SuperFalcon submersible expedition

Judy has spent the first few days hanging out at our beautiful beach and pool. Her ear is still blocked with fluid from the otitis media and her cough, while improved, persists. I'm somewhat beaten-up. I have cuts and scrapes all over and I slammed my right flank into the chase boat platform while getting out of the water on the day that I spent hooking the sub to tow lines and and to the fork lift straps. It was great fun.
Our team of pilots have spent the past two days doing something that we haven't done before. We piloted the sub one-way from one port to another. I took it from the Tala Bay Marina to the Royal Navy Base. Visibility was o.k., about 50 feet. We followed the reef contour line at 90-120 feet of depth. Graham was my co-pilot. A couple of times I had to perform an emergency reset of the flight controls as we were diving toward the reef and the nose would not pull up. No problem. I quickly put the throttle at neutral and performed a quick reset of the pitch. We did not come any closer than 5 or 6 feet to the reef bottom. It is just part of the personality of the sub that you learn to expect and deal with. The UQC (underwater communications; VHF doesn't work underwater) performed well and we were able to keep in contact with the surface support boat the entire time. We came across a relatively flat, sandy bottom at 130 feet. Graham instructed me to perform a gentile landing in the sand. This went well. It was a little unnerving to intentionally run the nose onto the sand. He wanted me to know the impact point (bottom) of the sub and how it fells to land it on its bottom. As we reached our destination, I set the controls for a gentile spiral ascent from 130 feet to the surface. The purpose of the is to allow the pilots to assess the surface conditions, especially any obstacles, before surfacing. Once the sub attained the proper attitude I locked the controls in that position and was able to take my hands off of them to enjoy the slow ride to the surface. There were no apparent obstacles. This was a lot of fun.
Once on the surface, I called for the support boat to tow us into the Navy harbor. However, Graham changed his mind and wanted to do a 3 minute dive to 30-40 feet on a Southerly heading. I slowly took her down to this depth and we were rewarded with the most amazing spectacle of jellyfish. They were magically illuminated. The sea was thick with them. It felt as if we were in a jellyfish aquarium. It was one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen.
We surfaced and made it to the Navy base without incident.
That night, all of the pilots reconvened at the Navy base for a night dive. Graham wanted us to experience this so we are somewhat prepared for any future expeditions. It was interesting. However, there was no visibility in the harbor. The best view was actually from the surface at the pier. The sub with its laser lights on the wings looks like a spacecraft from a science fiction movie.
Unfortunately, that was the end of the expedition. We did meet with them for dinner the following evening and exchanged some photos. We will exchange video sometime in the future. I have some good footage of us surfacing on our back (I was wearing a GoPro camera while piloting the sub). Today, Karen and Graham are heading to Amman for the day to meet with the King. I am hoping that he will make an offer that they cannot refuse. It would be great to be able to base the sub here. The Royal Navy has been very gracious and helpful. Judy and I have fallen in love with Jordan and its people. Regardless of the future plans for the Super Falcon, we will return.
Today, we will relax by the beach and pool. Tomorrow we head to Amman, via Wadi Rum, for our return flight home. I hope to begin posting some pictures later today.

