Red Sea

Newsletter: Cannon ball run

Hi divers

The seasons’ change has had us diving in mixed conditions, clean one day and dirty the next. Last weekend we dived Hout Bay on Saturday (the Maori and Die Josie) and had mediocre viz, but on Sunday diving in False Bay was far better. We visited the cowsharks and seals at Partridge Point.

At three metres my visibility testing tool is all but invisible

This weekend is again a mixed bag as the water colour and temperature are not promising. Hout Bay has green water and the temperature there today was 15 degrees. The temperature in False Bay today was 17 degrees and I went from Simon’s Town to Cape Point and back as well as far out into the centre of the bay (looking for the orcas) and did not find any clean water anywhere. The picture above is of my visibility testing tool (patent pending) three metres underwater near Atlantis Reef. It’s almost invisible.

Leaving Simon's Town harbour with a navy patrol boat escort — Leaving Simon’s Town harbour with a navy patrol boat escort

The orcas were most likely terrified by the naval canon firing… I know I was! The navy patrol boats escorted us past the vessel that was firing. Just before taking the boat out of the water I cruised slowly north of Long Beach and when the sonar read 2.5 metres I could barely see the bottom. There is/has been a plankton bloom of some sort and I think that has been a big factor. There is also a surprising amount of garbage in the water. There is a 3-4 metre swell predicted for the weekend.

Having said that its likely to be a good weather weekend as there is little wind and lots of warm sunshine. Luckily I will not have to put my forecasting skills to the test as we are off to Knysna for a spell of houseboating and seahorse hunting (the little ones that live in the lagoon).

Christo holding the reel while Craig adjusts his weight belt on the SS Maori

Training

We have both SDI and PADI Open Water courses running, as well as PADI Advanced, SDI Nitrox and PADI Rescue.

Our training pool is in and full, not quite crystal clean yet but will be soon and we will run a Discover Scuba Diving special during May so if you have a friend that needs to experience scuba get in touch.

Travel

We’re off to Durban in June for three days of wreck diving with Calypso at uShaka Marine World. Durban has warm water like Sodwana, a well known balmy climate, and all the coral reef critters as well as some spectacular shipwrecks. Plus there’s lots to do if the weather doesn’t pan out every day. We’re going in the week of 17 June (a Monday, and a public holiday). If you’re interested let me know and I’ll forward the details.

Our Red Sea trip still seems frustratingly far away, but October creeps closer. The Red Sea is a must visit destination for any scuba diver, and what better way to do it with some non-threatening semi-nice people like us? As Gob from Arrested Development would say, come on!

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

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Newsletter: Dig a big hole

Hi divers

Our garden, before... — Our garden, before…

So, the week has been a bit hectic – hectic wind and and hectic rain, but today was mild, sunny and mostly dry so we dug a hole in the garden and filled it with a pool.

After... the pool comes through a gap in the fence — After… the pool comes through a gap in the fence

Last weekend

Last weekend we were lucky enough to have two days of excellent diving, both the Atlantic and False Bay were good. We had good viz and a calm, flat sea with almost no wind. We did three dives on Saturday and did some exploring on the outskirts of Maori Bay. In False Bay we dived the cowsharks and Photographer’s Reef. Monday was just as good and we did a double tank dive to cowsharks and the Pietermaritzburg.

Weekend diving

This weekend looks like more of the same stuff. Its a tough call on what side of the mountain to dive. Water temperature in the Atlantic today is 15 degrees, False Bay is 13 degrees. Warm Atlantic often means less than optimal visibility. There is some south east wind tomorrow so I think it will clean up. So the plan is, a few wreck dives and a visit to Atlantis!

Saturday

Hout Bay: the Katsu Maru and the BOS 400. Meeting in Hout bay at 8.00

Sunday

Atlantis and the Pietermaritzburg. Meet at False Bay Yacht Club at 8.30

Training

Currently I have Divemaster, Rescue, Advanced and Open Water on the go.

Travel

We’re doing the Red Sea liveaboard thing from 17-26 October.

We’ll be checking out Durban’s wrecks from 17-21 June!

Let me know if you want more details… The warm water beckons.

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

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Newsletter: Very little newsletter

Hi divers

Not a very wet week on the diving front. We did a few shore dives earlier in the week (at Long Beach) and had 3 metre viz. I did launch yesterday from Hout Bay and must admit the water was much cleaner than I expected.

