Green Force has a whole selection of light heads (Halogen, LED, HID) and multiple battery packs of various sizes that can be put together as needed, either directly (for handheld torches) or via umbilical cable (for handsfree lighting, together with e.g. a Goodman handle).
This modularity and the promise of a virtually unbreakable LED light with decent output and long burn time, made me choose for the TriStar with Flexi II battery. Not to mention it's "Made in Belgium".
⊕ Modularity & expandability.
⊗ Power? I was told by Green Force that the TriStar Diamond's output would be at least equivalent to a 30W halogen bulb. Alas, that's not really the case, actual equivalent output being at most 20W. With a 20° beam, that means it's useless during daytime dives or when there are a lot of particles in the water.
⊗ Twice the power and focus would make it an acceptable light, but as it is, it's just too weak for technical diving.
⊕ For recreational night dives however, I found it to be quite decent, the soft white light (5800°K) rather pleasant.
⊕ Burn time: together with Green Force's Flexi II NiMh battery, the TriStar Diamond burns for at least 9 hours at near 100%!
⊕ Robustness. Besides their long burn time, LED lights also offer some other advantages: robustness, lifetime of the bulbs, no problems switching them on & off at will, and in the case of the TriStar Diamond, built-in redundancy due to the fact that there are, as the name implies, three LED bulbs. All this unlike the more expensive and delicate HID lights which have a warm-up & cool-down delay and a limited number of times they can be turned on & off.
⊕ Maximum depth rating of -140m.
Saturday, September 6, 2003
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
TDI Semi-Closed-Circuit Rebreather Diver
| Instructor | Wessam El Sebai (academics, set-up, skills + training dives) |
|---|---|
| Dive center | Diver's Lodge, Hurghada, Egypt |
| Duration | 2-3 days |
| Dives | 4 training dives with a Dräger Dolphin |
| Price | 350 USD |
| Requirements | TDI |
| Comments | It's fairly easy and straight-forward to put a Dräger Dolphin semi-closed-circuit rebreather together, but it does require attention to detail during assembly and safety checks. And compared to clamp-screw-plug open-circuit scuba, it is indeed a lot of hassle. However, it might be well worth the extra effort in order to get that little bit closer to marine life, when not blowing out those rather noisy bubbles. In my case, rebreather diving turned out to be much easier than anticipated. I had no buoyancy problems whatsoever and plenty of air even when finning hard over short distances. Actually, the only annoyance I had was too much saliva, the recycled air being pretty moist. I could definitely get used to diving with a rebreather. And I'm looking forward to the day I can try it out in a school of elusive hammerheads... |
Saturday, April 26, 2003
Practice dives
Just a couple of shallow deep air dives around Abu Ramada to practice my newly learned decompression procedures. The reef's not really worth it, but it doesn't really matter, as I'm still too busy anyway with the actual execution of my dive plans.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
TDI Decompression Procedures
| Instructor | Wessam El Sebai (academics, skills + training dives) |
|---|---|
| Dive center | Diver's Lodge, Hurghada, Egypt |
| Duration | 3-4 days |
| Dives | 2 confined water sessions 2 training dives on air to max 45m with 50% nitrox as deco gas |
| Price | 270 USD |
| Requirements | TDI |
| Comments | More than just some theory about decompression, the course also includes underwater skill sessions with doubles, emphasis being put on the handling of 1 or 2 deco bottles and the deploying of an SMB. For the latter, I can really recommend the use of a spool in stead of a jam-prone reel. With actual bottom times of less than 15' during the decompression training dives, my focus was pretty much fixed on my computer most of the time in order to accurately follow the planning. Sight-seeing being reduced to the occasional glimpse around to make sure my buddy's still ok. |
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Diver's Lodge
Diver's Lodge is situated on the premises of the Intercontinental Resort, just south of Hurghada town. The dive center offers both recreational & technical diving courses at competitive prices and also has a limited stock of Dive Rite equipment for sale. Having enrolled for more than one course, and it being low season, I get 20% discount on the listed course prices and 10% on the gear.
