Dive #149 - Rich Torkington's Dive Log

The Sombre was coated with grunts, snappers, and these schools of goatfish.
Videograph by Rich Torkington in Bahamas 2003

Dive Journal: The gear routine on the AquaCat is easy to get used to. We return to the boat, hand up our fins (optional), climb on board, and receive an immediate warm fresh water shower right on the platform. We then climb up to the dive deck, return to our suiting up station, put the scuba unit back into the rack, and remove and cap the first stage. The crew then quickly fills the tank again, usually within 5 minutes, and the rig is good to go again. As they say on Shawshank Redemption, “Easy Peesy Japaneesy.” The boat also has a great H/C shower right on the dive deck, which sees plenty of use.

The AquaCat motors a short distance, and after our surface interval we attend Lars’ briefing for the next site, the wreck of The Sombre.

This wreck is blanketed with blue stripe and french grunts, with a healthy smattering of porkfish. There is a neat crow’s nest that sticks up some 15 feet into the water. A few yellow stingrays are around as well, the first of many we see here in the Bahamas. I also see a big glass eye sweeper beneath the hull of The Sombre near the end of the dive.

My camera video sticks on zoom again for the first half of the dive, and I later fix it by removing the main battery and replacing it. Some kind of logic flaw.

Do I have to study, Dad?
Videograph by Rich Torkington in Bahamas 2003

Johnny has already begun his book work towards his Advanced cert, and he’s already covered several chapters. Gavin is his lead instructor, while both Mark and Lars will pitch in as well.