10/28/2008 - 100th Dive - Cook Island - NSW - Australia

Ok - it was actually my 100th and 101st dive - but it was a wonderful way to hit my 100th.

Conditions have been poor recently, so finally a great day and a boat with space!

I dived with Devocean Dive (www.devoceandive.com) and had a brilliant time as always. Two dives, BBQ brunch between dives, whales, turtles, reefies and a stack of aquarium fishies!

Both dives lasted 45mins, with a max depth of 15.7m.

Some shots from the day.

Video of a relaxed turtle

7/16/2008 - Best Byron Bay Dive EVER!!!!

5/21/2008 - Double Dusk Dive at the Seaway, Gold Coast, Australia

1/14/2008 - Holidaying in Cambodia 07-08 (sans plongee)

This is a definetely "dry" part of wet and dry.

This is a work in progress for now - having issues accessing remotely my copy.

Trip Report - SACD - Cambodia Discovery -
Imaginative Traveller - New Year 2007/8

Sunset atop Mt Bokor. Young boy at the Golden Temple

Day 1

Flew into the old aeroport – now the domestic terminal (I had just spent a week diving so was flying back to Bangkok) and was met by an Imtrav rep. New World Hotel has a great location and good rooms. Unfortunately when I arrived my “roomie” had not left the key downstairs (attitude which was to be representative of the trip). Finally into room and showered but in the dark - hahaha. Decided not to lug my dive gear for the trip and left it downstairs ($1AUD a day). Quick trip to backpackerville and Kao Shan Rd. Decided to eat safe (Subway) as I didn’t want to chance being ill for a day of bus, tuk tuk, border crossing, pickup trucks etc.

Only second ImTrav trip where I was the only Australian – other was Siwa Oasis Tour in Egypt. Too many UKers on this trip by a long margin – no offence intended but 9 is a lot. I spent most of my time with Katie and Jim from Germany.

Jay (M) - UK

Shaun (M) - UK

Janet (F) - UK

Anthea (F) - UK

Liz (F) - UK

Alma (F) - UK

Rickie (F) - UK

Irene (F) – UK

Katie (F) – German

Natalie (F) – German

Jim (M) – German

Ben (M) – German

Me (F) – Australian

Jess (F) Tourleader – UK

Jim, Katie and Jess somewhat worse for wear post border crossing into Cambodia.

Day 2

Did the border crossing thang – surprisingly it wasn’t through the border in the intinery but the one that allows EVisas (after Im Trav had specifically said DO NOT GET AN EVISA) $55 AUD courier fees for nothing because some travellers don’t read the literature it seems. Jess had told us that it can take hours to get through the border but luckily there were no lines and we shot through and even had time for lunch in no man’s land. The longest part was getting the visa stamped, 3 separate stamps J after that we were ferried to the pickups. Turned out that the pickups were really Utes with no seats – not what was intimated in the literature. No matter – I chose to sit inside. Personally I think that travelling at over 100km on unsealed roads in the back of a ute is insane – but others seemed to have a good, if not a little sore and dusty, time.

We arrived late afternoon at the Star Hotel in Battambang (pronounced Bat-tam-bong). The Star was fantastic – the best hotel of our trip. Upon arrival we were gifted a scarf too – just lovely. A quick walk around Battambang downtown showed that it wasn’t a poor town, but it wasn’t “affluent” though there were definite signs of high affluence. Dinner at the hotel was a relaxing relief after a big day.

Needless to say, our pitstop in a small country town brought out some curious local kids.

Day 3

Huge day!!!

I was up before dawn and headed down to the river. I saw the markets being set up as well as seeing the city wake up, heading to school/work.

Jess had told us that she could organise a day of exploration for us, giving us an insight into rural life in Cambodia as well as understanding the depth and spread of the Khmer Rouge. We all were up for it.

We visited small villages around Battambang and saw rice being grown and harvested, how rice is processed, rice paper being made, sticky rice being made, visited a fishing village (oh for a camera that catches the smell) and took a ride on the bamboo train. We also went to a Buddhist temple that also contained a stupa (shrine for the dead), walked up to the Killing Cave used by the Khmer Rouge and I had a reaction to lunch (bleurgh). Luckily I was only ill for around 4 hours and pushed through (thankyou Mongolia for teaching me that you never go out without the toilet pack!)

New Years Eve dinner was at the White Rose – great food but such a small menu! I had Spring Rolls and Vegetable Stir Fry – YUMMO! Oh yeah and the shakes were incredible.

Lions along the wall of local temple in Battambang.

Village life outside of Battambang.

