Okinawa August 2019

Pics by Yoe

Pictured: Divers on a beach, under water and next to a tiny waterfall
Dive dates: August 2019
Water: 0-30m +28c
Rig: 12/200, rashguard and shorts.

Okinawa beach divers of the Apocalypse. Yoe, Guoda Massi and me. Zamami never disappoints.

It was so hot! To cool ourselves we soaked in a tiny waterfall.

Hangö: long time back at sea

Pics by Massi and me

Pictured: Divers on a the diveboat and one of the beaches of Hanko
Dive dates: 3.8.2019
Water: 16m +19c
Rig: 12/200, new Bare drysuit

Long time since I was diving in Hanko. Warm seawater (15-19c) and nice weather overall.
First divetrips to Baltic sea together with Massi. Kaapelihylky, Keulakuva, "Suomi"-barge...

Watched a movie in the pop-up movie theater behind Skiffer,The dead don't die by Jim Jarmusch.

https://www.hylyt.net/item/osborn-elisabeth-1377/

Red sea: northern wrecks and reefs 2015

Pics by me

Pictured: divemap and the Red sea
Dive dates: 5.4.2015
Water: 30m +22c
Rig: 12/200, long wet suit

Emperor divers northern safari with the usual suspects as dive sites. Thistlegorm, Jackson reef, Dunraven, Carnatic, Giannis D, Um Gammar... Red sea remains my personal favorite.

https://www.emperordivers.com

Diving with Marylka Yoe was good as always.

Khao Lak relaxation

Pic by Massi

Pictured: me
Dive dates: 16.12.2018
Water: 20m +26c
Rig: 12/200, short wet suit

Kon-Tiki divers based in Khao Lak had a nice diveboat to sleep in. And cool staff too :)

Massi finished her OWD with flying colors!

http://www.kontiki-khaolak.com/en/

Vacation flu almost messed up my diving but Tiffy Dey to the rescue. Worst jetlag and fluish x-mas ever afterwards thou...

Iso-Melkutin and drysuit practice

Pic by Massi

Pictured me and Massi
Dive dates: 31.7.2019
Water: 9m +13c-19c
Rig: 12/200, dry suit

Our second open water dive in Finland together. Dry suit and safety sausage practice for Massi and new undergarment testing and weighting etc. for me. I need 12kg and it seems a lot.

https://www.riusuk.net/laitesukellus/sukelluskohteet/iso-melkutin/

Also an attempt to restart this personal diveblog :)

Spiegel Grove

Pic by Oliver Tierling

Dive dates: 28.4.2014
Water: 22 -26m +24c
Rig: 80cf/??? PSI, 3mm wetsuit

Wreck of Spiegel Grove, Florida Keys, and me saluting the Stripes and Stars down there

Whaleshark!

Pic by Darren King

Dive dates: 10.1.2014
Water: 22 -26m +27c
Rig: 12/200, 3mm wetsuit

Whaleshark in the wreck of Sea Chart 1, Thailand.

Diving in Hanko

Pictured me and Captain Timo.
Dive dates: 19.5 2012
Water: 12-16m +7c
Rig: 12/200, dry suit

Our first boat trip in Hanko together with Jenni. Sunny day, waves smaller in the afternoon. Two wrecks, kaljaasi "Suomi" and the classic "Keulakuva" Our diveboat: Hanko Diving

m/s TEREDO

Pictured my dive buddy Aikku.

Dive dates: 19-20.11 2011
Water: 18m-39m +4c - +8c
Rig: 2x12, EANx, 7L 02, dry suit

Annual diving trip with instructors of US. A brisk November weekend.

Edmund, Klaus Oldendorff...

While moored for the night, enjoying the onboard sauna and grill, I could see the Milky way.

Our diveboat: http://www.teredo.net/teredoalus.html

Åland: Wrecks, seal whispering, more wrecks

Picture: Dive Åland

Dive dates: 21-23.7 2011
Water: 0m-36m +4c - +12c
Rig: 2x12, EANx, 3L 02, dry suit

Annual trip to Åland. Met friends, dived two new (to me) wrecks and attracted seals using the secret call in the night. Too tired to party but the others sure enjoyed "Made in Thailand" and the other traditional attractions.

I will happily recommed divealand.com to all divers interested in baltic wrecks.

Next year... S/S Hindenburg!

Saarenmaa: Too much wind - too few seals

Wreck layout drawing: Jenni

Dive dates: 14-17.7 2011
Water: 0m-18m +8c - +14c
Rig: steel 15l, UDG, dry suit

Panga Diving resort was our host for the long weekend. Nice guides.

Five good dives, a little too much wind so not too many seals, only one wreck, Stag, a nice russian minesweeper.

Visited a meteor crater but missed "Dingo" playing in the beerfest.

US Rosala dive camp

Dive dates: 4-8.7 2011
Water: 0m-47m +8c - +20c
Rig: 2x12, EANx50, O2, UDG, Tmx 15/20, dry suit

Helsingin Urheilusukeltajat ry. Rosala summer dive camp 2011.

Several good dives, among them Ladoga, Schiller, Helsingfors and UJ117.

