Category: diving

Introducing the Atomic Bikini 2014 Team

I assume most people reading this blog know me and know I am crazy and after all I am telling the Bikini Atoll story for a while now, so you may want to know who are the other crazy people onboard? 🙂

Let us start with…

The Crew

Brian, master guide, master blender and Circus Ringleader

I will drill down later on Tec Divng on the MS Windward in detail – it was excellent!

Matthew, master skipper and sunny boy

Edward, a true Bikini Atoll native.

His mother was one of the folks that where removed from paradise for the good for mankind…

Mango, Smutje or our master cook during the trip

Aro master good guy for everything else

The Team

Robert playing with his Battle Drone

Robert (as always – logged in into his Battle Drone)

Robert after drowning his Batte Drone

Peter, my dive buddy

Christian, my 2nd stage buddy, and me on the sun deck killing time and nitrogen saturation

…more folks…

Jens and forgot his name

Holger, Christian and Robert (2)

Peter, Barbara and Robert

Robert, Christian and Robert (2)

Forgot his name, Robert and Barbara

Holger, Mr. X, Christian, Jens, Robert (2) and Barbera

Robert, Jens, Mr. X

Christian, Robert (2), Peter, myself

2014-08-13
Bikini Atoll Teaser

…the tainted lost paradise…

Just back from the most remote place I have ever traveled to. 13.000km away from Frankfurt am Main, one third of the circumference of the planet and 10 hours time difference.

You will find here soon some photos from this place, movies about the wreck penetrations, living on the MS Windward, Bryan, Mathew and Edward and other folks. Sharks to watch, Mahi Mahis to eat, traveling through heavily fortified military bases and much more…

There is really so much to tell I hardly know where to start. We are talking about 2k photos to select from and some days of movies to cut and edit (200GB in total)!

(more…)

2014-08-03
SS Thistlegorm by Night

Fascinating experience to dive the SS Thistlegorm by night. Fascinated to see how recreational divers take an impressive number of risks. Well at least they are not aware of it. How should they after 20 dives? However our managing tour guide (our Instructor from Hell) is surveying the operation from the upper deck of the Blue Pearly and has everything under full control.

The good point: you get an incredible dive experience

The lucky point: No casualties 🙂

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBqisPMBnhI

2013-05-20
Red Sea Wrecks
Yes! Wreck diving is one of the last somehow achievable activities on earth that may bring you into an Indiana Jones feeling. You travel through time and even on heavy dived wrecks as the Thistledorm you are allowed to kill yourself if you wish.

Actually I am surprised we had no casualties on our Safari considering the setup and events, but finally I ended up with some nice pics and movies and a great time.
- Thistlegorm is an incredible beautiful wreck – some traffic lights would be helpful
- Giannis D was the most adventurous one as one in our team really managed to get into a heavy oil bubble and totally mess himself up.
- and even though the Carnatic was not carrying the money Lawrence of Arabia promised to the Arabs it is a nice spot to dive.
This is part 1 of 3 (and the movies are still in production)

[AFG_gallery id=’1′]
2013-05-11
Red Sea Trip – Dolphins

I am plowing through some few thousands of underwater pics (and throwing away 90%) as well as hours of underwater movies, so please give me some time. There is some nice stuff like this so please stay tuned 🙂

2013-04-24
Kleinkram…

Schade das solches Material untergeht im Hai-Hype! Ist trotzdem beeindruckend sich im Esspfad einer Schildkröte zu legen und zu beobachten wie sie einen quasi überfährt.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf6z7Nj8qQg

2012-07-01
Hammerheads

Same day as before, just before breakfast. Incredible experience. At the very north east of the reef you drop into blue water and just wait and they come to watch.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLnwt-tyngE

2012-06-24
Sharks!

OK, on the 17th I had sharks before breakfast, sharks before lunch and it was very close to become dinner for sharks on the 3rd dive. This was definitely my best and most intense diving experience I ever had!

