Autumn is a good time for False Bay diving! False Bay is currently pleasant, not too cold and the weekend does look decent after the latest weather updates. My plan is shore dives on Saturday, when it will be a little more windy, and boat diving on Sunday. Let me know if you’d like to get in the water.
Spring low tide at Muizenberg
Shark Spotters binocular fundraiser
Don’t forget to donate to the Shark Spotters crowd funding campaign to raise funds for new high powered binoculars for the spotters. Shark Spotters does fantastic work – read more about it here and here. You should also make sure you download their very cool shark safety and beach information app – available for both Android and iOS.
The last week has been interesting in False Bay with the huge patches of red tide that seemed to drift around aimlessly. There is still much of it around although it has diminished somewhat. The surface layer today at Outer Photographers Reef was a little dark, yet deeper than 16 metres it was clear.
Red tide near Simon’s Town
Tomorrow looks much like it did today as pertains to wind, with a touch more swell. The swell builds during the day tomorrow so I think Saturday will most likely be a shore dive day. Text me if you want to join in. Sunday, much windier, looks like a good day to mow the lawn… Wait… What lawn?
Boat dives on Sunday or Monday / Shore dives on Monday (conditions dependent)
Traditionally Easter is a difficult time for diving. Many people are away and the weather does not always play ball. Add to this the traffic congestion from the Two Oceans marathonon Saturday… This weekend we may dive from Hout Bay on Sunday or Monday, or perhaps shore dives from Long Beach, wind dependent.
We are out tomorrow on a full day private charter but I do think Long Beach will be a good option if you feel like shore diving.
We send well wishes to everyone celebrating a religious observance this weekend. For those of you who celebrate Easter, here’s an egg for you:
Catshark egg on a sea fan
Plastic and Water
On the marathon topic, watch this video and see how the Two Oceans Aquarium and Old Mutual are teaming up to reduce the use and impact of single use plastic, and learn about the aquarium’s turtle rehabilitation program.
This article on how to responsibly stockpile (or just purchase) bottled water, is very helpful if you’re working on water security at home, but don’t want to contribute to an environmental apocalypse.
Sunday: Meeting at 9.00 am on the Simon’s Town jetty for boat dives (20-30 metres’ depth for Advanced divers)
Weekend conditions look decent. I have both Open Water students and Advanced students to certify, so I will tentatively plan shore dives at Long Beachon Saturday at 8.30 am, to be home in time for the rain…
And boat dives for Sunday at 9.00 am on the Simon’s Town jetty. Sunday’s dives will be in the 20-30 metre range as there is some swell, so we will hide from the surge at depth.
Baboon on the beach at Platboom near Cape Point
Water
I hope you’re still exerting yourself and thinking independently and responsibly about your own future water security. Here’s this week’s Wednesday Water File from the WWF, which deals with South Africa’s water sources.
It is no secret that Cape Town is a little low on water. The coastal dive industry, even though we spend a lot of time in the ocean, is actually quite a heavy user of fresh water. Everything thing you learn about taking care of your equipment revolves around the phrase “rinse well with clean water.” Clearly this is not an option in Cape Town at the moment.
Dive gear in the driveway
So how do you maintain your dive gear and keep it in safe condition during such circumstances? For a dive centre or training facility the volume of gear that needs cleaning can be overwhelming at the end of the day. Here are a few suggestions on how to manage.
No matter how well you de-kit after a shore dive, wet dive gear tends to collect sand. (You can minimise this by using something like the Wetsac, but this isn’t always an option with my students.) I take the gear back into the ocean and rinse it as well as I can in the shallows. This involves several trips as wet dive gear is heavy.
Wetsuits are rugged and don’t too much mind being left salty. They do end up being a little crispy after a while, but the most important, non-negotiable aspect is hygiene. I take a spray bottle with a mixture of Savlon or Dettol and spray the inside of the salty wet suit, then let it dry. Gloves, booties, hoodies and rash vests get the same treatment.
Regulators get a similar treatment, without the disinfectant. I give them an overall light spray with warm water in a spray bottle, with a good spray into the mouth piece. The inflator hose nipple also needs to be rinsed well as this does not handle salt build-up too well and could get stuck during a dive (at best, annoying… at worst, life-threatening).
