May

The first dive of the month was a big day out for our newly renamed Nadar (AKA  SP125) – due to last weeks fun and games with the trailer for the big boat – hence a bit crowded. We went to the Neptune and Jumbo. But at least we got there despite a problem on the way.  A piece of wire was needed to clean out the tell-tale and after some fruitless searching we eventually sacrificed one of Cathy’s earrings. After all that the viz was excellent and there was a big leopard ray to entertain us. The sea was as calm as a sheet of glass which was nice. The next week we went to the Dara and had a couple of good dives each – also one of the most efficient I’ve been on – we were back in the club by 2.30 ordering refreshments.
 
The 312 trailer is now repaired and was given a work on Friday the 15th. We went out to the bigprop dhow and were going to go on to Karen’s dhow but the current was running like a pig and after the hellish difficulty of getting hooked on to the wreck, we decided to stay put for the second dive. This dhow seems to be a home for rays – you see one or two more often than not – sometimes quite big and Friday was no exception although they’d diappeared by the second dive. The following week was the Jumbo + Neptune with a couple of guys from DSDC.

Aquarium Boat Sinking

Last Saturday, Peter, Cathy and Ian were fortunate to be invited to help sink a boat in the Al Khan creek, just outside the Sharjah Aquarium. This they hope will be the start of an artificial reef, attracting fish life. Peter got to be the one who took the bung out and although some assistance from some large rocks was needed we eventually got the boat submerged in more or less the right position.

Trucial States Sub-Aqua Club

Thanks to John Lewis, a former member now living in Anchorage, Alaska, we have recently acquired an original plaque from the Trucial States Sub-Aqua Club that John salvaged from the old club house on the beach in Ajman (see below). This is where BSAC 406 first started back in 1971, pre-dating the Wanderers by a few years. The club house eventually fell into the sea and the club moved to the old airport building in 1980 before moving to the Wanderers in 1997. A picture of the building is on the wall in the Dive Bar where the plaque will be shortly joining it.

Dara BBQ

Speaking of former members, we had a visit last Friday from Gavin Halling who was also a member of BSAC 406 in the late 70’s. Gavin was a friend and dive buddy of both John Lewis and Geoff Taylor (who, along with Harry Adamson, built the Dive Bar that exists at SWSC today). Gavin was keen to dive the Dara for the first time in 30 years or so and we were happy to oblige. We took the opportunity to have a BBQ on the beach washed down with a few beverages. The visibility was thankfully excellent and Gavin enjoyed the day, commenting that the wreck was (unsurprisingly) much more broken up than the last time he saw it.