My logged dives #1296-1299
Another great referral dive weekend, people I'd never met found out about me and booked a course that went wonderfully for all concerned.
Bobbi had her last day at work Thu June 19 so she drove down to Al Ain from Abu Dhabi and we thought we would lag behind Emanuel and Sandra, who left Abu Dhabi (where they live) an hour before we could escape Al Ain. But they got lost so we arrived at the border before they did. But the border was busy with (of all things) hay trucks, dozens of them, loads of hay, and expats trying to get across but turning back for whatever reason due to the real possibility of thorough searching. So we awaited Sandra and Emanuel at the border so we could give them a lift (since their car was not insured for Oman). We left anything we thought might compromise us at the border in their parked car and drove across clean. We arrived at Nomad after 8, dinner was served, so we ate and did paperwork and then went to the equipment room and pool and finally completed module 1 well after midnight.
We were up at 6 for coffee and briefing and we completed the next two modules in the pool before 9:30 next morning and we down at the boat harbor by about 10:00. People were patient with us, no one upset, and by 10:30 we were motoring to Ras Morovi for a nice dive on the north side of the headland. Vis was good and it was a typical first dive with buoyancy issues managed well by the students.
On the second dive we went to Lima headland, north side, where we put in at a bay where a dhow was moored. We set up CESA, controlled emergency swimming ascent, where I was accused by the French instructor accompanying us of breaking coral in this exercise. I was using a sand valley between the coral but the instructor, who came by with his discover scuba students, said later he saw broken coral near where we were, and told me "maybe you kicked it." I was keeping a close eye on my students and on myself, and didn't appreciate being accused of breaking coral in a bay that dhows use for day trippers, and where fishermen had thrown their nets and strung rope all along the bottom, not good for the environment. However, I will follow the advice that in future, for CESA exercises, we steer clear of that area with its exquisite table coral.
On return to the dive center we had just two more pool sessions to complete that part of the course. We were done by dinner time and settled into a twelve hour break, just eating and relaxing and sleeping for eight or nine hours, great!
Saturday morning Emanuel and Sandra did their swim tests in the pool and we were first on the boat for a relaxed departure to Lima Rock. As the video shows, the weather was fine, we were dressed for warm water, there was much to see on our dives. Most importantly, the new divers gained in confidence and buoyancy control (you can see that in the video as well :-) and clearly had a great time, leading to the photo above, which Nomad intends to put in their next newsletter.
Here is an 11 min. video compilation of all 4 of our dives
