Yesterday I registered for a scuba diving class. It's something I've always wanted to do, but kept putting off. Since I've been camping up in Ontario on the Bruce Peninsula, I've gotten more interested, as the tip of the peninsula is one of the best fresh water diving areas within reasonable distance from home.

Have any of you guys ever done this? I'm just a little curious what the classes will entail, any tips, etc.

First thing I think about when I hear scuba.

I've personally never done it, but I have a lot of friends who absolutely love it. Certification isn't overly difficult, but it can be monotonous like any certification class, and you'll have to do more than one to be registered to dive deeper and deeper. That said, they say the effort is well worth it. Scuba diving makes for some pretty cool adventures.

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Wheelhouse

I hope Beebs sees this thread

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mechaphil

Ya I've done some really good diving in the past. I'm licensed by PADI. I dunno which company you're going through, but I got pretty good training.

I've gone diving at the great barrier reef in australia, a few small islands in french polynesia (by far the best) thailand and the dominican. It's a lot of fun being that close to so much aquatic life. I was literally within 6 feet of a 12 foot lemon shark 35 meters below surface. Scary shit.

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When I was a boy I spoke as a boy, I understood as a boy, and I thought as a boy; when I became a man I took that boy outside and shot him.

I did.

I have, and still do.

I am an instructor....while I am hesitant to say anything that may unintentionally undermine what your instructor has taught you, I've been teaching for 11 years, and have learned a few things that can help new (and some not so new) divers. I have roughly 4,000 dives under my belt and have certified several hundred divers in my career (and all of them have survived--LOL) If you have any questions you don't feel that have been addressed in your class, or don't feel comfortable asking your instructor, maybe I can give you a different perspective that may help you.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer you is RELAX and have fun--it's just SCUBA. Although mouth breathing does not come naturally to most of us, the biggest concern I get from divers is feeling "claustrophobic", which in most cases, is someone trying to breathe through their nose while encased in a silicone nose pocket. When you inhale through your nose, the mask sticks to your face and you can't seem to breathe. The other thing is just kick and breathe. You are neutrally buoyant (if you're weighted properly), so you will work less hard. In the beginning, most instructors overweight their divers to keep them from "popping" to the surface.

When you're not comfortable in the water, people have a tendency to breathe shallowly, which increases your lung volume. This will make you "float". If you pay attention to how many seconds it takes you to inhale a full lungful of air, then exhale for the same amount of seconds. Your place in the water can be regulated simply by inhaling (to rise slightly) and exhaling to sink. Since water is denser than air, you will have to wait a second or two for your inhalation (or exhalation) to change your position in the water column. By kicking or otherwise strenuously exerting yourself to sink or elevate yourself above the coral, you tire yourself as well as use your air supply quicker. If you find yourself floating or having trouble staying down, simply stop what you're doing and exhale. You will sink and regain your composure.

The cornerstone of diving is buoyancy control. Once you've mastered that and hence gets you over the fear of running in to a coral head or something, diving becomes second nature. The key is achieving neutral buoyancy. This involves proper weighting and lung volume, which I discussed in the previous paragraph. Most divers dive with too much weight. This is normal in the beginning because of the whole breathing thing (see previous paragraph). Ideally, you want to be able to dive with the least amount of weight and control your buoyancy with your lung volume. When you are struggling to stay off the bottom of the reef (or whatever environment you're diving in), then you need to drop a few pounds off your weight belt. I usually recommend dropping two pounds of lead at a time until you achieve your perfect buoyancy. The only other place you will achieve neutral buoyancy is in outer space if you're signed up for the NASA space program (which most of us are not...LOL).

A person's instinct when they are feeling unsettled in the water is to bolt for the surface. This is a bad thing. STOP, THINK, then ACT. A few seconds to ponder your situation and think through the logic of what you're taught to do in a given situation is what will keep you from hurting yourself. A few seconds to think something through (instead of reacting by bolting to the surface) will keep you from getting into a situation that on the surface which would be an inconvenience at most, but under water can be far more dangerous and complicated if you don't take your time to deliberately think your situation through before reacting to it.

A slow, controlled ascent will keep you safe. Even if your regulator were to fail (and they are designed to be fail-safe in the sense that they will free flow rather than stop the airflow) the design is to allow a diver to surface and still be able to breathe from a free-flowing regulator.

