What are the sacraments of diving?

[jmsdiver]

Do not go ice diving after a night shift and several cups of coffee. Bad combination that adds up to a bad experience.

(For those that use a snorkel) Make sure that you have switched from snorkel to reg before descending, because that first gulp at 5 feet sucks.

Make sure that if you need to push a button on you computer to turn it on, that you do so before you hit 70 feet (especially at Palancar Reef in Coz, which is at least a 130 foot dive and a computer is nice to have).

Redundancy is nice to have: computers and air and anything else that is important to the dive and is feasible in two or three.

I agree with Ber: any diver may call the dive at any time without question. No need to lose a diver; there's always another day to dive.

Remember your drysuit when diving Isle Royale in L. Superior. Doing it wet just really isn't an option.

I'm sure there are more floating in my head, but can not think of them at this time.

Cheers all

 

[-=>Larry<=-]

Originally posted by Ber Rabbit
Do you remember to bless the boat with the big "over the head ring" before you go down? Just to make sure it doesn't sink before you get back, never can be too careful!

Syruss and I made up, by the way.

Commercial mask defogger? Spit is free!

Ber

Ahh Yes - It's been long enough that I've forgotten about that one - AND the extra-large boat blessing when you surface where it's supposed to be and it's moved 100 yards off!

Commercial mask defogger - Moi ???[maybe that was somebody else anyway] - - No, my own mix of H2O and Baby shampoo!

Dive Safe

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Ahhh yes, learned that trick this summer! Haven't mixed mine up yet, still spitting in my mask and anyone else's who'll let me

HI Scubabunny! Hopping with glee to meet ya!

Oh, let's not forget "Thou shalt not molest the puffer fish for entertainment" Puffing up is rather hard on the poor buggers physically!

Ber

 

[The Chairman]

Cast not thy semi-digested bread upon the waters...

Obey the aqua-lord, thy instructor with all your heart...

And on the seventh day thou shalt dive, and the divemasters saw that this was good and right...

Yea though, I will bring my light into the ocean and it's backup, and its backup, for none are so blind as those who doest dive without backups in the sea!

Be ye redundant!

Be ye redundant!

1st Diver's 4:13

Bless thy boat and captain with the sign of the ring, for as thou doest issue from it, so also to it thou must return.

And it came to pass that when the prodigal diver returned to the boat, the captain did laugh and sing and ordered that the fatted lobster should be slain to celebrate the prodigal's diver's return...

"But captain, I have sinned for I have lost my buddy."

"Fret not my diver, for yonder sits thy dunderheaded buddy who came before ye as one crying in the wilderness. And so did we heed his call... and yet thou didst return to us with thy rig and life intact!"

 

[keralucu]

and thanks for my usual Monday morning smile, Pete!

 

[Iguana Don]

And they were alone in the wilderness, without purpose or instruction and they hailed out, "O' Great Scuba God, direct us to the ways of greatness and superiority."

And George said...............................

 

[bash]

Originally posted by jmsdiver
Make sure that you have switched from snorkel to reg before descending, because that first gulp at 5 feet sucks.

The old lung-full-of-snorkel-water trick, eh?

I reckon that's a diver-baptism sacrament:
Instead of a jug of water, the new initiate uses the SIUBA (Self Inflicted Underwater Baptism Apparatus - otherwise known as a snorkel). Once you've experienced that, you're a real diver.

A terrestrial baptism: you're all dry and they try ta make ya wet! (a million babies can attest to the fact that this is not a pleasant experience)

A scuba baptism: you're all wet and you try to get even wetter by making the remaining dry bits (ie in your lungs) wet too! (a million divers can attest to the fact that this is not a pleasant experience).

-bash

 

[Fishkiller]

Originally posted by bash

The old lung-full-of-snorkel-water trick, eh?

A terrestrial baptism: you're all dry and they try ta make ya wet! (a million babies can attest to the fact that this is not a pleasant experience)

-bash

I would have to think it is the other way around You're wet and they make you dry.



On the other hand I was talking with my minister on Sunday and he agreed it would be better to be Scuba diving thinking of God than in Church thinking of Scuba diving

 

[bash]

Originally posted by Fishkiller
...I was talking with my minister on Sunday and he agreed it would be better to be Scuba diving thinking of God than in Church thinking of Scuba diving

I can see some similarities between diving and church:

Some people seem to think you need to wave your hands about heaps to get where you want to be, others take it a little more calmly.

By the end of the session you want to have experienced that uplifted feeling.

There's lots of rules that you're supposed to follow, but plenty of people seem to ignore them.

There is plenty of dogma: and people debate fiercely about which is the 'right' one.

It makes some people feel like they've been in touch with a higher being.

A status structure has been established to sort the elite from the great-unwashed (course director = saint or bishop, perhaps).

the average joe/jane just wants to go, spend time with their mates doing the thing they came for, without all the heavy stuff.


-bash

 

[IndigoBlue]

Heads Up once bubbled...
Thou shalt not bugger off and leave thy buddy
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours brand new shiny diving equipment
Thou shalt not let bits of equipment dangle
Thou shalt have no other sport but diving
Thou shalt not feed the sharks (Florida only)
Thou shalt not abandon the dive plan
Thy knife is NOT a weapon
Thou shalt not leave thy weights on the dive boat
Thou shalt dive all the days of thy life
Thou shalt not flick sea cucumbers at thy unsuspecting buddy (especially for my brother, this one)

Any more?

My rules consist of the following, gleaned from instructors, books, and experience:

Plan your dive, dive your plan

Breathe regularly on scuba, never hold your breath

Clear your ears early before your descent and often during descent

Establish neutral buoyancy before you crash into the bottom

Maintain neutral buoyancy at all times during a dive

Check your SPG every 5 minutes

Head back when your SPG reaches your predetermined turn around point

Egress from depth gradually with a 1 min stop at 1/2 your max depth

Wait for 3 mins at 15 to 20 ft before surfacing

Establish positive/buoyancy once you surface

Wait at least 1 hour during a surface interval

Use tables or a planning feature to plan your repetitive dive(s)

Dive your deepest dive first; do not bounce-dive nor reverse profile

Do not dive deeper than 100ft more than once in a day

Use nitrox on repetitive dives


I would be interested to hear other divers' views of these rules, even though some of them are considered perhaps to be outmoded. Thanks.