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August 30th, 2017

8/30/2017

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Dive Trip, Mombasa, Diani Beach, Kenya

7/9/2017

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By Memen M. Ocampo

Day Trip to Wasini Island, scuba diving at Kisite Marine Park and a visit to Shimoni Slavery Cave
Sunny Tuesday, 27the June 2017. Our 4th day in Kenya. After an exhilarating skydive adventure yesterday, we're up early today for an island trip and scuba diving.
We left Brightstar Resort at 7:30am, headed out to Shimoni dock. It was around an hour drive on the provincial road. We registered at the marina office and then we took a dhow to the marine park. We were 13 divers from RDA and 2 local dive guides, 10 nondivers (snorkelers) plus 6 crew members including the captain.
All our gear and equipment were prepared for us. The crew dropped us at the first divesite at the east side of the marine park, then the dhow took off to drop the snorkelers near the island.
First one was an easy, relax dive. The kinds of fish we saw were so similar to those we saw during our diving trip in the Maldives. Huge schools of bannerfish and sweetlips. Lots of elephant ears and giant anemones. We saw crocodile fish, nudis, turtles, stingrays, big brown grouper (like seriously big) and jackfish.
While we were on surface interval preparing for our next dive, dolphins approached our dhow, as if teasing us to swim with them. So there they go! Youssef, Raul, Jerry, Hub, Leng and Mhae snorkeled and swam with the infamous playful dolphins of Wasini Island. Dolphins are such eye candies. Lovely creatures.
Next dive was a drift dive. Current was really strong at depth of 17 to 20ft. It was one tiring dive, i figured out that I would have enjoyed more if I was using my own gear but anyway, it was fun. Scuba
diving in Kenya--checked!!
After diving the dhow took us for lunch on the island where we enjoyed a hearty meal of seafoods, chicken and fresh fruits.
Finally heading back to the dock, we
Found ourselves waiting outside Shimoni Caves. Ahh this cave was intense. It was where they kept and tortured the african slaves before they were sold to arabs and europeans way back then.

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Reflections on Diving Adventures – diving RDA style!

3/3/2016

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By Helen Gould

Last call for Cebu Pacific flight 3052 to Cebu city…   A young couple race towards the gate with matching Aqualung rucksacks covered in PADI badges and dive resort stickers. I dream of the adventures they’ll have floating with turtles and thresher sharks in the Philippines!

Airports are always exciting places to be. I sit people watching and reflecting on how quickly 4 years working in Riyadh passed since I nearly quit after the first year. My mind wanders … 3 years earlier my friends had said to me “Come on, come to Jeddah with us, then go home. There’s this dive group going but you can just snorkel. You’ll love the Red Sea corals …” True! A 13 hour bus ride later and we arrived at a resort to find the warmest welcome from a cheerful group eating huge pots of sinigang, rice and lumpia. Tastes delicious! A quick sleep and everyone is in the water just after sunrise. I watch them from a distance donning wetsuits and gear, diving, then relaxing talking about diving, then diving again… and then they dive again after dark! Are they crazy? I don’t really get it and have no intention of ever diving, (3 years ago earlier I had a near drowning snorkeling incident so there was no way I’d ever put anything in my mouth again!) but they are certainly having fun! And the snorkeling (mask and fins only) is just wonderful. Welcome to the underwater world the “RDA way!”

We’re now in Yanbu, it’s 7am and we’re on a boat heading out to the coral reefs. I’ve just found heaven in Saudi! I snorkel in this glorious hot bath surrounded by stunning fish, watching the trails of bubbles left by divers as they take giant strides off the sides of the boat.

Raul, our instructor, quietly observes then signals for me to follow him to the anchor rope and try his octopus regulator. I explain I’m scared to put anything in my mouth but he assures me it is easier than a snorkel and encourages me to try. We descend a few meters … it’s just breathtaking in every sense! Amazed to be in amongst the corals, I quickly forgot I was breathing so naturally from the reg.   That was it! I was completely hooked and badgering the group about when could I start diving! Salamat Maestro! Best encouragement ever.

