet (40m) of water. The top of the ship has reached depths as shallow as 50 feet (15 m).

On the day of the dive, we met around 6:30am on Sunday June 7th to be briefed on the dive and then got on Diver 1 to take us to the wreck.  The ride was a bit bumpy that a couple got sea sick and had to vomit before we started our dive.  Getting off the boat was a bit tough with the boat rocking back and forth with the waves, but getting back on was even more difficult.  You had to time the waves correctly when you got on or else the boat will ramp into you.  I was climbing up the ladder on my second dive when the boat rocked, the ladder hit my shins, and I was thrown back into the water.   I don't mind, at least the dives did not get canceled  :)

Under the surface, the water was much more calm.  There was a current, but not very strong.  I did get to see amberjacks, tons of snappers, queen angels, tons of lookdowns, some beautiful trigger fish.  I also saw a school of sharks swimming during my 3 minute safety stop.  I could not see them very well since they looked like they were 70 to 80 feet below me.  I saw at least 5, but only their tails.  I tried googling around for pictures of sharks found in the Gulf of Mexico, but I could not find any that matched the tails that I saw.   From what I remember, the shark had a long caudal (tail) fin (similar to a nurse shark) and also a bit longer than normal (for most sharks) pelvic fin.  From a bird eye view (or diver above view) the tail fins did have some white stains on them. The body was slender and with my best best guess could not be longer than 5 or 6 feet.  I have seen the tail before in pictures, but I just cannot recall which kind of sharks they were.  On my second dive I went to the area I last saw them, but they were gone  :(

Overall the dives were fun, but since my buddy was relatively new I did not push more than 97 feet (29 m) with an average of 60 feet (18 m) because I did not know how experienced he was, which was wise because he was more of a novice than I expected and it could have been dangerous if anything happen.  When we ended the dive he was very low on air and I still had 1700 psi (117 bar) after 20 or so minutes.  During the safety stop it's when I saw the school of sharks swim below me.  Oh how I wanted to go back down and take a picture.   On the second dive, my new Nitek Trio computer resetted the dive after an hour and the Oxygen mix was set to the default of 99%, which really makes an effort to remind you to set the plan when you get in the water.  However, with the high waves it was hard to set the dive plan because the minute I got to the right point the wave would submerge the computer and it thought the dive started.   Also, since my buddy was not really looking out for me (he went down to 70 - 80 feet and didn't look up) I decided to go after him with my computer beeping as hell because I would be too far away if he got into trouble.   I was ok with it because I did my repetative dive plan before the dive and I knew how deep and how long I could stay down there with 32% Oxygen.   The only bad thing is that with a reading of about 3.12 partial pressure of oxygen (PPO) on my computer, well above the limit of 1.6, I was supposed to have a hyperoxic event and go into convulsions after passing 20 feet (6m).  However, I knew I was safe when I decided to go after my buddy, but I was irritated.

Anyhow, here are some pictures and a video.  The video was taken by American Diving the day before because they took a better video than I did and it shows more of the Texas Clipper. I really liked the Clipper and I also like the professional service from American Diving. Oh by the way, the water was very warm (to my standards) because I only needed a 3mm suit and could probably do with less.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9-3sJVmIM&NR=1

My Flooded Digi-Cam is working again

I forgot to mention, but this past Memorial Day weekend water got into my Ikeline Canon SD880IS underwater housing and my digital camera was completely submerged in water for a good 20 minutes before realizing my underwater housing has flooded and the camera was not working. I took out the memory card and the battery and try to see if drying the camera for the whole week fixes the problem. Yesterday I tested the camera out and it works so it looks like I won't have to replace the camera :-) I still need to see where in the housing the leak is at. I'm suspecting where the lens is located there is a crack, but it could also be from the (obvious) O-ring seal that could have had some dirt. Anyhow, I have a working camera again even though it looks like water got into its LCD display. This camera is only 3 months old and already has some severe wear and tear!!!!

Rawlings (again) Memorial day weekend

I was back again at Rawlings for the second weekend in a row for some good diving. Even though we could only dive for two days (Saturday and Monday), since Rich and Christie had to be back in Northern Virginia on Sunday, we got some good dives in. I personally got 5 dives in with a total of 258 minutes (4.3 hrs) of bottom time. I also managed to break my bottom time record twice (60 minutes and 70 minutes). In the 70 minute dive Christie, Rich, and myself dived around the entire lake.

Also a first ever was to touch the deepest part of the lake (68ft / 20.7m), which I have not been able to locate until this trip. When all three of us saw the dip at the bottom we all raced to the bottom to put our computers as deep as we can in the mud to see who recorded the deepest. It was like a shark frenzy with all the silt everywhere to the point we could not see half an inch in front of us, but it was worth it. I still have not beaten my depth record of 90ft / 27.4m (I need to start diving in the ocean).

Another positive thing is that my last dive on this trip was my 13th dive so far in the year, my 14th dry suit dive, and my Surface Air Consumption (SAC) rate keeps going down steadily. The first dive of this year and also the first dive with my dry suit started with a SAC rate of 0.85 cu.ft per minute and steadily been dropping it down to 0.78, 0.74 ... 0.68, 0.67, 0.066 ... 0.58. Hopefully I can keep up this pattern and drop my rate even further. I'm sure the new gear configuration (back-plate, new hoses, and new fins) helped in addition to getting more experience diving with a dry suit.

Rawlings May 15 - 17, 2009

Took a three day trip to Rawlings, VA to do some scuba, but was interrupted by some bad weather. Nevertheless, we managed to get 134 minutes of diving when it was not raining, which is not too bad. I was very disappointed for not being able to get some night dives or for not diving on Sunday (May 17th). However, overall the trip was very good and I was happy that my entire three day weekend was not destroyed by the weather. Plus, I got to try out my new back-plate and new hose configuration, which is seen in the picture below with a can of Vienna sausages that were used to feed the fish.

Next weekend I'm also planning on returning to Rawlings with Christie, Ruth, and Rich since it's Memorial day weekend we are also celebrating Rich's birthday.