Weekend plans

The weekend is again a hit and miss one with (in my opinion) too much wind and too much swell today, and too many people running around the streets on Saturday. Monday has a howling wind forecast. This leaves only Sunday for diving. It will be a windless (almost) day and the swell will have hopefully subsided somewhat. I am inclined to try Hout Bay on Sunday as it will be sunny and warm, and the southeaster has been cleaning it up nicely. Text me if you’re interested in taking a break from eating marshmallow eggs and want a dip in some salt water.

Travel

Red sea dates: 17-26 October

Durban dates: 17-21 June

Training

Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, and Divemaster are currently on the go. The arrival of our dining room table is IMMINENT, and with it will come the SDI Equipment Specialty that I’ve been dangling like a carrot for months…

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

Newsletter: Your right to dive

Hi divers

The week has been good for diving, and we have completed a lot of courses, mostly SDI. We have had the boat out a few times and had some really good dives with the cowsharks. They seem to be back in full force and we have seldom seen less than 15 on a dive, within a few minutes of dropping into the water. While False Bay has been good, the Atlantic almost shut itself down with viz less than a metre on some days.

Despite the public holiday we made the call to stay home today expecting less than favourable conditions. Reports from those who dived were mixture between poor, good and awesome conditions. All are relative terms: the longer it has been since your last dive the more likely you are inclined to find 3-4 m viz “awesome”!

I took a drive down to Miller’s Point this afternoon as we have three launches tomorrow and was not surprised to see a huge number of boats waiting for a chance at using the slipway to get their boats out of the water. I am sure some of them waited more than an hour.

Craig doing some Peak Performance Buoyancy practice

Diving this weekend and next week

The wind dies down somewhat tonight and should be at around 10-12 km/h tomorrow so we are diving cowsharks and seals in the morning, and then doing a deep dive in the afternoon.

Saturday and Sunday sadly look a little on the dry side with winds in the region of 30-40 km/h and a 3-4 metre swell due to arrive tomorrow evening. This does not bode well for a wet weekend. I am keen to dive the weekend should anything change, so let me know if there is something you have in mind and if it’s possible we’ll do it.

The southeaster is going to blow nicely for a few days and then stop on Tuesday, which may be a lovely day for a dive. I’ll probably take the boat to Hout Bay that day – let me know if you’re interested.

Next Saturday is the Two Oceans Marathon, which, delightfully, passes right in front of our driveway. So I don’t think we’ll manage to dive that day. We will endeavour to get out on Friday, Sunday (if you’re not all full of Easter eggs) and Monday, weather permitting.

Kate ensures that Craig needs to be rescued, by dumping him in the sea

Travel

Our travel plans are finalised – we will be going to the Red Sea from 17-25 October. If you’re keen to book yourself a spot, let me know soon and I’ll put you in touch with the booking agent. We are doing the Northern Wrecks and Reefs itinerary.

Those of you who have expressed interest in our Durban trip to check out some wrecks in June will receive information on flight details and accommodation in the course of the weekend.

Dinho drags Craig up the beach while Kate looks on helpfully

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

Newsletter: Say good bye to the octopi

Hi divers

Six hundred experimental octopus traps have been sunk in False Bay, in an attempt to create a new fishing sector.

Sea Freeze, a Hout Bay-based fishing company, last month deployed seven exploratory octopus long lines between Simon’s Town and Fish Hoek.

Each line is about one kilometre long, with two main buoys on each end. The buoys have radar reflectors and lights and are visible about 500m from the shore.

Ropes weighed down with cement drag the lines down vertically. The traps are placed horizontally along the lines, far beneath the surface of the water.

The above info courtesy False Bay People’s Post. I can only wonder at the risk of entanglement for whales and other large ocean creatures!

Two stroke engines may smoke, but not as much as this navy ship

On a lighter note…. Weather and ocean this week have not been too diver friendly and the southeaster blew so hard yesterday I could hardly get out of the harbour in Hout Bay to test the new motors on the boat. The water however was clean and the viz good.

Today I was out in False Bay and the water looked a dark greenish brown colour, very patchy and not great surface conditions. At Photographer’s Reef I could not see the top of the reef when the sonar said it was 4 metres deep. The same at Atlantis and the Brunswick.

