man the diver he said!
That's me by the way, my job just because I'm PADI qualified... what an excuse if ever I heard one! The last dive I did was in Mallorca over 20 years ago with a 'buddy' partner. This time I'm on my own in the month of April in cooler water, poor visibility and underneath a yacht! OK, we're only talking a depth of 1-3 meters but needless to say I wasn't looking forward to this at all.
I kept thinking to myself that in hindsight we shouldn't have purchased the mini dive set, that way we would have no alternative but to call in a professional diver and pay for the service... money well spent in my opinion right now! Still, I wasn't going to let my nerves get the better of me so with me kitted out in a wetsuit, fins, tank, weights and helmet (thanks Simon and Jenny for the helmet recommendation) I entered the water to catch my breath whilst overlooked by my 'buddy' (aka. Bruce) who felt it necessary to video the whole experience using our new action camera!
The tank holds approximately 10 minutes of air if you breathe slowly. I knew that it wouldn't take me long to remove the rubbish from the propeller just as long as I was acclimatised to the water temperature. Once in the water I spent the first 10 minutes hanging off the boarding ladder just catching my breath. Someone once said that by peeing in a wetsuit it can make you warmer, so I did but it was short lived. It may work well wearing a full wetsuit but it certainly doesn't in a shorty!
With my body acclimatised, Bruce passed me a dive knife on a rope that I could attach to my wrist just in case I accidentally dropped it. I moved into position, focused the mind and submerged. The propeller came into view and I slowly untangled the net wrapped around it. There is something strange, almost eerie about working underneath a hull. The visibility didn't help my overactive mind but within minutes I had the job done. Phew. I passed the rubbish back to Bruce who handed me another tool this time to clear off some of the larger barnacles from the propellers which I duly did but it was exhausting and before I knew it I had used most of the air left in the tank. Job done.
We're less than 48 hours into our journey to the Med and already we've caught something on the prop. What are the chances of that!
Our propellers are set aside port and starboard so the odds of us picking up rubbish are greater than a conventional configuration where the propeller is protected behind a keel or skeg. As a result diving underneath Flirtie may be something that I'll have to get used to. Next time, I'll wear a pair of gloves to protect my hands as those barnacles are tough critters.
Whilst out in the boatyard last year we were going to fit rope cutters but unfortunately found the shafts to be just too short to accommodate the cutter. Bruce informs me now that this is not a major problem to overcome but does make it more complicated and means more expenditure.
Below is a short video to keep you entertained! Enjoy.
I kept thinking to myself that in hindsight we shouldn't have purchased the mini dive set, that way we would have no alternative but to call in a professional diver and pay for the service... money well spent in my opinion right now! Still, I wasn't going to let my nerves get the better of me so with me kitted out in a wetsuit, fins, tank, weights and helmet (thanks Simon and Jenny for the helmet recommendation) I entered the water to catch my breath whilst overlooked by my 'buddy' (aka. Bruce) who felt it necessary to video the whole experience using our new action camera!
The tank holds approximately 10 minutes of air if you breathe slowly. I knew that it wouldn't take me long to remove the rubbish from the propeller just as long as I was acclimatised to the water temperature. Once in the water I spent the first 10 minutes hanging off the boarding ladder just catching my breath. Someone once said that by peeing in a wetsuit it can make you warmer, so I did but it was short lived. It may work well wearing a full wetsuit but it certainly doesn't in a shorty!
With my body acclimatised, Bruce passed me a dive knife on a rope that I could attach to my wrist just in case I accidentally dropped it. I moved into position, focused the mind and submerged. The propeller came into view and I slowly untangled the net wrapped around it. There is something strange, almost eerie about working underneath a hull. The visibility didn't help my overactive mind but within minutes I had the job done. Phew. I passed the rubbish back to Bruce who handed me another tool this time to clear off some of the larger barnacles from the propellers which I duly did but it was exhausting and before I knew it I had used most of the air left in the tank. Job done.
We're less than 48 hours into our journey to the Med and already we've caught something on the prop. What are the chances of that!
Our propellers are set aside port and starboard so the odds of us picking up rubbish are greater than a conventional configuration where the propeller is protected behind a keel or skeg. As a result diving underneath Flirtie may be something that I'll have to get used to. Next time, I'll wear a pair of gloves to protect my hands as those barnacles are tough critters.
Whilst out in the boatyard last year we were going to fit rope cutters but unfortunately found the shafts to be just too short to accommodate the cutter. Bruce informs me now that this is not a major problem to overcome but does make it more complicated and means more expenditure.
Below is a short video to keep you entertained! Enjoy.
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