SuperFalcon submersible expedition

So far, I have spent 2 days with Graham Hawkes and his team. The expedition was divided into 3 phases. The first 2 did not involve me. First, they mapped the reef system of the Gulf of Aqaba with a Jordanian research institute. The 2nd phase entailed taking dignitaries down in the sub, including the crown prince of Spain and King Abdullah of Jordan. Something very bad happened. They scene was a frenzy with secret service people. The crew though that they had secured all of the domes, but had not. When they put the sub in the water, it started flooding immediately and the King was trapped with water rising to above his waist. Fortunately, they were able to get the sub out of the water before anyone died. The King was very gracious. Nobody lost their heads!! The next day (after replacing most of the electronics that were fried from the salt water) the King had a successful dive.
I was wondering what my role was in this whole project. It wasn't until the 2nd day that I realized why I was invited here.
I am a test pilot. There are only 13 people, including the designer/builder/owner, that know how to fly this thing. It is a new technology; cutting edge. Nobody knows exactly what it can do, including the designer. It does not conform to any known specifications for a submersible in any country. So we are here to put the sub through its paces and discover its strengths and weaknesses.
The first dive was to refresh my memory about the controls. It went very well. I had already pre-visualized the controls in my mind. I did this dive with Graham (the designer). Next, I did a dive with his right hand man, Lee. He is a retired Navy F-16 fighter pilot and was the test pilot for Steve Fosset's jet propelled car that was to break the land speed record. Steve died in a plane crash in the Nevada desert a couple of years ago.
I had the forward cockpit on this one. He gave me complete control. We took the sub down to the bottom at 140 feet and cruised there for about 10 minutes. It was amazing. We saw many different fish. I had to navigate around small rock outcroppings from the bottom. The entire time we were just 2-3 feet off of the bottom. Then, he said "lets take it up. You can be as aggressive as you want." I said, "are you sure?" "Absolutely" he said. Soooo, at 130 feet I cranked it into full vertical ascent with full throttle forward. We raced to the surface and breached in an inverted position, landing on our back with our heads pressed into the dome. We were giggling like little school girls at this point. The sub promptly righted itself. I caught this on video. The ballast in the sub went flying into the back. Once we regained our composure, we radioed the chase boat that we were on the surface. Nobody had done this before, that is, putting the sub on its back. There had been discussions about whether it was possible, but nobody had tried it before. Super cool.
Tomorrow, I will be making a one-way underwater passage of about an hour from Tala Bay to the Royal Navy Pier. I will be following a contour along the bottom at about 120 feet. I hope to be able to test some of the other features of the sub along the way. Graham said that he wants to accompany me on the journey as my #2. Wish me luck.

Jordanian expedition continued

It took 40 minutes for me to get into this blog tonight. This is the worst high speed internet service I have ever encountered. (Deep breath and exhale).
Following our cliffhanging experience, the next day our guide took us on what was billed as an easy hike to view the "Treasury" in Petra from above. We began the day exhausted from the two previous days. Well, after climbing rocks uphill for nearly 2 hours we were rewarded with a view of the Treasury that very few people get to see. Then we continued to an even higher point called the "Place of Sacrifice." This entailed another couple of hours of clawing our way up rocks. We were not prepared for this as we were told it would be easy. By the time we reached the summit, I (Tim) had become quite dehydrated and was not feeling well. I rested in what little shade there was for 20 minutes while our guide called someone on his cell phone. Over the ridge appeared and angel of mercy. A bedouin woman came to me with water and a kofia (Jordanian head scarf). She wrapped it around my head and I drank the entire bottle of water. Within a few minutes I felt much better. I then found out that we had completed the entire hard part of our journey and that the rest was all downhill, including some actual steps. The woman invited us to the small place she has along the cliffs where she sells handcrafts to tourists. Her English was excellent, having learned it by talking to tourists for 20+ years. We drank hot tea spiced with cardamom and sage. Wow, amazing. We sat and talked and laughed for over 30 minutes. Then, she invited us to her home for a traditional Bedouin dinner that night. We had plans for dinner, but cancelled them in order to have this amazing experience.
Later that day, our driver picked us up and took us to the Bedouin village. We were treated as special guests and had a wonderful dinner of "upside down".