There is some northerly and westerly wind coming, but not a lot so I doubt we will have anything better than 5-6 metre viz in False Bay. There is also a little rain in the forecast to contend with. Hout Bay will probably stay clean as the air temperatures for the next few days barely bump the 20 degree mark.

The weekend

There wasn’t much diving last weekend or during this week but there was much boat work to be done and we have replaced both motors, been out twice to test them and I am happy to say all is well again.

We will do a double tank dive on Saturday really early, as I have a family in Stellenbosch expecting me there late afternoon for training. On Sunday we will do two launches, both shallow. Whether it’s False Bay or Hout Bay depends on the conditions we find tomorrow and Saturday.

Travel

We are heading to Durban on the long weekend of 16 June, and staying a few days of the following week. If the weather is favourable we will do a day trip to Aliwal Shoal and if it’s atrocious we will dive the aquarium. We plan to dive some of the interesting wrecks and reefs that Durban has to offer.

We’re booking our Red Sea trip next week. If you’re interested in “accidentally” ending up on the same liveaboard as us, I’ll give you details as soon as it’s finalised…

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

* If one wants to be pedantic, the plural of octopus is not octopi… But it’ll do!

Newsletter: Boat racing

Hi divers

The weather has not been too kind this week if you are a diver. For anything else the mild winds, sunny days and pleasant evenings have made for a nice week. Ocean wise, not so much. Last weekend was blown out completely and despite the shoddy weather the divers that did head out on a boat from Hout Bay returned very quickly. Monday was flat calm and pleasant but the viz was not great. We did a seal trip to Duiker Island and the viz was 6 – 8 metres, and the water was cold.

During the week we have been in False Bay with some places having 2 metre visibility (Photographer’s Reef) and others 6 metres. Long beach today was 3-4. The navy were doing training and there were boats buzzing over us all through the dive and lots of armed soldiers running around on the beach and on and off the boats. They were still busy after seven o’clock this evening. Diving at Long Beach without a buoy is a risky pastime.

The weekend

The wind tomorrow will have some effect on False Bay and might clean it up a little but there will still be a 4 metre swell cruising into the Bay. The swell is more southerly than westerly so I think its going to be a hard call.

It’s the Argus Cycle Tour this Sunday so we will be totally boxed in, here in the deep south, and won’t leave home at all. My feeling is that it’ll be a dry weekend once again.

Training

I have both SDI and Padi Open Water students diving, a Rescue and a Divemaster course so it’s been good being busy. However I did have an engine failure on the port motor of Seahorse that is going to take a while to fix. The boat dives we plan will then be on one of the other charter boats for a few weeks.

Travel

Don’t forget our Durban trip from 14-18 June – contact me if you’re interested. Clare and I are going to the Red Sea in October (dates to be finalised in the next few weeks) and wouldn’t mind some familiar faces on the boat. If you want more information on that trip, let me know as well.

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

Newsletter: Changing seasons

Hi divers

As the seasons change so does the wind and swell. We had good conditions last weekend in False Bay and have had several good days on the bay this week. The highlight must be a dive at Pyramid Rock on Tuesday, with lots of cowsharks and a truly magnificent huge diamond ray chilling in the sand in Shark Alley. Long Beach has also produced a few stunning ray sightings this week.

Kate, Craig and Mark on the jetty at the yacht club

Diving this weekend

The wind today and for the next few days is making it difficult to call for the weekend. The Atlantic, Hout Bay in particular, looks incredibly dark green and I think it is going to take more southeaster than is forecast to clean it up. The temperature off Kommetjie peaked at 19 degrees yesterday so I think the plankton bloom there is going to require some serious wind to clear.

There is a 3.5 metre swell in the bay today and although it drops off from tomorrow the combination of swell and wind don’t bode well for the diving on Saturday. We’re going out for Clare’s birthday lunch on Sunday, so I reckon we will have a dry weekend.

Training

I’ve got Open Water, Advanced, Rescue and Divemaster on the go at the moment, so a full suite of courses. I haven’t forgotten about the Equipment Specialty, but am waiting for things to slow down a bit and for us to get a dining room table at home so I don’t have to drag you all into the garage…

Travel

We are planning (slowly) a trip to Durban with a day trip to Aliwal Shoal (if conditions justify it) for a six dive/four night package from 14-18 June. We will leave Cape Town on the Friday afternoon or early evening, and dive Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and fly back on the Tuesday. Monday 17 June is a public holiday.