Back at the villa, Memen instructs me to watch the DVD before dinner, then just as I was about to put my head down for an early night, “Helen, quick, swimsuit on! Time for skills in the pool!” 5 minutes later I was fumbling around with mask clearing and buoyancy as everyone cheered with encouragement during my PADI DSD!

The next day, seeing me comfortable in the water, Raul took me for my first shallow dive. Awesome! Loved every second. Feeling so enthusiastic, I kept giving the thumbs up sign and the next thing I knew we were back on the surface! Ano ba! I’ll never forget the “OK” dive signal again!! The rest of the day was a delightful blur of swimming ashore to a stunning sand island, wacky photos and a delicious fish barbecue.

2 weeks later I’m in the pool doing Open Water (OW) skills having decided to renew my work contract to stay and learn to dive! Life is all about priorities!! Hmmm mask removal? I grit my teeth and manage to do it. Ugh! Extra skills practice with Abu (AI), paid off when, 6 months later my mask strap broke 50ft deep on Chicken Wreck. I simply replaced my mask and held it in place for the rest of the dive as I had no intention of missing out on my first wreck dive! Lesson learnt: solid skills prevent panicking!

As you have probably gathered, the RDA philosophy is for everyone to enjoy diving safely and to live life to the full. Translation: action packed! You have the rest of life to sleep! Seriously, the team goes to great efforts to maximize dive time and take care of the divers, prearranging all gear, tanks and travel logistics to save precious dive time at resorts. During OW, skills are done with the instructor but there is always a 2:1 ratio with DMs and AIs so you feel confident there is support close by. Once certified, you can dive with a DM for your first few dives with the group to build confidence.

So here I am, a newly qualified Padi DM, reflecting on some of the happiest times of my life traveling the world and diving with wonderful RDA buddies, my extended family.   I wonder where and with whom my 200th dive will be!

Dive adventures include …

Philippines: Remote, natural, unspoilt islands… a place to keep returning to and the best diving I’ve experienced so far ...
Coron: Deep wreck dives, Barracuda thermal lake and island hoping.
Malapascua: Deep dive early morning to watch thresher sharks.
Sabang, Puerto Galera: famous for nudibranchs, sea horses and critters.
Romblon: a peaceful haven of bamboo huts, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water and an array of soft corals and critters.
Batangas, Aniloa: Arrive at the picturesque bamboo Dive and Trek resort by boat then enjoy turtles, giant jackfish, frog fish followed by superb local cuisine. As I edit this, I have just been handed some freshly made Turon, the local banana and caramel snack. Delicious!

Kenya, Kilifi: drift dive the Indian Ocean with soft coral gardens, caves and mammals. Kilifi Creek is a protected spawning ground for many fish and a haven for nudibranch.

Atlantic, Azores: Strong currents, deep dives with mantas, sharks and cetaceans.

I hope this encourages other new divers to explore our fascinating underwater world as RDA has encouraged me.

MARAMING SALAMAT RDA BUDDIES!
I can’t thank you enough all for a truly wonderful 3 years of diving fun, friendship, and future adventures to look forward to. Love you all. Magkita tayo sa susunod na kapata ilam sa dagat!

PADI SAFE: Safely Ascend From Every Dive
RDA SAFETY: Safe, Adventurous, Fun and Exhilarating Times for You!

Tapos na! Yalla diving!

www.rdadivenet.com

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So When I Say, “I’m A Pro!” Do you Actually Believe That?

2/10/2015

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It’s true that people in our lives come and go. But there are some who come (sometimes, they stay too) and do not only touch our hearts but also inspire us to be better individuals. Some become our friends, stay, and we treasure them for life. But there are those who leave and yet a part of them stays with us, continuously inspiring us to be the best we could ever be.

In scuba diving, every new diver looks up to a good dive leader who has experience and confidence in leading other divers into a safe and enjoyable dive. In PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), a divemaster, an assistant Instructor or an Instructor leads a dive, gaining for themselves a PADI PRO status. They are trained and experienced to lead, mentor and motivate other divers.

However, personally, I do not believe that a certification card alone could define a real dive leader. In the age where money and time works so efficiently together, being a good dive leader takes more than just having a “Pro” stamp on your C Card. Aside from knowledge, training and familiarity from many years of diving, an excellent leader should posses traits such as good behavior, respectfulness, skills proficiency, honest and modesty among others.

