Moldovia

[Andy Phillips]

I am sure, if you search Marks house there you will find a little doll effigy of me with pins sticking in it's head.

So, we went for a dive today, it's been a while, the last couple have been blown out, the only dives I have managed have been two try dives on an Inspiration.

Consiquently, I woke at 7 am, looked out the window, in anticipation of the promised good weather, bugger, it's still dark. I pad downstairs, make myself a coffee and have a ciggy. Sure enough the sun comes up, wow, the sun, woopee, no wind, the dive is on.

I load the car up (didn't do it last night in case I jinxed it) I'm excited, you've got to understand, I don't get that excited about a dive these day's, nervous yes, excited, no.

Now due to a bit of a row last night, my partner decided to sleep on the sofa. So, after our "appologies" I left half an hour late, not a problem, but I had to stick the boot down, this was the first bit of very minor stress.

As I am driving down, I am getting quite "buzzed" about the dive, the Moldovia is a cracking good dive, I have truly enjoyed my previous visits, what a lucky chap I am, the sun is shining, I am going to make it with 20 odd minutes to spare, and I can't bloody wait.

Load the kit on the boat, get it fettled into shape, talk to Mark. Yep, there he is, putting puncture repair patches onto his neck seal, mental note to myself, they will never last, Mark is due for a wet one.

Now, I don't know if you recall, the last dive we did Mark had a monster head ache, basic bad trip that one.

So, off we go, flat bloody calm, I am as happy as I can be. About an hour into the journey, I feel a bit queesy, nothing new, I have felt this before, it always passes. Not this time, oh no, I even try lying down on the deck, this works, but I am getting cold and my coat is in the cabin. After a while, which included two bouts of cold sweats, I go to fetch the coat, now I am warm I can chunder in comfort, so I do.

The boat slows down, I feel pants, bad, very bad, I should have known better at this point. I look around and everybody is in there suits, bar the guy who has forgotten his wing (we will not mention this again). I look at Mark, he asks if I am OK I say no, do I want to call it says Mark. Now this was my second opportunity to apply some common sense to the proceedings, but no.

So I get kitted up, I can't tell you what a cock up I made of this, surely this would have been a clue to all but the most stupid of us. Eventually I am ready to go, err, no not quite, excuse me whilst I just sit here and chunder all over the deck - nasty.

I turn to Mark and pleed to get in the water, I just want off the boat - big time, in we go to the shot and down. Now in my infinite wisom I decide to pause on the wreck (that is the whole 6 inches of it I can actually see - not great vis today then) to get myself settled down you understand, what happens, oh yeh I get tangled up in a trawl net, great, good old Mark to the rescue. Off we go, 10 mins into the dive, don't I just f'ing chunder into the reg, I am now seriously naffed off with this bloody game, nice relaxing day eh.

30 mins into the dive, naff all to see feel crap, very crap, Mark pauses and we call it a day. I look at my VR3, poo, I have set it wrong, I look at my slate, I can't see my slate, all I can see are flashing lights, great, now I have got a migrane, this is the 5th one in my life, I get it at 46M, bloody brilliant..

Eventually we get back to the boat, the funny part of the deco was that at the begining, Mark looked at me for confirmation of the stops, I had given up at this point, all I was going to do was follow Mark, each time he questioned me, I shrugged, then giggled insanely, it just seemed the only thing to do.

When we get back on the boat, some poor bloke has just gone up on a lift bag, 45 to 0 M do not pass go, do not collect £200, , I get on the boat, the first thing a chap tells me is that the helicopter is on it's way. It turns up, all I can think is "please take that nasty noisy thing away" my head is bloody pounding. The journey bak was uneventful, I slept.

Now for the voodoo bit, MARK WAS GETTING HIS OWN BACK it just had to be that, otherwise it was just a bad day, I will let you work out which.

Andrew

[Mark Chase]

There was me thinking it’s not my day. I had pulled my suit off the back of the chair in the garage and snagged the neck seal three times on the edge of a shelf. Bugger  

An impromptu visit to Halfords followed for the required bicycle repair kit.

I stepped aboard defiant and a chap walks up to me and said. You didn’t happen to bring a spare wing did you? I was about to laugh when I realised he was serious. He had a back plate and even a harness but no wing. Baaaaaaaaaaad day.

So I set about sticking three bits of inner-tube repair kit to my neck seal and as I do this I wonder what a flooded dry suit is like at 50m and will my wing get me up.

Got a bit concerned over Rob as he was a no show and wasn't answering his phone but we had given him an extra 15mins so had to go.

The sun was shining the sea was almost flat calm it was a lovely day but when we arrived on site Andrew stood before me looking like a sick person form sick land on a not feeling well day.

In water therapy was called for and we both hoped that that would cure the problem, but unfortunately that was not to be. The dive was crap, the shot line ended in a large net that Andrew immediately got caught in and viz was about 3m ish. I thought I knew the Moldavia but I was completely lost in the crap Viz. I ended up on the boring bit of the wreck and the highlight of the day was finding a large Pollock trapped in fishing net. I cut it free and managed to get it to swim off.

