September 27, 2008 Dives - Shallow LCU, Land of Oz, and Land of Oz

So many things went wrong with my dive day on Saturday, September 27, 2008, that I should have just cancelled. About 10 minutes after I left the hotel I realized I had forgotten my new gloves. I was too late to go back and get them so I just went on. When I got on the boat and was getting all my gear ready, I realized my computer was back at the hotel in my briefcase. Without my computer, and with no tables and no depth guage, I was in a pickle for sure. Jen came to my rescue and loaned me her spare computer. That worked OK for the dives, but not for logging.

I dove with Jennifer (divemaster) from Ocean Concepts and John Braddock. We did three dives, Shallow LCU, an 85 foot deep landing craft wreck and two dives at Land of Oz, a 60 foot deep coral reef. I dove with John. I had a camera and a few others on the boat did as well. There were 19 divers and three "guides", so they paired up all the divers and the three guides each took a group.

Our group was the first in this time, and I was the first in the water. We congregated at the mooring line until all of our group was there and then descended.

DISASTER STRIKES!!

At 60 feet, I looked at my camera and there were a few air bubbles in the housing floating on sea water that was destroying the camera before my eyes. It was too late to do anything about it so, I just went ahead with the dive. The camera and the batteries (rechargable) are a total loss. Too soon to tell whether the card can be salvaged. By the end of the dive, the sea water in the housing looked like brown sludge! It was sickening to watch.

Commerson's Frogfish

I finished descending to the LCU and we went on a little tour around it looking in and under all the Z-blocks that are scattered around it for critters. Sometimes there are baby Whitetip Reef Sharks there, but not so on Saturday. For some reason, I had a hard time focusing on the dive - it was like being in a dream and just watching it all happen in slow motion. I looked at the stuff others pointed out, but wasn't really an active participant. My heart was just not in it.

Commerson's Frogfish

We saw several Commerson's Frogfish and several little tiny yellow flatworms or nudibranchs. No one really knows what they are - they just started showing up over the past two weeks and they are not in any of the books. When we all got down to about 900-1000 psi, we ascended and did a safety stop and then got out of the water.

Imperial Nudibranch

Yellow Noumea Nudibranch

As soon as I got on the boat, I opened the camera housing and removed the SD card. I rinsed it quickly in fresh water and then looked the camera over well. It is amazing how fast the corrosion process went. It is a total loss. I didn't think to remove the batteries until later, and probably could not have salvaged them anyway. The entire inside of the housing is covered with a brownish scum. Yuck!

When everyone was on-board again, we went back to the dock and traded the empty tanks from the first dive for full ones and then went to Land of Oz for the second and third dives.

Land of Oz is sort of like a muck dive. There are coral reef areas, but much of the bottom is just coral rubble and sand and there are lots of critters hanging out there. In addition to the ones that live in the muck, there are lots and lots of baby reef fish, so you see all these miniature versions of what you normally see. Since I didn't have a camera, I pulled out my backup light (it was still somewhat light since this was a twilight dive) and started looking for things in nooks and crannies and under rubble and coral heads, etc., and pointing them out to the other divers, especially those with cameras.

Dwarf Moray Eel

I saw lots of Banded Coral Shrimp and early in the dive came upon a little hole that had two small Banded Coral Shrimp hanging from the top of the hole and two little White-Stripe Cleaner Shrimp (they are the ones to get for an aquarium) in the bottom of the hole. I settled down close to the opening to watch for a minute and suddenly the two cleaner shrimp came jetting out of the hole to clean my mask and face! I held my hand out and one landed right on it and started trying to find loose bits of flesh with its pinchers. It was so cool.

Flameback Coral Shrimp & White-Stripe Cleaner Shrimp

I saw the first angelfish I have come across. It was a Potter's Angelfish. There were lots of Redspotted Sandperch, a Redstripe Pipefish, a Light-Spotted Sea Cucumber, and a Crowned Toby - all firsts. There were so many little tiny fish that it was hard to remember them all. Some look just like miniature versions of the adults, such as the Triggerfish, but some don't look like anything in any of the books I have seen. Right at the end of the dive there was a Decoy Scorpionfish, really red under light, but nearly transparaent and invisible without light.

Redspotted Sandperch

Unknown Eel

Hawaiian Red Lionfish (Turkeyfish)

With about 700 psi left, I ascended and did my three minute safety stop before getting out. We hung out on the boat for about an hour waiting for the surface interval and talked about the first two dives, and football, and living in Hawaii.

When John and I got in for the last dive, it was fully dark. This was his second night dive ever and really his first real night dive since the other one was for his Advanced Open Water certification and was similar to ours. We hung out at the bow of the boat for quite a while waiting for the rest of our group to get ready and join us. There was so much bioluminescence in the water! We turned our lights off and put snorkels on and just watched as we held the mooring line and kicked. It looked like we were kicking hot coals with white "sparks" shooting off our legs and fins.

