LuvsItWet
Registered
Then read my TRUE story, posted here some time ago:
ark & Rose - June, 2002
Our flight down (for our fourth trip) was uneventful and perfect! It was the first time I've
seen Air Jamaica depart on time. We arrived at Mo Bay almost a half hour ahead of schedule
at 9:40 am, so we opted for the bus, as it was dubious our rooms would be ready.
The bus ride only took a hour and a half, which is far better than the two and a half hour
ride we first took in' 97. We had a few hours of sunshine that day, then got the customary
afternoon sprinkles and overcast the rest of the day. Hung around the hot tub and relaxed
and made it a somewhat early night.
Saturday, I went diving, while Rose was perfecting her tan. We dove O'Neil's reef but with
all the recent rains, visibility was cut in half from what it normally is. I hope I got some
good pics! We took Maria McKenzie(a former bartender at Hedo and her significant other)
out to dinner for her birthday. It was great seeing her again and she now has her own
bar in Lucea.
Sunday was mostly rainy and windy..lotsa folks in the main dining room playing cards. We
did have an hour or two of sunshine though. The hot tub was popular and the company
outstanding as usual.
Monday..as we got married at Hedo 6/10/97, we had planned to re-new our vows for our
5th anniversary. First, the location where it happened, now has that ridiculous excuse
of a "miniature golf course" constructed! Second, the day started out with rain and never
stopped! We gladly would have traded in the free day we got for a day of sunshine! Rose
decided it just wasn't meant to be this year and canceled the ceremony.
Tuesday..The rain stopped and had some early sunshine but VERY windy! I wanted to dive
but questioned the safety of it, as I could see big white caps from the beach. I questioned
the dive master (O'Neil) about potential problems getting back onto the boat after the dive, and
got the customary "No Problem Mon"! So I went..Rose kissed me goodbye and we took off.
It was pretty cool and we got to play w/a small sting ray and a medium size sea turtle!
(They're quite graceful underwater)
MY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE: (NOT MADE UP OR EXAGGERATED)
After 30 min into the dive, I noticed I only had 550 lbs. of air left. I signaled to my buddy
and the dive master I was low on air and needed to start an ascent. My "buddy" still had
plenty of air left so the dive master motioned for me to ascend alone from 60'. (THIS IS
AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT PADI AND YMCA TEACHES) I started my ascent alone..stayed at 15'
for 4 min as by now I was well into the RED ZONE, then continued to the surface.
I was met with heavy seas, high winds, and dark skies. I inflated my BC and saw the dive
boat in the far distance from atop a 6' swell. I thought to myself: "I only have to hold
on for a couple of minutes in this mess and he'll be here". After 5 min., I timed the
interval between swells, and blew my whistle hard twice.....nothing, the winds were so high
and I was being blown out to sea..he couldn't hear me. I told myself to remain calm..
panic kills..remember my training..(I was also in the Navy for 8 years). 5 min turned into
15, and I discovered my BC was leaking air through the mouthpiece! The sea state at that
time prevented manual inflation without swallowing massive amounts of sea water. I was
getting chilled and starting to shiver. I decided to conserve what little air I had left
in my tank and go to snorkel.
Then I heard engines starting (as I was downwind), and thought: "Oh, thank-you Lord", but,
as I came up upon another swell, I saw the dive boat disappearing...until it was out of
sight.....I inflated my BC again, and raised my eyes to the sky, and began to make my
peace with God...and prayed...The shoreline was rapidly disappearing, and so was I!
In the meantime, the rest of the group had surfaced, and the dive boat couldn't find them
either! So the dive master has a "horn" of some sorts that attaches to his BC that he set
off to get the boat's attention. That's when I saw the boat disappear. (this part is third
party) When he got to them, the dive master asked: "Where's Mark?"! "Isn't he with you?"!
The dive master told everyone to stay in the water, and told the boat captain: "he surfaced
10 min ahead of us! Go get him!"
Back to me: If any of you have seen "Perfect Storm"...I was relating to Bobby in that
last scene. I was hoping Rose and the kids would be ok, and resigning myself to my fate.
My adrenalin was used up..my body was exhausted and was starting to shut down! I started shivering I'll I could think was: "God I don't want to die like this!!!!!"
Then I heard engines again! On top of another swell, I saw a boat in the far distance
heading my way! I prayed: "Please God, give me the strength to last, just a bit longer!"