Wessam El Sebai, TDI Instructor Trainer, is the very sympathetic & charismatic manager of the dive center. The crew is friendly enough, but without him the dive center wouldn't be worth mentioning.
One night at the Intercontinental Resort, including buffet breakfast & dinner, costs 32 USD/person, based on double occupancy. The rooms are very comfortable with full amenities, but rather expensive compared to 12 USD for a single room, including basic breakfast, at the Andreas Hotel in town, only a 10' minibus ride away from the dive center.
Wessam El Sebai, TDI Instructor Trainer, is the very sympathetic & charismatic manager of the dive center. The crew is friendly enough, but without him the dive center wouldn't be worth mentioning.
One night at the Intercontinental Resort, including buffet breakfast & dinner, costs 32 USD/person, based on double occupancy. The rooms are very comfortable with full amenities, but rather expensive compared to 12 USD for a single room, including basic breakfast, at the Andreas Hotel in town, only a 10' minibus ride away from the dive center.
Sunday, March 23, 2003
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Dry & warm
For our second try, we drive up to Helsingør, in order to do some real shore diving. Today the sun's out, and out of the wind the air temperature is at least 10°C, which makes suiting & gearing up outside a whole lot more pleasant than 3 weeks ago. The water too is warmer, at least one early spring degree more than last time.
3°C warm water, 4 layers of thermal underwear, a 7mm drysuit that actually keeps me mostly dry... what else could I wish for? Even the visibility is an optimistic 5m. Wise with experience, I'm even able to remain horizontal. Something I can't really say from my first attempt, where my feet, due to trapped air, irritatingly kept floating up against my explicit orders.
Everybody being comfy, we can also perform the exercises as required, witnessed by a couple of humorless frozen soles/plaices and a little sculpin skulking among the mussel beds.
It's actually going so well, we decide to do a second 30' dive, to almost 7m. Because despite the cold, it's a pleasure just to be bubbling underwater!
Being a certified drysuit diver now, I can even start thinking about ice diving...
3°C warm water, 4 layers of thermal underwear, a 7mm drysuit that actually keeps me mostly dry... what else could I wish for? Even the visibility is an optimistic 5m. Wise with experience, I'm even able to remain horizontal. Something I can't really say from my first attempt, where my feet, due to trapped air, irritatingly kept floating up against my explicit orders.
Everybody being comfy, we can also perform the exercises as required, witnessed by a couple of humorless frozen soles/plaices and a little sculpin skulking among the mussel beds.
It's actually going so well, we decide to do a second 30' dive, to almost 7m. Because despite the cold, it's a pleasure just to be bubbling underwater!
Being a certified drysuit diver now, I can even start thinking about ice diving...
Saturday, March 1, 2003
Wet & cold
The seawater in some of the channels is frozen. March or not, it's still very much winter here. Luckily, the desolate harbour site for our first drysuit intro-dive is close enough to the open sea and there's not a single ice-cube to be seen.
Another plus, is that the air and water temperature are about the same, a good 2°C above zero, thus sparing us an unpleasant temperature shock when entering the water.
In order to avoid a frozen free-flowing regulator, we're not allowed to breathe from it until we've submerged. Which takes quite some time, thanks to a nervous and rather clumsy middle-aged student, unable to put his fins on by himself, then loosing his weight-belt, then incapable of getting down... All the while two other students and me wait coolly around, standing in waist-deep water. By the time we finally get going, wind chill and cold water have numbed my lips so much, that I'm no longer sure where exactly my mouth is, when head under water I'm trying to insert the mouthpiece, without the full cooperation of my lips*.
* With numb lips, my Danish is remarkably better, as I'm totally unable to articulate.
Once submerged, I must say that it all goes pretty well, considering the circumstances. There's nothing to be seen in the greenish water, allowing me to concentrate fully on the operation of my 7mm neoprene drysuit. Pushing in air as we slowly find our way to deeper water, where we try to perform some exercises, basically consisting of buoyancy control in case air gets trapped in the feet-ends of the suit or should a suit's inflator-valve decide to free-flow. About 20' later we ascend. The instructor not really impressed by our performances.
