OCEAN VLOG / Daily Ocean Life — Waves, Currents & a Cold Front Moving South
2018 0306–13 Xiaoliuqiu Ocean Diary
Spring weather is fickle — it's the season of instability.
Last week's southerly breeze was fleeting, soon overtaken by the northeast monsoon and a cold front pushing steadily southward.
Swells rose on the northern side; the waves always arrive ahead of the cold front itself.
Sea turtles tumbled and rolled in the surf as if riding the waves, while nearshore visibility dropped as the swell stirred up sediment.
Overall water temperature and visibility dipped slightly as well.
Fortunately, on a small island like this, when the north side gets rough you simply switch to the south — there's almost always one side calm enough to dive.
As the cold front weakened, the swells gradually eased and visibility rebounded quickly.
Currents were noticeably strong everywhere, yet they carried warm water, excellent visibility, and schools of fish pushing hard against the flow.
Every day felt perfect for both up-current and drift diving. Word has it that dolphins between Donggang and Xiaoliuqiu have been especially active lately.
Looking forward to summer.
--- Water temp / 24–26 °C
Visibility / 8–20 m
Meirendo drift dive, Flower Vase Rock up-current dive, Shanfu Harbour sand dive, sea turtles
Olympus TG4 Gopro HERO 5 DJI SPARK
--- Music / SKAY - Heat https://soundcloud.com/user-408130580
