Looking for a weekday (mornings), dive buddy in Keelung

Recreation Sports
1

Hi, I’m looking for a weekday (mornings), dive buddy in Keelung (Long Dong Bay).

Two more months (hopefully) and the dive season in Northern Taiwan will start again. I am free every morning, and really want to get wet more. Anybody interested in doing some regular morning dives during the week, please send me a message.

Experience:

I’m a newbie diver with 50 shore and boat dives in Kenting, Little Okinawa Isl, LongDong, Philippines (Balicasag Isl), Borneo (TARP).

My dive objectives:

  1. Get more practice and get wet.
  2. UW photography (longDog is supposed to be full of Nudibranchs)

Transport:

I have transport (car) and can pick up/drop off from/at the Keelung City Train station.

2

I’d love to get in some morning dives when things start warming up a bit! Weekday mornings, as it would have it, work out nicely for me too. Have you scouted out any decent spots up around here?

I’m in Taibei by the way, shouldn’t be a problem scooting out to Jilong via train or what have you.

3

Great, I sent you a pm.

4

I would be into this as well. I am only free Tuesday mornings though (and weekends). Do you have your own gear?

5

Yeah, dive season wont start until May/June, I think.

I did my training at LongDong, and am familiar with the dive sites there. I think the most popular site there is the artificial reef (shipwreck) in front of the elementary school. Not familiar with it, yet, but will do some guided dives there with my instructor.

Yup, I have my own gear. Juts need to find out if it is possible to get tanks from the dive shops there during the week.

Tuesday is PERFECT…I start work really late.

6

There are a number of operators in the same area (not English speaking), and I will contact them when the season starts (late April/early May).

7

Why would you need a DM if you are just going to dive the bay?

If you call/email them ahead of time, usually someone will be there. If not, try next door. There are several shops on the that street.

[quote]
Anyway, there are a number of operators in the same area (not English speaking), and I will contact them when the season starts (late April/early May). I think the one next door to Pioneer is open all week.
[/quote][/quote]
Right. Getting tanks and gear should not be a problem. And having a DM isn’t really necessary IMO unless you’re going to dive the Canyons up the coast.

I’d be into this as well on Tuesdays. :thumbsup:

8

Hi,

Can’t make Weekdays but as soon as conditions are good I’ll be heading Long Dong or elsewhere diving most weekends, so as an when you do get up the coast first time this year, can you put a brief dive report on here, Viz and water temperatures ?

Pretty sure that the “Divers Inn” (place across road from Long dong Ocean park, with small car park to it’s left) has someone there 7 days a week, or at least I am sure would have if you are calling on for tanks (or gear).

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers

9

[quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.

10

[quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I know they will.

11

[quote=“Mr He”][quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I know they will.[/quote]

That right? Did you go more than once? Ken told me to my face last summer that he hadn’t/ wouldn’t take any down without Nitrox after the beginning of last season…now if you mean “nitrox certified” you may be right.

12

Don’t know The Canyons, but it is on my list of sites to learn and dive.

I found some info about it (and other LongDog sites) here: organizescubadive.blogspot.com/

I did the shipwreck with my instructor at the end of last season (think it was my 10th dive), and it was a nasty experience.

My instructor got washed off and over the rocks at the start of the dive, and I got washed and pushed over the rocks at the end of the dive.

The tricks is to line up with the small piece of flat rock, get those fins off quickly, catch a wave and body surf onto the flat rock, and then VERY quickly get up and off. I made it on the rock, but then got side-wiped be a second wave, followed by a quick third and fourth.

Definitely a dive to do when there is minimum or no surge or waves.

There is a webcam that can give a rough real-time indication of the surface conditions at LongDong: webcam.www.gov.tw/webcam_view.php?view=16&city=3

13

The same thing happened when I was there last year. The DM got knocked off her feet and pulled out 25meters without her fins or mask being on…ouch. She dropped down and we saw her again 25 minutes later. When the entry points are that rough in the bay, don’t dive. One CAN get hurt.

That said, I dove there a dozen times last summer, and even once before the washaway, and the conditions were great. That dive just happened to be on a bulging sea and high tide…we were about to cancel the dive altogether and then she was gone gone gone…

14

[quote=“hardball”][quote=“Mr He”][quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I know they will.[/quote]

That right? Did you go more than once? Ken told me to my face last summer that he hadn’t/ wouldn’t take any down without Nitrox after the beginning of last season…now if you mean “nitrox certified” you may be right.[/quote]

I recall a rather long hike down a not too great trail, then into the water, and through some canyons where the current carried us through, I think.