Therefore, when you finally decide to step up from being just another ordinary certified diver, you should ask yourself if you are ready to take on a real life- changing challenge, more so a new career. Certainly, there is no better job than sharing your ultimate passion to people who are engaged and would be engaged in diving. Imagine doing something you love and being rewarded for it- perhaps not quite monetarily but the joy of sharing happiness with people for doing exactly the things they want to do and leading them to underwater adventures that are beyond their expectation- those are priceless rewards.

We meet different kinds of people every day. We dive with several kinds of diver in every trip. Experience is always our best teacher – think safety and responsibility as well. A good dive leader guides well and inspires us to be better in diving whether it’s just another a sport for us or an adventure we choose to enjoy for life.

So, is there any dive leader you really look up to? Inspired you? Or maybe you have dived with somebody who really made a big difference in your diving? Share your experience with us!

Raul D. Ausemestre
PADI Master Instructor

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CARING FOR OUR CORAL REEFS

2/10/2015

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When I did my first open water dive at the Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, I was amazed with the variety of corals and marine life that I’ve seen. As I continue travelling to many places and diving with RDA DiveNet in different seas and oceans, the more I discovered that there are even better, extremely colorful sites beaming with life than that of the first one I saw. However, I also came to realize that there are a lot of problems that our oceans, particularly our reefs, are effaced with. As a diver, I learned to differentiate a bleached coral reef, a dying one from a reef that is healthy and full of life. It isn't really hard to distinguish between them but when I dive at those places with dying corals where very little amount of fish thrive, I question myself how hard it is to help protect them. Makes me sad and I know most divers feel the same as I do.

Being sad about stressed or dying coral reefs is one thing but doing something to protect them is another. You don’t have to be a diver to contribute. There are many simple ways to care for our coral reefs and they’re all very easy to follow:

1. Learn more about coral reefs. How important are they in our global ecosystem? Be informed and share the word.

2. When you visit a coral reef, whether snorkeling or scuba diving, keep it healthy by respecting local guidelines and regulations. Don’t touch the reef. Dive without gloves.

3. Don’t pollute. Never put garbage or human waste in the water. Don’t leave trash on the beach.

4. Recycle. Think hard before you throw something away. Re-use as much as you can.

5. Conserve water. Using less water equals less water going back to the ocean therefore saving it.

6. Keep it clean. You may be in the habit of picking up your own trash. You may even participate in an organized cleanup. But have you considered carrying away the trash that others have left behind?

7. Only buy marine aquarium fish if you know they have been collected in an ecologically accepted manner.

8. Don’t anchor on the reef. If you go boating near a coral reef, use mooring buoy systems when they are available.

9. Again, DON’T TOUCH the reef! Take only pictures and leave only bubbles! Keep your fins’ gear, and hands away from the coral, as this contact can hurt you and will damage the delicate coral animals.

10. Be responsible. If you’re partying at the beach, mind your actions and don’t litter. When you’re diving, keep doing safe diving practices as you were trained. Stay off the bottom so you don’t stir up the sediments and harm the corals.

You don’t have to be a diver to help conserve our oceans or help protect our coral reefs. It is our own individual responsibility to do as much as we can to preserve the ecosystem that we are a part of. Afterall, we owe it to our children and to the other generations to come. Let’s save our oceans. Think globally, act locally. No amount of effort is too small to matter.

Eric Ocampo
PADI Asst Instructor

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Dive Planning

3/17/2013

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We always read and hear this advice: “Plan your dive, Dive your plan”. What is it then with dive planning that makes it so important? SAFETY… and of course, fun.

Wikipedia defines Dive Planning as the process of planning an underwater diving operation. As simple as it sounds, planning a dive may not always be an easy task for a divemaster who is responsible to make, organize, execute, lead and “dive” a dive plan.

After a dive, divers may describe it as an “excellent dive” in many ways but they will all evaluate a dive based on at least one of the following:

1. A fascinating site

2. A dependable and like-minded buddy

3. A good to almost perfect weather condition

4. Calm waters

5. A stress- free, incident-free trip

6. Easy entry and exit to the water

The above factors constitute an inevitably well planned dive, eventually resulting to an excellent dive. Almost always, a dive master or dive leader in a group plans the dive and relays the plan to the other divers.