Gulf of Aqaba Submersible Expedition 2011

We arrived in Amman, Jordan safely on the evening of Easter Sunday. Our driver met us at the airport and transferred us to the Four Seasons Hotel where we stayed the night. The next day our driver and guide took us to Madaba to see the famous  6th century A.D. mosaic map of the Middle East on the floor of the Church of St. George. Madaba is a large Christian community and the church is still actively used today. The entire town is noted for its ancient mosaics, many of which are in private homes. There are schools to train people in the art of mosaics. After that, we went to Mount Nebo where Moses was allowed, by God, to see the Promised Land before he died. Then, we went to our next hotel, the Ma'In Hot Springs. They have natural hot waterfalls and a world class spa.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to check out the spa. The next day we were taken to the Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve at the Dead Sea. Okay, here is an abridged description of the hike in our tour itinerary:

"Today, enjoy a full day hiking activity to the Mujib Valley. (It) is one of Jordan's largest protected nature reserves. ...after passing through these hills you descend to the Mujib River. The hike continues upstream along the river. Here you can linger, eat a picnic lunch and enjoy this wild paradise. You can enjoy swimming in natural pools and decend a waterfall, using ropes."

The reality:

We ascended a mountain at about a 40 degree climb for an hour going from 400 meters below sea level to 500 meters above sea level (about 3,000 feet). This took an hour at a fast pace. Then we headed downstream through a Siq (a narrow canyon with 100' sheer walls) and no banks. Depths ranged from a few inches to 3-4 feet. We slipped and fell over submerged rocks, slid down waterfalls as high as 8-10 feet and were soaked head to toe within the first few minutes. Early on, I fell and barely managed to save my camera which promptly went into the guide's dry bag for the duration; hence, no pictures. After 3 hours of this, we arrived at a 20+ meter (60+ feet) waterfall. The only way down was to repel down a shear cliff in the waterfall. Then we had a 30 minute further hike in the river to our final destination. Needless to say, we were not properly dressed for this. Don't get me wrong, we loved it and would do it again. The water was warm, probably 80 degrees F. The waterfall was amazingly beautiful. I had repelled down a building when I was in college, so I knew what to expect. Judy did very well for a first time. We were the oldest people in our group of 17; most were in their 20s. Oh, there was no possibility of a picnic. The whole thing took about 4 1/2 hours.
Afterwards, our guide took us to a very beautiful upscale restaurant with a pool along the banks of the Dead Sea where Judy and I had lunch and tested the waters of the Sea. I'm sure we were a sight at that point! (We did not have a change of clothes). Then, back to our hotel.
The next day, we travelled to Petra. On the way, we stopped at a small and very informative museum dedicated to the Dead Sea. This was very good. We learned a lot. I had no idea that the Dead Sea is part of the Great Rift Valley extending from Ethiopia, through the Red Sea, Dead Sea and up into Turkey. We continued on to Petra. Since we had been to Petra before, our guide suggested a change in itinerary. First, we went to see Little Petra. This is where the ancient Nabateans actually conducted their trading business. Then we hiked to another place we had never seen before, the "Monastery." This was carved into the rocky cliff by the Nabateans. It is usually accessed from Petra itself by a trail and steps that lead to it. We went the back way. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get there from Little Petra. It was almost entirely an uphill climb. There was no path. Our guide had done this many times before and knew the way. It started out as just a lot of uphill climbing. Then, it became steeper and steeper. We were just pulling ourselves up rocks. Again, no path.
Once we were up on the mountain, were walked along narrow ledges that became progressively narrower. The cliff was a sheer 1,000 feet to the canyon below. This went on for at least an hour. First 3 feet wide; then, 2 feet wide. Once the ledge became 1 foot wide I had to say something to our guide. Ever since I was a child I have been fighting a fear of heights. I am over it for the most part, but still have some fear within me. When I told him, our guide seemed surprised and re-assured me that it wouldn't get much worse. Then, we reached a spot where the ledge was about 10 inches wide and had a gap of about 3 feet that we had to step over while leaning into the mountain. Again, a sheer 1,000 foot drop. Judy and I were ready to freak out. We accomplished this with much angst. Soon, we reached a spot where the ledge disappeared. I am not kidding!!! For about 15 feet, there was no ledge. There was just a horizontal crack in the rock strata about 3-4 inches deep and just tall enough to wedge your shoe into it. Half way across it I began to lose my concentration due to fear. I looked down to see where to plant my foot and could not see it. I only saw the sheer 1,000 foot drop. I realized that if I fell I would not even hit anything until I reached the bottom. At one point, only my toes were holding me up. I had no hand-hold and the ball of my feet were hanging over the edge. Oh, I didn't mention that I was doing this while wearing a photo vest, backpack and 25 pounds of camera gear with the camera dangling from my neck!!! For those of you who are not aware, I have skippered a sailboat during a category 1 cyclone in the South Pacific; I have sailed in gail-force winds with seas in the 10-12 foot range. I would do each of those 100 times before doing this again. I have never been so scared in my life. Judy would agree. I will let her convey her thoughts about the experience. Once I crossed this "crack" I rested on a spacious 18 inch wide ledge while trying to talk Judy through it. I could not physically help her. Fortunately, our guide was amazing and helped both of us through the experience.
During the 3 1/2 hours of this ordeal we did not see a single person. That was wonderful, because Petra as seen by most tourists is crowded and noisy. At the "Monastery", there was a little shop selling refreshments. We relaxed there for 20 minutes before beginning our descent into Petra which took about 1 1/2 hours. This was easy. There is a trail and even some steps to help with the passage. By the time we reached Petra, it was night and there was nobody there. As we were hiking through the ancient city and up the Siq a few workers were lighting candles in paper bags for "Petra at night". They do this a couple of days per week and charge a separate entrance fee, allowing visitors in at 8:30 p.m. There was nobody there yet. We were able to experience the magical night with no tourists, no music. We rested on a bench for 20 minutes and talked while enjoying this special experience. As we were exiting the Siq to our hotel, which is at the entrance, they began letting the throngs of tourists in. Fortunately, it was too late for them to ruin our experience. Our guide took us to our hotel where we were already checked-in and our bags were in our room (our driver took care of this). We went directly to their beautiful bar (we had stayed here before) and polished-off a bottle of Jordanian wine (not to mention a Remy-Martin XO).

