A group of happy night divers at the surface

Brain Corals beauitful at night

Peacock Flounder at the bottom of Carlisle Bay

I hope you have had some fantastic diving today in St. Lucia.

Thank you for your feedback! Happy & Safe Diving

Christine

Water temperature 28 Celsius, ~ 80 Fahrenheit
Visibility – averaging ~50 ft.

At this time of year we get a periodic shift from blue water to greenish water. This colour change is due to  the nutrient rich waters coming up from South America (Amazon and Orinoco) during the raining season.  It is very nutrient rich water and can encourage growth of the smaller herbivorous creatures (building the food chain from the bottom up) and attracts the larger filter feeders such as manta rays.  The occurrence of the ‘green water’ shifts from day to day and is intermittent with our regular boastful Barbados Blue (vis up to 100 ft).

Currents and weather systems are acute and historically yes we are below the hurricane belt (shhhh, we want to stay that way).  Either way we are exactly on the south-west corner of Barbados so when the currents south are too strong we head leeward (west) and visa verse.

Star fish in Carlisle Bay

divers looking good

Spotted Eagle Ray gliding over a sand channel full of Garden Eels

Although not a focused shot this picture shows well the head shape of an Eagle Ray for those of us that get them confused with the manta or southern sting ray. Note the distinctive forehead and beak and barbs on the base of the tail.

Green Sea Turtle on a Turtle and Shipwreck snorkel excursion. Yes he was that close! Taken by Ajhanii Miller

Taken by Mike Barrett

Scuba diving in Carlisle Bay Marine Park is a great place to spot one of these Golden Spotted Snake Eels.  Although found on all reefs these ‘snakes’ are most often seen scavenging for food in holes in the sand, but they will never stray too far from shelter. For these reasons they are often seen in Carlisle Bay between the wrecks, anchors and pylons.

They have a nice set of teeth, but unlike their pacific look-a-likes known as sea snakes, these eels are not venomous.  Golden spotted eels will typically allow divers to approach, just watch your buoyancy and keep your fingers to yourselves.

For the Gentlemen:
Alcohol and scuba do not mix
It results in irresponsible behaviour,
And there’s something about compressed air
That gives rum a peculiar flavour

For the Ladies:
If your buddy is also your partner,
And he’s dangerously low on air,
Consider your insurance options
And negotiate from there

For the Gentlemen:
If you have to wee in your wetsuit,
Remove your boots with great care,
Because contrary to all expectation
It will have accumulated there.

For the Ladies:
NEVER pass wind in your wetsuit,
For the bubbles expand as you rise,
And by the time you’ve reached the surface
Your backside will have doubled in size.

But most important: find a great team,
Who’ll teach you everything that they know.
Hand over all of your money,
Buddy up, and you’re ready to go.

Serena & Vic Maundrell, Nov 08

1) getting your wrist awkwardly stuck stretching yourself in all sorts of wrong positions

2) preventing the gadget from breaking, coming loose or jumping off the wrist

All else fails use tie-wraps/cable ties to keep those valuables where they belong.

For brand new masks leave tooth paste on the lenses overnight and rinse off just before the dive (gives an extra minty fresh sensation as a bonus).  Depending on the mask some help to place them in the freezer overnight and others to soak in a bucket of diluted dish soap.

Finally, once you find the perfect mask, hold onto it!