A few years back, I was with a group of divers in a boat; everyone was called to gather at the deck for a dive briefing. Holding a white board and a marker, the divemaster started the “planning session” with some site description on the white board including depths, marine life previously sighted, some cautions, and direction of the current and so on. Being a newbie, I didn’t mind listening to all the “talk” because first, I was really curious and second, because it was my first time to dive with the group. But I noticed some “senior” divers started to become uninterested as the briefing lasted longer. Their faces showed an expression that they didn’t need as much talking. The divemaster seemed surely engaged on his version of a “dive plaaaaaaaaan”. In fact, I even felt a hint of bragging but I just ignored it (the bragging, of course).

So how long should a dive plan be? If dive briefing equals dive planning, then brief it is!

A good dive briefing conveys the local knowledge about the site that divers need to know. It should be as brief as possible (that’s why it’s called a brief, right). A dive plan should neither be too long with much basic dive course information (geez, we discuss those basics in the classroom!) nor too intrusive (divers need some room for adventures, right?). It should also be informative (I mean correct information, duh!), yet enthusiastic and not boring (a DM without sense of humor isn’t welcome in the dive, haha!).

However, if the divers are students then it is not a dive briefing but an instruction (read: dive planning is a whole lot different than dive instruction).

Diving the Plan.

Now, picture yourself all set for the dive with the “plan” totally stuck in your head. Thanks to the DM who “planned” the dive for an hour (that long briefing!). You dive obediently following every advice and information that your ‘boring DM” discussed. While diving around (following your unexciting DM who happened to be your buddy too), you noticed that there were not much to see (probably two small fishes and a bleached coral, and more mud or silt, etc. etc.). After 45 minutes, he signaled for a safety stop and then it’s time for you to ascend.

Although quite a bit boring, it was a safe dive. Until you hear the other group who went to another direction. They talk big about the manta ray that was suitcase big and a turtle that seemingly stopped while being photographed. Schools of fishes, nice corals, blah blah…then your heart sink with envy.

Here’s the point where you ask yourself, what happened to the dive plan?! And then you recall that long, tedious, and inaccurate plan! Could a dive plan be any worse?

Short and Accurate. Less Means More.

During my recent dive at Apo Reef Natural Park in Sabang, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines, I was amazed by how smart and professional the DM was. His name is Reuel from Mariposa Dive Center in Pandan Island. I was with a group of three PADI Instructors, an AOWD (with almost 200 dives in his log, ugh!). I was just recently certified as a Rescue Diver then. The point is, all divers in the group were well experienced, having been active divers for years and traveled many places around the world. But DM Reuel showed wit and authority. His briefing was short, informative and accurate. I also learned a new hand signal from DM Reuel during that trip to Apo Reef- the “half air signal” which is useful when you want to signal your buddy that you already consumed half of your air.

We asked him to bring us to where the sharks were, and he did. First time for me to see twelve sharks in a dive!

He made us feel that he knows the dive site very well (yeah, as if he was born in Apo Reef in particular!) He demanded trust and that was well given to him by the group.

An essential dive plan, brief in nature should consist primarily of the following: time and depth of dive and buddy assignment. A short note on possible hazards and emergency procedures, like what to do in case of a lost buddy, are also mandatory.

When you know the plan (from a competent and reliable DM- I’m sure you’ll know one when you see one), stick to it. A dive plan is a diver’s guide to safety and with a safe dive, all the fun just falls into the right places!

Safe diving, everyone! And have fun always!

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Safety in Scuba Diving

3/11/2013

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Since I started diving some*eighteen* years ago, I have always been fascinated with all the thrills and fun of diving- as a sport, a hobby, and as a profession. I have always enjoyed every experience shared with divers in, about and on water- and the elusive life under it. Truly, one has to be a diver to appreciate more of the planet where we live in.
But diving, as any other sport or recreation, has always been associated with risks. While during training, a student (diver) learns how to avoid such risks, each diving activity entails a different risk on itself and to the diver, even after obtaining a certification. Thus, I always tell my students and buddies that knowledge and training are among a diver’s best defenses to avoid inherent risks.

