Last Saturday morning I left Lakeland at 5:30am and drove to West Palm Beach to meet up with Marco Delano and David Benoit, two semi-closed rebreather diver students. We spent the morning going over rebreather physiology and putting the Drager and Azimuth units together. After lunch, it was off to Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures. Despite the approaching cold front we had sunny skies, no wind, and flat seas. We did two afternoon dives of approximately one hour each on Tear Drop and Playpen. The viz was average for West Palm (approx 40 feet) though not spectacular. The water was a pleasant 75 degrees despite it being late December. With a not-so-normal southbound current we drifted across a multitude of tropicals, eels, and a couple of green turtles. One diver, Dave Mott, from Tampa shot a large grouper and bagged a couple of lobsters. Unfortunately, he didn't invite us to his place for dinner. Check out my website (www.debersole.com) for photos.
We then spent the evening breaking down and disinfecting the units, going over more academics, and taking the dreaded examinations. After Marco and David aced the Drager and Azimuth exams it was off to bed. Sunday, we knocked out two more one hour dives at Bath & Tennis and Breakers to complete the required four hours of bottom time for certification. The cold front had moved through so the air was brisk but the skies were blue, the seas remained flat, and we had two more enjoyable dives in the beautiful waters of West Palm. Thanks go out to Sandy and Ryan, our divemasters from Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures. And congratulations to the two newest IANTD-certified Semi-Closed Rebreather Divers, Marco Delano and David Benoit!!! Welcome to the silent world of bubble-free diving!
If anyone out there is interested in a "Discover Rebreather Experience" or certifications on either the Drager Dolphin or Azimuth, let me know.
We then spent the evening breaking down and disinfecting the units, going over more academics, and taking the dreaded examinations. After Marco and David aced the Drager and Azimuth exams it was off to bed. Sunday, we knocked out two more one hour dives at Bath & Tennis and Breakers to complete the required four hours of bottom time for certification. The cold front had moved through so the air was brisk but the skies were blue, the seas remained flat, and we had two more enjoyable dives in the beautiful waters of West Palm. Thanks go out to Sandy and Ryan, our divemasters from Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures. And congratulations to the two newest IANTD-certified Semi-Closed Rebreather Divers, Marco Delano and David Benoit!!! Welcome to the silent world of bubble-free diving!
If anyone out there is interested in a "Discover Rebreather Experience" or certifications on either the Drager Dolphin or Azimuth, let me know.