Solid line indicates depth, dashes ("-") indicate decompression ceilings, bar ("|") represents cleared to surface.
Daily Log Report for Submitted by Richard Pyle |
| Not much to report today. It was the first day of major filming, so we spent a lot of time on the boat shooting sequences before getting in the water. The dive was plagued by delays of various sorts, so we ended up just bouncing to 300 feet and working our way back up the slope. Tomorrow we will return to the same spot, and the next day we will try a different site. |
| Dive Number 1 of 1 |
| Divers: | Richard Pyle, John Earle, Ken Corben, Pat Colin |
Solid line indicates depth, dashes ("-") indicate decompression ceilings, bar ("|") represents cleared to surface. |
| Max. Depth: 300 feet (91 meters) | Time: 12:30pm | Duration: 3 hr, 42 min |
| Location: | Augulpelu Reef; E side of reef; "D2" (07 16.41' N, 134 31.44' E). |
| Marine Life: | I collected a female Genicanthus bellus (a new record for Palau) at 300 feet, and John caught a small crab on a sea fan and an Apogon melanoproctus (a species already described by Jack Randall). Further up the slope John caught a tiny goby with a big reddish spot on the side. We also collected a wrasse that was similar to Bodianus opercularis, but it appeared to be different. Unfortunately, it escaped from the bucket when I was trying to get the Genicanthus out to vent its swimbladder with a hypodermic needle. Pat Colin collected another benthic ctenophore similar to the previous one, but reddish in color. |
| Remarks: |  We were
originally going to lay a guide line from the surface to
300 feet, but the line got hopelessly tangled so we
abandoned that plan. We staged a cylinder of nitrox at
100 feet, and left a cylinder of trimix at the bottom
--at the same terrace we have been to on previous days.
Both Adam (using conventional scuba) and Ken (using the
rebreather) filmed us making our descent. Ken followed us
all the way to 300 feet, while pushing the digital
Betacam in its huge housing. The photo above shows John
and I chasing some fish near a small cave on one side of
the terrace at 290 feet. |
| Disclaimer: Several aspects of the dive profile(s) illustrated above deviate from conventional wisdom regarding appropriate decompression procedures. The dives referred to on these web pages are of an experimental nature, and all persons involved with these dives are fully cognizant of the associated risks. The decompression practices followed on these dives are derived from published information, in conjunction with the many years of extensive experience of the divers involved. These practices have not been tested under controlled conditions, and may not work equally well for all divers. Kids, don't try this at home!! |
These daily reports made
possible through the generous support of Toshiba America.
| Previous Day | Next Day |
 Palau 'Twilight Zone'
ExpeditionReturn to the Palau 'Twilight Zone' expedition home page.
|
| Copyright 1997, by Bishop Museum. All rights reserved. All media are for the personal use of students, scholars and the public. Any commercial use or publication of them is strictly prohibited. |