Those robes are trickier than they look! Young monks outside Battambang.

View en route to the Killing Cave outside of Battambang.

Sticky rice being made in a village outside of Battambang. 

Stupa in temple outside of Battambang.

Local villagers fishing just outside of Battambang.

 Amputee Garbage Collector by the river in Battambang.

Breakfast stalls in the main market - Battambang.

Rice with Chicken anyone?

Morning along the river in Battambang.

The Bamboo Railway in Battambang.

Riceworkers outside Battambang.

Me at ruins outside of Battambang.

Dawn flowers at the market in Battambang

Day 4

Not to be repeated. “Travel by boat to Siem Reip.” Translation 8 hours at an average speed of 6 knots. I was lucky as I got to spend 75% of the trip on the roof.

It was interesting, and I got some good shots but it was 5 hours too long. I think in the wet season when the fast boat is running it might be better – it was just too long.

The poverty on the river was noticeable but nothing compared to arriving at the “docks” at Siem Reip. Children ran up and were fighting over our bags of rubbish. Tuk tuks were everywhere but thankfully we were met and taken to the hotel. Unfortunately the Bunrath guest house was the WORST accommodation I have ever stayed in as part of ImTrav – Ok – well ever.

It was “just” clean – however the curtains and walls were covered in blood smears - people killing mosquitoes – which abounded in our room – so much so I went and bought some bug spray as the hotel didn’t have any. I cannot believe how bad the hotel was. There was barely water pressure but it was near a Caltex.

Found an awesome restaurant in bar street in downtown Siem Reip. Was just near Klick – I think it was called “Famous Bar” come for the food stay for the cheap cocktails (two for $3). The food was a little slow but the service and cleanliness was excellent.

On the way back, I stood on a wonky piece of concrete over a drain and down I went – down the drain. Scary. My left food hit water and I was hanging onto the moving concrete slab trying not to fall all the way in. Thankfully some tourists in a tuk tuk saw me and they pulled over. The driver stood on the slab and the tourists pulled me out.

Interesting evening to say the least. I had decided to have dinner alone after 4 days of constant contact with the same people. If something had gone wrong, I don’t know how long it would have been till someone found me. Certainly I would have been missed by late that night, but how do you find someone in a drain under a slab of concrete?

Riverlife - En route from Battambang to Seim Reip.

Sorting the catch - En route from Battambang to Seim Reip.

Growing up on the river - En route from Battambang to Seim Reip.

Day 5

Early rise for sunrise and Ankor Wat. No colours but amazing to see it slink out of the night. For two hours or so it was almost empty as most of the tourists had gone back to their hotels for breakfast. At 8.30am we left Ankor Wat with our tourguide and visted Ta Prom, Bayon, Victory Gate, Terrace of the Leper King/Elephant Terrace, Baphoun and back to Ankor Wat.

Three words will forever make me laugh.

Jayavarman the Seventh.

That night strolled around town and down by the river. Found a book stall which supports a victim of landmine’s family. The books are all copies but you know where the money goes. Thanks Michael Moore J

I was shattered. Least I didn’t fall down a drain again and I am doing it all and more again tomorrow.

Washing day at Ankor Wat

Victory Gate at Ankor Thom (not to be confused with the Looooooo-ser Gate).

Obligitory Ankor Wat photo.

On the walkway at Ankor Wat.

Day 6

Full day of exploring the other sites. Was fantastic to do at our own pace and just “plonk” when tired. Katie, Jim and I went to Prasat Kravan, Bantaey Kdei, Ta Prohm, Sras Srang, Ta Som, Preah Khan, Thommanon, Ta Keo and Ankor Wat for a late picnic lunch and sunset. For an hour and a half I went down to one of the gates, relaxed in the cool by the moat then walked through the “wild.”

Had dinner at Khmer Kitchen – but it wasn’t all that. Sure it was yummy but it is now so big (forget the hole in the wall description in Lonely Planet) that it didn’t have the charm I was hoping for.

Day 7

Hello Phnom Penh.

Excellent hotel – Pacific Hotel on Monivong Blvd. Excellent location!!!!

Walked by the river and had sunset drinks at the FCC. Exceptionally touristy but hey – I am a tourist too!

Went to Lucky Burger – and it tasted like McDonalds did when I was a child – but by far the best part was their icecream!!! Hanging for some insanely good icecream? It is all about Lucky Burger!

Day 8

We had a guided tour of Phnom Penh.

S21 was very overwhelming and I broke away from the group to sit and think happy thoughts (but not smile). Choeng Ek was very touching as well and again I broke away and did the visit alone.