But, it's definitely possible to dive in cold water. And not as bad as I thought it would be. That is, with the appropriate exposure protection. Unfortunately, my drysuit wasn't really dry. Water kept seeping in through my wrist seals, every time I moved my arms. Resulting in my forearms cooling down fast and unable to provide any warmth for my already cold fingers, freezing in their almost useless wet gloves. Actually I think the cold must have killed quite a few cells in my right thumb. I wonder if that's what is called cold burn?
Without any feeling or strength left in my fingers, hands & forearms, I've got a hard time unbuckling my fins and BCD, but finally manage to pull them off. As I remove my drysuit, it appears that my whole upper body is actually pretty damp too, not to say wet. But I wasn't really aware of this during the dive. Except for once or twice when I could feel some cold around the zipper area, but I thought it was just the suit pressing in on me. So I guess the suit's back-zipper wasn't too watertight either, unless it's the neck-seal that let in water.
Having spent 50' in cold water (30' waiting in shallow standing water + 20' bottom time), I decide that's enough for me. At least for today. I'm just too wet and cold to consider a second dive. Badly needing some dry clothes and a hot drink. But I hope to give it a second try asap, preferably with a drysuit that lives up to its name!
Another plus, is that the air and water temperature are about the same, a good 2°C above zero, thus sparing us an unpleasant temperature shock when entering the water.
In order to avoid a frozen free-flowing regulator, we're not allowed to breathe from it until we've submerged. Which takes quite some time, thanks to a nervous and rather clumsy middle-aged student, unable to put his fins on by himself, then loosing his weight-belt, then incapable of getting down... All the while two other students and me wait coolly around, standing in waist-deep water. By the time we finally get going, wind chill and cold water have numbed my lips so much, that I'm no longer sure where exactly my mouth is, when head under water I'm trying to insert the mouthpiece, without the full cooperation of my lips*.
* With numb lips, my Danish is remarkably better, as I'm totally unable to articulate.
Once submerged, I must say that it all goes pretty well, considering the circumstances. There's nothing to be seen in the greenish water, allowing me to concentrate fully on the operation of my 7mm neoprene drysuit. Pushing in air as we slowly find our way to deeper water, where we try to perform some exercises, basically consisting of buoyancy control in case air gets trapped in the feet-ends of the suit or should a suit's inflator-valve decide to free-flow. About 20' later we ascend. The instructor not really impressed by our performances.
But, it's definitely possible to dive in cold water. And not as bad as I thought it would be. That is, with the appropriate exposure protection. Unfortunately, my drysuit wasn't really dry. Water kept seeping in through my wrist seals, every time I moved my arms. Resulting in my forearms cooling down fast and unable to provide any warmth for my already cold fingers, freezing in their almost useless wet gloves. Actually I think the cold must have killed quite a few cells in my right thumb. I wonder if that's what is called cold burn?
Without any feeling or strength left in my fingers, hands & forearms, I've got a hard time unbuckling my fins and BCD, but finally manage to pull them off. As I remove my drysuit, it appears that my whole upper body is actually pretty damp too, not to say wet. But I wasn't really aware of this during the dive. Except for once or twice when I could feel some cold around the zipper area, but I thought it was just the suit pressing in on me. So I guess the suit's back-zipper wasn't too watertight either, unless it's the neck-seal that let in water.
Having spent 50' in cold water (30' waiting in shallow standing water + 20' bottom time), I decide that's enough for me. At least for today. I'm just too wet and cold to consider a second dive. Badly needing some dry clothes and a hot drink. But I hope to give it a second try asap, preferably with a drysuit that lives up to its name!
PADI Dry Suit Diver
| Instructor | Patrick Magiera |
|---|---|
| Dive center | Aqua Sport, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Duration | 1-2 days |
| Dives | 3 shallow training dives in 2°C seawater |
| Price | about 95 USD (theory, equipment, transport, dives, certification) |
Monday, February 3, 2003
Sunday, February 2, 2003
Asmas live-aboard
Upon arrival in Male's airport, we're picked up and transported straight to the Asmas, a tourist class live-aboard, co-owned by Christine, a German woman, and Abdull Rahmann, her Maldivian business partner.