My heart started racing, my BC was only half full, I was struggling to keep my head on the
surface..and I felt myself start to go into hyper-ventilation! I knew if that happened, I'd
become unconscious and drown before he got to me!
The next thing I knew was the boat was about 30 feet abeam...The Pilot asked if I could swim
to the ladder. I waved my hand "no" (I had NOTHING left!) I went under and raised my
hand...and somehow, he grabbed my wrist, ripped my mask off, removed my BC and tank, and
pulled me aboard!
When I got finished coughing out the salt water..I gave thanks..I certainly was given a
second chance! My Guardian Angel was there!
My experience SEVERELY traumatized me!! I was left in the ocean with heavy seas and high
winds for 25-30 min .I'm a very strong swimmer and an Advanced PADI Diver, but nothing prepared me for this! I spoke to Donna Grant later, on the condition no one would get in trouble. I told her that if she doesn't insist on standard PADI safety rules, I would write to PADI myself about what happened! She assured me policy would change, as she's a diver herself and unaware this was happening.
Wednesday..Spent a lot of quiet time....relaxing in the hot tub...a few strong drinks too!
Went to the Japanese Restaurant with a group of close friends. Food and atmosphere was
great! (Just don't speak Japanese to the cooks or waiters..Ya Mon!
)
Went to Veronica's after dinner, but Dave decided to take an unscheduled holiday!!!
After soooo many choruses of "99 Bottles of Beer", my buddy Mike got up and sat in for
Dave..My jaw dropped wide open!!!! He could be a concert pianist! And he did it ALL by
ear too!!! He turned a disaster into a VERY pleasant evening! (I took lotsa pics too!)
I told Hedo he should get a free night!
Thurs...First day of good sunshine, but very windy..what to do???? I tried one of those
"blue" pills for the first time! Took it about 10:30 am and went out to the pool. About
11:00 am it starts kicking in, so I suggest we go to our room. Well hell's bells! The
ONE day the maid decides to do our room early!!!!!!!! So I jumped in the "cooling" pool to
teach the little bugger a lesson, then soon cum mon, again, and again..etc..);-))))
Friday..Last full day!! Bummer!!! Early am Rose sees me staring at the ocean all the
time..knowing the lust and fear that I now have for it...hugs me, and says: "You know, if
you don't go back out today, you never will again." (She knows me so well) I KNEW she was
right, so did my friends. The sea was calm that day, so I made myself go. My diving
friends whom we've known for some time went with me which I'll never forget, thank-you both!
And I buddied up with the dive master (Ritchie) himself. I had a GREAT dive this day!!!!!! And yes,
I'll be going again, but ONLY safely!!!!!!!!!
Follow up to 2005:
I know it gave me a LOT to think about, like every day here is a gift, and it can be snatched away at any time without warning. I never feel more alive than when I'm diving. As you've heard before, I try to live every day to it's fullest, because there might not be a tomorrow. I learned my lesson from it though.
The follow-up though was when we went back in 2005, The divemaster said to buddy up with someone, and if one buddy ran low on air he could just surface and the other buddy could continue down under. (on a 90' dive) AND I SPOKE QUITE LOUDLY TO HIM: "Then that's no damn buddy AT ALL! THAT'S JUST SOMEONE SWIMMING WITH YOU IN THE SAME OCEAN!!!!! I WOULDN'T WANT ANY OF THESE FOLKS TO BE LEFT IN THE OCEAN ALONE, LIKE I WAS LEFT IN 2002 BY YOU PEOPLE!!"
He said nothing.
I wasn't worried for myself, because I had met Dean, explained my apprehensions and why. He was an experienced AOW and I was Rescue then. We agreed to ignore the ignorant ******* and be TRUE buddies. Had a GREAT drift dive through the caverns. As the dive was ending we had a LARGE (everything looks bigger underwater ) Tiger Shark come and check us out. After I told myself to quit "gulping" air, I questioned whether or not to try and take a pic of him, but chickened out as I didn't know what the flash might cause him to do. He eventually swam off and left us alone.
Once I got home, I did what I had threatened to do from my first experience. I wrote a letter to PADI. Told them they refuse to play by the rules, and sooner or later, someone will be hurt, or killed! (with detail) They opened a case against them, but told me up-front they couldn't tell me of the resolution. (??)