What I recall is a shit load of current, it was like walking out the door and into a storm at times.

15

[quote=“Mr He”][quote=“hardball”][quote=“Mr He”][quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I know they will.[/quote]

That right? Did you go more than once? Ken told me to my face last summer that he hadn’t/ wouldn’t take any down without Nitrox after the beginning of last season…now if you mean “nitrox certified” you may be right.[/quote]

I recall a rather long hike down a not too great trail, then into the water, and through some canyons where the current carried us through, I think.

What I recall is a shit load of current, it was like walking out the door and into a storm at times.[/quote]

That was a good dive! Like running across busy intersections, but we only went to 22meters or so. Ken goes down to 30+ now…much better says he. :thumbsup:

16

[quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I’m intrigued … why on earth would someone stipulate must have Nitrox certification ?

17

[quote=“Wantonmien”][quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I’m intrigued … why on earth would someone stipulate must have Nitrox certification ?[/quote]

I recall the current borne ascent being a bit more steep than a normal one, IE while we did the 3 minutes stop, the time spent going from 20 meters to 3-6 meters was somewhat shorter than usual for on shore dives.

18

[quote=“Wantonmien”][quote=“hardball”][quote=“Wantonmien”]

Where are the Canyons you mention ~ where up the coast ?

Cheers[/quote]

Just ask any dive shop. Some call it the “Grand Canyon(s).” It’s just back through the tunnel, second rest stop, where the guys fish off the slanted rocks.

I think you’d want a DM for that one though. I know Pioneer won’t do it without Nitrox certification.[/quote]

I’m intrigued … why on earth would someone stipulate must have Nitrox certification ?[/quote]
Could be that he offers Nitrox courses. :laughing:

There are two routes to do the canyons. Out the swimthrough and to the right, doing a big circle back the swimthrough.

Or out the swimthrough to the left, which is the way we went. It’s a very cool dive, and from what I hear, cooler the deeper you go.

Nitrox = more down time.

19

I am free many Monday afternoons and can be at longdong by about 12, and on Thursday afternoons by about 1:30 I am happy to dive around the bay and see more of the area, I had dived with kens shop last year and managed to clear up more ocean than any other teams on the clean up dive (he has banned us from diving together if there is another clean up day) :loco:

I am happy to take divers in the bay but have not dived around the far ends so would want a guide around those bits for the first couple of outings.
Currently I am renting gear as my main stuff is in the UK but I am looking to get a light weight travel set.

I know pioneer is not open yet but both Keelung and deep blue are active during the week.

If the weather is too choppy you can get in at Bitou harbour and take a truck around there but the bottom is about 22mtrs from memory so can be difficult if you are trying to maintain an 18 mtr limit as it requires a swim across open water using a compass.
Nick

20

I had my first dives there last weekend (LongDong #2 for a warm up, then 82.5KM, and 2 dives at the Canyons on Sunday).

The Canyons was great, even though viz was crap. The trail down the hill is actually piss easy, much easier than climbing down the boulders at 82.5KM. It was then an easy walk along reasonably flat rock (after staggering across the sharp lava rocks in Kenting ANYTHING is now easy). I think we did the entry, then right, circle around and back up through the canyons.

The first dive we went down to 30m, but I though that was a waste of time and air. Very poor viz, and just a lot of sand and rocks. Maybe it is better when the viz improves. However, the canyons themselves, starting at about 20m and up, were amazing. Never seen so much color in LongDong!! Lots of fish doing their thing in the narrow canyons, and SO MANY fans and soft coral growing on the rocks.

At the time I did not actually think much about the current, but when I checked my dive computer after the dive I noticed that I did ascend WAY too fast to 9m)

The second dive we went the same way, but stayed around 20m and just circled around the canyons, awesome dive.

The Bay (LongDong #2) is an easy dive, I am thinking about getting some spare air and doing it solo, most of it is only about 6 to 10m deep).

Also, note that the water temp on Sunday was 20C at about 5m, and 18C at 15m to 30m. I was wearing a 3mm, no hood, and felt reasonably comfortable (could be the 15KG of extra fat I carry around??). I am definitely looking forward to warmer water, but as long as the waves stay down (and it was FLAT last weekend) I am very happy to continue diving.

I am free for dives during weekday mornings only, and my best day would be Tuesday morning. I can pick-up and drop-off at Keelung Train station if anyone needs transport (I only have a little Nissan March, so can take one person with gear comfortably, and 2 VERY uncomfortably).