When we got back down to the bottom, it was much like the twilight dive, except most of the baby reef fish were gone and the night fish - Hawaiian Squirrelfish and Iridescent Cardinalfish were everywhere. I saw a large Peacock Grouper hanging out in a cave in the coral along with several large lobsters. All I could see of them was their eyes glowing bright gold, so I don't know what kind they were.

Jen found a Spanish Dancer Nudibranch and poked it until it let go of the reef and started dancing in the water. We followed it for quite a while by keeping it in the beams of our lights. Most nudibranchs are tiny, about an inch or less long. This one was about six inches long and two inches wide and brilliant scarlet red. I also found a Red Dendrodoris Nudibranch which is the opposite extreme, less than an inch long. Before I knew it, our 45 minutes of bottom time was up and even though I still had lots of air, it was time to surface.

After a three minute safety stop, I still had 1200 psi left. I am getting much better at air usage.

September 24, 2008

Sundance

Sundance

Unlike the relatively monochrome nature of fall leaves in the Northeastern US, where there is not large variation in the species of trees, the mixed conifer/hardwood mountain valleys of the Rocky Mountains provide a myriad of colors in a single view. From the deep green of the conifers, the summer shades of green from deciduous trees that have not yet turned, to yellows, oranges and the deep red of the vine maples. Sundance, Provo Canyon, Utah County, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah, USA, September 24, 2008. f/5.4, 1/52 second, ISO 64.

September 13, 2008

Sandy Amphitheater

While waiting for a concert to begin we were admiring the sunset as the sun went down on the far side of the Salt Lake Valley. Right at the end, a rather nondescript sunset suddenly turned pretty. Sandy Amphitheater, Sandy, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA, September 13, 2008. f/4.1, 1/8 second, ISO 406.

September 6, 2008 Dives - Airplane Ledge & Mahi

On Saturday, September 6, 2008, I dove with Jennifer (divemaster) from Ocean Concepts. We did two dives, Airplane Ledge, a 105 foot deep airplane wreck and the Mahi, a 95 foot deep dive on a ship that was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef.

I dove with Jen who was the divemaster for our group. I had a camera and a few others on the boat did as well. There were 18 divers and three "guides", so they paired up all the divers and the three guides each took a group.

Our group was the first in this time, and I was the first in the water. We congregated at the mooring line until all of our group was there and then descended. The site consists of a deep coral reef at about 80 feet. It forms a ledge, hence the name, and falls off to about 105 feet where the airplane wreck, or what is left of it rests. It has been dragged out to deeper water several times by big storms and they have gone and found it and drug it back. All that is left is the wings and they are in pretty bad shape.

Yellowmargin Moray Eel

I like being buddy with a divemaster. I don’t have to keep track of them, they seem to all have good air consumption, and they have become comfortable with my dive skills and don’t hover near. That is nice, since once in a while it takes a few minutes to get a decent photo and they just tend the crowd.

Pustulose Phyllidia Nudibranch

The mooring line is anchored to the edge of the reef ledge, so we congregated there. While we were waiting for the others, I got a couple of good photos of a large Yellowmargin Moray Eel in a hole in the edge of the reef. We swam over the edge and down to the wreck and poked around there and took a few photos and then headed back to the reef. Along the way, I checked out a little cave in the reef and found some Flameback Coral Shrimp and Banded Coral Shrimp. Back on the reef, we came upon a large Antler Coral that had been torn apart. There was a Sleepy Sponge Crab sitting in the top of it and a large Day Octopus at the base of it and a lot of fish circling around it.

Flameback Coral Shrimp

During my safety stop, I took several photos of bubbles rising from divers below as well as a couple of the divers below me near the bottom. The visibility was very good – about 70 feet.

Day Octopus

For the second dive, I giant strided in and we congregated again at the mooring line until all of our group was there and then dropped down to the wreck. When the group was all there, we went over the side and down to the bottom.

White-Margin Nudibranch

We made a slow “tour” of the hull from the bottom. I got several good photos – a Banded Coral Shrimp, a White-Margin Nudibranch, a Whitemouth Moray Eel, a Yellowmargin Moray Eel, and a Desirable Nudibranch.

Yellowmargin Moray Eel

After the tour, we headed up onto the top of the wreck and just looked around for things to see. I went back to the mast and got a better photo of Orange Cup Coral to replace the badly out of focus one I got on a previous dive. I also got several good photos of a Leaf Scorpionfish.

Desirable Nudibranch

When my computer was down to 3 minutes of no-decompression time left, I signaled to Jen that I was out of bottom time on my computer and started a slow ascent up the mast before switching to the mooring line for the remainder of the ascent. Just for kicks, I swam over to the hang-bar part way through my safety stop and used one of the regs there for a while.

Leaf Scorpionfish

September 5, 2008 Night Dives - Mahi & Shallow LCU

On Friday, September 5, 2008, I dove with Jennifer (divemaster) from Ocean Concepts and Jody Rogers. We did two night dives, the Mahi, a 95 foot deep dive on a ship that was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef and Shallow LCU, an 80 foot deep dive on a Landing Craft that was sunk as an artificial reef.