We did lunch at the Boddhi Tree – Yummo. Did a quick 360 around the palace, lightening tour of the museum (incredible what was saved). Super fast visit the Russian Markets (Seconds and Copies) and was plum tuckered out.

Day 9

“Welcome to the Meekong Limousine which we hope you will travel forever.”

Fantastic trip to Sihanoukville – the karaoke tape in the bus was totally worth the trip.

Sihanoukville was very touristy and has that same “high season” mentality. I don’t mind paying a fair price, but some were crazy. Visited Sohka beach for 2.5 hours before dinner at the Holy Cow. Damned awesome food – but fantastic find was the bakery between Holy Cow and Happy Herb Pizza. Highly recommend for snacks and travel food – their pork baguettes were insanely good! We were staying at CCS – large clean rooms and around 10 mins walk from the beach – but the motos were always around for a cheap quick lift. The only bad thing about CCS is their “Obtain Wedding” business – so there are wedding receptions on in the evening. On our last night at CCS one reception didn’t end till after midnight.

Day 10

Up to Mt Bokor. Huge trip up. Rougher and longer than expected – but still good fun. It was a nice chance to chat and look at the views and wonder how the hell people on push bikes make it all the way up. Rather than going in a pick up, we went in two mini-vans. I think it would be faster in the pickups, but we would have been pretty burnt and dusty by the end I guess. Upon arrival we settled into the renovated hospital which is now the ranger station and guest house. We went for an afternoon guided walking tour with the culmination of sunset at the Golden Temple. This was a wonderful experience with the monks very friendly and chatty. The view was spectacular as well. I can only imagine how good it looks if the clouds roll in. Dinner was a bit bland but the beds were comfy. We had a fire outside which was lots of fun sitting around drinking and chatting till the fire was nothing but coals.

Day 11

A few of us woke up early for a dawn explore of Mt Bokor. I did the same route (less temple) and was happy with the difference in colours. Then it was time to head back down. Jess (TL) arranged for an hour jungle hike (optional) half way down. The plan was they would come out on the road as the vans arrived and we would continue on. I decided to stay with the vans and got in a bit of a nap. However we went faster than the hikers, and as such the vans had to turn around (a 9 point turn) and head back up to collect them. I decided to jump out and head on down the road until the vans caught up. I was so pleased I did. It was AMAZING! I walked for just under an hour before the vans caught me up, but I made it out of the rough section and only had another 15 mins or so before the bottom. It was then back to Sihanoukville. I was HANGING for a chicken sandwich at Holy Cow!!! So I was off like a rocket – only road works had cut the water to Holy Cow and they were closed. So I had lunch at Happy Herb – they had a fantastic green salad.

Day 12

“Free day.” I decided to head to the beach and spent most of the day at the private public section of the beach. I was the only person there so wasn’t charged the $1. Back at the hotel I got organised and then headed up to StarFish which is a café run for the employment and skill development of disabled Cambodians. It was “fine” and it was nice to help a charity but other than the cookies, and charity aspect I wouldn’t recommend. I ended up back at Happy Herb for dinner – another big green salad and this time the vege pizza with extra garlic and prawns. Not on the menu but awesome. Don’t bother with the garlic bread – when it grows up it wants to have some garlic on it. Hehehe. Back at the hotel I finally slept with my ear plugs in and a pillow over my head thanks to the midnight “obtain wedding”.

Day 13

Today we travelled to Trat in Thailand – the end of our Cambodian adventure. It involved us heading to the wharf, jumping on the boat (proper commercial high speed ferry), and head across the water to the border. This border crossing made me appreciate how lucky we were on the way in. One window, no shade, harsh sun, long line. Then on the other side, there weren’t enough busses to all the tourists to Trat, so we had to wait while two mini vans were secured for us – and Jess didn’t let us down – like she ever would. The road to Trat was such a difference to Cambodia – good roads. Our hotel (name?) was clean and central, but Trat was a bit of a hole. A quick visit to the markets for dinner and I was out for the count.

Day 14

Travelling back to Bangkok. On the public bus, but the trip was very doable and relaxing. It was GREAT to get back to the New World Hotel in Bangkok. Only the second time in the trip that we went back somewhere – so knew the way around. I went to Kao Shan Road but became quite ill after about an hour and headed back to the hotel to throw up in peace. A shower and a nap later and I was fine again. We had drinks at the Corner Café then said our goodbyes. I headed back to Kao Shan Road for some last minute present shopping and dinner. I was back at the hotel by 9pm, packed and in bed by 10pm.

