This was the second Stanford dive club dive that we participated in. The participants were Scott and I, Nancy Rummel, Mark and Melody and we went with Dive Experience. Sam and Gary were the captains/dive masters. I wore my full wet suit and jacket with 14 lbs because the tanks have 4 lbs built in. It was really nice that nobody argued with me about what weight I needed and I was able to get to the bottom without a problem.
Chez Barge - Although this is a regular dive for Dive Experience (with their regular afternoon fish feed), I hadn't been in many years, although Scott had been the last time he and Mark went with Dive Experience. It is not far out of Christiansted harbor and was a fairly shallow dive with the barge and lots of coral gardens and fish. I was surprised that the coral appeared as healthy as it did. Although they were not very big, there were lots of healthy fan coral and overall the coral looked much healthier than I had remembered it. Lots and lots of fun fish and lobster hiding under the coral overhangs. The visibility wasn't bad, the current was pretty strong. When Sam threw in the fish food (fish parts) the current took it away very fast and I only saw a fish head come down. Although it was only a 40 minute dive it felt long to me as I was getting cold, with my full wet suit and jacket on. I enjoyed it, Scott wasn't very impressed,probably because he had done it recently.
Buoy No. 1 - This was a new dive site for both Scott and I right by the first buoy that marks the entrance to the harbor channel. The waves there were really getting to everyone and people were feeling a little green during the surface interval. I began to feel really sea sick and went to the back of the boat. When Skeeter, the dog, left his Kong Wubba out in the water and went diving for the fish head that Sam threw in, I jumped in and retrieved the Kong and felt much better, although I kept getting dunked by the waves (4-6 ft.). When we did the dive the current was fairly strong and it was the worst visibility I have ever dove in. I didn't like it, it felt very claustrophobic to me, almost like the one night dive that we did. You were lucking if you could see the diver in front of you and could not make out the next diver at all. The topography - we went down in a sandy patch then swam over a grassy area with lots of sand dollars and looked for seahorses, then came to a huge concrete block that anchors the channel buoy were Sam pointed out a frog fish, then you swim along the huge anchor chain under the buoy and descend the wall of the harbor channel to about 60 ft. Scott said he enjoyed the dive and liked the different topography. I didn't think it was that interesting, even along the wall not that much healthy coral or fish for that matter. Of course I couldn't see very much with the visibility. Sam almost stepped on this huge turtle that I only saw because I was right behind Sam at the time. I tried to point it out to Scott but it disappeared in the murk within 2 seconds. I was also having trouble with my mask, foggy, water getting in (perhaps some hair was in it it) and I was fussing with it when it totally came off. Only panicked for a second, got it back on and cleared etc but by then I had inadvertently surfaced (from 60 ft, not a good thing to do). I went back down and was starting to panic because in the murk I couldn't see anything, when luckily I came down on top of someone and found the group again. Not a real pleasant experience. Anyway, I may be prejudiced and Scott really liked it so I would be willing to give it another shot.
Chez Barge - Although this is a regular dive for Dive Experience (with their regular afternoon fish feed), I hadn't been in many years, although Scott had been the last time he and Mark went with Dive Experience. It is not far out of Christiansted harbor and was a fairly shallow dive with the barge and lots of coral gardens and fish. I was surprised that the coral appeared as healthy as it did. Although they were not very big, there were lots of healthy fan coral and overall the coral looked much healthier than I had remembered it. Lots and lots of fun fish and lobster hiding under the coral overhangs. The visibility wasn't bad, the current was pretty strong. When Sam threw in the fish food (fish parts) the current took it away very fast and I only saw a fish head come down. Although it was only a 40 minute dive it felt long to me as I was getting cold, with my full wet suit and jacket on. I enjoyed it, Scott wasn't very impressed,probably because he had done it recently.
Buoy No. 1 - This was a new dive site for both Scott and I right by the first buoy that marks the entrance to the harbor channel. The waves there were really getting to everyone and people were feeling a little green during the surface interval. I began to feel really sea sick and went to the back of the boat. When Skeeter, the dog, left his Kong Wubba out in the water and went diving for the fish head that Sam threw in, I jumped in and retrieved the Kong and felt much better, although I kept getting dunked by the waves (4-6 ft.). When we did the dive the current was fairly strong and it was the worst visibility I have ever dove in. I didn't like it, it felt very claustrophobic to me, almost like the one night dive that we did. You were lucking if you could see the diver in front of you and could not make out the next diver at all. The topography - we went down in a sandy patch then swam over a grassy area with lots of sand dollars and looked for seahorses, then came to a huge concrete block that anchors the channel buoy were Sam pointed out a frog fish, then you swim along the huge anchor chain under the buoy and descend the wall of the harbor channel to about 60 ft. Scott said he enjoyed the dive and liked the different topography. I didn't think it was that interesting, even along the wall not that much healthy coral or fish for that matter. Of course I couldn't see very much with the visibility. Sam almost stepped on this huge turtle that I only saw because I was right behind Sam at the time. I tried to point it out to Scott but it disappeared in the murk within 2 seconds. I was also having trouble with my mask, foggy, water getting in (perhaps some hair was in it it) and I was fussing with it when it totally came off. Only panicked for a second, got it back on and cleared etc but by then I had inadvertently surfaced (from 60 ft, not a good thing to do). I went back down and was starting to panic because in the murk I couldn't see anything, when luckily I came down on top of someone and found the group again. Not a real pleasant experience. Anyway, I may be prejudiced and Scott really liked it so I would be willing to give it another shot.
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