So, while we are all humans and are therefore susceptible to accidents or uncontrolled circumstances, we always should give our 100% attention to details of safety in diving.

Below are some general safety rules in scuba diving:

1. GET PROPER TRAINING
Enroll in a scuba diving course with a recognized diving organization (i.e. PADI). “DON’T DIVE BEYOND YOUR CERTIFICATION LEVEL AND EXPERIENCE”.

2. BE IN GOOD SHAPE
A diver should have physical ability to manage diving activities, skill in basic swimming (i.e. must be comfortable in water though not necessarily be a swimmer). It is also recommended to undergo a medical or physical examination prior to the start of any diving activity. Know your physical limitations in terms of diving.

3. CHECK YOUR DIVING EQUIPMENT
Prior to the dive, check all your diving gears and equipment to make sure that all of them are functioning properly.

4. NEVER DIVE ALONE
Always dive with a buddy, stay close and keep communicating to your dive buddy to track his/her position and if everything is OK. In any event that you shall need assistance, you can easily reach out for help. NEVER DIVE ALONE. It is also a must to perform the pre-dive safety check (BWRAF – BCD – Weights – Releases – Air & Final OK) every dive.

In case something happens, follows these simple steps:

1. Stop
2. Breathe
3. Think
4. Act
5. Signal to your dive buddy for help

5. NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATHE
We learned that the number one rule in scuba diving is to never hold your breath while using scuba unit. Continuous deep slow breathing (and/or normal breathing) is recommended while using scuba unit.

6. PLAN YOUR DIVE AND DIVE YOUR PLAN
Prior to your dive, you and your buddy should know the maximum depth you will go, bottom time you'll have and how much air you should have to start ascending. Check your air supply often. You should also agree on the hand signals you will use to communicate underwater.

7. RELAX, HAVE FUN AND ENJOY
Being comfortable and relaxed underwater will definitely make a dive more fun.

8. CONTROL YOUR ASCENT
After completing a dive, ASCEND slowly – you should ascend not more than 60 ft. per minute / one foot per second to give time for nitrogen gases to be released from your body. A 3 minute safety stop at 15 ft. / 5 meters every dive is also mandatory before you ascend again slowly to the remaining 15ft.

9. PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS FROM TIME TO TIME.
Dive regularly or as much as you can. The more you dive and practice , each skill becomes second nature to you. Practice makes perfect.

There you have it. Follow the above scuba diving safety rules to greatly increase your chance of a safe and incident free dive.

After all, we are certified divers- we dive for fun and we all wish to keep on diving until we can.

by: Raul D. Ausemestre
        PADI Instructor Development Course Staff

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In Search of the Perfect Fin (A Re-Post)

3/10/2013

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ScubaLab 2012: In Search of the Perfect Fin

Behind the Testing

We don’t just grab gear, jump in the water and splash around for a while. Scubalab fin tests revolve around 10 real-world performance categories. Test divers rate each fin in each category below using a scale from 5 (excellent performance) to 1 (poor performance). These are the categories:

-EASE OF DONNING THE FIN is rated both in a...nd out of the water.

-ADJUSTABILITY OF BUCKLES AND STRAPS is scored by evaluating effectiveness, accessibility and ease of use.

-FIT AND COMFORT OF FOOT POCKETS are rated, as is the overall feel of the fin on the diver’s foot.

-SURFACE PROPULSION is scored when divers are kicking on the surface in a face-down position.

-STABILITY is checked by noting wobble, side-to-side slicing, and whether the fin blades have a tendency to hit each other during the diver’s kick cycle.

-POWER VERSUS STRESS is the relationship of the power produced during the kick cycle relative to the amount of effort that’s required to produce that power.

-EASE AND EFFICIENCY OF KICKING STYLES is scored after swimming underwater using the flutter kick, frog kick and dolphin kick.

-ACCELERATION is scored during an underwater swim and reflects how the fin responds to power kicking.

-MANEUVERABILITY is rated by evaluating the ease of getting in and out of tight places — backing up, changing or reversing directions — using small fin movements.