Christine's often, but alas not always, on the boat to smoothen the communication between the passengers and Mr Rahmann, who also acts as the main dive master.
The seven double cabins are small but decent, with private head and rather cramped shower. The living room is spacious enough, and there are two outside partially shaded sitting & sunning areas. The food is no culinary treat but it's edible, now and then even good, especially when Indian inspired.
The Asmas has no dive deck, but in stead uses another boat, a dhoni, as dedicated dive platform and gear storage room. On a normal day, there are usually three dives, an early morning one before breakfast, a late morning one before lunch and an afternoon one.
Gearing up & down happens on the dhoni while being transported to & from the dive sites in the neighborhood of the Asmas. After each dive, the dhoni sails out while the tanks are being refilled, thus sparing us, the guests, from the compressor's noisy laboring.
Christine's often, but alas not always, on the boat to smoothen the communication between the passengers and Mr Rahmann, who also acts as the main dive master.
The seven double cabins are small but decent, with private head and rather cramped shower. The living room is spacious enough, and there are two outside partially shaded sitting & sunning areas. The food is no culinary treat but it's edible, now and then even good, especially when Indian inspired.
The Asmas has no dive deck, but in stead uses another boat, a dhoni, as dedicated dive platform and gear storage room. On a normal day, there are usually three dives, an early morning one before breakfast, a late morning one before lunch and an afternoon one.
Gearing up & down happens on the dhoni while being transported to & from the dive sites in the neighborhood of the Asmas. After each dive, the dhoni sails out while the tanks are being refilled, thus sparing us, the guests, from the compressor's noisy laboring.
What almost ruined the trip
The washing machine
Christine’s presence should not be underestimated, as Mr Rahmann has absolutely no tact with western tourists to whom he caters and doesn’t really seem to care about proper dive briefings and in-water dive-site pre-checks. With Christine around however, things are suddenly done much more professionally.
His usual information not being much more than the name of the site and "Viele schöne Fische", we get taken by total surprise by very strong currents on the 4th dive of the trip, at Guraidhoo corner, resulting in the group being split up, some divers hanging on to the reef as well as they can, others being washed away into the blue...
As I cling to the steep sloping reef, I can see one of the junior dive masters with a couple of German tourists a little above me, but he seems as much at a loss about what to do as they are. Waiting in vain for a signal and seeing my no-deco time ticking away, I eventually let go, the current immediately picking me up like a leaf in the wind and presenting me with a new problem.
After having blown me away from the reef, the current now pushes me downwards... Being in the blue without any visual reference can be disorienting, but seeing your depth slowly increase even though you're steadily finning up, while your bubbles are whirling all around you, the smaller ones actually going down, really can freak one out.
Stop-Breathe-Think-Act. Easier said than done, but it works. So I start to inflate my jacket, till I can see my depth stabilize then decrease. Only to start rising way too fast as soon as I get in another layer and another current, now having to dump air out in order to slow my ascend and quieten my alarmed dive computer.
When I finally surface, I'm lucky not to have drifted that far away, and am picked up pretty fast. Personally I've never experienced this kind of crazy shifting current zones before, a.k.a. washing machines. A real briefing would have mentioned their possible occurrence and at least we would have been mentally prepared.
Chasing shadows
For some reason, Mr Rahmann's idea of good diving is dropping down to at least -40m and cross some channel with strong currents, just to get a glimpse of a shark in the distance. His motto being something like "no current, no work, no action". Which may be true in some cases, but the reward has to match the effort. It took us quite a few dives and flaring arguments to make him understand we have a different opinion about fun diving.
Decompression alert
Repeated strenuous dives in, by recreational standards, deep waters. Middle-aged out-of-shape jet-lagged dehydrated tourists. Put both together. Shake well. And you most probably get... bubbles!
One diver got pretty close to decompression sickness I'd say, feeling totally exhausted and weak after a dive. Good thing we had oxygen and a doctor on board.
