Ok....today, my boys and I decided to dive the Whiskey wreck. The seas were calm, weather was good, and I had already snorkeled out the day before to check the distance and how far down the wreck was. This would be one of our first dives without a DM, but I felt it would be a simple dive and good dive for us. Wow...I was wrong. My boys are 13 and 14, and I realized that I or a DM have done most of the work for them in previous dives. We decided to suit up at the parking lot and walk about 80 yards to the beach. By the time we got there, I had done all the work and was dead tired. My youngest son's tank had come out of the bc strap, my other son lost a fin b/c he didnt tighten it, everyone was upset, so I called off the dive. There was no way we were getting in the water. I realized, certification doesnt mean much. We went back to the condo and had a little dive family meeting. I informed my boys, from now on, they pack their equipment, help each other and me get everything together. I also made sure they knew had to loosen and tighten their fins and mask. Its amazing as you are going through training all the little things that are taken for granted. It was an incredible lesson to learn. Later that afternoon, my youngest son and I decided we would go down to a local bridge and try a 16 foot dive to see if we learned anything from the morning fiasco. The dive was successful, no mishaps, much better organized and mentally prepared.
As mentioned above, the second dive went well. However, I also found that towing a flag/buoy was a PITA. It seemed to get caught in my snorkle more than once. I have seen other divers anchor their reel and make sure they stay in the vicinty. I am not sure what they were using for an anchor as most of the area we were in was sand. Any help here is appreciated.