-EASE OF REMOVING THE FIN is evaluated by testing the ease of using the buckle and strap system, the ability to hold onto the fin without losing it, etc.

The Bottom Line

Testers’ Choice and Best Buy In the open-heel category, the Tusa SF-15 X-Pert Zoom Z3 split fin earned the most test-diver votes for top kicker in this year’s go-round, with the Beuchat Power Jet paddle fin coming in a close second. Turning in the best combination of performance and price, the Tilos Saber paddle fin earned the nod for the 2012 Best Buy.

In the full-foot category, the undisputed test-diver favorite was the Mares Wave paddle fin, followed by the Tusa FF-19 X-Pert Evolution split fin. For Best Buy, it was a toss-up between these same two fins. Their prices are nearly the same, and the performance of each fin topped the charts. So it came down to preference: Split-fin fans preferred the Tusa, while paddle fin fans gave the nod to the Mares. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

*Note: Size limitations on the the Hollis F2 and SCUBAPRO Seawing Gorilla open-heel fins prevented all test divers from diving these fins.

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The Buzz on the “Viz”

3/3/2013

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If there’s one thing in scuba diving that’s overly subjective, I’d say it’s visibility. Divers on the same dive, at the same spot may surface and afterwards discuss about the viz, saying different things and referring to it several ways.

It all started as I fill up a new logbook, apparently my second, (geez, I finally filled up the entire logbook#1---yey!!!), I found a portion about “visibility” and I started to wonder how I should fill it up- by feet? By meters? Or should it be as good, bad, okay, excellent—or what?!

So, I looked it up, (yeah, thru google and all…okay!!!), in my attempt to answer my own dilemma. Dictionary defines visibility as the distance at which an object underwater can be eadily identified. Diving instructors say underwater visibility is measured two ways: There is horizontal visibility — how far you can see looking straight ahead — and vertical visibility — how far you can see looking up or down. Hmmm.. sounds easy?? Don’t think so! Again, how do we measure viz? Jacques Cousteau may have had something called a Secchi disk. They say it's a white disk, 4 inches/10 cm in diameter, which is lowered into the water to a depth at which it just disappears from sight. The distance where the disk cannot be seen is recorded, with the length of the line being the visibility. Even more advanced methods with higher precision exist using photometers. Quite an established way to measure, but the problem is that I don’t know anyone in the group who uses a Secchi Disk or where to find it!

So, my next question is: Does measuring visibility accurately really matter?

By understanding the various factors which affect visibility, we can plan our dive excursions to take advantage of better conditions. It’s one way our knowledge of the weather and waves can make each dive a little bit clearer. For photographers, an accurate measurement may be important since their equipment can depend on exact numbers.

For now, as recreational divers, I guess there’s not a very great deal of finding the exact measurement of visibility. Other done bragging (Oh yeah! That dive was an awesome 80 meter viz!”), i think we’re equally safe to just say viz was either terrible or good, okay or excellent.

by: MMO

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Did I Chicken Out or Not?! My Chicken Wreck Dive Experience

11/12/2012

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The Chicken Wreck

To see the underwater world with all its beauty and grandeur will never be enough. You have to “be” on it to feel it and forever be amazed of its marvel and brilliance.

I started scuba diving in 2010, but before that, I was so afraid of water. I lived almost my entire life in an island (Mindoro) in Philippines , unaware of the wonders of the world beneath the sea. Until I came to Saudi Arabia- the so called land of the desert- where I first learned how to scuba dive.

Please read my previous blog (two parts) @ http://medimaldita.weebly.com/2/post/2011/6/diving-in-saudi-arabia-and-loving-it-part-2.html

During our recent boat dive at the Red Sea in Jeddah on Oct 27, 2012, we were greeted and played with by a school of dolphins on our way to the Chicken Wreck dive site. There were around 14 dolphins or more in the pod. When our boat stopped, they kept on playing, as if dancing around our boat while we were all giggling and cheering at them.

It was my second time around dolphins at the Red Sea. The first encounter I had was when our group went to Baridi Island off the coast of Yanbu about 2 months ago where around 8 dolphins trailed in after our boat but they didn’t follow us long. In Jeddah, the dolphins were more playful and social. I felt that they somehow wanted to interact with us longer so they followed our boat and stayed for a while with us at the wreck.

