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This is going to be a bit briefer than some of these reports because there isn’t much to report. With a lot of divers still getting over the New Year hangover and some others still out of the country, the board looked distinctly empty last Tuesday. The weather was also looking a bit unfriendly although it calmed down by Friday and we could probably have got out somewhere had we been able to fill a boat.

So…we’ll stick a dive up tonight and get 2012 up and running.

DSDC are doing a boat handling course on 2nd / 3rd March so if anyone is interested please let me know.

After a patchy record of late, it was good to get back in the water again albeit with a few problems along the way. Thursday night was Janette and Ken’s barbecue at their place in Ras Al Khaimah and very good it was too. We all had a few “beverages”, in some cases a few more than sensible but we all made it up on Friday morning ready to go diving. Not before an excellent breakfast was served, however.

We launched from Al Hamra Marina which is just round the corner from Janette and Ken’s place and the target was the Rig Supply Vessel, 10km offshore. I can’t remember ever diving it before so this was new territory. The vessel was a deliberate sinking as a reef for the fishermen so there little prospect of lots of brass portholes but you never know.

Anchored on the wreck Mike spotted a turtle on the surface apparently coming up for air. It didn’t seem to want go back down which turned out to be because the “turtle” was actually a piece of industrial footwear floating on the surface. Better luck under water maybe! Unfortunately the viz turned out to be seriously bad – of the order of 0.5m – 1m. We groped around the wreck for 40 minutes or so but apart from five or six batfish in the bridge area there was not much to see.

At this point Ken and Carolyn were preparing for their dive. Carolyn remarked that the strong current had dropped to nothing – we were obviously on slack water. It was only when they were over the side that the reason for the sudden slack water became obvious – the anchor line had disappeared and we were no longer connected to anything. “Who tied off?” Richard sheepishly raised his hand. Richard, you should understand is former Royal Navy. “Bet you never did that with your submarine!”. Richard duly received a 10 dirham fine. It might have been a bit more if he’d lost HMS Vanguard I would think.

Janette volunteered to retrieve the lost anchor and we found the wreck again and threw the spare anchor down this time attached to a buoy. Unfortunately, without anyone noticing the buoy became fouled in the boat engines causing the anchor to drag. At the second time of asking the operation was successful and we headed back to shore.

At this point I would like you to consider the “banana theory”. According to Carolyn, it’s unlucky to have bananas on a dive boat, this theory apparently having its origins in a particularly troublesome day of diving some years ago. As an engineer I have trouble believing that the chances of a problem free day out are in any way influenced by the presence of a curved and yellow fruit. However, if there is any truth in it, I am happy to blame our problems on Sami and Marc who were seen consuming the offending edible object.

While this was going on, Joff, Nick and Val, Peter Blanchflower and a couple of other former divers now returning to the fold were doing a dive of their own up in the Musandam. According to Nick they were looking for another stone anchor using a metal detector although I might have misheard this.

Sami has completed 50 dives with the club and would like to celebrate tomorrow night by sharing a small glass of the fizzy stuff. I’m sure we can help him.

Next Friday, Janette is organizing a dhow trip to the Musandam. Cost is Dhs 300 including some food. Contact her or me.

There was no diving last weekend with most people otherwise engaged over the holiday period and the weather not looking over promising either. This does give me a bit of space to reflect on the highs and lows of 2011.

The low was without doubt the “perfect storm” back in January. Surfacing from a dive to find huge waves and no boat in sight is not something I’d want to repeat in a hurry. Nobody panicked and everyone did the right things but it was still a scary experience. The sheer speed with which the storm descended was a shock to all of us and a reminder never to be casual with the weather – if a storm might be brewing get the hell out of there.

Quote of the year goes to Janette both for her confession on Martini Beach that she “hated getting wet” and also when she was climbing into the boat without the ladder and was heard to cry out: “I can’t get my leg over!” An honorable mention goes to Derek and his “two breathing things”.

Discovery of the year was the MV Taha, a 54m Iranian vessel that went down last autumn full of diesel oil barrels and brand new tyres of questionable quality. It’s always good to have a new wreck to explore and we took grateful advantage. No other dive site was visited more often and although hardly a treasure ship, it did yield a couple of interesting artifacts. These included the ship’s telegraph which is still being restored and the radar which was cleaned and painted. Mike stripped and rebuilt the mechanism and it now sits on the Dive Club porch and rotates when connected to a car battery to the occasional surprise of some poolside sun-bathers.

A sad farewell was said to Geoff Taylor back in March. Geoff and Harry Adamson between them built the Dive Club that stands at the Wanderers and on a memorable Tuesday evening, they were presented with engraved tankards in honour of this achievement. Geoff, in return, handed over some photos and dive logs from earlier in the club’s history. After many years in the UAE, Geoff has moved on to pastures new. We wish him well.

