tomy2tums
21-03-07, 22:48
Artic Dive Center, Chupa, White Sea, NW Russia.
Out of all the countries I have been too, whether it’s Europe, north America, or Africa, I have always been able to speak a few words of each language. Unfortunately the only words in Russian I know are Micheal Gorbachov and glasnost.
To say it is in the Artic Circle, is being kind. It must be only 5 miles inside the circle, if that!
Head colds and blocked sinuses are bad when diving, but good for spending 27 ½ hours on a 25 year old Russian sleeper train that needs a good clean….
The dive centre is owned and operated by Dive Russia www.dive.ru , the oldest and largest diving school in Russia.
Travelled form Edinburgh to Moscow Domodovo via Heathrow using BA, as you get the extra free allowance for sports equipment. They still managed to loose my bags. I went 5 days with the same clothes on, and my diving gear only arrived in Moscow the day I flew home, grrrr…
Anyway, arrived in Moscow only to find my bags had not arrived. Our hosts helped in everyway, getting the airport staff to help us fill out the necessary forms. Once we had cleared customs, Ilha bought us new SIM cards for out phones, as the GSM network coverage at the dive station is only served by one network. Then we were of for a night time tour of Moscow.
Cold, very very cold, -15°C and it felt even less, due to the humidity.
The Red Square was not as big as I had imagined, with St. Basils Cathedral down to one end, Lenin’s mausoleum on another side. Opposite the tomb just 50m away, is a ice skating rink, decorated like Princess Street gardens or George Square at Christmas. Stalin must be turning in his grave…
Then off to the train for out 27 ½ hour journey north.
Monday
Arrived early morning, and went to bed for a few hours.
We got 1 training dive, (out of 3), just getting used to diving in water that’s -2°C. Using the tender (rope).
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/TrainingDive1.jpg
Since my diving gear was AWOL, I was using the dive centers stuff. Good gear but it takes a while to get used to. Especially the fins, I haven’t used planks of wood for a while, and their not a patch on my bio-fins. Any way, I saw a Sea Angel on this dive, hadn’t a clue what it was until I got to the surface.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/SeaAngel.jpg
Once in the water, we popped just under the ice for a check stop, corrected weights and then we swam in a circle around the mina as number 2 diver. The worst part of ice diving is coming to the surface, as when you face breaks he water you lips feel pain, and I mean pain, very very cold pain.
Once out of the water, we sit on the edge of the mina and are helped off with our tender, bcd, weights, fins, mask etc. then straight into the heated cabin to get the suit off.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/TrainingDive.jpg
Then a snow sledge ride back to the dive station for banya, shower, and dinner.
NOTE: I explained to my wife about Russian traditional banyas, (sauna), and how it was customary to go naked. Now I’m not comfortable with walking into a sauna full of strangers with my tadger swinging free. She seemed to think I was on some kind of gay holiday…. So I wore a towel to protect my pride; the water was cold, very cold infact and at some point I was technically female.
Tuesday
After a good night’s sleep, a healthy porridge breakfast, 2 more training dives.
2nd training dive, being diver number one and sending and receiving rope signals, then went through a load of assisted out of air assent drills, buddy breathing and buddy finning.
3rd training dive
First exercise was to reel in and gather tender under water, it took 2 attempts, then and emergency accent just under ice to mina, and to finish off an emergency assent from the sea bed.
The emergency accents were really good fun, sliding on the ice, upside down being pulled by the rope, ok you had to be there.
Wednesday
1st dive on Small Cross Island, 10m max, 22min bottom time.
A small kinda wall with small life
2nd dive on Big Cross Island, 16.2m max 24 min bottom time
A huge rock with loads of life
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/BigCrossIsland.jpg
Out of all the countries I have been too, whether it’s Europe, north America, or Africa, I have always been able to speak a few words of each language. Unfortunately the only words in Russian I know are Micheal Gorbachov and glasnost.
To say it is in the Artic Circle, is being kind. It must be only 5 miles inside the circle, if that!
Head colds and blocked sinuses are bad when diving, but good for spending 27 ½ hours on a 25 year old Russian sleeper train that needs a good clean….
The dive centre is owned and operated by Dive Russia www.dive.ru , the oldest and largest diving school in Russia.
Travelled form Edinburgh to Moscow Domodovo via Heathrow using BA, as you get the extra free allowance for sports equipment. They still managed to loose my bags. I went 5 days with the same clothes on, and my diving gear only arrived in Moscow the day I flew home, grrrr…
Anyway, arrived in Moscow only to find my bags had not arrived. Our hosts helped in everyway, getting the airport staff to help us fill out the necessary forms. Once we had cleared customs, Ilha bought us new SIM cards for out phones, as the GSM network coverage at the dive station is only served by one network. Then we were of for a night time tour of Moscow.
Cold, very very cold, -15°C and it felt even less, due to the humidity.
The Red Square was not as big as I had imagined, with St. Basils Cathedral down to one end, Lenin’s mausoleum on another side. Opposite the tomb just 50m away, is a ice skating rink, decorated like Princess Street gardens or George Square at Christmas. Stalin must be turning in his grave…
Then off to the train for out 27 ½ hour journey north.
Monday
Arrived early morning, and went to bed for a few hours.
We got 1 training dive, (out of 3), just getting used to diving in water that’s -2°C. Using the tender (rope).
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/TrainingDive1.jpg
Since my diving gear was AWOL, I was using the dive centers stuff. Good gear but it takes a while to get used to. Especially the fins, I haven’t used planks of wood for a while, and their not a patch on my bio-fins. Any way, I saw a Sea Angel on this dive, hadn’t a clue what it was until I got to the surface.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/SeaAngel.jpg
Once in the water, we popped just under the ice for a check stop, corrected weights and then we swam in a circle around the mina as number 2 diver. The worst part of ice diving is coming to the surface, as when you face breaks he water you lips feel pain, and I mean pain, very very cold pain.
Once out of the water, we sit on the edge of the mina and are helped off with our tender, bcd, weights, fins, mask etc. then straight into the heated cabin to get the suit off.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/TrainingDive.jpg
Then a snow sledge ride back to the dive station for banya, shower, and dinner.
NOTE: I explained to my wife about Russian traditional banyas, (sauna), and how it was customary to go naked. Now I’m not comfortable with walking into a sauna full of strangers with my tadger swinging free. She seemed to think I was on some kind of gay holiday…. So I wore a towel to protect my pride; the water was cold, very cold infact and at some point I was technically female.
Tuesday
After a good night’s sleep, a healthy porridge breakfast, 2 more training dives.
2nd training dive, being diver number one and sending and receiving rope signals, then went through a load of assisted out of air assent drills, buddy breathing and buddy finning.
3rd training dive
First exercise was to reel in and gather tender under water, it took 2 attempts, then and emergency accent just under ice to mina, and to finish off an emergency assent from the sea bed.
The emergency accents were really good fun, sliding on the ice, upside down being pulled by the rope, ok you had to be there.
Wednesday
1st dive on Small Cross Island, 10m max, 22min bottom time.
A small kinda wall with small life
2nd dive on Big Cross Island, 16.2m max 24 min bottom time
A huge rock with loads of life
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o315/tomy2tums/BigCrossIsland.jpg