About a month later I got an email stating it had been resolved. Still don't know what that means, 'cause I haven't been back since.
ark & Rose - June, 2002
Our flight down (for our fourth trip) was uneventful and perfect! It was the first time I've
seen Air Jamaica depart on time. We arrived at Mo Bay almost a half hour ahead of schedule
at 9:40 am, so we opted for the bus, as it was dubious our rooms would be ready.
The bus ride only took a hour and a half, which is far better than the two and a half hour
ride we first took in' 97. We had a few hours of sunshine that day, then got the customary
afternoon sprinkles and overcast the rest of the day. Hung around the hot tub and relaxed
and made it a somewhat early night.
Saturday, I went diving, while Rose was perfecting her tan. We dove O'Neil's reef but with
all the recent rains, visibility was cut in half from what it normally is. I hope I got some
good pics! We took Maria McKenzie(a former bartender at Hedo and her significant other)
out to dinner for her birthday. It was great seeing her again and she now has her own
bar in Lucea.
Sunday was mostly rainy and windy..lotsa folks in the main dining room playing cards. We
did have an hour or two of sunshine though. The hot tub was popular and the company
outstanding as usual.
Monday..as we got married at Hedo 6/10/97, we had planned to re-new our vows for our
5th anniversary. First, the location where it happened, now has that ridiculous excuse
of a "miniature golf course" constructed! Second, the day started out with rain and never
stopped! We gladly would have traded in the free day we got for a day of sunshine! Rose
decided it just wasn't meant to be this year and canceled the ceremony.
Tuesday..The rain stopped and had some early sunshine but VERY windy! I wanted to dive
but questioned the safety of it, as I could see big white caps from the beach. I questioned
the dive master (O'Neil) about potential problems getting back onto the boat after the dive, and
got the customary "No Problem Mon"! So I went..Rose kissed me goodbye and we took off.
It was pretty cool and we got to play w/a small sting ray and a medium size sea turtle!
(They're quite graceful underwater)
MY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE: (NOT MADE UP OR EXAGGERATED)
After 30 min into the dive, I noticed I only had 550 lbs. of air left. I signaled to my buddy
and the dive master I was low on air and needed to start an ascent. My "buddy" still had
plenty of air left so the dive master motioned for me to ascend alone from 60'. (THIS IS
AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT PADI AND YMCA TEACHES) I started my ascent alone..stayed at 15'
for 4 min as by now I was well into the RED ZONE, then continued to the surface.
I was met with heavy seas, high winds, and dark skies. I inflated my BC and saw the dive
boat in the far distance from atop a 6' swell. I thought to myself: "I only have to hold
on for a couple of minutes in this mess and he'll be here". After 5 min., I timed the
interval between swells, and blew my whistle hard twice.....nothing, the winds were so high
and I was being blown out to sea..he couldn't hear me. I told myself to remain calm..
panic kills..remember my training..(I was also in the Navy for 8 years). 5 min turned into
15, and I discovered my BC was leaking air through the mouthpiece! The sea state at that
time prevented manual inflation without swallowing massive amounts of sea water. I was
getting chilled and starting to shiver. I decided to conserve what little air I had left
in my tank and go to snorkel.
Then I heard engines starting (as I was downwind), and thought: "Oh, thank-you Lord", but,
as I came up upon another swell, I saw the dive boat disappearing...until it was out of
sight.....I inflated my BC again, and raised my eyes to the sky, and began to make my
peace with God...and prayed...The shoreline was rapidly disappearing, and so was I!
In the meantime, the rest of the group had surfaced, and the dive boat couldn't find them
either! So the dive master has a "horn" of some sorts that attaches to his BC that he set
off to get the boat's attention. That's when I saw the boat disappear. (this part is third
party) When he got to them, the dive master asked: "Where's Mark?"! "Isn't he with you?"!
The dive master told everyone to stay in the water, and told the boat captain: "he surfaced
10 min ahead of us! Go get him!"
Back to me: If any of you have seen "Perfect Storm"...I was relating to Bobby in that
last scene. I was hoping Rose and the kids would be ok, and resigning myself to my fate.
My adrenalin was used up..my body was exhausted and was starting to shut down! I started shivering I'll I could think was: "God I don't want to die like this!!!!!"
Then I heard engines again! On top of another swell, I saw a boat in the far distance
heading my way! I prayed: "Please God, give me the strength to last, just a bit longer!"