TBC.....

The End

Well, that completes our Places of a Lifetime journey. We hope that you enjoyed the images. Stay tuned. Our trip to Jordan promises more great images on land and underwater. I should start posting in about 5 weeks, or so.

Welcome to Istanbul, Turkey

 Our Hotel

Topkapi Palace

Our Hotel

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After Jordan, we visited Istanbul. We stayed on the European side of the Bosphorus, which separates Europe from Asia. I am not going to elaborate here. Just enjoy the images.

More from Jordan

I must apologize for the slow pace of this blog. What can I say except that work gets in the way of my life! Here are more pictures from Petra/Jordan from the Nat Geo tour. We will be returning to Jordan in a couple of weeks for an exploration of the Gulf of Aqaba by 2-person submarine. To see get a glimpse, you can go to www.deepflight.com to see the submarine. It is called the Super Falcon. I will post images from that trip on this web address, but under a separate title.

The Treasury viewed from the Siq

This was a magical evening. We traveled to an old Ottoman village, now a hotel, for a dinner. The meal and the entertainment were incredible. 

I was photographing the dancers. The next thing I knew, I saw Judy leading a conga line carrying a sword.  It was a bit shocking! I did get some video as well.

As you can see, things were just barely under control. FYI, she decided to spare Pierre's life and settled for another glass of wine. You know how wine and blood sacrifices were somewhat interchangeable in biblical times.

However,  she wasn't giving-up the sword.  I mean really, would you?

Here one of the local Bedouin is attempting to wrestle the sword away from her. 

I believe that you can tell from her smile who won the match. The poor guy didn't know who he was messing with!

Here she is celebrating her victory. They call this "shisha." When I asked for the location of a hookah bar I was met with confused looks. After describing what I wanted the local person exclaimed with a smile "oh you mean shisha."I'm not sure, but from the look that I was getting I can only assume that hookah implies hashish.

Just flavored tobacco. @#$%&$#@ ! But, it was a lot of fun, nonetheless.

Oh yeah, he saw us coming. By the time we found out the price he knew that he had us! Great fun.