@Seven Seas Team: thank you so much for this great trip!

Credits for Video Material: Frank, Michael & Sven for actually most of the material in the clip (I had just my GoPro backup with me)

Credits for Music: Sandrine Piau – Cum Dederit

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFp6nKjhFy0

2012-06-24
Druckkammerfahrt
Wir kennen alle den Tiefenrausch. Wir sind auch alle – also ich zumindest (bisher) – der Meinung, dass er da ist und wir das gut unter Kontrolle haben, oder? Ich liebe Kennzahlen und das Messen, Zählen, Wiegen im allgemeinen, also habe ich gerne die Gelegenheit ergriffen in einer kontrollierten Umgebung auf 50m abzutauchen.
Veranstalter war DCS1 und Tauchsportcenter Esslingen.

50m klingt nicht sooo tief, weil ich selbst schon im Rahmen meiner Tec50 PADI Zertifizierung dort war. Ich konnte nur meinem damaligen Instruktor (Max) nicht ganz verstehen, der mich oben fragte ob ich mitbekommen habe wie breit ich unten war. Immerhin hatte ich alle Übungen absolviert. Nun, ich gebe zu ich fühlte mich da unten sehr anders dachte aber, dass es im Rahmen lag. …grob daneben! unabhängig von der Tagesform brummt der Schädel so weit unten gewaltig! Die ausgeteilten Aufgaben sind gut gewählt:
Kann man seine Runtime-Table wirklich lesen?

Versteht man was gefragt wird?

Kann man einen Schnitt gut setzen?

Kann man durch ein Labyrinth zurück?
Vor meinem geistigem Auge sehe ich die DAN-Unfallanalyse: Anhand der Ereignisse ist klar zu erkennen, dass der Taucher (also ich) schon früh die Fähigkeit verloren hat die Situation zu bewerten und die richtigen Schlüsse zu ziehen

Ebenfalls sehr interessant und wichtig die Darstellung einiger DCS Fakten aus Sicht der Druckkammer-Docs!
Die wenigen DCS Fälle (die bei DCS1 noch ankommen) waren Einzelfälle in Gruppen die ganz normale Tauchprofile getaucht haben!

Impfung (die aktiveren Antikörper lieben Mikroblasen)

Verengung/Erweiterung von Gefäßen: Rauchen, Deko-Bier, Abschnüren von Extremitäten (mit engen Computerbändern)

Stress
Ich habe auch endlich begriffen warum man die No-Fly Richtlinien befolgen kann. Es sind nicht die Einflüsse des letzten Tauchgangs. Der ist tatsächlich irrelevant. Es sind die langsamen Gewebe, die über den Tauchurlaub aufgeladen wurden! …also hier das ganze in bewegten Bildern. Ab 30 Metern war die Stimmung sehr heiter… Auf meiner Beerdigung wäre sie dann hoffentlich anders gewesen 😉

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7UU34dpLUQ
2012-03-21
Ice Diving

Ice diving is cool! Well it is really cool at the end! After carrying all your stuff to the lake, trying hard not to slide to death on your way down (do not forget to have some spikes on your dry-suit shoes!), enjoying the effect of sun on your black dry-suit, sweating your dry-suit wet and then freezing your face off in the water it is cool – finally!

However, after your face is frozen and that takes just seconds, you will really feel comfortable. It is just the time after your first or second exit when it gets cold.

I had terrific fun with my buddies from Dive4Fun! Cutting the ice-hole, jumping into the freezer, mimicking the elegance of penguins entering and leaving the water and debating afterwards the great achievements is something everybody must do!

Take a look at this pre-darf-early-director-preview to get an impression how far madness can go if not treated early!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYT2zMbr2DE

This is the dive profile you can expect (it gets warmer to the bottom [3.5 vs. 2 degrees Celsius] and as in every other central European lake there is nothing to see)

2012-02-29