currier
Contributor
It took a good long time to plan and make happen, but this February past I returned to Malapascua for the next phase of my tech training at Evolution. Heres a link to a report from the original trip if youre really interested ... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ph...pascua-dp.html?highlight=Evolution+malapascua
As always, both David and Matt are quick to respond to guest inquiries. David provided me the preliminary info I needed, but more importantly, he suggested we try to put the whole band back together, a feat that would require us getting Joe on a plane from NYC bound for Malapascua.
A few emails later, and we had come to some agreement. I wanted Extended Range for my warm Asian waters, and Joe wanted Trimix for his frigid Atlantic. David offered us dual certs after the completion of training dives over a week.
Fast forward to February, and we find ourselves back in old form. Were planning our dives with MultiDeco, thinking of contingencies, calculating gas usage, analyzing tanks, performing predive checks, START, etc. Were looking and sounding like knowledgeable and thinking divers!
Until the failures began. Whoever could have dreamed of experiencing gas hemorrhage, losing a mask, and becoming entangled in your own reel (all at the same time) in 6m of clear tropical water? Utilizing your DSMB for buoyancy while rotating deco bottles? Shooting a bag while feathering 50%? How about while buddy breathing? Apparently this stuff happens with great frequency around Malapascua. As well as no reg/no mask lunges for staged tanks, blind ascents through your stops, and employing yellow balloons in the event of lost deco. Go figure.
Just like last time, David pushed the team to the breaking point. Possibly and then some at times. Luckily for us hes an instructor who takes pride in the quality and thoroughness of his courses. As a team we conducted new pinnacle dives together, and cautiously approached new boundaries. We now have a few shiny new skills to make use of in our toolbox, but also a healthier respect for, and greater aptitude with, some that had been neglected for a time.
With great thanks Joe, David, and the entire team at Evolution (and the Craic House) for another incredible two weeks.
As always, both David and Matt are quick to respond to guest inquiries. David provided me the preliminary info I needed, but more importantly, he suggested we try to put the whole band back together, a feat that would require us getting Joe on a plane from NYC bound for Malapascua.
A few emails later, and we had come to some agreement. I wanted Extended Range for my warm Asian waters, and Joe wanted Trimix for his frigid Atlantic. David offered us dual certs after the completion of training dives over a week.
Fast forward to February, and we find ourselves back in old form. Were planning our dives with MultiDeco, thinking of contingencies, calculating gas usage, analyzing tanks, performing predive checks, START, etc. Were looking and sounding like knowledgeable and thinking divers!
Until the failures began. Whoever could have dreamed of experiencing gas hemorrhage, losing a mask, and becoming entangled in your own reel (all at the same time) in 6m of clear tropical water? Utilizing your DSMB for buoyancy while rotating deco bottles? Shooting a bag while feathering 50%? How about while buddy breathing? Apparently this stuff happens with great frequency around Malapascua. As well as no reg/no mask lunges for staged tanks, blind ascents through your stops, and employing yellow balloons in the event of lost deco. Go figure.
Just like last time, David pushed the team to the breaking point. Possibly and then some at times. Luckily for us hes an instructor who takes pride in the quality and thoroughness of his courses. As a team we conducted new pinnacle dives together, and cautiously approached new boundaries. We now have a few shiny new skills to make use of in our toolbox, but also a healthier respect for, and greater aptitude with, some that had been neglected for a time.
With great thanks Joe, David, and the entire team at Evolution (and the Craic House) for another incredible two weeks.
