What a great weekend of diving. We did two local dives on Saturday and two local dives on Sunday morning with 18 people each day spread over two boats. It was a busy couple of days.
I decided to try this weekend without dive guides. When I use dive guides and large groups, i.e. one dive guide for 4-6 divers, they all loose each other do not have much fun. It can also be unsafe with everyone bobbing up all over the place.
This weekend I made everyone dive in a team of two. Most people brought their friend. Those that came alone joined another person as a buddy team. I gave each group instructions where to dive and where to go and for how long. It worked really well even for the divers with little experience. This is the best way for everyone to enjoy local diving. Small groups mean you see more and it is less crowded. My group only saw one other group on both dives.
By not having to bring 2-3 dive guides, I have been able to reduce the price from SGD120 to SGD95 for a two dive trip including basic dive gear. This makes it more affordable for everyone too.
This weekend the tide was low and we dived North of the Jetty and The Outer Reef. All 4 dives had little to no current and visibility up to 5 metres. It even slightly better on Sunday.
Abi, daughter of regular Jeremy, completed her PADI Open Water Diver Course this weekend and they are off to Tenggol, Malaysia for a few days diving next week.
Saturday we had Abi, Jeremy, James, Chay Hoon, Jack, Thomas, James, Joan, Stuart, Hugh, Jack, Lucy, Dave, David. Instructor Davy Koh had three Open Water students completing dives 1 and 2.
Sunday we had Abi, Jeremy, James, Travis, Regan, Nimaldeep, Pooja, Hanz, Kim Hang, Rachel, Ewa, Jelena, Robin, Cherlyn and Wan Chen. PADI Dive Master Karen was on the second smaller boat looking after the 6 divers.
On the second dive each day I took Abi and Jeremy to about 10 metres and showed them all the nudibranchs, the glass shrimp and the schooling fish, we also spent the last 15 minutes of the dive at safety stop depth looking at all the clown fish. Abi was very happy with seeing the clown fish.
I could not make a video due to having to look after Abi, but Karen, Rachel and Robin got some great shots. There was lots to see again. The nurse sharks and glass shrimp were the highlights on Sunday and on Saturday we also saw a huge turtle, cuttle fish, sea snakes and so many nudibranches. It was amazing.
Glenda’s Tip:
Remember to – Go Slow and Keep Low.
There is no need to really fin, just hover above the coral and fish.
Bend your knees and keep your legs higher than your body as you drift slowly along.
You won’t create sand storms and you will be able to see alot more!
Cheers, Gary
Other underwater photos taken by Karen Savins
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