The other big issue I've run into with new divers is the mask removal. Most have a tendency to rip the mask off their faces and put it back as quickly as possible because the water on their face freaks them out and they want to complete this task as quickly as possible. The feeling of the water on your face when you rip the mask off has a tendency to make the diver involuntarily react by inhaling through their nose. This is called the Mammalian Diving Reflex. Inhaling water is not SCUBA; this is drowning! (LOL-a little humor here). The best advice I can offer you on this is TAKE YOUR TIME. The skills are not timed, so focus on what you're doing. Break this task down into individual steps: 1) fill your mask with water (you'll learn how to do this in class). 2) let the water stay in your mask for a few seconds while you continue to breathe through your mouth. 3) s-l-o-w-l-y remove the mask (keep your eyes closed, especially if you wear contacts, or in salt water so they don't burn). I've always told my divers that this is a "contact sport" and that I will have a hold of you and all you have to do is worry about performing the skill. It can be a bit disconcerting to have your eyes closed and trying to perform a skill while underwater. 4) once the mask is removed, hook it over your arm and continue to breathe in a slow, controlled manner through your mouth with the mask off. 5) slowly reposition the mask on your face. 6) leave the flooded mask on your face for a few seconds while continuing to breathe slowly and calmly through your mouth. 7) lastly, clear your mask the way your instructor teaches you to do it. Viola! Before you know it, you'll be teaching other divers to do this skill.

I am happy to talk about a subject I truly love and am glad to be able to hopefully help out and ease any apprehension or answer any questions that may not have been previously addressed. Who knows? I may convert a few others...

Good luck and let me know how it works out for you.

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"Sarcasm and cynicism: Just two of the many services I provide."
"Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them."
"You can't polish a turd."

I was hoping you'd respond Beebs, I thought I had seen you talking about diving in the past.

I'm doing my training through Dip N Dive in Tonawanda, on NF Blvd south of Sheridan. Their instructors are NAUI and PADI certified, and I know they've been around for a long time. I seem to remember a friend telling me they were good years ago, but I can't remember who it was. :p They seemed to be really upfront with what everything would cost too.

$229 for all the classes and open water dives.
Mask/snorkle/fins rental for pool classes
$99 full gear rental for the OW dives.

It seems to be a decent amount of time, 6 classes of about 3 hours each, and then 2 days of open water dives at the end. I'm not sure how that compares to other programs, but that seems to be a good amount of time.

Certain aspects of this shouldn't be that bad for me; I have many hours in SCBA from my firefighting days, so certain things will come natural. I'm used to a mask on my face for extended periods of time, although firefighting SCBA is a full face mask. I'm also very used to not panicking based on some of the drills that we had to do. One was sucking an airtank down until it was totally dead and the mask was starting to suck in on your face; trust me, THAT one sucks. I've done buddy breathing, and regulator swap drills too, so it should be just translating those skills to doing it underwater.

Mask clearing stuff should be fun and different; in firefighting, your mask comes off, you're probably dead within seconds. Kinda nice in SCUBA that it's just a minor annoyance. When it comes to that, I wear contacts, and have read that it's good to just close your eyes during those drills. Do you have any reccomendations on that?

I'm hoping to get some dives in locally, then hopefully do some up in Tobermory, ON. I already have two camping trips scheduled up there for the summer, would love to get a dive or two in there to some of those wrecks.

I'm kinda hoping that I don't like this TOO much.... a full set of gear is expensive as hell!!

Previous experience w/SCBA and thinking your way out of a tense situation certainly puts you at an advantage that most beginning divers do not have.

With respect to the contacts question, you have two options (depending on how blind you are)
The first option: don't wear them. Then if you open your eyes under water, you will not "wash" them out of your eyes. Also, keep in mind that water has a magnifying property which makes things under water look larger than objects on the surface <insert joke of your choice here:lol:>. The ratio is 4:3, so depending on your level of blindness, you may not need to wear a prescription mask, or to worry about your contacts for sight underwater.
The second option: (And this is what I teach). Close your eyes. This does two things: Keeps the contacts from being washed away, and in salt water, keeps your eyes from burning. As an instructor, physical contact = reassurance to a new diver. I tell the diver beforehand that this is a "contact sport" for the purpose of reassurance to perform a task while their eyes are closed. I grab a hold of their BC (not in an aggressive manner). This way, they only have to worry about performing the task. I tell them that I will worry about everything else; that's what I get paid for. The instructor you have should ALWAYS be in close enough proximity to reassure a diver, and keep them from bolting for the surface.

