Last week I headed up to Auckland to attend PADI’s Course Director update where the new Instructor Development curriculum was released. The PADI IDC has always been the leading instructor program and this new curriculum will insure it stays that way for quite some time.

The old program which has been around for 5 years was quite boring on todays standards, mainly due to the rapid advancement of the Internet and online training techniques etc. The new program embraces developing technology and offers an e-learning component, meaning candidates can start their development on-line and then attend a 4 day live development session with one of PADI’s Course Directors.

Go Dive being Marlborough’s only Instructor Development Centre will be offering this on-line option for our next IDC and we look forward to running the new curriculum which is more hands on and interactive.

If you are keen on developing through to this level give me a call to talk about the training options and career possibilities.

Safe Diving

Brent

Go Dive

In the absence of a Lermontov Lodge trip last weekend we headed out to Cape Jackson for a reef dive. The weather was as expected windy, and surface conditions choppy, but we managed to work our way into the lee of Waihi Point, one of my favorite reef dives.

Waihi Point is one step back from Cape Jackson and subject to a bit of current. Current means fish and that is just what we got. Off the point the reef drops down to a sandy bottom at 20 metres, right on the tip of the reef and just out off the current there is a wall where you can hide from the current and watch the fish action. Out of all my thousands of dives, I would have to say I have never seen so many fish in one spot at one time. Schools of Butterfly Perch, Tarakihi and very large Blue Moki come in to check us out. it was a great sight to see such a large bio-mass of fish not normally seen other than in a reserve.

Leather Jacket on the Koi

Through this week we have been busy with Inner Sounds tours and training. The water temp has risen to over 17 degrees now, bringing with it schools of Trevelly and Moki onto the Koi wreck.

The weather is looking a bit windy for the next few days, but we are expecting a good weekend. We have a number of things happing over the weekend so give us a call if you want to splash.

I have had a number of responses to my last blog about Artifact collection, all agreeing with our Collection Edict. Let me know what you think!

Safe diving

Brent

Go Dive

Collection of artifacts from wrecks has always been a controversial subject and will continue to be so as long as wrecks are dived and new wrecks found.

Recently a North Island based operator who runs the odd trip to the Lermontov decided to put a general call out to all operators to ban all artifact collection from the wreck, an unusual move considering he has featured recently in the local dive magazine with bells taken off both the Lermontov and Port Kembla. One can only speculate why he feels this change is now seen necessary, I have my views which are best kept to myself.

Go Dive Marlborough have a clear policy when it comes to artifact collection from the Lermontov, I have checked the legality of removing artifacts from the wreck and know both morally and legally we are have nothing to worry about, as long as our guests keep to our Artifact Collection Edict.

Go Dive Artifact Collection Edict

• No artifact collection on day tours
• Only artifacts taken from inside the wreck beyond recreational limits and using deep penetration techniques and equipment can be taken.
• Only artifacts of interest that will be displayed or used can be taken, ie cans of beer, dolls etc stay in the wreck.
• No fixtures can be removed from the wreck.
• No artifacts can be sold or traded.
• We encourage conservatism when collecting items. Leave some for others to enjoy.
• Don’t kill yourself doing it.

A small number of other operators dive the wreck on an occasional bases, some have decided to follow the total ban, others not. Go Dive is the only local operator doing regular technical & recreational dives to the wreck, we are the only local operator that allows artifact collection and the only local operator that has the experience and equipment to undertake guided deep penetration dives.

Having a celebratory meal at the end of each Lodge charter/trip on a complete Morflot dinner set from the Lermontov is quite a special event. The Morflot dinner set was found deep inside the wreck in half a metre of mud, by experienced Adrea Doria & U869 divers and Go Dive staff. If it was left in the wreck it would have never been enjoyed again and lost forever.

The Lermontov is known as the Andrea Doria of the Pacific, without the 80m + depth price tag. This leaves plenty of time for exploration into areas not seen since she sunk. Join us on one of our regular tours and help us discover new areas, but be careful deep penetration is addictive.

safe diving

Brent

Go Dive

Last weekends group to visit Port Gore had the bonus of being accompanied by Melville, a juvenile Bottle Nose dolphin. The dolphin seems to be quite young and quite possibly the calf of Maui a Bottle Nose dolphin that has been a regular in the Kaikoura and Marlborough Sounds region for over 15 years now.

