Cape Cod... too dangerous or okay?

[tkaelin]

After dark when did you stop diving?

 

[AfterDark]

After dark when did you stop diving?

2023 It was the first year since 1968 I had zero dives. My skeleton has failed me. Arthritis has ruined my left ankle and foot and 2 ortho md's tell me there is no repairing it. My shoulders after 3 rotator cuff repairs have very little strength, so little that the wetsuit prevents movement. Couple that with my wrists that won't bend and it is very hard to reach and manipulate my gear. I would not feel confident in the water and the pain involved takes the fun out of it anyway. So that is my sad tale of woe. I may do a little shallow snorkeling but my scuba days are over. Fifty five years and something over 2200 dives.

 

[Bubblesong]

2023 It was the first year since 1968 I had zero dives. My skeleton has failed me. Arthritis has ruined my left ankle and foot and 2 ortho md's tell me there is no repairing it. My shoulders after 3 rotator cuff repairs have very little strength, so little that the wetsuit prevents movement. Couple that with my wrists that won't bend and it is very hard to reach and manipulate my gear. I would not feel confident in the water and the pain involved takes the fun out of it anyway. So that is my sad tale of woe. I may do a little shallow snorkeling but my scuba days are over. Fifty five years and something over 2200 dives.

Well heck, snorkeling Ft Wetherhill is awesome anyway! I see lots of critters snorkeling! As soon as it is a bit warmer mid May i will bring my go pro for both day and night snorkel photography!

 

[tkaelin]

That is a lifetime of diving. Hold on to the fond memories. We all stop someday.

 

[AfterDark]

That is a lifetime of diving. Hold on to the fond memories. We all stop someday.

It was FUN! I've got log books and pictures and pictures in my mind. Plus I believe I got to dive during the golden age of diving, I got to see so many things evolve, change and develop in the diving world. When I started diving the mark of a "real" diver was a stringer full of speared fish or a bag full of bugs. These days a bag full of trash taken from the bottom is the sign of a "real" diver. I'd call that quite an evolution!

Best of all I got thru all those dives, deep air, air only deco, never got bent. I've been narc'd numerous times and always managed to surface. Solo diving at a time when it was next to being illegal! (LOL) without redundancy of any kind. Wreck diving using a fishing reel and line! Night diving in a narrow channel for bugs with the Block Island ferry going overhead! And other outrageously crazy things, Survived it all!
Thanks for inquiring, that was another thing I loved about the time I started diving the sense of community we had that IMO is mostly lost these days.

Enjoy every dive and make the most of it! Oh and do crazy once in a while!

 

[tkaelin]

Golden age! I started a little later but still when bcds were bcs and optional. Same with pressure gauges.

 

[CT-Rich]

It was FUN! I've got log books and pictures and pictures in my mind. Plus I believe I got to dive during the golden age of diving, I got to see so many things evolve, change and develop in the diving world. When I started diving the mark of a "real" diver was a stringer full of speared fish or a bag full of bugs. These days a bag full of trash taken from the bottom is the sign of a "real" diver. I'd call that quite an evolution!

Best of all I got thru all those dives, deep air, air only deco, never got bent. I've been narc'd numerous times and always managed to surface. Solo diving at a time when it was next to being illegal! (LOL) without redundancy of any kind. Wreck diving using a fishing reel and line! Night diving in a narrow channel for bugs with the Block Island ferry going overhead! And other outrageously crazy things, Survived it all!
Thanks for inquiring, that was another thing I loved about the time I started diving the sense of community we had that IMO is mostly lost these days.

Enjoy every dive and make the most of it! Oh and do crazy once in a while!

I was honored to share some of those dives with you.

 

[AfterDark]

I was honored to share some of those dives with you.

It was my pleasure, you were easy to keep track of!
Who else could have turned you on to finding lost 40MM ammo?!

 

[CT-Rich]

It was my pleasure, you were easy to keep track of!
Who else could have turned you on to finding lost 40MM ammo?!

That is true. I still have a coffee can of powder out in my shed... I don't remember if you were in any of my other videos, beside this one from 2017

 

[RIHappyDiver]

It was FUN! I've got log books and pictures and pictures in my mind. Plus I believe I got to dive during the golden age of diving, I got to see so many things evolve, change and develop in the diving world. When I started diving the mark of a "real" diver was a stringer full of speared fish or a bag full of bugs. These days a bag full of trash taken from the bottom is the sign of a "real" diver. I'd call that quite an evolution!

Best of all I got thru all those dives, deep air, air only deco, never got bent. I've been narc'd numerous times and always managed to surface. Solo diving at a time when it was next to being illegal! (LOL) without redundancy of any kind. Wreck diving using a fishing reel and line! Night diving in a narrow channel for bugs with the Block Island ferry going overhead! And other outrageously crazy things, Survived it all!
Thanks for inquiring, that was another thing I loved about the time I started diving the sense of community we had that IMO is mostly lost these days.

Enjoy every dive and make the most of it! Oh and do crazy once in a while!

I have to echo Rich!
Also, I don’t know if I ever thanked you for taking a new again diver under your wing and teaching me about diving Newport.

Rich, thanks for adding the video! I had forgotten about that.

Erik