And yes, SCUBA is an insanely expensive sport; this was part (ok, mainly) why I became an instructor within 13 months of my open water certification.

My advice should you decide to pursue your passion: start out by purchasing a used rig (set of gear). Make sure the seller has recently serviced the reg before you buy and insist on it, with proof as a part of the deal. Most gear that gets sold, sits around for sometimes years before being used. Don't wait til you're on a dive trip in a remote location to find that you have a leaky o-ring, or worse. Once you try the used gear, and gain some knowledge about different types of rental gear that each shop carries, then you can think about buying new. Buy it a piece at a time and make sure you're comfortable using it before you go buy a whole new set of unfamiliar gear. It's hard enough to get acclimated to the underwater environment and throw a completely unfamiliar set of gear into the mix.

Also, the shops up here make most of their money selling you all the bells and whistles for gear rather than the actual business of open-water diving. Many of the instructors do not have open water experience; it usually tends to be the owners who take the divers on their open water dives, especially to a tropical environment. The instructors here seem to have a better feel for the classroom teaching and the confined water (pool) training. I tried to get into teaching when I moved back to the mainland, but there doesn't seem to be a place for me as my strong point is the actual open water diving management. I can do the classroom stuff, and pool training, but my strength is the actual open water environment as it's what I've been doing for 11 years. I don't mean to generalize with my observations; just what I've been exposed to up here. I am sure there may be shops who operate differently from what I've described. Just my personal experience.

But I digress-about the gear thing: if you do decide to invest. Keep it simple! You don't need every bell and whistle they will want to sell you. A simple, well-fitting BC and wetsuit will be key. I personally prefer a BC that is not a rear-inflatable (tends to make you float on your back-which is good on the surface-bad underwater). They are promoted as more "streamlined", but it is up to you. Try one as a rental and then see how they all work). A simple work-horse regulator (I use an Aqualung), with a primary and secondary air source attached to the first stage (this is what takes the air from the SCUBA tank, and reduces it to a pressure that the diver can handle when he/she inhales). The primary is what you breathe from; the secondary is what you share. Some people try to push the 'integrated' spare source with the BC. This works in theory, but IRL, if someone's out of air, they're going to go for the reg in YOUR mouth and pull it out. You'd better be able to grab your alternate so you have something to breathe from. This is what I prefer. A simple depth/pressure gauge on your console will suffice. They will try to push expensive computers (I have both, but acquired them over time). But all you need is a submersible pressure gauge (SPG) and a depth gauge. You will learn the dive tables, and all of those are more fail safe than a computer. People get the wrist computers which work with a sensor on their regulator to measure depth and pressure. This sucks if the computer takes a shit and you're in a remote location with no battery or spare reg. This could effectively end a dive vacation that you'd planned for months (not to mention the money lost). I'd buy a basic wrist mounted computer if you MUST have one in addition to the analog gauges for your SPG console.

I can get someone certified in 2 1/2 days for about $600, but that is a pretty ambitious undertaking that most do when they're on a week's vacation in the tropics. I usually recommend that the classroom/pool training gets completed on the mainland and do your checkout dives within two weeks of completing class/confined water (so everything remains fresh in your mind) with us. Two mornings of check out dives and you can play the rest of your vacation. Most shops charge more for this convenience, but who wants to spend their vacation reading a dry dive manual and spending 2-4 hours in a pool learning skills they could have done at home? Usually, you pay for the confined water/class on the mainland, then another fee for the check out dives. Any dives after that are about $125 for a two tank dive. Tipping is not mandatory, but will be appreciated. Divers do not make money, despite the fact we are trained to save lives and bust our asses to make the trip go smoothly. We are there up to two hours prior to departure and two hours after to make it appear that the trip goes seamlessly. People do not have a clue what goes into preparing for a two tank boat dive for a boat full of people. I usually tip 15-20 percent on a boat. Classroom is trickier-you can tip; they don't make the money on a boat that the other instructors make. Usually, I take a diver from start to finish because A) I've established the trust bond and B) no questions about who gets the tip. Give it to the diver, not the owner of the shop. Some are known to keep the tips when the divers do all the work, plus the owner gets the dive fees and pays the instructor about 8-10 bucks an hour. Hard to make a living unless you work for a couple of shops and have a commercial boat captain's license (which I do). Makes you more marketable to a shop to be dual certified.

