Freezing thighs and shrinking wetsuits…

Posted by: Kaj Maney

So I’m back… I survived Moscow.. I would like to say ‘just’, but Moscow was a lovely place.

When I left Singapore on a direct flight to Moscow the temperature was 30C (86F). When I arrived in Moscow, 10 hours later, it was –20C (-4F)..a big big difference…such a big difference that it was actually rather exciting. Luckily I had stopped off in Singapore and borrowed a woolly hat and socks from my sister, and a nice warm jacket and gloves from another friend…I wore many layers and all was good…

So what was I doing in Moscow? Well there was a dive show there and I went to represent KBR. It was my first visit to Russia and I thoroughly enjoyed it, cold and all. The warmest it got for my stay (5 days) was –15C (5F). What I learnt about the cold was that you can keep your feet warm (two pairs of socks), you can keep your body warm (multiple layers, big coat), keep you hands and head warm (gloves, hat, hood and scarf) but it you are only wearing one pair of jeans, after five minutes outside, your thighs actually seem to freeze!!!

It’s been a long time since I was so cold, so it was a relief to be back in the tropics. I got back a few days ago and have been re-installing all my data on my newly repaired laptop (hurray!!!). Today I finally got to go diving. I discovered that after only 10 days away my wetsuit had somehow shrunk!! I’m sure it’s nothing to do with all the food I HAD to eat to stay warm in Russia. It was a real struggle to pull it on…..

So onto my video of the week. This week I discovered a lovely Snapping Crinoid Shrimp. They are, as always, tricky to film, as it’s difficult to get a clear shot through the feathers on the crinoid. i has filmed this one for a little while and when i got back on dry land i noticed that you can see it’s brain!! And it’s not just staying still..it look’s like it’s moving around!! Very weird. Towards the end of the clip, look behind the shrimps eyes and you can see what I’m talking about.

Click here to watch video in HD in a new window

As usual, Barb has produced some wonderful photos for you to enjoy too. To see them all just click the strip at the top and bottom of this blog.