On Tue, 7 Sep 2004 20:48:09 -0500, Russ Berger <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Wow! No bitchin' No moanin' You just did the dive! I know how much you HATE cold water...I'm mighty proud of you, Meeeester Feeeeeesh. Your stock just went up big time with me. ...but don't sell short just yet. :-) > >Hi to Sue. > >Best >Russ > > >Reef Fish wrote: > >> Now I can finally say, "Been here. Done that!" :-) >> >> The psychological preparation to the coldest dive I've done since >> my ice-diving certification in 1990 was much more challenging than >> the preparation for any of the dare-devil WARM water dives I've >> done since, such as the 10 knot current (briefed) that realized >> only 5-6 knots in the Fakarava Passes of the Tuamotu islands of >> French Polynesia. >> >> After weeks of anticipation and 7 days at sea, the ship finally >> weighed anchor at 8 am in Easter Island. It was a beautiful sunny >> day! The Pacific Princess passenger capacity is about 730. >> Probably 729 of them were on one of the three sightseeing tours >> to the various moai sites to gawk at the gigantic stone statues >> for which Easter Island is noted. >> >> >> The 730th passenger, me, was on my own, more or less. >> >> Trixie, the tour director of the cruiseship, who had dived Easter >> Island once before, was instrumental in piquing my interest in >> the dive and making the dive arrangements for me. We were to meet >> at the Orca Diving Center, a short taxi ride from where the tenders >> drop passengers from the ship. We were to meet at the dive shop >> at 10:30 am. She was working with the ship's crew in directing >> the traffic of the 729 passengers to their respective tour leaders >> and busses. >> >> I was at the dive shop by 9 am, making SURE that I find a fitting >> wetsuit that is 3 mil or less, because I have never dived in any >> wetsuit thicker than 3 mil and I didn't think this was the time or >> place to try to look like a Goodyear blimp, venture into a bouyancy- >> control territory never stepped into before -- especially because >> I had brought my ultra-light BC which has a MAXIMUM lift of 16 lbs, >> for the WARM water diving in Tahiti. :-) >> >> >> I asked the DM what the water temp was. "22 to 22.5 C," or about >> 72 degres F! That was higher than I expected, and I was happy to >> see some children swimming without ANY suit. :-) After all, I >> recently dived in Bali (on the mola mola dive) in 75 degree F >> water with only a 1 mil suit. So, I tried on what looked like a >> 2-mil surfing suit than a 3-mil scuba wetsuit, and was contented >> that I was doing to be able to do the unexpected (Easter Island) >> frigid dive! >> >> I might as well get to the SURPRISE part now! It turned out the >> DM was a tad off his 22C estimate. My ReefNet (independently >> verified by my HyperAqualand) recorded a dive of AVERAGE temp of >> 66F, with minimum 65F. :-) But I survived the 53-minute dive >> in flying colors in the 3-mil wetsuit. >> >> The dive itself was actually more or less expected -- lots of small >> to medium fish, nothing as big as a titan triggerfish, of which >> there was none. Because of the isolation of Easter Island (1900 km >> to the NEAREST island, Pitcairn), about 25 percent of its 160 >> species of fish is endemic (you can find them ONLY in Easter Island). >> >> (it's chow time on the ship. Will contniue later) :-) >> >> Da Feeesh. >>