Diving Trip Report of PCB, FL – 10/17/15

[jringold]

Just got back home from a weekend diving at Panama City Beach, FL.


First of all, the folks at Diving PCB really knocked themselves out to show us a good time. If you have the chance to dive with Mike Luttrell’s team, you need to jump on it. They are a really laid back bunch that is a lot of fun to be with. DM’s Chase and Stephen will go out of their way to show you a good time. While there, they finished up our check-out dives for AOW and we also did the PADI Nitrox cert with them. Here is what I really liked about them – on the Nitrox cert, there were a few concepts that I was having a hard time with. Mike stayed on this topic until I totally understood it. He never got frustrated or tried to hurry us along. He thought it was important enough to make sure that I totally understood the concept.


So the diving itself was not great – no fault of Diving PCB. The visibility was shot to crap. On Saturday, we dove the jetties at St. Andrews park. This is where we did our Navigation checkout dive with Chase. Because the vis was crap, this turned out to be a good time to do Nav work.


Sunday we had planned to do Black Bart and USS Strength but there was a small craft advisory so we ended up having to do a late afternoon/evening dive on the B&B Barge. Again, the vis was not great. But this was our first Nitrox dive (more on that in a sec). The water temp was 74 – and I was using a 3mil suit. I think I was on the border of being cold – but not quite —— that is until I got back on the boat. I almost froze my private parts off. HOLY CRAP it was cold. We were on a Carolina Skiff center console so there was no place to hide from the wind. That has to the be coldest I think I have ever been in my entire life. I have no words that can actually describe how cold I was. Let’s just say that if I could have crawled into an ice bath, I think I would have warmed up a bit! Jeez, I didn't know if I would have been better off taking my wetsuit off or leaving it on. I just huddled into a ball behind the helm and prayed the trip back to the marina would be over soon!


Now the Nitrox subject – Observations…. I don’t know if it is psychosomatic or not – but I actually felt really revived after the nitrox dive (except for the ice forming on my face). Also, I am usually majorly dehydrated after a tank dive. Not after a 30% tank of nitrox. Saturday night after diving a tank of 21% we went to Triple J’s steak house (freaking awesome rib eye and onion rings….) and I bet I drank a gallon of tea. However, Sunday night after a tank of nitrox, I didn’t feel like I needed any more fluid than normal.


Finally, just a quick word on lodging… We stayed at the Hampton Inn in PCB. It was not at all expensive and our room was great. We are not talking 5 stars but when you are dropping a truck load of money on diving you don’t have a lot left over for lodging. Hampton Inn was clean, very comfortable, and extremely nice folks. They had an awesome breakfast each morning as well. Hampton Inn is not quite on the beach but it is centrally located to just about everything – but hey, you are diving all day and when not, you are seeing the sights – so who cares if you are not on the beach. For about $80/night it is a deal!


So to sum it up, we had a great time. The visibility sucked and we almost froze…. But a bad day of diving is still better than a good day at work!


Take care all!

 

[TMHeimer]

You got a lot done in one weekend. I dived the jetty twice, years apart. First time great viz, next time you couldn't see the rocks just below you when beginning descent. At least you got one wreck dive in. I went out years ago with Dive Locker, also a good LDS. I read a few years ago there was a Hammerhead in the "kiddie pool" by the jetty. We spend 3 months most winters on the panhandle or AL/MS, and weather is always a challenge in getting out on a boat (as well as too few divers in the frigid 55-65 water). If it ever hit 74 before we leave end of March I'd be in the shorty or less.

 

[jringold]

If it ever hit 74 before we leave end of March I'd be in the shorty or less.

Dude - I had a reality check this weekend on what 74 is actually like. Next time I do that I may get a 100mil suit if one exists (and build a campfire inside of it). Oh, one other other thing I discovered.... When it is that cold, the blood is forced from your extremities to your core. This causes your body to think that your blood volume has increased and triggers a hormone to think you need to produce more urine. Now, I am on a center console boat with no head. We are headed for a marina with no public bathroom..... I leave it to your imagination on how I dealt with that once the boat was docked..... (actually the boat was not yet docked but was close enough to the dock for me to make a flying leap and head for a dark, secluded spot....)

 

[TMHeimer]

I hear ya. I've been on a headless boat last 3 years and I take bladder medication. Hose down the wetsuit leg separates suit from leg enough for urine to flow out quicker, meaning I can go just before ending the second and last dive. Then run to the dock's porto potty. So what mil wetsuit were you actually wearing?

 

[jringold]

3mm and it wasn't near enough. Our DM was wearing a 5mm and he was wondering around the boat like it was 4th of July. Like I said, in the water, there was no issue. But once on the boat and I was like frosty the snow man. You have to imagine that being chilled to the bone is one thing - but being chilled to the bone AND having a bladder that is on the verge of critical melt down at the same time is a new level of hell..... The only thing missing was a case of the runs - thankfully, that was not in the cards last night!!!! I always look for the brightest side of things!

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah. Warhammer only works in the tropics.

 

[scubadada]

I've heard a lot of claims for nitrox, but never that it resulted in less dehydration