After a while, the dolphins left and we started to prepare for our wreck dive. The water temperature was inviting and the clear water was hard to resist. With my gears and equipment on, I immediately jumped off the boat and made myself afloat. The splash of warm water on me was refreshing. I put on my snorkel and swim around the boat while waiting for the other divers to get into the water.

Finally, everyone was ready for our first dive of the day at the Chicken Wreck in our buddy system. All 14 of us eagerly descended upon PADI Instructor Raul’s advice and DM Eric’s signal.

The Chicken Wreck, as described at EzineArticles, is a wreck site where a misfortunate skipper with frozen chicken cargo managed to fall foul off the reef and subsequently lost not only his load but also his ship which now wallows on the reef at a depth of around 60-70 Feet.

Thank God it was an easy descent for all of us at 40 to 60 feet. Near the sunken ship, visibility was slightly lower at around 60 feet. I saw how my co-divers arranged themselves in order – positioning next to their buddy and/ or group as per the dive plan discussed on the boat earlier. I volunteered to tag along Delfin and Raul because I knew that they will not stay far from the wreck with Delfin making his first boat dive. Also, it was first time for me to use my underwater camera in a wreck too.

As we stroll around the shipwreck, I wondered how long it could have been since it had the misfortune. There were already several coral reef species thriving at the ship itself. I peeped through one of what seem like a small window and saw a sort of light passing through. The vessel has several holes and spaces (like posts next to each other or perhaps some cages for chicken so they say) that allow light to penetrate inside, making it a beautiful and rich artificial reef for many species.

I took several pictures of the colorful fishes and the old looking shipwreck. Well, my camera wasn’t very sophisticated and I’m not in position to boast of my shots, I tried to take shots in aim to capture a picture of the life around the wreck.

Life at the Chicken Wreck

While I kept on taking pictures in between both awe and amazement, I suddenly felt that I was alone in the site. I looked up expecting to see the boat’s entry/exit point where we dropped off, but I did not see it. I turned around hoping to see other divers but I did not find one! I looked down and I saw only something black and deep. Again, I turned around twice but I did not see anything. How could I be out of nowhere while I was so sure that I was just hovering right beside the wreck?!

I tried hard to control panic building up within me. I closed my eyes hard enough, hoping that I’d get through whatever “it” was. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. Everything felt strange and fearful. I started counting one…two…three… just as I used to do when I was younger each time I was afraid.

Finally, I saw the familiar pair of yellow fins that our Instructor always wears. I felt a relief as I noticed him approaching me and I saw Delfin just a few feet behind him. I looked around and I saw the other divers beside the wreck, taking pictures and playfully enjoying the dive. I realized that I was neither drifted too far from them as there was a very soft current on the site nor have I gone far from the wreck as it is just right next to me within my arm’s reach!

My dive at Chicken Wreck only lasted for 47 minutes and I had 1400psi of air still left in my tank when I ascended. My buddies told me that they saw me, engrossed with my camera, drifting a few feet farther from them and so they immediately followed me. I described how I felt so disoriented and I kept turning around, trying to catch a glimpse of them, but Raul claimed that I DID NOT make even one full turn. He said that he noticed me looking up then down, and then right to left and back but he said he was sure that I did not turn around at all.

During training, I have learned that every diver is susceptible to experience underwater disorientation which is described as a sensation of not knowing where you are or even which way is up or down. The most common cause is sensory deprivation that occurs while diving in low visibility or at night. Though I didn’t give it much thought until I actually experienced it, I promised myself to be more prepared during low-viz dives in the future.

At the end of the day, I was thankful that I was able to manage when the wave of anxiety passed through me during our dive at the Chicken Wreck. Panicking would have not done me any good so keeping calm and forcing myself to relax did help me a lot, though I should have done what we were trained to do during such incident or any stressful situation—Stop, Think, and Act. I also realized that I should be more attentive and focused during future low-viz dives.

Indeed, it was an extraordinarily short dive at the Chicken Wreck but I learned some important lessons- bigtime!

Me and my disoriented-self @ Chicken Wreck site

by: MMO

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