I put a lot of info here, but hopefully, I've answered your questions. Let me know how it goes. Good luck!

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"Sarcasm and cynicism: Just two of the many services I provide."
"Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them."
"You can't polish a turd."

I'm not a scuba diver, but i think it wold be totally cool to check out sunken ships ! That sounds awesome !!

anyone ever check out a sunken ship, and actually go inside of it ?

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"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

Thought I'd recap how this is going in case anyone else is interested.

First night was Monday. Spent some time doing some paperwork, including the ever standard 'If you fuck up and kill yourself by not listening to directions your estate can't sue us' forms that you have to sign for EVERYTHING these days. There's 12 people in the class, and honestly I'm guessing 4 won't finish. 1 is taking this for the 3rd time because they don't feel comfortable enough with him on his open water dives to cert him. They're not charging him for the retakes, but they just won't cert him until they trust he knows what he's doing. The downside of this is that he blurts out the answer to every question asked (since he's heard it all twice before :p ) and doesn't give anyone else a chance to think about the question for themselves. That's annoying. (I know most of the answers too from my reading, but I shut up to let others learn.)

One girl came strolling in 30 minutes late, and spent more time texting than paying attention. She also wasn't really trying to do much in the pool to practice the skills we were working on. On guy about my age just doesn't look comfortable in the water, and that will obviously work against you.

The last one that I WANT to see pass is a 15 year old kid there with his dad. Good kid, very respectful (I SOUND OLD), raising his hand to answer questions, asking good questions, paying attention. He's just getting a little nervous during some skills in the pool, hopefully he'll work through that.

Had about an hour of class time, mostly talking about pressure. Remember Boyle's Law? It's actually relevant here!! Spent some time discussing different types of injuries that could occur because of pressure, and things you need to know about to understand how to avoid them. After that, off to the pool.

First, they wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable in the water, so they asked us to swim 200 yards. I used to swim 13,000 a day, so 200 should have been cake. Well, I'm not 18 anymore, and I'm in the worst shape of my life. Thankfully, that's still better than most in there, but we all got through it. 10 minutes of treading water came next, partially so the instructors could guesstimate how much weight we'd need later on in our gear.

Then, some gear. Not full on gear, just a buoyancy compensator (BC), mask, and snorkel. A BC is basically a jacket with air bladders that you inflate and deflate to move yourself up or down in the water, aka change your buoyancy. We're doing more work with that tonight.

Then, some basic drills. Clearing your snorkel of water after being submerged, and flooding / clearing your mask while you're underwater. That's the trickiest one, and probably the hardest in general. You go under and flood your mask. Then, after it's totally full of water, you hold the top tight against your face and exhale through your nose. The air pushes the water out of the bottom of the mask, and it's clear again. This wasn't too hard for me since I have swam so much I'm used to water in my nose, but that definitely tripped some folks up.

The hardest exercise was going under, flooding your mask, clearing it, then coming mostly back up, clearing your snorkel, and taking some breaths. Of course , you had to do this with one breath , and it was pretty hard. The biggest problem we all had was that we were using up so much air to clear our masks we didn't have enough to clear the snorkel too. The lead instructor then did it, but he flooded/cleared his mask 10 times, then his snorkel, all in one breath. I gave him shit for showing off, but the point was made about only using as much air as you need to get the mask clear.

And that was that for the night. Tonight should be more of the same, but from what they said we'll be in full scuba gear with tanks, so more underwater time .(YAY!!)

EDIT: Oh yeah, on the contacts thing, they suggested that we not wear them, but I did since I had my glasses with me just in case. I was pleasantly surprised that I had no problems whatsoever. Didn't even get a chlorine sting the next day when I put them back in.

to clear the mask, you press on the top of the mask, around the middle of your temple and blow out your nose right?

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When I was a boy I spoke as a boy, I understood as a boy, and I thought as a boy; when I became a man I took that boy outside and shot him.

Yeah, tilting your head back slightly while you do it. Pretty similar to what snorkelers do so I'm told. Air collects up top, water gets pushed out the bottom.