We will stay at Anstey’s Beach Backpackers which has a range of self catering options ranging from about R120-R200 per person per night.

The dives in Durban with Calypso are R260 per person per dive (there’s a surcharge for far sites) excluding gear. Rental of tanks and weights is R100. You can read more about the Durban dive sites here. The Aliwal Shoal dives are R435 per dive including tanks and weights. We will only pop down the coast if conditions are truly special, as the dives are a bit pricey to waste on unpleasant weather and water. If the weather is really bad everywhere and you’re desperate to get wet, we have the option of diving in two of the tanks at the aquarium in Durban.

There’s also return flights to Durban (for you to book), meals, and car hire to factor in. Cars can be shared among the group once we know how many people are coming. If you’re interested let me know and we’ll set the ball rolling. For this trip you’ll need your own SMB, and an Advanced qualification. Nitrox would be an advantage.

Also a reminder that we’ll be booking our Red Sea trip at the end of March. We’re looking at the Northern Wrecks and Reefs itinerary with Blue O Two, sometime in October. You’ll need a dive computer and an SMB of your own if you plan to join us on this trip as well as minimum Advanced.

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

Newsletter: Training and travel

Hi divers

It has been a hectic period and we have dived almost every day for the last two weeks. Gary, Oscar and Dineo are doing their Divemaster course and the weather has not been too hectic. Last Sunday we had amazing conditions in Hout Bay (facebook photos here) and again on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday we did shore dives in the morning and boat dives in the afternoon. Today we dived with the sevengill cowsharks and the visibility was 6-8 metres, far better than we had on Outer Photographer’s Reef (2 metres) on Tuesday.

Weekend dives

Once again we approach a weekend full of expectant divers and reading and deciphering the forecasts is a little like Russian Roulette. The weather websites (the nine I check) forecast a south westerly wind today but I can assure you the wind blew north north west the entire day. It kind of makes believing in the weekend weather a little difficult.

It is going to be a play it by ear weekend so please text me your preference for Saturday or Sunday and I will text you by 7.00 am on the relevant day if it’s on. Why you ask? Well the current Atlantic water temperature is 21 degrees which most often means green dark no viz diving. Also, the forecasted wind is extremely strong and not quite from the right direction to clean things up in the Atlantic. But we might get lucky.

Data from a weather buoy on the Atlantic side of the peninsula

There may be an option of False Bay diving as the wind today made some improvement to the water colour and the temperature has dropped to 18 degrees…. Most often good viz in False Bay means cooler temperatures.

Training

I am currently busy with SDI Open Water training, and PADI Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, Nitrox and Divemaster. Next up will be Research Diver, Equipment Specialty and Deep Specialties. As usual I am available to chat about training if you want to extend your diving qualifications.

Red Sea trip

We are 90% certain that we’ll be taking a week long live aboard dive trip to the Red Sea in October. The company we will use is probably blue o two. You can see package prices on their website to get an idea of how much you’ll need to set aside (note that not all costs are included – click on “Availability” to get the detailed timetable of trips, and under package details “Click for more details” to see what isn’t included). We will make a booking early in April. I won’t be doing a group booking for this trip; Clare and I will just let you know which itinerary and dates we plan to do, and you may book the same ones if you’re keen. We might be able to assist with finding you a cabin buddy if you don’t have one already, but the booking is completely up to you. You’ll need to be Nitrox certified and an Advanced diver to make this trip worthwhile – you will have the opportunity to do four or five dives a day, and if you’re on air they’ll be extremely short!

Aliwal Shoal trip

Our planned dates for this trip are 26/27 April to 1 May. Worker bees will need 2-3 days’ leave for this. If the weather at Aliwal Shoal is too rough for launches, we can do some dives at the aquarium in Durban and possibly off the boat or shore there. I will have more information on this in next week’s newsletter. You’ll need to be an Advanced diver and confident on boats for this trip. We’ll fly to Durban and drive about an hour south to Umkomaas.

regards

Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.za
www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/

Diving is addictive!

Bookshelf: (Dive) travel

Spread your wings, even if just to do some armchair travel, with this collection of dive travel books. Some are guides to particular regions of the world, and others will simply transport you to another place with prose and pictures. Your reading explorations start here.