Anemone's flowing in the surge. Vidcap by Rich Torkington in Mexico 2001

My tasks this dive are as follows:

• 1. String out 100’ rope from buoy anchor on a heading of 270°.
• 2. Count how many fin cycles it takes to steadily swim the 100 feet.
• 3. Measure the time interval it takes to steadily swim the 100 feet.
• 4. Using this information, do an out-and-back swim pattern on a different bearing, and see if you can end up at the anchor buoy again.
• 5. Perform a square navigation pattern by swimming 15 fin cycles, making a 90° turn, do another 15 fin cycles, etc., and see if you can end up at the anchor buoy again.

By misreading my compass, I string the rope out on a 90° heading. No big deal, except that the path takes us to deeper waters and over a number of obstacles. In this murk, that makes the going pretty slow. It takes me 20 fin cycles to cover the 100 feet, and a full 2:15 in time to do it, groping slowly along the bottom.

Looking from our hotel across town towards Martini Cove Vidcap by Rich Torkington in Mexico 2001

On the out-and-back, I didn’t do too badly, missing the buoy anchor by 8 feet or so (we had to surface to find out, but fortunately the depth was only 20 feet at the anchor).

During the second leg of the square pattern, my alternate air source starts free flowing, no doubt from being dragged through the sand on the bottom, and so I stop to clear the reg. In doing so, I sorta lose count of my fin cycles, and as I then complete the pattern, I figure there is no way we will end up at the anchor.

Completing the pattern and not seeing the anchor, Linda and I turn to each other and shrug. Then we move about 2 feet over to start our ascent, and lo and behold find the anchor right there! Both of us are pretty darned surprised! This is undeniably good navigation practice in such murky water. Two-star rating on this dive only because I found it.