OCTOBER 25-26 T-Shirt Club DIve!!

[DiverBob]

It looks like my wife and I will be able to make it over for a couple of dives on Saturday. We waited to post because we were unsure of our schedule. Anything that needs to be brought for the BBQ? We were thinking about bringing a great desert cake. What about paper plates and utensils, all covered? Hopefully there will be a couple of extra shirts for us to buy! Looking forward to meeting everyone. Bob

[Tom Nic]

Had 3 and a half awesome hours underwater today at Sund Rock with Bassman! It was great!

So, Keith and I kicked off the Club Dive on Thursday, even it was just the two of us! :-) And I think we represented NWDC very well, thank you very much!

I'll be landing in Hoodsport Friday around 10 AM, 4 tanks in my car, dive buddyless, holding out my sign "Will guide for dive buddy..." :rr:

Hopefully BJ & Cuppie will be there!

I should start a separate report for the weekend, but don't have the time or the energy. I took over 200 pics today, and that's just the ones I kept! did the North Wall & Fishbowl, the South Wall, and the Trawler. Saw tons of Wolfies, several GPO's, the usual bazillion Rockfish of all sizes, a MONSTER ling on the boat (I was very thankful it wasn't egg season - this thing could have taken quite the bite out of me!), Dendronotus rufus, the large White Nudibranchs that feed on the orange sponges, thousands of juvi Orange Sea Pens in the mud flats between the Trawler and the North Wall, hundreds of Flabellina triophina in my "secret spot" (missed them on my first dive, I can show you for a fee :-) there were so many of them I froze... uh, uh, which one shall I take a picture of?!?), oh yeah, and my FIRST Rhinoceros Crab!!

I'm sure I'm leaving out something... Oh yeah, conditions report.

-Serious halocline, as per usual.
-Water temp was 48 degrees!!
-Some species in some areas look stressed, as in low oxygen stressed. In particular saw many California Sea Cukes that looked deflated, skinny, and laying aroudn with their mouth parts distended. A few stars and some plumose looked really anemic, but then in other areas they were fat and thriving. Could be beginning of an event, or the normal seasonal thing that happens. But there are TONS of critters out!
-At low tide serious schmutz layer with 2' viz till you hit 20fsw.
-Unidentifiable schmutz line at 40 fsw, and a brown (yuck) schmutz layer at 20 fsw. Bring a good light!! Every dive will be something of a night dive.
-Below 20fsw viz will hit 20' in spots. On our low tide dive on the South wall viz was 20' at best and while we dropped we kept wondering when we would hit the bottom before the ghostly white plumose emerged from the gloom at 25fsw.
-Don't let any of this scare you, there are tons of critters out, and below 30fsw it actually opens up. You won't be doing much really shallow - at least and taking pics because of the schmutz layer.
-Buoyancy control will be a must if you are able. Kick up a cloud and it will take a long while to go away.

OK, gotta hit the hay so I can get up early and pack to head out.

See you all there!

-Tom Nic

[rjarnold]

Thanks for the report Tom! Want to show me my first wolf eel when I get there?!?!

[Diver_C]

Easy - at the base of the buoy for the start of the North Wall, the buoy chain is connected to a cement box -> one wolfie is inside.

Thanks for the report Tom! Want to show me my first wolf eel when I get there?!?!

[Tom Nic]

Easy - at the base of the buoy for the start of the North Wall, the buoy chain is connected to a cement box -> one wolfie is inside.

Thanks for the report Tom! Want to show me my first wolf eel when I get there?!?!

HEY! Don't mess with my finder's fee Rich!

Leaving in a few minutes - weather looks great - should be a great weekend!

[sparky]

i just talked to Tony And bob they are on there way up shouldbe there some time tonight

grate guys and even better dive buddys
every one make sure to say hello to them and enjoy the weekend

I expect to hear all about the weekend so those of you that took your lap tops keep us up dated
Sparky

[nwbobber]

I won't be able to make it this weekend Good news is Melissa's kidney is now doing its job for my son in law, I guess the least I can do is take good care of her. You all have a great time, I will be checking it out here.
Bob

[sparky]

Hey Bob thats grate news
give our best to both your wife and your son-inlaw would ya
I was not able to make it my self,
Sparky

[BASSMAN]

hundreds of Flabellina triophina in my "secret spot" (missed them on my first dive, I can show you for a fee :-) there were so many of them I froze... uh, uh, which one shall I take a picture of
-Tom Nic

Yes, three really great Dives Tom! Thanks!

About those 200 pictures, I think 100 of them were of the Flaellina Triophina Nudubranchs

I sure got plenty of time to work on my buoyency skills. I saw all of those and I said to myself,
"Self? I think this is going to be a Long dive!!" As I watched Tom take picture, after picture, after picture, after picture and then.. another picture!

Just when I thought I was going to say something, We continued with the dive. And what a great dive it was. Oh, and just a word of advice, If you ever remove 4 lbs of weight from your BC just because you are diving a HP130? Remember to put it back in when you switch back to your HP100. Or you might be grabbing rocks to stay down at the end of the dive.

It was still a great dive!

[sparky]

OK gang so lets hear about the weekend, for those of you that have had the chance to meet Bob and Tony
I wanted to thank you guys for making my dive Buddy's feel welcome and part of the group. I had told them you guys would be grate to dive with and that they would have a good time

thanks for taking care of my friends for me

now i am looking forward to hearing from you guys and them on the weekend
Sparky

[Tom Nic]

I started a Weekend Report Thread - For those wanting to check it out it is here . Thanks for putting your pics, reports, thoughts, etc there so they'll be in one place! Thanks!

http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=5938

[rjarnold]

It was awesome! I saw my first wolf eels and had a fantastic night dive with all sorts of bioluminescence! Awesome people and lots of fun, great BBQ too.

Now... someone took my hood and left theirs behind (this morning from the yellow house)... fess up!

[rjarnold]

No one is going to fess up to taking my hood? I think it must be with one of the 3? people that left the yellow house Sunday morning. I have your Bare hood!

[oregondiver]

Hey Rachel.
I have a hood with the yellow reflective stuff on the top of it, don't know the brand. But it was in the exact same place I put it saturday night when I came in Sunday morning to go diving. If you are facing the water trough, it was on the racks that are to your right. Is that where you kept your hood? I can double check if this is where you kept yours....

[rjarnold]

Hey Rachel.
I have a hood with the yellow reflective stuff on the top of it, don't know the brand. But it was in the exact same place I put it saturday night when I came in Sunday morning to go diving. If you are facing the water trough, it was on the racks that are to your right. Is that where you kept your hood? I can double check if this is where you kept yours....

I *think* this one might have reflective stuff on top... it WAS to the right of the water trough on the rack there but I noticed it had fallen on the ground when I came in the next morning. It was also in the same location I had mine.

[oregondiver]

Hey Rachel, I emailed you but haven't heard back (and it shows that you havent' read the msg yet).
Lets figure out a way to swap hoods before too long...