Derek’s Dive Domain

Date: Wednesday 17/5/06

Location: Stoney Cove

Buddies: Chas49, Calski and Freeflow (YD)

Max Depth: 6 Metres

Dive Time: 15 minutes

Water Temp: 10′C

Total Dive Time Logged to Date: 31:11

 A bit of a nightmare evening this one for me.  I had agreed to meet at Stoney with the gang after work, but due to getting away from work not quite as early as I wanted, and then getting stuck in traffic for the best part of 40 minutes, meant that I got to Stoney nearly an hour later than planned.  As everyone else had waited, but were almost kitted up, I told them to do the first dive without me, and I would join them for a second, being as by the time I would have been kitted up, no one would have gotten a second dive in as Stoney would be closing.

So I sorted my kit out and then went down and watched the divers exiting the water and waited for the others to return from their first dive on and around the Stanegarth.

Finally got in for a dive about 8.35 pm which meant a maximum of 25 minutes, but Charles had problems equalising, and then I had mask problems and had to change to the spare mask in my BCD pocket, so by the time we got all sorted, the dive was to be only 15 minutes.  We had a little bimble on the 6 metre ledge, and went into the area beneath the pub, and surfaced there to have a look at the little floor window, and then surface swam back to the slipway around the corner.  The viz was absolutely awful as it was right in the middle of the viz problems that Stoney has been suffering from over the last few weeks, but at least I got wet, as I was beginning to think that I wouldn’t manage it!

Unfortunately I got very wet, not quite the way I planned, as my neck seal has been getting looser recently since I’ve been losing a bit more weight, and it finally failed to keep me dry.  Nothing wrong with the seal, it just isn’t big enough anymore.  Coupling this with the upper body of the suit now being quite baggy on me told me that it was time to bite the bullet and buy the new suit I had been looking at at the LIDS show the other week.

This was duly purchased, and I’ll review it after my next dives…