Hello All. I'm back from my Bahamas trip and wanted to give you a report. I received many helpful tips and advice here, so I'd like to repay that a bit with some trip observations...
All my pool practicing really paid off. On our first day out from Bimini on Geoffrey Hannan's 90' Indigo (Dolphin swims, swimming with dolphins in Bimini, eco-oriented wild dolphin swims), we had lots of interaction with a pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenella frontalis). They varied from a few to up to 15-20 at a time. Since this was our first day out (11 guests, 3 crew), we only had X amount of free time with the dolphins, but that time was spectacular. We were in 25-30' of blue, clear water on the Bahama Banks, and the dolphins wanted to play. Take a look at the dolphins shots; I'm the human with the Mares Avanti Tre bi-fins and the black rash guard. (all photos courtesy and © of boat biologist Mark Corcoran)
My descents were smooth and ear-clearing worked well. My dive times weren't long (I always forgot to start my watch, so I'm just guessing that they were in the 45 sec range), and it was hard to relax at the surface with all the action going on underneath me.
You'll notice that my arms are at my sides. We were specifically instructed by Capn' Geoffrey to do this. Apparently, reaching out to touch the dolphins is considered an aggressive act and they leave the area. I really had to concentrate to not reach out. The really neat thing is that the dolphins follow you down and then as you ascend, they circle around you (see the one pic where I'm in the middle of them). They came so close (inches) that I was stunned, and when one of them came right up next to me and looked me dead in the eyes with its eye, I was immobilized with awe. It was a gentle, inquisitive eye, and I could have stayed there forever.
At the end of this first day (after the dolphins had moved on), the sandy bottom was too tempting, so after a couple of attempts, I reached and grabbed the sand at 25-30' or 8-9 meters. This was the deepest I had ever gone. Relaxing on the surface and on the way down was the trick for me. On my last dive, the boat captain was sitting on the bottom and he saw me descending and motioned for me to join him. I did, and we both ended up sitting on the bottom and grinning at each other. When I finally looked up at the surface and the boat, I realized that I was an air-breathing mammal, so I relunctantly headed back up.
Unfortunately, we caught some weather after that great first day and were stuck in port for the next few days (although we had lots to on or around Bimini). On the final full day we did two reef dives (see other photos), and I tried out a monofin. (can anyone tell me which mono that is? I think it's a Waterways Nemo(?), but don't know which one) I wasn't used to the stiff monofin, so I eventually traded for some Mares Volo Race bi-fins and also some very long Hammerhead/Nemo/Waterway bi-fins (I swapped with the photographer). Those were very cool (sorry, no pictures).
All in all, it was a great trip, and the freediving went better than expected. I have you and lots of pool practicing to thank.
HJ
All my pool practicing really paid off. On our first day out from Bimini on Geoffrey Hannan's 90' Indigo (Dolphin swims, swimming with dolphins in Bimini, eco-oriented wild dolphin swims), we had lots of interaction with a pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenella frontalis). They varied from a few to up to 15-20 at a time. Since this was our first day out (11 guests, 3 crew), we only had X amount of free time with the dolphins, but that time was spectacular. We were in 25-30' of blue, clear water on the Bahama Banks, and the dolphins wanted to play. Take a look at the dolphins shots; I'm the human with the Mares Avanti Tre bi-fins and the black rash guard. (all photos courtesy and © of boat biologist Mark Corcoran)
My descents were smooth and ear-clearing worked well. My dive times weren't long (I always forgot to start my watch, so I'm just guessing that they were in the 45 sec range), and it was hard to relax at the surface with all the action going on underneath me.
You'll notice that my arms are at my sides. We were specifically instructed by Capn' Geoffrey to do this. Apparently, reaching out to touch the dolphins is considered an aggressive act and they leave the area. I really had to concentrate to not reach out. The really neat thing is that the dolphins follow you down and then as you ascend, they circle around you (see the one pic where I'm in the middle of them). They came so close (inches) that I was stunned, and when one of them came right up next to me and looked me dead in the eyes with its eye, I was immobilized with awe. It was a gentle, inquisitive eye, and I could have stayed there forever.
At the end of this first day (after the dolphins had moved on), the sandy bottom was too tempting, so after a couple of attempts, I reached and grabbed the sand at 25-30' or 8-9 meters. This was the deepest I had ever gone. Relaxing on the surface and on the way down was the trick for me. On my last dive, the boat captain was sitting on the bottom and he saw me descending and motioned for me to join him. I did, and we both ended up sitting on the bottom and grinning at each other. When I finally looked up at the surface and the boat, I realized that I was an air-breathing mammal, so I relunctantly headed back up.
Unfortunately, we caught some weather after that great first day and were stuck in port for the next few days (although we had lots to on or around Bimini). On the final full day we did two reef dives (see other photos), and I tried out a monofin. (can anyone tell me which mono that is? I think it's a Waterways Nemo(?), but don't know which one) I wasn't used to the stiff monofin, so I eventually traded for some Mares Volo Race bi-fins and also some very long Hammerhead/Nemo/Waterway bi-fins (I swapped with the photographer). Those were very cool (sorry, no pictures).
All in all, it was a great trip, and the freediving went better than expected. I have you and lots of pool practicing to thank.
HJ
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