Cameras, dive computers, torches and compasses do need a little more care, but fortunately are relatively small and have lesser water requirements. I use a narrow, tall bucket and put the bucket in the shower. While showering you can easily catch enough water to cover these items…. Seldom more than a litre is required, and you can leave them to soak.
The biggest challenge is a BCD. Again, it is a tough and rugged piece of gear, but the inflator mechanism does not like salt build up. Using the same bucket of water used for the camera and dive computers, I soak the inflators overnight. I then connect an airline and inflate and deflate the BCD to help flush out the valves behind the inflate/deflate buttons.
Whilst such basic, minimalistic care for your dive gear is not as thorough as that recommended by the manufacturer, it is a method of extending the use of your gear when the availability of fresh water is close to zero. As a rule I prefer to only have two students per class and can effectively wash three sets of gear in less than three litres of water.
It goes without saying that as soon as it rains, you should be collecting that water to give your gear the long, luxurious soak it deserves (and probably needs by that stage)!
The wind, strong as it has been, has not been from the right direction to create favourable diving conditions. The Atlantic needs good solid south easterly winds and there has not been enough of that yet. Tomorrow and Saturday are forecast to offer up wind from the right direction, but a 3.5 metre southerly swell will make for bumpy conditions even if the water cleans up.
This leaves us with False Bay. The swell direction is not one that is kind to False Bay so I think I will skip boat launches and plan shore dives at sheltered Long Beach on Sunday.
I will also be shore diving with students on Monday and Tuesday. Fun divers are welcome to join us as long as you’re happy to let me focus on my students. If you’re keen to get wet, let me know.
Hobie cat at Fish Hoek beach
Water
I trust that all of you are doing your very very best to save water and that you are thinking about and making plans for Day Zero, which seems more likely than not by this point. The WWF has started a helpful weekly publication to assist everyone through this period – read the first one here (pdf).
There is little doubt in my mind that diving this weekend will be for the hardcore only. Both Saturday and Sunday will feature howling south easterly winds which will make for rough surface conditions. The forecast seems to imply wind strength capable of affecting both sides of the mountain so there will be very few places to hide.
But wait, there’s more
There are some windless days coming up next week. If you’re a lucky one available for weekday diving next week, let me know your availability and I’ll keep you in the loop regarding plans.
Thank goodness the daytime temperatures are more in line with my comfort zone than they were a month ago. The warmth does come along with the south easter, though, and it has been very noticeable this week.
There is however a sign of respite this weekend and both Saturday and Sunday have small windows of windless weather early in the morning. The visibility may be another matter entirely but that will be best debated late afternoon tomorrow. I will most likely shore dive early on Saturday and launch the boat early on Sunday. Keen? Let me know.
Kites at Koeberg Nature Reserve
Desalination talk
Here’s your final reminder that this coming Tuesday (5 December) at 7.00pm, Dr Ken Hutchings will give a talk on desalination and its possible effects on the marine environment. We could all benefit from some good information on the subject, with awareness of the South African context. The facebook event with more detail is here.
Things are looking good for a weekend of decent diving without too much swell or wind. Based on the forecast I think Saturday will be better for shore dives and Sunday (which has a longer period swell) will be the best day for the boat.
On Saturday we will be at Long Beach at 9.00 am. On Sunday we will meet in the car park at False Bay Yacht Club at 9.00 am. I am out on the boat tomorrow so I will have a better idea of the visibility and will choose Sunday’s sites accordingly. There are students on the boat so the depth will not be greater 18 metres.
Olifantsbos on a calm evening
Diversnight organisers reported a total of 1,780 participating divers from around the world. Thanks again to all who were part of this event in Cape Town two weekends ago!
No dives – but try to dive the Atlantic if you can!
We have very little swell, very little wind and very little visibility in much of false Bay. The Atlantic is looking much better. We have other commitments this weekend which means I’m not running charters.
I do think the visibility will hold for some Atlantic diving, and encourage you to hop on a boat out of Granger Bay/OPBC or Hout Bay, or join a shore dive at Oudekraal. We’ll be back in action next week.
Entering the water for Diversnight 2017
Thanks to all who joined us for Diversnight. We were 20 divers in total. Though the water was shallow and the end of the dive involved a bit too much wading, we saw some fantastic creatures. I’ll be sharing some videos on the blog in the coming weeks.