Though Mr Rahmann advocates PADI rules, he's the first one to wipe them off his slate once in the water, dropping below the maximum depth limit without a second thought and expecting everybody to just follow him. Not really a responsible attitude when you’ve got less experienced divers following you trustingly.
Christine’s presence should not be underestimated, as Mr Rahmann has absolutely no tact with western tourists to whom he caters and doesn’t really seem to care about proper dive briefings and in-water dive-site pre-checks. With Christine around however, things are suddenly done much more professionally.
His usual information not being much more than the name of the site and "Viele schöne Fische", we get taken by total surprise by very strong currents on the 4th dive of the trip, at Guraidhoo corner, resulting in the group being split up, some divers hanging on to the reef as well as they can, others being washed away into the blue...
As I cling to the steep sloping reef, I can see one of the junior dive masters with a couple of German tourists a little above me, but he seems as much at a loss about what to do as they are. Waiting in vain for a signal and seeing my no-deco time ticking away, I eventually let go, the current immediately picking me up like a leaf in the wind and presenting me with a new problem.
After having blown me away from the reef, the current now pushes me downwards... Being in the blue without any visual reference can be disorienting, but seeing your depth slowly increase even though you're steadily finning up, while your bubbles are whirling all around you, the smaller ones actually going down, really can freak one out.
Stop-Breathe-Think-Act. Easier said than done, but it works. So I start to inflate my jacket, till I can see my depth stabilize then decrease. Only to start rising way too fast as soon as I get in another layer and another current, now having to dump air out in order to slow my ascend and quieten my alarmed dive computer.
When I finally surface, I'm lucky not to have drifted that far away, and am picked up pretty fast. Personally I've never experienced this kind of crazy shifting current zones before, a.k.a. washing machines. A real briefing would have mentioned their possible occurrence and at least we would have been mentally prepared.
Chasing shadows
For some reason, Mr Rahmann's idea of good diving is dropping down to at least -40m and cross some channel with strong currents, just to get a glimpse of a shark in the distance. His motto being something like "no current, no work, no action". Which may be true in some cases, but the reward has to match the effort. It took us quite a few dives and flaring arguments to make him understand we have a different opinion about fun diving.
Decompression alert
Repeated strenuous dives in, by recreational standards, deep waters. Middle-aged out-of-shape jet-lagged dehydrated tourists. Put both together. Shake well. And you most probably get... bubbles!
One diver got pretty close to decompression sickness I'd say, feeling totally exhausted and weak after a dive. Good thing we had oxygen and a doctor on board.
Though Mr Rahmann advocates PADI rules, he's the first one to wipe them off his slate once in the water, dropping below the maximum depth limit without a second thought and expecting everybody to just follow him. Not really a responsible attitude when you’ve got less experienced divers following you trustingly.
What made this a great trip
A short but memorable encounter with a gentle giant
At Maamigili Kandu, a rather poor reef with bad visibility, out of the dark blue, comes an impressive sight, a juvenile whale shark about 5m long, passing by right beneath us, but alas too shy to hang around for a friendly chat.
Special treatment at Dhon Kalo Thila
Lying on the sandy bottom at 20m, waiting, looking at the surrounding reef, I suddenly notice a manta gliding in and hovering above the corals. After a short while it slowly moves on and disappears, only to be followed by another and another and another!
All three hovering in line while being cleaned by small fish darting up from the reef for an easy meal of parasites. Once they're gone again, I too take off, slowly drifting away and almost bumping into a fifth manta, a pretty large one, that lets me admire its graceful movements for a while... before heading on for its visit with the cleaners.
That night two mantas perform feeding acrobatics besides the boat, taking advantage I guess from the boat's plankton attracting lights.
Reef patrol
During our trip we've seen jacks circling the Victory wreck, turtles, big napoleons, eagle rays hanging seemingly effortlessly in the currents, stingrays, all kinds of triggerfish and snappers, besides of course many other fish.
And our last dive, at Maaya Thila, is a splendid end to an all in all great trip. Grey reef sharks keep cruising around, checking us out real close, as within touching distance! Two white tip sharks passing by seem relatively small in comparison. Facing the moderate current, a big barracuda pretends not to notice us. And on the reef's top, a turtle grazes undisturbed by all the action.
