That's My Little Octopussy - 31/12/2014

In 1983 Roger Moore made one of the worst Bond movies ever. However, it did spawn one of the most memorable lines ever. A line that runs through my mind sometimes when I dive.

James Bond: [looking at the tattoo on Magda's back] What is that?

Magda: That's my little octopussy.

Indeed, "that's my little octopussy". I've seen octopus' on four occasions. Twice in Scotland and once in Egypt and once the other day at Black Rock in Aqaba. On each occasion I have spectacularly failed to photograph them. Either because I've been too slow to realise what I'm looking at or too incompetent with a camera. 

Today Gill.I.Am was beginning a PADI Deep Speciality with one of the owners Isaac of Aqaba's Anchor. I was diving initially with one of the DMTs nicknamed Woody. We had a nice dive zooming around Rainbow Reef and the Cedar Pride. However, I'd be lying if I said that my heart was ever racing. You know the way it does when you see something really neat underwater. Don't get me wrong I still had fun, but it wasn't that exciting.

When I came back to the shore and Gill mentioned that she'd had a nice encounter with a Giant Moray I was a somewhat jealous, although I like to think I never let it show. I mean doesn't everyone punch their dive pals in the face after a dive? *joke*

So when we went in for the second dive I was now diving as part of a three with Gill and Isaac. They were doing skills while I was pottering about looking for anything. Then at 30m I saw a rock move. "Nope, that's not a rock it's a stonefish. No! That's not a stonefish it's an octopus!" I thought,  In one motion I swept up my camera with my right hand, rattled my shaker with my left and drew Isaac and Gill over. 

It was a whopper! Changing colour, receding into it's hole, I thought it was going to disappear from view, but then it paused to look at me, it took pity and let me take a picture. "My little octopussy" I thought.

It's New Years Eve (or Hogmanay as we call it Scotland), if diving in 2015 starts as well as it ended I'll be happy. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

My little octopussy

Wacko-paco

Woody

Anemone fish

Bicolour Parrotfish

Swimming through

Air in the hold

Starry puffer

Glassfish (or Red Sea dwarf sweeper)

Gill.I.Am and the wreck

All's Quiet on the Western Front - 29/12/2014

I must confess, I fled the UK on Boxing Day for sunnier climes. I flew first to Istanbul, Turkey before skipping over to Aqaba, Jordon. Regular readers will know I had a few dives here earlier in the year, but I felt I had some unfinished business with the area in terms of diving. And, let's be honest who wouldn't swap Scottish winter for the mild weather of the Middle East? So, here I am.

Today we dived two new sites (to us) in the area:

• First Bay (including the Eel Garden)
• Black Rock

North Bay 1&2 was, for us, a drift dive that took us through a site called the Eel Garden. It was nice and comprised Gill.I.Am's deepest ever dive (30m) and her first proper drift dive. I think she enjoyed both aspects.

For me the highlights were the corals. In Scotland, Hugh MacDiarmid once penned the following verse in regard to the white rose commonly found in the country. *clears throat*

The rose of all the world is not for me.

I want for my part

Only the little white rose of Scotland

That smells sharp and sweet—and breaks the heart.

How true! However, the corals of Aqaba must run it pretty close. I'll let the few decent pictures I took do most of the talking, but the second dive at Black Rock (recently featured in Diver magazine) it was just myself and Abood the DM who went in. We went to 40m, but a quarter twist and a drop of the wrist saw me clock 40.4m my deepest ever dive. :)

Lettuce Coral

Starry Puffer

Cornetfish

Worm

Coral

Coral

Coral

200 - 22/11/2014

When I first started diving I was told by an instructor that th majority of people who invest the time and the money to learn to dive never get beyond 100 dives. I was alsways going to get a least that far purely on the basis of getting my monies worth out of my kit.  However three years later it was time for dive 200.

We moored in the south lagoon of Tiran Island for our night dive and were to dive the large pinnacle the boat as moored to.

I donned my special shorts. We danced, kitted up and I lead my honour guard out into the water off the back of the boat. The stride entry was perfect, though as I hit the water I realised one of my Seawing Novas had broken. This was an ominous beginning. I threw it back on to the boat and was handed a replacement for the dive.

As we dropped to around 10m we practically landed on top of a large free swimming Moray Eel that was ultimately to accompany us for the most of the dive. We swam through the dark to the pinnacle where most of the group headed round in a clockwise direction while the Zookeeper and I went clockwise as per our dive guides onboard instructions. Not that it made a difference, but I did like the moment when we went from being on our own to swimming towards the larger troop. It was all very James-Bond-underwater-fight-scene-esque.

I never took pictures, but I did shoot some video. It made me realise I really need a proper videolight.

When I got back aboard I discovered that one of the wee guys that helps you to kit up had given me Smooth Criminals fins instead of my own. He'd broken one earlier in the week. So that was £100 saved. Perhaps I can put that towards a video light to celebrate my 200th dive. :)

Thanks to Aquatron for the shorts and Total TeamWear Scotland for the numbering. Also a big shout out to the guard of honour. I had a blast!!!!