My heart started racing, my BC was only half full, I was struggling to keep my head on the
surface..and I felt myself start to go into hyper-ventilation! I knew if that happened, I'd
become unconscious and drown before he got to me!
The next thing I knew was the boat was about 30 feet abeam...The Pilot asked if I could swim
to the ladder. I waved my hand "no" (I had NOTHING left!) I went under and raised my
hand...and somehow, he grabbed my wrist, ripped my mask off, removed my BC and tank, and
pulled me aboard!
When I got finished coughing out the salt water..I gave thanks..I certainly was given a
second chance! My Guardian Angel was there!
My experience SEVERELY traumatized me!! I was left in the ocean with heavy seas and high
winds for 25-30 min .I'm a very strong swimmer and an Advanced PADI Diver, but nothing prepared me for this! I spoke to Donna Grant later, on the condition no one would get in trouble. I told her that if she doesn't insist on standard PADI safety rules, I would write to PADI myself about what happened! She assured me policy would change, as she's a diver herself and unaware this was happening.
Wednesday..Spent a lot of quiet time....relaxing in the hot tub...a few strong drinks too!
Went to the Japanese Restaurant with a group of close friends. Food and atmosphere was
great! (Just don't speak Japanese to the cooks or waiters..Ya Mon!
) Went to Veronica's after dinner, but Dave decided to take an unscheduled holiday!!!
After soooo many choruses of "99 Bottles of Beer", my buddy Mike got up and sat in for
Dave..My jaw dropped wide open!!!! He could be a concert pianist! And he did it ALL by
ear too!!! He turned a disaster into a VERY pleasant evening! (I took lotsa pics too!)
I told Hedo he should get a free night!
Thurs...First day of good sunshine, but very windy..what to do???? I tried one of those
"blue" pills for the first time! Took it about 10:30 am and went out to the pool. About
11:00 am it starts kicking in, so I suggest we go to our room. Well hell's bells! The
ONE day the maid decides to do our room early!!!!!!!! So I jumped in the "cooling" pool to
teach the little bugger a lesson, then soon cum mon, again, and again..etc..);-))))
Friday..Last full day!! Bummer!!! Early am Rose sees me staring at the ocean all the
time..knowing the lust and fear that I now have for it...hugs me, and says: "You know, if
you don't go back out today, you never will again." (She knows me so well) I KNEW she was
right, so did my friends. The sea was calm that day, so I made myself go. My diving
friends whom we've known for some time went with me which I'll never forget, thank-you both!
And I buddied up with the dive master (Ritchie) himself. I had a GREAT dive this day!!!!!! And yes,
I'll be going again, but ONLY safely!!!!!!!!!
Follow up to 2005:
I know it gave me a LOT to think about, like every day here is a gift, and it can be snatched away at any time without warning. I never feel more alive than when I'm diving. As you've heard before, I try to live every day to it's fullest, because there might not be a tomorrow. I learned my lesson from it though.
The follow-up though was when we went back in 2005, The divemaster said to buddy up with someone, and if one buddy ran low on air he could just surface and the other buddy could continue down under. (on a 90' dive) AND I SPOKE QUITE LOUDLY TO HIM: "Then that's no damn buddy AT ALL! THAT'S JUST SOMEONE SWIMMING WITH YOU IN THE SAME OCEAN!!!!! I WOULDN'T WANT ANY OF THESE FOLKS TO BE LEFT IN THE OCEAN ALONE, LIKE I WAS LEFT IN 2002 BY YOU PEOPLE!!"
He said nothing.
I wasn't worried for myself, because I had met Dean, explained my apprehensions and why. He was an experienced AOW and I was Rescue then. We agreed to ignore the ignorant ******* and be TRUE buddies. Had a GREAT drift dive through the caverns. As the dive was ending we had a LARGE (everything looks bigger underwater ) Tiger Shark come and check us out. After I told myself to quit "gulping" air, I questioned whether or not to try and take a pic of him, but chickened out as I didn't know what the flash might cause him to do. He eventually swam off and left us alone.
Once I got home, I did what I had threatened to do from my first experience. I wrote a letter to PADI. Told them they refuse to play by the rules, and sooner or later, someone will be hurt, or killed! (with detail) They opened a case against them, but told me up-front they couldn't tell me of the resolution. (??)
About a month later I got an email stating it had been resolved. Still don't know what that means, 'cause I haven't been back since.
