Hi divers
Things have been extremely busy (I am not complaining!) and I’ve been in the water (sea or pool) every day for the last two weeks or so! Last weekend False Bay and the Atlantic were very dirty – we had 2 metre visibility in Smitswinkel Bay, and a deep dive in those conditions is no joke. This week I’ve been very pleased to see the bay slowly getting cleaner and cleaner – today and yesterday we had 5 to 8 metre visibility at Long Beach and the French visitors who did DSD‘s and a casual dive had a wonderful time.
When I arrived at the beach this morning I could see a large, buoyant object floating near the big yacht that has been moored off Long Beach for a couple of weeks now (its owner is circumnavigating the world and taking a break in Cape Town). Fearing the worst (what if the yachtsman had fallen overboard after a few sundowners?), I called the SA Navy and very quickly they sent out a patrol boat. The patrol boat skipper approached the beach and asked me to point out the object, and when I did they went over to check it out. It turned out to be the very bloated body of a dead seal, which they promptly hauled onto their boat (I did NOT envy them this job) and drove far out into the bay before dumping it. This was an excellent response by the Navy and it certainly made Long Beach much safer for our planned dives today.
Weekend diving
We will be completing Open Water courses at Long Beach on Saturday, if the wind plays along. On Sunday Grant is launching out of Hout Bay and we plan to be on board. If you’d like to join us on either of the days, and I haven’t been in touch with you yet, please give me a call.
I’ll be diving next week during the week, weather permitting. If you are available to carry on with your course or feel like a midweek fun dive, just let me know and I will slot you into the schedule.
I’ve got a Nitrox specialty about to start, as well as Rescue. Open Water and Advanced courses are on the go.
Odds & ends
I’d like to encourage those of you regular or soon to be regular divers who aren’t already DAN members to think carefully about signing up. Divers Alert Network provides top up insurance cover for divers – when your medical aid refuses to pay or doesn’t fully pay for the expenses arising from a diving accident, DAN steps in. It costs around R90 per month and is well worth the peace of mind. You can read this article about someone who needed assistance from DAN… If you need forms, I have some that I can give you, otherwise you can sign up online.
Please also cast your eye over your MPA permits to check whether they’re still valid. If not, a trip to the post office is in order…
Mozambique
We will be going to Ponta do Ouro from 7-12 May for some warm water forget-about-it-all diving. We plan to book plane tickets late next week – I’ll let those of you who’ve expressed an interest know what flights we’re on. It doesn’t matter who you fly with, as long as you arrive in Durban by about 1030 on Monday 7 May.
Regards
Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog
Diving is addictive!