At Maamigili Kandu, a rather poor reef with bad visibility, out of the dark blue, comes an impressive sight, a juvenile whale shark about 5m long, passing by right beneath us, but alas too shy to hang around for a friendly chat.
Special treatment at Dhon Kalo Thila
Lying on the sandy bottom at 20m, waiting, looking at the surrounding reef, I suddenly notice a manta gliding in and hovering above the corals. After a short while it slowly moves on and disappears, only to be followed by another and another and another!
All three hovering in line while being cleaned by small fish darting up from the reef for an easy meal of parasites. Once they're gone again, I too take off, slowly drifting away and almost bumping into a fifth manta, a pretty large one, that lets me admire its graceful movements for a while... before heading on for its visit with the cleaners.
That night two mantas perform feeding acrobatics besides the boat, taking advantage I guess from the boat's plankton attracting lights.
Reef patrol
During our trip we've seen jacks circling the Victory wreck, turtles, big napoleons, eagle rays hanging seemingly effortlessly in the currents, stingrays, all kinds of triggerfish and snappers, besides of course many other fish.
And our last dive, at Maaya Thila, is a splendid end to an all in all great trip. Grey reef sharks keep cruising around, checking us out real close, as within touching distance! Two white tip sharks passing by seem relatively small in comparison. Facing the moderate current, a big barracuda pretends not to notice us. And on the reef's top, a turtle grazes undisturbed by all the action.
Friday, September 27, 2002
Unblogged journeys from 2002 back to 1993
| 09/2002 | Marsa Alam, Egypt |
|---|---|
| 04/2002 | Puerto Galera, Mindoro + Coron, Palawan, Philippines |
| 02/2001 | Ningaloo reef, W-Australia |
| 12/2000 | Dahab, Egypt |
| 01/2000 | Sharm El Sheik, Egypt |
03/1999 02/1999 01/1999 12/1998 12/1998 11/1998 11/1998 | S-Pacific tour Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia Milne bay & Kimbe bay, Papua New Guinea Coral Sea & GBR, E-Australia Honiara, Uepi & Gizo, Solomons Tongatapu, Tonga Niue Taveuni, Fiji |
| 09/1998 ↑ 03/1997 | Tulum, Yucatán, Mexico from recreational to technical diver ¤ IANTD EANx Overhead Environment Instructor ¤ IANTD Advanced EANx Instructor ¤ PADI Cavern Instructor ¤ PADI Enriched Air Instructor ¤ TDI Nitrox Instructor ¤ IANTD Cave Diver |
| 03/1997 | Blue Hole, Lighthouse reef, Belize |
| 02/1997 | Útila, Bay Islands, Honduras |
| 01/1997 | Cocos Island, Costa Rica ¤ TDI Nitrox Diver |
| 12/1996 ↑ 07/1996 | Útila, Bay Islands, Honduras from paying diver to paid instructor ¤ PADI MFA Instructor ¤ PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor ¤ PADI Dive Master ¤ PADI Medic First Aid (MFA) ¤ PADI Rescue Diver |
| 06/1996 | Lago de Atitlán (1562m), Guatemala ¤ PADI Altitude Diver |
| 09/1995 | Hurghada, Safaga & Brother Islands, Egypt |
12/1994 11/1994 10/1994 09/1994 08/1994 07/1994 06/1994 05/1994 04/1994 04/1994 01/1994 11/1993 | SE-Asia tour from sightseeing tourist to touring diver India Andamans, India Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka Singapore Ambon & Seram, Moluccus, Indonesia Bunaken, N-Sulawesi, Indonesia Layang-Layang, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia Sipadan, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia Bali, Indonesia Tioman, Malaysia Perhentian, Malaysia Similans, Thailand Myanmar Laos Vietnam Koh Tao, Thailand Kangchenjunga, Nepal |
| 08/1993 ↑ 04/1993 | Marseille, France ¤ PADI Rescue Diver ¤ PADI Advanced OWD ¤ PADI Open Water Diver |
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