7/6/2006 - Reflections

Its interesting to go back an re-read your archived entries.  I just looked back on when I was struggling to get back into the ocean after a friend was taken by a shark (see here).  Well last weekend a fishing boat approached us on the water and warned us that a large shark had been sighted that morning nearby.  What irked me was that they had been fishing right next to us, with a large whole fish for bait, a balloon and heavy game gear.  Not to mention the blood and berley over the back of their boat.  Not that they were the only ones fishing, being a nice day and all there were half a dozen boats out but most of them were fishing for small stuff, whiting and the like.  No surprise a shark came up to see what they had to offer.  I was almost angry at them for telling us, I didn't want to know about it, I'd been boat-sitting and had yet to get into the water.   To add some irony we were on the same reef JS had been diving when he got taken.  But I overcome the rising fear and did the dive.  I have to admit we moved to the Dredge, still very close to the reef but not exactly the same spot.   And I always feel more comfortable on (and particularly inside) a wreck.  If it was a reef dive I might have chickened out.  But I did it, and tried not to think too much about it underwater.  I just hope I never see one underwater.  Don't get me wrong I have nothing against fishing, it used to be my passion but now I'd prefer to see fish alive and swimming underwater.  I just felt frustrated, I was having a nice day out on the water and it kinda ruined my mood.

Well I got to try my new semidry out, but I still froze my  off, I think 14 degrees is my lower temperature limit.  I still got over 40min in each dive, but my air was getting low (approaching 50 bar) so I'm certainly sucking through it now.  It was definitely nice having 7mm instead of 5mm over the arms and legs, but the neck seal leaked a bit on the first dive (I have a small neck!  Need to do it up tighter...) and I missed the 10mm over my torso.  It's so much more comfortable than my 2 piece though. 

Sad to think these might be my last dives for a while, I'm not sure if I'll have time to do much over in NZ when I get there, until after I've settled in and sussed it all out anyway.