Day 15

Back to Australia. I highly recommend a morning flight out. Rather than the talked about 2 hour slog in traffic to the aeroport, I was there in under 45mins. I booked a taxi the night before at the hotel, and as I was waiting to speak to the booking service, the gentleman infront of me was booking one for the same time. So we doubled up. Very convenient. My flight was at 8am, and I arrived just before 6am at the aeroport. No line – straight through. Customs was a little slower with around 15 mins to get through – but still very fast. I had some sushi for breakfast and then had a wonderful flight back home (except for my sinuses hurting like hell even with drugs). I was in an exit row in the window seat – so it was feet up, chair back and bliss for 11 hours. So nice to be home!!! I love to travel, but I am Australian and love my country, my town, my friends and truly appreciate how lucky we are – but at the same time it makes me want to work harder for those who live not as well as me, both here in Australia and abroad.

Stay turned. More to come including those obligitory photos of Ankor Wat, River Life, Lake Life and hanging out downtown in Phnom Penh.

I will copy my "copy" and post it tomorrow.

Oh and once this is donw - trip report of 5 days diving the Similan Island, and Richeleau Rock (with lots of photos!!!)

11/21/2007 - New Toy on Line

8/13/2007 - A long weekend in Melbourne

No diving but a fantastic escape to the city of sport and arts.

I lived in Melbourne during my university years and for a few years following - so it was a chance for me to revisit my old haunts and realise how much we (me and the city) have changed in seven years.

CBD, Southbank and the Yarra

The idea to head back to Melbourne for the weekend came early in 2007 when I heard that Sir Ian McKellen was going to be the lead in King Lear - 3 performances only in Australia or something ridiculous and only in Melbourne. A close friend from my uni days expressed interests and I booked the tickets. Only when I didn't receive booking confirmation the next day did I realise I had missed out on seats. Instead we booked and achieved seats to see The Seagull and saw Sir Ian McKellen play Sorin. Can I just say that the play alone was good enough reason to go to Melbourne - but there was so much more for me to do - but the play resonated with me the entire holiday - especially McKellen's performance - Damn he is good.

Arts Centre Spire from St Kilda Road 

Friday saw me wander around Port Melbourne where I was staying - right on Port Phillip Bay.

Broadwalk - Port Melbourne cnr Bay Street

Naturally I partook in some cafe culture before heading into town and visiting the National Gallery of Victoria. I went to see Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now and then did a swift revisit to track down my favourite pieces. One that always stuck in my mind was that of Robert Dudley  and rumoured long term lover of Elizabeth I. I remember first seeing the portrait some 15 years ago on a holiday to Melbourne and thinking he looked like a right git - finding it impossible to imagine that he was supposed to be the most handsome man in England. As I have aged - I don't find him nearly as unattractive as I did in my youth.

Sir Robert Dudley

I also went to the Pixar exhibition - which was FANTASTIC! The art behind the character development was awesome - and I especially enjoyed all the pastels. The last thing I expected to see at a Pixar display. I so wanted a Sulley and Mike mug, but it was $30AUD and I couldn't justify that.

I also went to the grudge match of Carlton vs Collingwood. It was so wonderful to see a **** live again. So much better than the teev. Needless to say it was freezing - but I had prepared! When my bag was searched, the security guard just looked at me - and I had to explain that it was my thermal underwear. Oh how he laughed - as did my friend. But I was the one laughing when the tempreture dropped dramatically as the afternoon wore on, and I was wearing enough clothes to survive a minor blizzard. I knew I would be cold as I am now used to hot weather, but I didn't expect to wear everything I had brought with me.

First bounce - Carlton vs Collingwood - Pies won

56K on a cold windy Melbourne day

The final day saw me strolling around Melbourne after brunch with my best friend's husband. I had forgotten just how much I love Melbourne. Its quirky little pockets of charm, its green parks (as opposed to our parks of dead grass), the old and the new, beautiful architecture, and the cold air on my face.

Spencer Street Station (Now called Southern Cross Station)

7/16/2007 - Biggest Grey Nurse Shark I Have Ever Seen

15/07/07

48mins. Max depth 21m. Water temp 17C

Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, New South Whales

________________

I love going out with my dive club. You know that, no matter what, you are going to have a brilliant time, and our Sunday dive at Julian Rocks did not disappoint. While we didn't see hordes of GNS, we saw a huge mutha.

Let me tell you, if I hadn't known it was a GNS, it would have been brown underpants time. I "think" it was about 6m long, but it seemed about 10m long when I saw it... if you know what I mean.

We dropped in at the nursery, then headed out through the trenches to Cray Cave then the Cod Hole. We covered a lot of ground - but it was pretty easy going.