Shortly after this my torch blew. It was crap and dark and I was very pleased when my back up sprang into life. I turned to look at Andrew and he gave me the Up sign and I realised that he was not any better than on the boat so we canned after 30mins and headed for home.

Deco was uneventful and presently short for me but I could tell it was murder for Andrew and I remembered our last dive when I felt like crap so with 16mins showing on my 30min plan tables and 11 mins showing on my VR3 we opted for the 11 and got the hell out of dodge.

Apart from the 'I forgot my wing' chap trying to kill us by letting go of the compressed air switch just as we were about to step off the lift, getting out and on the boat was mercifully quick but the sudden jolt cost me a strained leg and hip and a lost goody bag  

Back on board we find a diver who became entangled in a lift bag, sucking 02 and waiting for the Sea King. Bloody expensive porthole that was.

Trip home was again uneventful and we all remarked what a lovely day it was but unfortunately last weeks storms buggered the viz on this normally awesome dive.

Ho Hum

Unfortunately Andrew cant make the next dive and my replacement buddy got choppered off. So I don’t expect to se him on a deep one for a while.

Not a good day. Perhaps we should have done Stony and the dive show after all.

ATB

Mark Chase

[MATTBIN]

Silver lining time - at least you two guys got away with just a bad day.
Sorry to hear abou the rotten experience guys, bummer.
Lesson to be learnt - takes a good buddy to can a dive without a moan, nice one guys.

Matt

[Diving Dude]

Andy its the crap dives that make the good ones so much better.

l dived on Nauticat out of Brighton on saturday.

Nine people booked only six turn up, which meant loads of room but no buddy for me so l dived solo, which l was happy to do this being about the sixth time l've dived this wreck and know it resonable well.

l was the second one in the water, heading towards the shot. Steve the skipper moves the boat away and the wash from the props pushes me past the shot.

Its at this point that l realise that its not yet slack, like a prat instead of waiting to be picked up l fin like crazy for the shot, reach it and am knackered.

After waiting for a while on the surface l drop down the shot, reach seabed at 30mtrs, no wreck, l thought here we go again.
l crawl along the seabed following the anchor drag marks, then find a chain follow this for a while, see some fish in the gloom, head towards them and find the wreck.

Current still quite strong at this point, hug the wreck and head towards the pointy end.
Vis 2-3 mtrs, water temp a trpoical 13deg which was handy since water was leaking down my back.

At the pointy end there was an open stairway which l considered entering, if there was two of us l would have.
Back on the boat one of the local divers said that this companionway was blocked up to about a month ago, some of the hull plating had fallen off and the current had cleared it.

In one of the holes which the anchor chain slides through the deck was a conger, so l looked in the other and there was another conger.

Drifted with the curent back along the wreck to the blunt end dropping into the holds.

Cracking dive.
Second dive on way back was a dark zero vis drift for about 10mins.

Anyone thats been on Nauticat will agree that Steves a great skipper and its a good boat, which is going to have a lift fitted in January yippeeeeeeeeee.

We're next out on Saturday 29th Nov, Sunday 7th Dec and Sunday 28th Dec, theres spaces if anyones interested.

[Rob Evans]

Hey Dude,
did you recognise the silly sod in the Darth Vader mask with half a dive shop's worth of hoses going in all directions?

[Gunna Do]

Well as were talkin about a Bugger of a weekend..
yay a long 3 day weekend ( public holiday )..
First day planned Kaikora snorkelling for Paua.. Bloody southerly came up, exit stage right..
day 2, we were off to Muttonhoe for a 30mtr dive and a few crays.. Drove out there towing the boat
a nice 4mtr swell and zero vis, trn around, head home thinkin at least well stomp the " Aussies" in rugby tonight at the local pub ( Enough said about that unfortunate game). drown sorrows away..
Wake up with a nice hang over, rang the lads and said well have a late afternoon dive, everbody is in recovery mode so it was gratefully accepted.
High tide was at 6pm so planned leaving at 2.30pm.
about 1.30pm a 120km northerly kicks in.. There goes diving   " Sigh"..
So it may have been not the best day guys but at least you got wet
the only diving I ended up doing was to the bottom of a pint glass
heres to next weekend
Steve

[Andy the Coastie]

<font color='#0000FF'>MARK,,,,,,,,,,, Hope ya mates ok.
Andy,,,,,,,,,,, I've gotta sure ya trip on boats feeding fish &amp; decks.

Dive safe lads

Andy

[Mark Chase]

Update on bent diver:

Taken to Horsea and had a level 6 recompresion. Now A OK and only baned from diving for a week ?? He has said it might take him a bit longer to get over than that and I dont blame him

ATB

Mark Chase

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Rob Evans @ Nov. 17 2003,07:59)]Hey Dude,
did you recognise the silly sod in the Darth Vader mask with half a dive shop's worth of hoses going in all directions?

l was going to ask if it was Finless, but didn't, now l've seen his post about the City of Waterford i realise who the hairy ugly git is.

[Rob Evans]

He DOES look like his avatar doesn't he?