Some masks I saw in the shop (read : expensive) had a purge valve up on the top so you didn't really have to do anything but exhale out your nose, and the water just got pushed out of the valve instead.

When it's time to go out for a smoke break or something, tell that big headed wanna be taking the class for the 3rd time to button it, or there will be repercussions......

and that chick that i texting during class??? really, either she is not serious about diving or maybe she doesn't care about safety and learning

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"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

I think that Mr. Repeater may have gotten the message already, but I did come REALLY close to going off on him. I'll be honest, I used to be that guy when I was a kid. I'd read in advance, know what was coming, and be the kid that the teacher would have to tell to shutup so other kids can learn. I figured it out by the time high school came along that it wasn't cool to do that.

I'm actually curious what this guy keeps doing wrong that they won't cert him. Should be interesting.

As far as Miss Texter, I don't expect her to be here past this week. She has the attitude that most people have when they get a ticket and have to go to driver ed school, like she's only there because she HAS to be there. I dunno about here, but I PAID money to be there, and PAID money for some equipment. I'm sure as hell going to pay attention and get my money's worth out of the deal. It's safe to say that I am already making sure I avoid her side of the group when they break us into teams or partners. I want nothing to do with this bitch.

General Stuff:
I was wondering how things were going....you are correct in assuming there are going to be a couple of washouts, some partly because they are doing it at the behest of another, some may be doing it as part of a marine biology class. Mostly, what I've found in my personal experience is that kids do it because the parent enjoys it and pushes it. Usually, the fam is on vaca, the mom/daughter are not interested, but don't want the dad to have any fun, so if the dad can get the kids interested, mom will go for dad spending the morning off diving while he pays for her to go to the spa. (Don't laugh; I can't tell you how many times I've heard this from the men on my boat).

Gear:
As far as the masks go, I'd stick with a "low profile" one. Doesn't have to be a Tusa or other name brand; they are pretty much all the same. I've used a "Deep See" mask for years without a purge and probably paid $20 (I get cost for being an instructor, but it probably retails for maybe $40 vs a Tusa or other name brand, which can go for about $80 or more). A purge valve actually makes it a little harder to clear the mask, since the valve creates a wider air space between the mask and your face, which holds more water, which takes a bit longer to clear. Just sayin'. With respect to fit, make sure the mask you try fits your face. Many people buy a mask that is too small (don't get a tri-view mask-harder to clear). When you fit your mask, you want to just put the mask to your face without putting the strap over your head. Inhale through your nose with the mask on your face and put your hands at your sides while still inhaling via your nose to keep the mask in place. If it doesn't move, you have a good seal.

With respect to fins, I do go with Mares. They are by far, the best I've ever owned and last for YEARS. I had my first pair for seven or eight years until the top on one finally tore from using them so much. I use the Avanti Quattro fins. They are a bit pricey, but worth it. It is essential to get a mask, fins and snorkel you are comfortable with. The Avantis will probably set you back $125-150, but worth it. They are not a full foot fin (open heel fin); have easily adjustable straps and are worn with booties. i have also used (and currently own) Mares Volo fins. They are a bit more flexible and the resistance against the water is less (according to some).

As far as snorkels, the semi dry is fine. The "dry" snorkels are kind of a gimmick. If you're submerged, you're still going to get water in it. Don't spend the big bucks on a fancy snorkel. You can pick one up for about $20, if memory serves me correctly. I can't remember the last time I had to buy one, because I used to find them diving all the time. ::lol:: People drop them over the side of a boat, or whatever. Rule: never leave your mask, snorkel or fins on the edge of the boat. Also, don't cheap out on mask, fins and snorkel. You will regret it.

<EDIT: If you're getting a "face hickey" from the mask, it's too tight, or is too small. Loosen the strap and make sure the strap is situated up on the back of your head. If it's down around your ears, the mask WILL leak. It will also leak if it's too tight.>

You don't have to buy a brand name bootie, either. I own 6mm booties because I am all about warmth and comfort (even in the tropics) I am a fan of booties for two reasons: warmth, and if you're doing a beach dive that may be rocky or rocks that have algae, you have more protection for your feet. I am not supposed to promote a website, but if anyone pm's me, I'll direct you to a discount website where you can purchase name brand gear at a discount.