We saw:

A whole school of bat fish - amazing.

Tons of Woobigongs - including two having sex.... I didn't know what they were doing, so Shona did some hip thrusts and I still had no idea - let's just say there was some finger poking through the ok sign to make me understand.

Queensland Blues

Trevally

Pipefish

Groupers

Moorays

Lion Fish

Damsels

As always - we dived with Byron Bay Dive and appreciated their professionalism.

My dive club is through the wonderful people at Devocean Dive. Our next club dive is going to be 9mile - so very excited about that.

5/21/2007 - Ahhh the Poo Pipe!

On the weekend I did my first dive since late March - it was so good to be back in the water again. My fav dive buddy (Robyn) and I decided to go for a paddle at the old reliable poo pipe.

Vis was 12m, and we were down for just under an hour. Max depth of 18m.

I always say how good it is, but I had forgotten just how much you can see there. BLISS.

Apart from the usual little scorpion fish, and various subtropical reef fish... I paddled through a school of HUGE trevally - now I know that there were 30% bigger cause we were underwater, but they were as long as my arm when they went past. Robyn and I were having a brillian time just hanging out in the silver glittering water. I started thinking that this would be the ultimate meal for the sharks and decided to get out of the middle of them - yes chicken is my middle name.

On the way back to the actual poo pipe we stumbled onto a huge crayfish. He was happy as Larry (if Larry were a cray) waltzing along the bottom. He did look delicious, but didn't visualise him on my BBQ too much . Next thing we know, a beautiful spotted ray gracefully and lazily goes past us, hovers in the current just out of arms reach and then heads back the way it came. AWESOME!

All up, it was a great dive - nice to get the feet wet, and still warm enough to not feel the cold till the safety stop (where we fed the fish). I wore a Spring Suit (3mm) with a rashie rather than my winter suit, and that was fine . Following the dive 4 of us went up to the local cafe and had coffee/tea/breakfast/lunch in the sun - Wherelse but Queensland?

Love

T

3/27/2007 - Best Lady Musgrave Trip EVER!

Ok - that is a big statement - but I wouldn't go there if it weren't true.

This time round -13 of us headed out of Bundaberg on Friday night for 3.5 days of diving, relaxing and adverturing, and we were not disappointed. One of the real highlights of this trip was the fact that only 2 divers were recently certified and I had dived with almost everyone else numerous times. We all had a very similar dive style as well - just cruising. I think because there were no Advanced or Rescue Courses happening it freed up the two instructors who run the dive club to just chill with us and have fun.

We did 11 dives, of which I did 9. Primarily we hung out at Musgrave Island with a couple of dives at Fairfax Island. The average dive time was 55mins. Some of the diving highlights included:

Biggest Mooray I have EVER seen - longer than me and a body thicker than my leg. It was almost brown underpants time when I pushed through the bait fish and came face to face with the monster. To those who have been reading my blog for a while know of my inherent fear of Moorays. OK - I KNEW this one lived here - I had even seen video footage. I just didn't think it would be so bloody big. Dive Site: Jacksons Bommie at Fairfax Island.

Turtle having breakfast - We can across a very relaxed turtle having breakfast as we were finishing up a dive. He didn't care one little bit about us and continued eating. So incredibly cute! Dive Site: Camping Grounds at Lady Musgrave Island.

Leafy SeaDragon - first time I have ever seen one. WOW WOW WOW. I can't even believe Shona (dive leader) saw it, but it was just fantastic! Dive Site: Smurfs Hut at Lady Musgrave Island.

Manta Ray-palooza - Mantas jumping out of the water and hanging out on the surface as well as being there in force! It always takes my breath away to see these wonderful animals and this time was no different. Dive Site: MataRay Bommie at Lady Musgrave Island.

Freediving! I suck at this so bad - but the Dive Master on the Venus II and I went snorkling again (we did this two trips back) while the bulk of the gang went to explore Lady Musgrave Island. I made it down to 8m without weights and he and I did a cleanup of the site - a popular mooring with sailboats. So many bottles and broken glasses - disappointing to see people treat such a lovely bommie with disrespect.\

Dramamine - Worst return conditions ever. The five hour trip took 7.5 hours headlong into a gale warning with wind up to 40knots but mostly around 30knots. The waves were so big, from my position within the main cabin - I could look back down through the kitchen and down to the ocean below... I kid you not - we are talking around 70degrees here people. The Venus II held together but there was a lot of bump and grind and some anxious moments when the tender started to question its integrity. I took a Dramamine early in the day (because I knew it would be blowy) and took two more before we left the safe haven of Lady Musgrave. Thank the gods for Dramamine!

