Okiwi Bay - 17th Oct 2004
A First Dry Suit turned Wetsuit Dive!!
The planned Club Dive to Cape Jackson/D'Urville Island was cancelled due to lack of interest. However a small group of keen divers made alternative plans to dive out of Okiwi bay. (The much celebrated win of Nelson Bays the day before would have handicapped a fair number!) Angus with boat (much appreciated), Nigel, Stu, Pauline and dive admirer Hanna, met outside Big Blue at 7am. In the water by 9am and out to the Croisilles with fairly angry seas and wind. This would be a good time to mention that besides my open water dive training completed in Nelson, March 04 - I had not dived NZ waters since. (Lucky for me I got into some 26 degree, 20 metre viz stuff in September, Vanuatu) Stu and I were the first to go in for a scallop dive. Donning my recently acquired second hand dry suit I thought longingly of that 26 degree water. Just get on with it girl and get into the 12 degree stuff - Yahoo. No laughing now but these dry suits are so buoyant (and not nearly so dry as they claim to be – what’s the secret Paul? ) that without my trusty dive buddy to drag me down to 18 metres I would never have gotten there. I spent the next 20 minutes hovering well above the sea floor like a helium balloon on a piece of string. Very uncomfortable and damn well out of reach of those tasty scallops. Angus and Nigel’s first dive for crays out around the rocks in some very sloppy water had no rewards, barring some good country for dive viewing. Further dives of Stu, Nigel and Angus around Moukirikiri Island resulted in a fair amount of Scallops but still well under quota. Viz not that great and comments like 'Its fair midnight down there' sent us on our way back to shore. Unhurried thirst stop and debriefing at Rai Valley brought the dive trip to a pleasant close.