Some techniques that you may find useful: Do NOT press so hard against the mask to clear it. You just want to rest your hand gently on the top of the mask. If you press too hard, you will actually break the seal and get more water coming in through the bottom of the mask. You should not have to blow your brains out through your ears to clear your mask, or your ears. ::lol::

Clearing your ears: you can feel the pressure change in your ears almost as soon as you drop below the surface. The mistake people often make is waiting too long to clear your ears. (Valsalvo Technique). If you try to clear your ears while you're feeling a lot of pressure or possibly pain, you will be unsuccessful, and your eustachian tubes will swell and you'll most likely not be able to clear. If you are feeling pain while trying to clear, simply come up a few feet until the pressure/pain eases, then GENTLY clear your ears. You should not have to blow any harder than a small puff of air. What I do is make my students practice clearing on the surface before they even descend below the surface. I tell them to pinch their nose and gently try to exhale through their nose just enough to feel a slight movement of their eardrum. That's all the pressure you need to exert to clear your ears. If you have to blow any harder, you need to ascend a few feet and try it again. I equalize every two-three feet while descending. Your greatest pressure change will come within the first atmosphere (33'). Slow and easy, don't let anyone pressure you, or compare your progress to anyone else in the class. Everyone learns at a different pace, and in different ways. What works for one, may not work for another. The feeling of holding up the rest of the class puts undue pressure on yourself, thus creating anxiety in an already unfamiliar environment.

For many people, the concept of breathing underwater is very foreign and can take on a life all it's own that panics some. All your life you've been told by your mother, father, whomever to hold your breath under water, and then someone comes along, pops a reg in your mouth and tells you to breathe. ::lol:: This is normal. If you find you're having trouble breathing through your mouth, just plug your nose with the mask on and it will force you to breathe through your mouth.

I wish I was teaching right now.....I really, really miss it. This is a nice outlet for me. I hope that you take what you can use from my writings and that I don't come off as a know-it-all. I genuinely am interested in helping people become proficient divers and always tell my divers that they are going to learn by the book because if something ever goes wrong on the dive, they will be the ones to survive because of what I've taught them. There is a lot that will come with experience and can't be taught. Most of this will come with practice and gaining confidence. The biggest confidence builder for me that got me to the leadership level was taking more advanced classes and the rescue diver/medic-first aid. Most divers only get as far as taking care of themselves (to a degree) and relying on the dive leader to take care of them. In most cases this is the norm, but if something happens to the diver leading the pack, it is important that you learn the important things you need to know to take care of yourself in a dive emergency (and others, if it becomes necessary). Even something as simple as getting separated from your buddy and the rest of the group can be anxiety-producing, but with advanced training, it is a snap to deal with.

I am not trying to step on your instructor's toes, just sharing another perspective. If there's something I've told you that you can use, by all means, go for it. But be careful of what you share with them, as some instructors can be kind of funny about another instructor they perceive as interfering with their teaching process.

::lol:: I always write a book in this thread-I should've been in bed an hour ago.

Happy diving and keep me posted on your progress! (Remember, divers do it deeper!)

_________________
[ERROR 404: User brain not found - Try again later]
"Sarcasm and cynicism: Just two of the many services I provide."
"Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them."
"You can't polish a turd."

I've done a lot of wreck diving. It's cool in that it's an artificial reef and offers protection to the larger fish (Goliath Groper up to 600 lbs) that you may not normally see in open water or on a reef.

Some do not like an overhead environment (being inside a ship), but you see some pretty amazing stuff you may not see on a reef.

I wish I'd taken more pics while diving, but it's hard to take pix and worry about leading a tour or certifying a beginner. ::lol:: I have the images in my head, and wish I could share them with non-divers to give them a unique perspective on the world below the surface of the water.

Gee, can you tell this is my first love? ::lol::

_________________
[ERROR 404: User brain not found - Try again later]
"Sarcasm and cynicism: Just two of the many services I provide."
"Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them."
"You can't polish a turd."

Night two was a little better. The fat annoying guy was still fat and annoying, but the instructor ignored him more, so that was good. (He also tried to tell me that he 'worked with mortgages' for Bank of America 'trying to prevent deadbeats from refinancing stuff they shouldn't have signed up for in the first place' , which lead me to believe he works in their call center or something. He's a scumbag.)

