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Dive Logs for Vance Stevens PADI open water scuba instructor #64181 Dives 513-514 September 25, 2003 Abu Dhabi: Beach Cleanup off a pestulant pier in Musaffah and training dive on Bateen Box

Diving with: ADHFC boat
Dive buddies: -
Others in dive party: Dive 1 was an Emirates Diving Association cleanup dive with Martin Corrado, Rebecca Woll, and Amy Field (and Michael Ibrahim, Peter, etc on the boat). Dive 2 was Naser Mosleh final Open Water certification; Assya open water dive #1. Rebecca Woll and Choi did refresher dives. Amy Field served as divemaster
Conditions: good
Visibility: good at Bateen Box
Wetsuit: -
Weight: -
Diving from: -

September 25, 2003

My 513th Logged Dive since 1991

Dive site: -Pestulant Pier in Mussafa
Training conducted: none, so called environmental cleanup dive

Interval on computer from previous dive: new
Pressure group in, from tables or wheel: n/a

Time down on dive computer: 10:53
Max depth: 8.6 meters
Time started up from chart: 13 min
Dive time from computer: 14 min
Min Temp: degrees 33 centigrade
No-stop time left on computer: 99 min
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

Description of dive:

The first dive was pretty grotty. Having signed on for a cleanup we were taken by the coast guard to their base in Musaffah and invited to troll the bottom for Masafi bottles. On the positive side, there were plenty of Masafi bottles. On the down side, people's rings were changing color from the chemicals. We had got off to a funky start to begin with. Boat had problems was late picking us up, we were late meeting at the Hilton but so were Kathleen etc so we all got a late start from there. LOooong way to Mussafah, upshot was I had to insist everyone back on my boat by 11:30 so we could meet our next divers at noon. We were about 12:30 before we were able to get back to them, nearly two hours before we got them wet finally.

Pressure group out, from tables or wheel: -

My 514th Logged Dive since 1991

Dive site: -Bateen Box
Training conducted: Naser Mosleh final Open Water certification; Assya open water dive #1

Interval on computer from previous dive: 3:07 - where does the time go?
Pressure group in, from tables or wheel: n/a

Time down on dive computer: 14:20
Max depth: 7.9 meters
Time started up from chart: 49 min
Dive time from computer: 44 min
Min Temp: degrees 33 centigrade
No-stop time left on computer: 99 min
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

Description of dive:

Should have been done in a morning but a bad start turned into a very long day. Went just to Bateen Box, suitable for new divers and needed to get the Sheikh his boat back. Nasser was doing his last open water dive and was confident, but Assya not comfortable her first dive, had a lot of ear problems, and we had to wait it out coming down the anchor. At some point I guided her over to the boulders to try to distract her with a descent there but she was hyperventilating and not able to get down. Amy was watching Nasser who was in my periferal vision most of the time but at some point I had to re-surface with Assya and I found Amy at the surface with Choi. Where was Nasser I wondered? Amy said she had left him at the anchor. By this time we were all together on the surface at the anchor line, me, Choi, Assya, and Amy, so I told all three to remain at the surface and went down the anchor line and had a brief lookabout. No sign of Nasser who was supposedly under my direct supervision but ma'alesh these things happen and not much space for him to get into trouble at that spot, so I went up and told Amy and Choi to carry on and continued with trying to coax Assya down the anchor line, having her hold on to it this time. Amy descended with Choi and next thing I knew she was signalling she was going to look for Nasser and then her back was turned and off she went. She left Choi alone at the bottom of the anchor line and I was in mid rope with Assya working through her problems a few meters above me. Choi was ok and stayed put, but I was in the position of having Choi on her own on the sand bottom and Assya unpredictable above and Nasser enjoying himself out of sight on his first unsupervised dive without his instructor (and I was supposed to have my eye on him the whole time) and my divemaster had just gone diving on her own, so anything could happen this dive. There wasn't anything for me to do but remain calm, keep breathing, wait for Assya.

As it turned out, Amy and Nasser soon came back into view, Assya soon came down the anchor line, and we crawled the bottom as far as the Box where we saw bat fish and gopies guarding crab holes. When we returned topside everyone allowed as how they'd had a great dive and I was much relieved it turned out thusly.