All in all it was a great trip - knowing the dive sites now makes it a lot more enjoyable and less of a navigational concern. There were a few challenges though - nothing to do with the Venus II but all to do with my clumsiness.

Firstly, I badly sprained my right ankle on Thursday night while walking home (read jay walking and not looking where I was going) and also fell heavily on my left knee which left it stiff swollen and bruised. This made the 4.5 hour dive up challenging, but paracetamol is a great thing. It also meant that it was very difficult to fin against the current or for long periods. I mainly frog kicked (which is my preferred deal anyway) or pulled myself along the sand/chain to get to the site.

Secondly, on the Sunday I fell off the boat. Yes. I had finished up my dive and taken off the gear (all of it including wettie and booties) and decided to climb down the back ladder onto the duck board and dive in (like I had done stacks of times before). This time, I stepped onto my sore ankle and went to turn around and slipped before I could - thereby hitting all four steps to the duckboard and the two steps underwater - scrapping the hell out of my butt and winding myself. STUPID STUPID STUPID. I have bruises where the sun don't shine and I can't tell you how painful it was to pull on a damp wetsuit up over a grazed butt.

Even with these things, it was still the bestest trip ever and still such a fantastic experience. Check out www.divemusgrave.com.au for more information - and some pics of me and some taken by me before Sony decided to be a dick.

Happy bubbles!!

3/16/2007 - Sony Sucky Sucky and Other Musings

No pictures - why? Cause Sony STILL is umming and ahing about my underwater housing. They have had it since the beginning of December and they STILL haven't pressure tested it. Just totally peeves me. Seriously, I wait two weeks at a time after they tell me my case manager will call me later in the day or tomorrow with an update/follow up/result and then I call again. It is like boxing a glacier*. So many things have been happening in my life since my camera went arse up and I have no pictures of my own for any of it. No diving shots. No Christmas parties. No Christmas. No New Years. No Dragon Boat Racing. No Valentines Day. Sucky Sucky Sony!

I am currently participating in this - www.workingwonders.com.au and virtually climbing Everest. We are having a good time, but not even in the top twenty teams. BLAH. Last time I checked, we hadn't even got to campsite 3. I wil say that I have a lot more respect or disbelief (I haven't decided yet) towards those that do climb Everest. Seriously, 10,000 steps = 42m on Everest. NUTS!

I also recently competed in the corporate Dragon Boat racing regatta. We won!!!! (the tail final - that is we were the best of the worst four team). It was such a hoot - wish I had some good photos! /sniff

Well, tomorrow is St Pats. So I am off to drink some Green Beer and some mini Guinesses (kahaula and bailey shots).

Cheers

T

PS. Love the new site design Gabriel

PPS. *I am sure that Stephen Colbert won't mind my borrowing that famous line.

1/1/2007 - full circle

I found out on New Years Eve (last night for me!) that one of my very first ducklings (aka student) is going to be doing his IDC in a few weeks time.

Call me a little sentimental, but it felt kinda significant hearing the news on the eve of the new year; as though I'm passing on the torch so to speak. I'm so very proud of him, for how far he's come with his diving and himself as a person.

I wish him the best of luck, and I know he'll be a great instructor!

12/21/2006 - Ow!

Just a quick reminder to all my aussie dive buddies - don't forget to slip slop slap!

Currently I'm doing my best impersonation of a rock lobster ever (red and shiny!), and hurting about as much as I imagine they do when someone boils them in a pot. Not a good feeling.

Have a good christmas all, and again, remember to be generous with the sunscreen.

12/15/2006 - Shots from Musgrave Island and Fairfax Island - Queensland

Enjoy.

And that ladies and gentlemen is why I love Dive Musgrave out of Bundaberg and my dive club.

12/5/2006 - Gear Care

I'm sick and tired of having to service gear that hasn't been looked after properly. I'm sure most of you know this all anyway, but here's my suggestion for looking after you gear properly, to make sure that it doesn't turn to crap on you.

1.   Make sure you get the gear serviced annually. This is your entire reg set, as well as your BCD. Funnily enough, there are several components in the BC inflator which can screw up if you don't look after them, as well as your dump valves which can wear. If you dive a LOT, I might even recommend taking your gear in for a clean and check up every six months, just to be on the safe side.

2.  RINSE YOUR GEAR AFTER EVERY DIVE! If you're pedantic and really care about your gear, use warm water and soak the gear, this way you'll most likely get rid of all the salt crystals (which is what causes the problems).