From early Friday to Sunday, Melville spent all his/her time cruising around the cove, swimming into water as shallow as 1 metre and rubbing on our stern rope. Some of the group who took the time to jump in for a swim had a number of close encounters although Melville was generally quite shy when approached.  When I returned back to the Lermontov on Monday on a day trip, Melville was still their, maybe he/she will become a permanent resident.

MELVILLE THE DOLPHIN, PHOTO BY CLAIRE MURPHY

The visibility on the wreck seems to holding up still, but we were subjected to a bit of a weather bomb Saturday morning so decided to dive on the mussel farm rather than be subjected to the sever weather conditions further out in the Bay. The mussel farm dive proved interesting with sightings of seahorses and many other smaller critters.

By the afternoon the sun was shining again and we managed another Lermontov dive, followed by a dolphin swim and then a night dive in the Cove.

On Sunday we dived the Lermontov in the morning, and after lunch headed out for a last dive on the Rangitoto, a steel streamer that hit the same reef as the Lermontov and sunk in 1873. This wreck although broken up is a very nice dive, alive with reef fish.

Thanks to the group from Dive HQ for diving with Go Dive, we look forward to diving again with you in the near future.

 Up-coming Lermontov Lodge Port Gore events:

4/5/6th March 3 day trip to the Lodge 3 spaces

19/20/21 March 3 day club trip to the Lodge

23/24/25th April TDI Adv Nitrox and Deco Procedures course at the Lodge

1/2/3/4/5th may KISS rebreather course at the lodge

Safe diving

Brent

Go Dive

Two spaces have just come available for a 3 day Lermontov Lodge trip on March 4/5/6th. Travel in on Wednesday the 3rd and come out Sunday the 7th.

Contact me at 0800 GODIVE if your keen.

Safe Diving

Brent

The weather turned it on for last weekends group of Lermontov divers, both Saturday and Sunday were  and nearly windless. However the weekend was a good example of even if the surface conditions are good the underwater visibility can be unpredictable and change in as little as one tide. Saturday’s vis was as low as 2 metres on the out side, with Sunday being up to 10 metres plus in some areas of the wreck.

The vis didn’t matter to much to those of us that ventured into the bowls of the wreck, I introduced KISS diver and NZ distributor Paul Trainor to the Leningrad restaurant, this is a fantastic dive with vis as good as your light source. Over the weekend we visited the Leningrad and kitchen on a number of dives and found some interesting little cubby holes worth a return visit.

Congratulations to Jasper and Tim who completed their Advanced Openwater Plus course with Go Dive over the weekend and Marek who finished off his Wreck Specialty.

Weekend dive group

Warren and Steve dived with slings for the first time along with Guy as their trusted leader, over the period of the weekend they visited areas of the wreck previously unaccessible to those on single cylinders and really enjoyed the extra security of having a  redundant system inside the wreck and extra gas at the end of the dive to extend their run time while exploring the shallower parts on the out side.

Thanks to everyone for diving with Go Dive and I look forward to having a blast again on next weekends trip which is now full.

Safe Diving

Brent

Last weekends Lodge trip was a combination of the best it gets and the worst it gets.

Saturday was unbelievable and the group from Awesome Scuba managed 4 superb dives, the vis on the Lerm was still holding and water temp right up. But as expected it was the calm before the storm with a 50 knot + Southerly blowing us out on the Sunday. Thanks Dom and the crew for diving with Go Dive

The southerly has been slowly dying out over the week and we enjoyed a nice day at Long Island Marine Reserve yesterday, we have also been pretty busy with Open water and Specialty training.

Tonite we are off again to the Lodge with a full crew, again expecting great conditions tomorrow with another southerly on Sunday. Hopefully not as blowy as last Sunday’s. I have 2 spaces on a 3 day trip to the Lodge next Friday, Saturday, Sunday if your keen to come out and see what it is all about.

Also watch this space for details on a KISS rebreather course coming up early May, this will be run entirely out at the Lermontov Lodge over 5 days.

Shaun from Melbourne on his Optima

Have a good weekend and hope you get wet.

Safe Diving

Brent