Welcome to Total Bottom Time!
Total Bottom Time is my online personal dive log. A place where I can share my dives with friends, family, other divers, and the world. You can find out a bit more about me and see my full log of dives by clicking on my profile on the right. Feel free to subscribe to my dives via email or RSS.
Below are just some of my latest dives.
Latest Dives
The Maze |
February 25, 2024 |
Our final dive of the trip to Kaikōura was a shore dive to a site called the Maze. The rocks on the far right in the pics below make up the underwater maze.
The Maze
I was navigating for this dive so my job was to keep us out of the maze by going in a straight line and keeping the rocks of the maze on our right. We swam out to the edge of the rocks, deployed a surface marker buoy (SMB), and descended. Nearby I built a rock formation that I hoped to find at the end of our dive. I never saw these rocks again.
Rock Formation
I was spending most of my time looking at my compass but as I was looking down at it, I noticed something on the ocean floor a metre or two down that didn't quite seem to be a rock but maybe it was. I descended a bit and gave it a poke. It turned out to be a stargazer. I'd never actually encountered one of these before.
Stargazer
I did manage to get shots of a few things along the way.
Snail
Blue Cod
Destroyed Container
We did ...
Click here to continue reading...Baxter's Reef from the Boat |
February 24, 2024 |
For our second dive of the day from the boat, we went back to Baxter's Reef. On our way to the site, we saw a seal eating (playing with really) what appeared to be an oarfish.
Seal Meal
Baxter's Reef from the boat was a different site. We didn't have to do a surface swim and we were on the other side of the rocks.
Baxter's Reef from the Boat
As we were diving along, I noticed a couple of eyes on top of some eye stalks poking out of the seaweed. This octopus was a bit interested in me.
Interested Octopus
He turned out to be so curious that he reached out, grabbed my camera, and touched my face!
Curious Octopus
This octopus wasn't alone either. In the immediate area, there was another octopus but this one was missing at least a couple of arms. I can't say I've ever seen an octopus with less than eight arms.
Less Than Eight Armed Octopus
There were some other cool things on the site too.
Crayfish Pot
Starfish
Triplefin
Click here to continue reading...The Sisters |
February 24, 2024 |
We left a jetty in Kaikōura in the morning to head out to our first dive site of the day.
Jetty
It was a stunning morning and we were treated to dolphins racing alongside and in front of the boat as we made our way towards the site.
Dolphins
The Sisters dive site is marked by these rocks sticking out of the surface of the water.
The Sisters
It's a very cool dive site where you descend down a wall on one side of the rocks and then ascend back up while making your way between the rocks.
Lots of great wildlife. I had to borrow this great pic from my buddy, Sophie, of a hermit crab sitting in a sponge with a sea spider on the edge of it. Just a great scene.
Sponge, Hermit Crab, and Sea Spider
(photo courtesy of Sophie)
Finger Sponge
Starfish
Nudibranch
Marblefish
Because the boat couldn't stay close to the rocks, one of the group had to deploy a surface marker buoy.
Deploy Surface Marker Buoy
During our ascent, Sophie took some pics at our three-minute safety stop. I'm the one with the black mask.
Three-Minute Safety Stop
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