To rinse your regulators

The best way to rinse this is under pressure - simply leave your scuba unit together (tank, regs & BC) with pressure in the system, and dunk it in a tub, leaving it to soak. I know that a lot of times you can't wash them under pressure, so be very careful if you wash them all individually to not get water in areas where it shouldn't go.

MAKE SURE THE DUST CAP IS ON! If your regs aren't environmentally sealed, you have to remember that you have an entire dive for salt water to penetrate the ambient chambers of your reg. Most people only dunk the regs quickly to wash them, this probably isn't enough time to adequately clean the regs. Soak them (in warm water as I suggested earlier) for an extended period, making sure that you move them around every now and then to get water flow happening.

To rinse the second stages, never ever hold the purge button in if there is no pressure in the system. If you do, this will send water straight up your hoses and into your first stage which is Very Bad. Again, soak them in warm water. If you want to move them through the water for flow, make sure you don't move the second stage against the purge button pressure so you inadvertantly let the water pressure push the purge button (let me know if that sentence makes NO SENSE).

For gauges and compasses, make sure you get salt and sand out of everything. Turn bezels to make sure they run smoothly, and again, let them soak to get the water out.

To rinse your BCD

Never push the inflation button if the system has no pressure in the line. This will send water into your inflation mechanism and more than likely cause corrosion.

To clean the bladder, inflate the BCD and drain all the salt water out of out using the dump valves. Then inflate it again and fill it with fresh water. Rinse the fresh water around, then drain it. Inflate half way, add some BC Life if you're into your 'products' and then hang it to dry out of sunlight.

I'm running out of time, so I have to go. Let me know if I've missed some important steps (which, knowing me, I have!)

Cheers!

12/4/2006 - Camera Update and Positve Feedback of LDS

Ok - after much whinging, whining and carrying on, it looks like I may have success at repairing/replacing my camera/housing. (follows is my comment from last post about insurance)

"I was advised to speak directly to Sony, and low and behold, they are more than happy to assist. So tomorrow I take my gear to be assessed and most likely written off. My camera is no longer for sale and no current cameras fit my housing, so if they can't repair the camera (which is seriously fried) I may be looking at a whole new system.
Next time (please let there NOT be a next time) I hope it happens within warranty or as in this case, just after it. Not sure how I feel about lying though - as you have to make a Statutory Declaration which is a legal document and therefore you are committing fraud. Well, I guess I do know how I feel about it. :)
Thanks for all the help, support and advice."

With regards to LDS - well as some of you may remember, my dive computer failed a few months back and it was instantly replaced. Well, my pocket on my BC was starting to fray and had separated about half a centimetre - I really didn't consider this an issue. I put my gear into have their annual service and I get a phone call from the LDS operator who says "Your BC will be replaced, you can pick it up this weekend." I naturally say "What???" And he explained that it had a lifetime warranty and the pocket was fraying.

Talk about incredible service!!!!

It may have cost me a few hundred more than buying on line, but that is three times now that I have had a gear problem and it has been instantly fixed. (first time my diaphragm on my reg. was pushed out while traveling OS). LDS rocks!

Cheers

Tae

12/4/2006 - Dive minds

Divers are, generally speaking, more fun than other people.

I've worked in a lot of different industries, and overall, I have to say that the diving community is far easier to work with and enjoy working in, than any other industry I've been involved in.

I've never found something that ties so many different people together on such a regular basis. How many other interest or hobby groups can lay claim to having such a diverse group of people be so involved? Divers come from all walks of life - whether they're students or plumbers or doctors or salesmen or computer techs or politicians or artists or whatever, there's something about diving that just ties everyone together, isn't there?

The variety of people and interests I've discovered, and the amount of different things I've learnt since I started diving is amazing. I don't understand how some people can just stay at home in their little box and never venture further than the TV screen, because there is so much amazing stuff out there to learn about.

11/30/2006 - Must be Mad

As I've previously stated, I am a total sook and will only dive in a drysuit. Unfortunately, my drysuit is reaching the end of it's lifespan (it's had a very tough life, RIP), and I'm probably ending up wetter in it than I would in a wetsuit, but that's another story.

A few weeks ago a couple of friends and I planned to go out for a 'cray hunt' dive (it's getting close to Christmas and our freezers are all empty), and even though I'm not known for my desire to hunt anything, I was happy to go along with my camera purely to blow bubbles.