Expedition of the year was the Eid Al Adha trip to Muscat. Diving on Fahal Island and in particular the wreck of the “Munasir”, an Omani navy vessel were memorable experiences. Thanks to Mike who did most of the organization and to BSAC 621 in Muscat for their generous hospitality. We also did some dhow trips to the Musandam, a couple of visits to Martini Beach and another trip on the “Lejaine”, the Turkish galleon based in Ras Al Khaimah. These were all enjoyed by those who participated.

But the highlight of the year (to me at any rate) was the Dara 50th anniversary dive in April. We’d seen the anniversary looming for some months prior and had been planning to do something to commemorate it but I’d anticipated a fairly low key event. Then DSDC got to hear and wanted to be involved as did ADSC and before I knew it the press were interested as well. The result was 60 divers on Hamriyah beach, a red ensign on the stern of the Dara as a mark of respect to those that had perished and some sympathetic and generous coverage in Gulf News and The National. Fame at last!

Finally, I’d like to thank all those who supported the club over the last year and wish everyone a happy, prosperous and safe 2012.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM BSAC 406

While your scribe was taking a day out playing in the Wanderers 5-a-side football competition – lost 1, won 2 then lost in the quarters if you’re interested (thought not) – Mike was taking a boat out to have another go at “Wreck X”, a wreck in the direction of the Taha but another 18km further on. The distance means that good sea conditions are needed for the dive to work and Friday’s weather always looked a bit marginal.

After a short distance out into increasing waves it was obvious that a closer destination was needed so Plan B was the Taha, thus saving 36km from the round trip. Even this proved to be a step too far at which point the GPS was consulted to find the nearest target. It turned out to be the suitcase dhow, a small wreck of unknown vintage that went down carrying a lot of suitcases packed inside one another like Russian dolls. Most of these have now been washed away but the name remains. There is also a prop buried in the sand somewhere if we can work out a way to get it.

Recent trips to this dhow have seen very poor viz due to the amount of silt on it resulting from the dredging for the Palm Islands. This turned out to be no exception and after Mike and Marc had groped around the dhow for a while and returned to the boat, the party gave up on it and headed back to shore.

This coming Friday we’ll probably post Wreck X again

Hi all!
 
Last Friday could easily not have happened. The forecast was 1-2ft onshore, 1-3ft offshore but there was reason to doubt this before we even left the harbor as the wind seemed to be whipping up. Sure enough, once on the water we had second thoughts about the Mariam Express and headed instead to the dhows which are closer. First up was Karen’s Dhow which went down full of glassware some of which has been salvaged and now sits in various living rooms. It usually makes for an attractive dive and this time there were six or seven John Dory’s near one of the two admiralty anchors that lay beside the wreck. There was also a solitary remora looking for something to attach to. A turtle was spotted but not by everyone.
 
The sea state calmed down a bit during the day so instead of heading home, we went to the Bigpro Dhow, which is only a couple of kilometres away. We found ourselves anchored to a fishing pot rather than the wreck itself so we first had to find it which not everyone managed. Those who did saw some more John Dory’s and a lot of snappers.
 
I won’t mention the name of the diver who, having got his regulator back-to-front on his tank, in the ensuing effort to sort the problem out referred to the “two breathing things on the right side”. Could he have meant second stages?
 
That reminds me – Derek has a BCD for sale. It’s a Beuchat Masterlift Sport size S price Dhs 800. Contact him before Friday if interested (or come on Tuesday).
 
An update on Marion

Marion is now conscious and talking although she’s a bit confused sometimes. There’s some short and long term memory loss. She has some limited limb movement and complains of aches and pains. She was due an MRI scan this morning – results are not known to me yet. Jim, Alex and Sara are with her and report day-to-day improvement.

She is in Sheikh Zayed Military Hospital, Cardiac Care Unit. If anyone would like to visit her, please coordinate with Alissar Elbaba – 050-6289582.

Marion is being well cared for at SZMH, nevertheless Jim is looking for assistance, advice and suggestions as follows:

“It may be possible to move her shortly – any recommendations in Dubai for rehab? Physio at the hospital suggested Rochester and Neuro Spinal.
 
What might the costs be on a daily basis if you have any idea? Insurance will not last forever – it may well run out mid-September from diving insurance and not sure how her own personal insurance company will react, although a claim has been registered, and medical report sent to both organisations – diving and personal.
 
Marion is only on a Visit Visa, renewed today until 20 September – further renewals can be effected I’m sure.
 
Marion has no family in UK except for son and daughter, Alex and Sara, and a support network there would be difficult to arrange. This is exacerbated by the fact that Alex and Sara live some 200 miles apart. It would certainly be preferable, if at all possible, to keep her in Dubai where her extensive network of friends can assist.
 
Any good advice would be appreciated.
I have a copy of the full medical report from SZMH which is extremely technical and I’m not attaching here but I can forward to anyone who requests it.

 
The dive bar is open Tuesday night as normal. See you there!
Regards
 
Ian

Hi all!
 
