Dive Day #2
The alarm goes off at 5.30, I think I should have changed that from yesterday, fortunately Jo remains silent, phew, looks like I got away with that one (later on it is revealed that I didn’t!)
Breakfast done (bacon day!), cameras prepped we head out to Kirby’s rock which ends up being lyag-lyag.
Dive #5
Lyag-lyag
27.1 metres/ 65 mins / 28 degrees
Big pyjama slug action at the end of the dive.
During the surface internal we had across to minilog
Dive #5
Mini log
21.0 metres / 82 mins / 28 degrees
Lots more is seen including octopus, nudis and shrimp.
The shower area is being refurbed over a couple of days so there is a temporary shower block in place whilst they mix cement and play with trowels!
Lunch was BLT for Jo and Pancit Canton (noodles) with veg for me.
Dive #7
Heidi’s Point/ Manit School
11.3 metres / 74 mins /28 degrees
In the PM, we head out around the corner to Heidi’s point for a muck dive (see previous blogs for a complete description of what that means) but basically we after looking for small stuff in what otherwise might look like a barran landscape.
I decided to try and capture the world of the skeleton shrimp. These minute creatures (not at all shrimp like) seem to spend most of their time fighting and eating eachother, honestly, their world does not look at all like a fun place!
Then, after a few moments, out of nowhere, in swoops the current fish so we decide to go with it!
We are headed out across the barran sand seeing Nothing much at all until, a rock, then another, then more and more and then, just as Nani (our guide) gets ready to deploy his SMB the current fish swims off without warning leaving us in what we quickly realise, is another well known site ‘Mainit School’ with which we are quite familiar (phew) where lots of colourful nudis are on display for our entertainment, nice!
When we surface (on SMB) we see that we have only actually moved about 50m and before long, the boat swings by to collect us, what an excellent dive that turned out to be.
Dive day #1 is seldom the best day for memorable shots, it’s more a case of regaining comfort with the cameras (or simply recalling exactly how the thing works let alone thinking about subject positioning and creative lighting etc etc), Dive day #2, not quite so much fumbling but still not totally in ‘the zone’ yet..
After a short break back at base for hot drinks and snacks, we head for the night dive at Twin Rocks’.
Dive #8
Twin Rocks Dusk Dive
22.6 metres / 67 mins / 28 degrees
Another spectacular bimble which, when dived at night we tend to stick to a smaller area but there’s absolutely no disappointment, more nudi action as well as small ish cuttle fish are all out to entertain.
I decide to take the new torch and oh boy, is it bright! However, I soon realised that the combination of holding a torch in one hand, the ‘stick’ in the other and commanding my camera and lighting system is one task too many for my limited number of hands so it’s going to stay in my pocket from now on and only used where needed!
We return to our base for a quick rinse then dinner which tonight consists of Baby Back Ribs, Coleslaw and fries (a bit of a sticky fingers meal) and very tasty it was too!