I have to confess, it's very rare that I don't enjoy a dive, however, this particular dive was all weed and kelp and weed and kelp and weed and kelp and I think the most interesting thing I found was a juvenile crayfish that looked more like a Morton Bay Bug than an actual crayfish... but I'm digressing again. This dive was seriously boring. Very very very little fishlife, and the weed/kelp was so thick that if you wanted to see anything you had to plow through it, and I get tired of battling against kelp very quickly.

Still, despite freezing my ass off in my leaky suit and really not seeing anything of great interest down there (didn't get a single photo), I managed to stay down for an hour. The only reason I actually came up was because my buddy had sucked his tank down to about 20bar and needed my occy to get up (19meters).

It struck me, at some stage between hovering over one piece of kelp or another, that I must be absolutely mad to put myself in that situation, and willingly hang out even though I was actually cold and bored and fairly miserable.

Why?

Because even though I won't ever dive that site again if I could help it (much better sites right next door), I was underwater, and there is something indescribably magic about being underwater. It's as though when the reg is in my mouth and I'm floating in midwater, just hanging there, time stops and all that matters is finding myself. I'm quite content to float around and play with my buddies bubbles while he tries (fruitlessly) to find a crayfish. Or I'll imagine pictures in the kelp fronds. Or pretend I'm hunting some great animal and prowl my way through the kelp.

I must be mad, right? Mad about diving, apparently :P Have I mentioned that this particular dive was the seventh or eight dive in two days? Probably not. It was a fairly intense weekend of 'work diving' followed by this 'fun hunt dive'.

I guess all I wanted to do was reflect on how far gone I am with diving, that even the 'crappest' dive site I've ever seen still managed to entertain me for an hour, and I got something personal out of it (hey, imagining pictures in kelp fronds only keeps one entertained for a little while, the rest of the time I guess I must have been thinking and considering and pondering fairly hard!).

So yeah. Every dive is a good dive, regardless of what you see or don't see ;)

Oh, and I'm really hoping I get a new suit soon because this business of freezing my ass off is really not good for encouraging me to get back into the water.

11/24/2006 - Insurance - Why Bother????

Hi guys – after some advice.

My camera housing failed and fried my camera on the weekend (dive trip to Lady Musgrave – best trip ever but dead camera takes a little shine off it).

So – naturally I call my insurance company.

I have specified items – Dive Equipment (and I listed it out to include my camera, housing, bag, wetsuits, regs, computer, bc etc) which meant it SHOULD have been covered…

Should is the operative word. They won’t cover it because it shouldn’t have been listed down as diving equipment (though what you use underwater housing for is beyond me). Since it was photographic equipment (which I had not specified for accidental damage) they won’t cover it – because the housing failed. Since the housing failed, surely the camera would be covered? No… accidental damage is not covered. Then is the housing covered? No because it is not diving equipment and it could fail just through wear and tear so they won’t cover that either.

I mean seriously – what is the point of insurance then?

Can anyone suggest a GOOD insurance company that covers dive equipment in Australia????

Does anyone else even insure their stuff???

Help!

Tae

11/19/2006 - washing off the dust

I've had the most amazing dive experiences in the last few weeks, including humpback whales, southernwright whales, giant cuttlefish, seals, wrecks... wow. And this is all part of my job. Sometimes I forget how truly blessed I am to be working in the dive industry!

I'm washing the dust off the journal, hoping that I find a bit more time to update, but the way things are going with courses and charters, I'm not spending much time above water these days!!

Personally, I'm really enjoying my hiatus from real life - taking this time off to work full time in the dive industry is one of the best choices I've ever made. I'm not regretting it for one instant. The active nature of the work means my fitness has skyrocketed, I've lost a lot of weight and I'm feeling healthier than I have for a long time.

In other personal news, things haven't really progressed on the love life front. I'm still hopelessly in love with one of my closest friends and dive buddies, and I sincerely doubt he has any idea. It adds that extra bittersweetness to our dives together, and it keeps me really keen for weekends of diving and teaching, as we work together more often than not!!

In other news, I am truly amazed at how some people have managed to get their dive tickets. I'm even more amazed that the instructors teaching those particular people have been given their teaching certificates. Mostly, I am disappointed because realistically, this problem exists with all recreational agencies and I don't know how practically the problems and practices could be changed.

Just as a side note - the Cressi Matrix is a brilliant, brilliant mask.

11/10/2006 - Rather than going down, we went UP!

As part of a recognition programme at work, I was one of 8 people to go up in a Hot Air Balloon over Brisbane (Captial of Queensland, Australia) this morning.

I am terrified of heights, but decided to bite the bullet and embrace the opportunity - I am so pleased I did - because other than take off and landing, I wasn't scared at all!

Enjoy for photos