The hardest challenge was eating the Rosala Burger. Beware.

Utö: Park Victory

Photo: Kari Hyttinen

Dive dates: July 2011
Water: 36m +14c
Rig: 2x12, EANx50, UDG, dry suit

Sunglassdivers Park Victory dive camp 2011.

7 fantastic dives to Park Victory.

I found some Stafforshire tableware. I left them there to delight the next divers aswell.

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/S_Park_Victory

First trip to Egypt together with Jenni

Dive dates: 13-19.1.11
Water: 0m-30m +22c
Rig: AL80, EANx, Hakkis's dry suit

Me, Jenni, Hakkis and Dare went diving to Red Sea, just in time before they deciced to oust Mubarak. It was Jennis first proper dive trip (and maybe Dares aswell)

Dare and Jenni completed AOWD during the trip. I got to dive the Salem Express, a wreck I've been meaning to dive for some time. Nice cafeteria!

I think the trip went quite well and our new dive buddies seemed to enjoy themselves.

Not too bad a view

Dive dates: 22-25.4.11
Water: 0m-40m +13c
Rig: 2x12, AL80, EANx, leaking dry suit

During easter 2011 I headed to southern France to get further cave training - IANTD Technical cave diver course.

During four days we did 10-11 dives, depending if you count the second one to Truffe, which was slightly messy, entrance through the restriction in zero viz and confused diver(s).

I learned a lot, only lost one mask and one backup light, and generally enjoyed the trip very much. I'm planning to go back with more time and less diving scheduled.

This time we managed to dive Truffe, Ressel and St. Georges.

Water level was really low due to unusually dry spring.

Thanks for the course and company to Teppo and Elmer.

We stayed with Centre de Plongée Souterraine, operated by a Dutch couple - who among their other qualities (gas blending, talking a lot) were great chefs. Recommend their place:

http://www.lotcavediving.eu/

Hanko Diving: no diving

Dive dates: 14-15.8.10
Water: 0m +20-28c
Rig: t-shirt, sunglasses, cup of coffee

After some initial hassle SGD Hanko trip turned out great, even if the weather and some other issues prevented us from diving in SS Eira. I was sick and could not dive anyhow, so I tagged along and enjoyed the trip with friends. There will be another time, soon, when I'm feeling better!

Special thanks to Timo and Immi.

Åland: Too much Wind, too little Wrecks

Photo: Mikael Tilja

Dive dates: 30.7-1.8.10
Water: 20-35m +8c
Rig: drysuit, 2x12 steel

Diving with Colona Divers Gunnar and Christina. Myself, Susi, Janos, Hakkis, Ville and Jori visited Dive Åland again. Angry winds, some familiar wrecks and not enough sleep.

Made in Thailand played in Dino's, which was nice. On the last day we discovered a playground full of (giant) bunnies nearby Marienhamns centre.

Dive sites:

http://divealand.com/ukvrak.asp?wreckId=6
http://divealand.com/ukvrak.asp?wreckId=15
http://divealand.com/ukvrak.asp?wreckId=3

Vornaskotti took some nice pictures:

http://blog.vornaskotti.com/2010/08/13/wreck-diving-in-aland-part-ii/

Ladoga

Dive dates: 5-8.7.10
Water: 32-40m +4c
Rig: drysuit, 2x12 steel, 80cu stage

Diving with UDG, I was able to visit this beautiful wreck thrice during the US summer camp 2010. Totally worth it every time. Thanks to Sami S for the initial tour!

Note: You need a personal permission from the Finlands Military Museum to dive here.

Picture stolen from wikipedia

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miinafregatti_Ladoga

UJ 117

Dive dates: 5.7.10
Water: 50m +4c
Rig: drysuit, 2x12 steel, 7l&80cu stages, argon, der blinkenlights

Diving with 20/20 trimix, I was given a tour of this "U-boot-jäger" by Kasnäs Watersports Eki. This warship sank in 1941 when it hit a mine.

Note: I guess you need a special permission from the Finlands Military Museum to dive here. Try to ask a trip from Kasnäs Watersports.

Picture stolen from internet (Jouni Polkko?)

http://www.hylyt.net/hylky.jsp?id=uj_117_1941
http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Sotahylyn+ry%C3%B6st%C3%B6saaliista+l%C3%B6ytyi+yll%C3%A4tt%C3%A4en+tietoja+internetist%C3%A4/1135220651759

Monitor Rusalka

Dive dates: 23.6.10
Water: 60m +4c
Rig: drysuit, 2x12 steel, 7l&80cu stages, argon, der blinkenlights

Diving with 18/40 trimix, we found the propeller of this warship on our first dive and could not locate the wreck at all on our second dive. We blame the shifting wind and currents, as narcosis was not to blame, this time.

The Charodeika-class battleship lies at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, at the depth of 74 meters, 25 kilometers to the south from Helsinki. BNS reports that Rusalka was built in 1868. On September 7, 1893 the battleship entered Helsinki, but was rubbed into heavy weather and sank with the crew of 177 seamen. So much for the "unsinkable" design.

Picture stolen from Wikipedia

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitori_Rusalka