Open Water Dives 3 and 4 on the Little Coral Knoll

Javier and the girls got to the apartment at 7:30 am, but we sorted through gear for a bit and didn't get to the Park until 8:15 am. Luis was waiting. Leo got there closer to 9:00 am. We geared up and walked to the beach, swam out to the swim buoy and kept swimming on the surface out to the Eastern Ledge. I wanted to find 40 feet of water for the CESA, but the current was to the South despite the North wind. We spent about 30 minutes swimming to the ledge and another 10 or 15 trying to head North.

I finally gave up and we did the ascents from 27 feet. The ascent rate under the RDP table is 60 ft/minute, but Suunto uses a 30 ft/minute rate, so my computer is screaming at me during the controlled emergency swimming ascents. But the students all made the ascents just fine, including the CESAs.

After completing the ascents, we swam West along the bottom to the beach. Got set to the South quite a bit, but we made the beach.

Bottom temperature was 78 degrees; dive time was 62 minutes; consumption rate was 31.74 psi/minute at an average depth of 18 feet and my SAC rate was 20.54 psi/minute on an aluminum 80

Leo lead the dive to the Little Coral Knoll. We swam on the surface out to the swim buoy, then descended on the Big Rock. I got this shot of a Spotted Scorpionfish on the Rock.

I also got this shot of a Porkfish on top of the Rock.

Then we all headed to the smaller rock and I got this shot of a Gray Angelfish along the way.

This is the Giant Anemone on the smaller rock just South of the Big Rock off Tower 15.


From the smaller rock, I sort of wandered along my landmark path past the knee high coral, the decorated sea rod and to the Sand Sea. At the Sand Sea, I looked back saw that the students were following me, not Leo. We went across the Sand Sea and then South to the counter weight then 120 degrees past the bare sea rod, the red and green coral but then, of course, I missed the knoll. We were close, so I poked my head up and saw Leo's flag. We swam that way and found the knoll.


We hovered over the knoll for a while, and I got this shot of a Bicolor Damselfish.

and this shot of a White Grunt on the knoll.

Leo headed off to the Porthole Rocks with the students. I followed and noticed that he no longer had the flag. I caught him and asked, but he had not noticed it was missing. I went up again and spotted it about 20 yards North, so I swam after it. Once I caught it, I swam South, hoping to meet up with the group, which I did.








We went back to the knoll for a bit, then swam in to the beach. Spotted a little Green Sea Turtle as we got to the white sand and I got this shot.

Nice dive.



Bottom temperature was 78 degrees; dive time was 92 minutes, consumption was 24.82 psi/minute at an average depth of 14 feet and my SAC rate was 17.42 psi/minute on an aluminum 80.