There was a swell that had come in and stirred up the bottom on the shallow reefs, so we did two deep dives instead of a deep and a shallow. I dove with Jody. I had a camera as did most of the other divers. There were 13 divers and two "guides," so they paired up all the divers and the two guides each took a group.

Sculptured Slipper Lobster

Our group was the last in this time, and Jody and I were the last in the water. We got in just at dusk, grouped at the mooring line and headed down to the bottom. Jody was a little slow coming down so we ended up a little behind the group. Consequently, most of what I saw was already spooked or I had to look around where the group had just left to see if I could figure out what they were looking at. I did manage to get a few good photos.

Manybar Goatfish

When I had about 1200 psi left, Jody tapped me on the shoulder and showed me his guage. He was under 500 psi. Jen wasn't close by to reassign buddies, so I ascended with him and did a safety stop. He surfaced before my stop was done, since I suspect he was out of air. I still had 1000 psi when I got back on the boat.

Sleepy Sponge Crab

Either he had problems equalizing on the way down, or as he stated, had a squeeze on the way back up, but he was in pain from his left ear on the boat and then got seasick. That ended his night of diving.

After dinner, we got ready for the second dive. I was buddies with Jen, so I was the first from our group in the water. Just as I was getting in, one of the other divers discovered his first stage was leaking air, so they had to change that out. That delayed us a while. Then one gal got to the mooring line and her weight belt broke, so she had to get out and get new weights. The rest of us in the group just hung out in the water and watched the stars. They were gorgeous and there was little wind and no current so it was like floating in a warm bath watching the stars. The extended surface interval actually was good since it extended our bottom time for the dive.

Thomas's Urchin

Being buddies with Jen was good because it meant I was on the point of attack for this dive and saw pretty much everything. We did a lap of the top of the landing craft and then swam through it. There wasn't a lot to see except for several Desirable Nudibranchs. I got three photos of them, but was too close and they are all blurry. Sad. At the back end of the LCU, we discovered a large Commerson's Frogfish hanging out on the railing. They grow to about 15 inches and this one was all of that. It was huge. I got several photos of it, some of which are pretty good.

Commerson's Frogfish

We then went over the side and down to the bottom to check out a bunch of z-blocks that are near the LCU. Jen kept finding stuff in the open water and shining her light on it. It was really cool. We saw some Flameback Coral Shrimp and a Regal Slipper Lobster and then we went back to the LCU.

Regal Slipper Lobster

I found a Day Octopus in a hole in a handrail and everyone came and looked at it. I also found a Black-Lipped Pearl Oyster and took a few more photos of the frogfish. Jen's computer was a little more conservative than the rest of ours, so right after the octopus, she ascended and I stayed with Al and Rich until we were forced by our computers to leave as well.

Day Octopus

Missouri Church History Sites

Independence


Visitor's Center

There are few places on earth where the contrast between truth and error is so evident that it can be both seen and felt. One such place is Kirtland, OH. Independence, MO is another. One group clearly gets it. The others simply do not, and it is very evident. They have (or had) a little kernel of truth and they cling tightly to it, but don't have any real appreciation for what such a tiny little morsel it is in comparison to the feast they could be partaking of.






Liberty Jail





Visiting Joseph's Jail Temple is a sobering experience, yet not nearly so as was Carthage. Having read about the deplorable conditions in the Richmond jail where they were held prior to being interred here, and then to see the awful conditions they were forced to endure for the winter, the coldest on record, is heart rending. Knowing all that Joseph suffered and to have him always cheerful and ready to help anyone in need is a testament to the greatness of his soul and the sure knowledge he had of the truth of the work he was engaged in.

Far West








Just like in Independence, only much more so, Far West seems to be just waiting for all the promises made there to be fulfilled. It is a sleepy little farming community, not really even a community - just a few farms, the temple lot, and another small church. I suppose were it not for the Church and its influence drawing visitors there to see the temple lot, even the name would have been forgotten by now. It is hard to imagine a community of over 5000 - all vestiges have now disappeared save the cornerstones. It is even harder to imagine what it will one day look like in the future!

Haun's Mill




Haun's Mill is a haunting reminder of man's inhumanity to man. Looking at it today, you would never imagine a thriving community. The exterminating order did not just drive the Mormons from the state of Missouri, it also exterminated all trace of them. But for the small broken stone plaque, there is nothing to mark the place. It reminds me of Isaiah 34 and the description of Idumea, or the world, following the destruction of the wicked. It is a sober, thought provoking place for me.

Adam-ondi-Ahman






Adam-ondi-Ahman is the one site here that is not melancholy to me. It represents both the past and the future. D&C107:53-56, 116:1, and Daniel 7:13-14, 22:

"Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
"And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.
"And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.
"And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation."

"Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet."

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."



Isn't she pretty? One of my new favorite photos.