Solo Diving without a submerisible pressure gauge (SPG) on the Little Coral Knoll

Got to the beach and set up on the Yellow tank only to learn it had but 1800 psi.  Switched tanks to one with 3234 psi.  Got in the water at 6:15 am. When I was swimming out, however, the computer was not reading anything.  I think the battery in the transmitter is dead.  Decided to dive, anyway.  Just like the old days, when I first learned to dive. I had to watch my dive time and be aware of my location in case I ran out of air.

Went to the Big Rock and then the smaller rock.  From there, I headed 130 degrees and got to the knoll.  Went by the knee-high coral, the counter-weight and some blocks.  Had a little excitement with a wave runner or whatever those things are called.  Someone came screaming by heading South and using my dive flag as part of his slalom course.  He made a wide turn, then came screaming back headed North and hit the flag and jerked the reel out of my hand as he went by.  Unfortunately, this happens fairly often.  I've even had boaters stop and try to take my flag.  Too bad the fat c***suckers in the red leather chairs can't limit their meddling to things that actually need fixed. The dive flag frequently poses a danger when shore diving and they should really let divers decided whether to carry one or not.  Then again, maybe they own stock in a flag manufacturing firm. That would explain a lot.


For most of the dive, I just hung with the fish on the knoll and took pictures.   Took portraits like this one of 4 White Grunts in a sea rod,

 this shot of a Blackbar Soldierfish on the knoll,

 this shot of a Gray Angelfish,

and this little crab on the knoll.

Got some shots of the Graysby Grouper.

 Even had a little turtle swim with me for a while on the knoll.

Made a side trip out to the Port-hole Rocks and took pictures of a Nurse Shark

and a Red Grouper.




Then headed back to the beach via the smaller rock.  I surfaced with my dive time at 141 minutes.  Without the air integration, I have no idea what my Respiratory Minute Volume was.  I just know I wasn't out of air yet when I got out.  After 103 solo dives this year, some of which were only 90 minutes in January and February, my average dive time is 127.09 minutes for solo dives. I am apparently calmer and more composed on my own.