Miss Texter was acutually more engaged, might have been the 20 minutes on lung expansion injuries that caught her attention. Either way, the classroom session was better now than it was. People are taking it more seriously, which is good.

I did buy some gear already. They had a student package deal that ended up saving me about $75 off on mask/snorkel/fins, and I picked up a weight belt and boots too.

For my mask, I bought a Deep See, no purge. I did get a tri-view, since I liked the idea of a wider field of vision. Didn't seem to have much trouble clearing it during drills last night myself. I'm glad I spent the time to toothpaste it up though; didn't have any fogging problems at all. It fits well, and I did have to loosen it a smidge, but it definitely feels good on my face.

I didn't go crazy on the snorkel either. The 'dry' snorkel definitely seemed silly to me, but I did buy one with a wave guard on it. It works, but I have to take it back in because there's a plastic clip on the inside that fell off, looks like a check valve flap or something. I showed it to them in class and said they'd swap it out.

For fins, I bought these : http://www.aqualung.com/us/content/view/25/109/ I talked to one of the guys at length when I was there, and he said that in his experience this style gave him more control and feel underwater compared to a split fin. He mentioned that a split fin will be more efficient, but doesn't give you as much feedback to what's going on. That appealed to me, so I went with them.

I didn't go crazy on boots, I think they're 3mm, maybe 5. They were under $40 so not bad. Bought a pocket weight belt too, the strap with the coated lead blobs didn't appeal to me. For mask/fins/snorkel/boots/belt/weights I spent a little over $300. Landed somewhere in the middle between cheap stuff and the top of the line, price wise anyways.

Went over the full gear assembly last night too. Some of it was the same as my old firefighting stuff; making sure the screen is clear, ZOMG O RING, full open, quarter turn back, etc. The tanks were longer and sat lower on my back than I'm used to, but wasn't terrible. Did some umore mask clearing, much easier with all the air you needed, although I was trying to focus more intently on using less air to clear it out. Practiced clearing the regulator, easy peasy.

Took a lap around half the pool, didn't go more than about 6 feet deep, made a big loop. I definitely need to make a more concerted effort to equalize more and earlier; I was definitley feeling it and couldn't pop em once I started feeling the pressure. I'm sure I'll get plenty more practice in the next couple weeks. Wasn't too pleased with my partner, he just swam stairing straight ahead. I was trying to look at him, make sure he was good, etc, but he didn't look my way once.

Spent some time going over the emergency procedures, handing off the 2nd regulator. My partner was definitely being grabby, barely letting me get the thing out of the holder before he grabbed it from me. No too difficult a skill, also something you practice in firefighting, along with a complete bottle change in an emergency. (Although I don't think that's even possible underwater. :p )

Started going over buoyancy stuff, did the fin tip inhale/exhale game. That was pretty cool. We'll be getting more into the buoyancy stuff next week.

SO far so good though. I really need to focus on that equalizing on the way down, but that will come with practice I think. I do appriciate your insight on this too, you're not stepping on toes at all. The more information the better in my opinion!!

Oh, man...Seeing that has to be like some kind of freak of nature

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"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

They are a protected species in the British Virgin Islands National Park. The one I was describing above lived on a wreck off Salt Island (BVI) called "The RMS Rhone" (cool--google it and read the history on it.) Some idiot shot it with a spear gun (about 12 years ago). If memory serves me correctly, the authorities arrested and prosecuted him; although I do not recall ever hearing about the final outcome.

The "Chikuzen" (an old Japanese refrigerator/freighter ship) sunk between Anegada and Virgin Gorda in about 70+ feet of water and has two huge Goliath Grouper (the politically correct term for the formerly known as "Jew Fish") that weigh about 300 and 450 lbs, respectively. I've got to dig through my old pics and see if I can find a shot of one of them still around.

I lol'd at the banker-wanna be guy. That's funny. Good to hear more people are becoming more engaged in it. The technical/class/pool stuff is a little dry, but once you get the certification, it's all fun and games after that, and nobody loses an eye.

I am not a fan of split fins myself, but there are people who swear by them. It's a matter of personal preference. Good that you got some stuff you're happy with.

I'll be checking in for updates.

It's hell week at work; between the nutjobs and people who are non-compliant/derelict in their Federal Tax obligations calling, I am so frazzled. Taking tomorrow off to catch up on two weeks of laundry and housekeeping. I am not even sure my dog remembers me.

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