And they say blondes are dumb?

Dove the Yukon today.. and I have to say that some of the other "divers" really astounded me.. Two showed up as a buddy team- both wearing 3 mil suits; one had no hood. Hello? The Pacific at 100 ft is not exactly a tropical environment..
5 minutes into the dive, they ascended- blue with chattering teeth. Hmm wonder why?

Another buddy team showed up- both OW certified; one with 7 dives, and the 'experienced' one had 20. I don't think the average person with 20 dives can afford to be responsible for himself AND another diver- especially in a panic/emergency situation. I've only got 40 dives behind me- theres NO way I'd take on the responsibility of a beginning diver (unless it was an emergency)!! My Nitrox instructor just happened to be on the boat this morning & he ended up getting stuck babysitting some of these divers. I really don't think that was fair, but he was polite enough to watch them when asked by the boat captain..


Anyways, off of the box now.
The Yukon dive was much better than expected- vis was 15-20 ft, and the surge was moderate, almost non-existent, around the hull/flag areas. Didn't see anything spectacular, but it was a good dive regardless.
Wasn't able to dive the 2nd dive to the Ruby...... ended up feeding the fish 5, yes FIVE, times..
:nosmilie:

Glad your first dive was cool!

You'll get your sea legs before too long. Try Triptone, it works great for me. One tab the night before when you go to bed. A second tab when you wake up. If the boat doesn't leave the dock 'til later for some reason, a third when you get on the boat.

Drink lots of water, starting a couple days before the trip. Hope it works as well for you.

It's tough to be a newbie...

I pity the newbies (like me) because not everyone researches well, and some don't understand all the intricacies of things like exposure suits. Those 3 mil suits look pretty snazzy in the Cozumel photos. And those Farmer John 7 mil suits aren't very stylish!

Beyond that, us newbies need to learn somehow. And quite often if we ask the diver with 200 logged dives to work with us, we are limiting them SEVERLY in their ability to enjoy the dive they paid for, so we often are forced to struggle along with people with nearly the same experience. So then the experienced divers write about us on the internet. A terrible catch-22.

PerroneFord:

It's tough to be a newbie...

I pity the newbies (like me) because not everyone researches well, and some don't understand all the intricacies of things like exposure suits. Those 3 mil suits look pretty snazzy in the Cozumel photos. And those Farmer John 7 mil suits aren't very stylish!

Beyond that, us newbies need to learn somehow. And quite often if we ask the diver with 200 logged dives to work with us, we are limiting them SEVERLY in their ability to enjoy the dive they paid for, so we often are forced to struggle along with people with nearly the same experience. So then the experienced divers write about us on the internet. A terrible catch-22.

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Yes, you need to learn somehow. IMO, that "somehow" is not on a 100' wreck at 7 or even 20 logged dives. I have over 75 logged dives (certified last June) and have been below 75' about 7 times. You need to get experience at more moderate depths. When I, unsucessfully, tried to dive the Willie last week the only new things were waves and current. I had some experience with the depth and with the temperatures. The waves proved to be too much for me and I spent $75 that day to feed the fish. Adding too many new things to a dive invites trouble.

Joe

Sometimes it has nothing to do with inexperience. Other times it could be that the diver in question claims to never get cold, even in California waters. Ego? Who knows? Even a local GUE instructor does this.

MaxBottomtime:

Sometimes it has nothing to do with inexperience. Other times it could be that the diver in question claims to never get cold, even in California waters. Ego? Who knows? Even a local GUE instructor does this.

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Good point. Dont scapegoat the newbies tho, remember how tough it was to get any respect whatsoever when you were a newbie? Sure dumb mistakes, but I hated trying to get into a sport/hobby I loved when others were self proclaimed "geniuses".

KidK9:

Dont scapegoat the newbies tho, remember how tough it was to get any respect whatsoever when you were a newbie? Sure dumb mistakes.

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True.. but common sense should tell you that you don't dive to a 100 ft wreck (w/o personal experience, an instructor, or an experienced diver). I'd definitely respect the person that has the courage to just say "I'm not experienced enough for this", over the person who thinks s/he's invincible.

As the boat captain said to those 4 divers, "hopefully I've put the fear of death into you"...
Heh, I did feel bad for those 3mm guys though.. buying a boat ticket only to get 5 min of underwater time...

During my DM course, we took the Lois Ann to the Coronados. We made four dives in 51F water. One of my classmates wore a shorty suit all day. I get cold in a drysuit and parka.

MaxBottomtime:

During my DM course, we took the Lois Ann to the Coronados. We made four dives in 51F water. One of my classmates wore a shorty suit all day. I get cold in a drysuit and parka.

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Lol. I now have a picture of you in my head underwater in a drysuit with a parka over it, shivering. Also, one of those big tunnel hoods with the fur around it.

Joe

I only dive with my 2/3 surf wetsuit and a 6/3 vest hood, and people think Im nuts, but I am never that cold. I admit though that I've never been below 75ft either. I guess some people are more/less comfortable than others. I prefer the flexibility of the thinner suit and I grew up surfing in this water, so its not much of a big deal. I also have seen people with 7 or 8 dives have far less trouble in big wave surf entry and exit than some with hundreds of dives. I guess its a mix of common sense, comfort, athleticism, and experience.

John