A word from Jim about Marion’s progress:
 
“Marion is improving day by day. She has much better mobility in her arms, legs and torso – but still has weakness generally. She is receiving phsiotherapy and Sara, Alex and myself are now trainee physios!!!! She is quite talkative, but memory remains an issue, both short and long term with some confusion. However the MRI does show areas of damage to her brain, particularly related to coordination, vision and location/spatial awareness, so there is still a long way to go in terms of rehab.”
 
She is now in the female medical ward at Sheikh Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Alissar is currently out of the country so anyone wanting to visit please contact Nancy Wakeham on 050 – 4560152.
 
On Friday (yesterday as I write) we finally made it out to the Neptune and Jumbo. The last couple of attempts had to be aborted due to the sea state. It wasn’t exactly flat calm this time but we made reasonable progress out to the site and hooked the wreck at the second time of asking. The Neptune is an upturned barge that was involved in a collision with a drilling rig and sank whilst under tow back to Sharjah. There are several ways into the wreck including a nice swim through. Within this there are a couple of passageways for possible future exploration but with reels only – the viz reduces rapidly once inside. Near the entrance there was a friendly family of batfish that came up to see us.
 
The Jumbo is only a couple of kms from the Neptune. It was lost for a number of years but it turned up on the same list of underwater obstructions with which we found Karen’s dhow and the Bigprop. It is a cargo vessel lying on its port side but fairly broken up. It is an interesting dive but it can be confusing in bad viz. This time the viz was good and there is plenty of fish life including yet more friendly batfish. This was the first time we’d dived the Jumbo since the “perfect storm” back in January but mercifully there was to be no repeat of that particular experience.
 
Eid Al Fitr is rapidly approaching and we may well take a boat out on Wednesday which should be either day 1 or day 2 of the holiday depending on when the moon is spotted. Decisions will be taken on Tuesday night at the club.
 
Finally quote of the week (in fact possibly the decade). A certain lady instructor and former 406 diving officer known to many of us had generously volunteered to jump into the sea to remove a green cloth bag that had wrapped itself around one of the props. This achieved, she was being assisted back into the boat without bothering with the ladder. This wasn’‎t so successful and she cried out: “You’ll have to pull harder – I can’t get my leg over!” Ken’s thoughts are not recorded.
The dive bar is open Tuesday night as normal. See you there!
Regards
 
Ian
 

Hi all!
 
Last Friday could easily not have happened. The forecast was 1-2ft onshore, 1-3ft offshore but there was reason to doubt this before we even left the harbor as the wind seemed to be whipping up. Sure enough, once on the water we had second thoughts about the Mariam Express and headed instead to the dhows which are closer. First up was Karen’s Dhow which went down full of glassware some of which has been salvaged and now sits in various living rooms. It usually makes for an attractive dive and this time there were six or seven John Dory’s near one of the two admiralty anchors that lay beside the wreck. There was also a solitary remora looking for something to attach to. A turtle was spotted but not by everyone.
 
The sea state calmed down a bit during the day so instead of heading home, we went to the Bigpro Dhow, which is only a couple of kilometres away. We found ourselves anchored to a fishing pot rather than the wreck itself so we first had to find it which not everyone managed. Those who did saw some more John Dory’s and a lot of snappers.
 
I won’t mention the name of the diver who, having got his regulator back-to-front on his tank, in the ensuing effort to sort the problem out referred to the “two breathing things on the right side”. Could he have meant second stages?
 
That reminds me – Derek has a BCD for sale. It’s a Beuchat Masterlift Sport size S price Dhs 800. Contact him before Friday if interested (or come on Tuesday).
 
An update on Marion

Marion is now conscious and talking although she’s a bit confused sometimes. There’s some short and long term memory loss. She has some limited limb movement and complains of aches and pains. She was due an MRI scan this morning – results are not known to me yet. Jim, Alex and Sara are with her and report day-to-day improvement.

She is in Sheikh Zayed Military Hospital, Cardiac Care Unit. If anyone would like to visit her, please coordinate with Alissar Elbaba – 050-6289582.

Marion is being well cared for at SZMH, nevertheless Jim is looking for assistance, advice and suggestions as follows:

“It may be possible to move her shortly – any recommendations in Dubai for rehab? Physio at the hospital suggested Rochester and Neuro Spinal.
 
What might the costs be on a daily basis if you have any idea? Insurance will not last forever – it may well run out mid-September from diving insurance and not sure how her own personal insurance company will react, although a claim has been registered, and medical report sent to both organisations – diving and personal.
 
Marion is only on a Visit Visa, renewed today until 20 September – further renewals can be effected I’m sure.
 
Marion has no family in UK except for son and daughter, Alex and Sara, and a support network there would be difficult to arrange. This is exacerbated by the fact that Alex and Sara live some 200 miles apart. It would certainly be preferable, if at all possible, to keep her in Dubai where her extensive network of friends can assist.
 
Any good advice would be appreciated.
I have a copy of the full medical report from SZMH which is extremely technical and I’m not attaching here but I can forward to anyone who requests it.

 
The dive bar is open Tuesday night as normal. See you there!
Regards
 
Ian