Littlerayray
Contributor
That's why most divers including myself have a good layer of blubber
Challenges in your first 100 dives?
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-On about my 10th dive, in a river with current and high boat traffic in 20 feet of water. Got into a feet up ascent and floated to the surface before I knew it. Lucky not to get run over. Learned to use the hip dump. Also, high boat traffic in 20 feet of water was a bad choice for a 10th dive.
-On about 15th dive, on a sloping wall for newbie divers at 80 feet. Eagle ray swims by downslope at about 140 feet. One diver takes off down the slope to chase the ray. Divemaster chases errant diver and drags him back up. Me and my buddy watch googly-eyed, and when we check our depth we are at 110 feet and sinking. Learned to be more aware of depth.
-On about my 25th dive, on a wreck dive, swam away from the wreck to look at the debris field and lost the wreck. Got lost. Ascended at an uneven rate, but surfaced only about 25 yards from the dive boat. Learned to take a compass bearing before swimming out into the big wherever.
-Other than that, I was a mostly a conservative diver so not much trouble happened.
-On about 15th dive, on a sloping wall for newbie divers at 80 feet. Eagle ray swims by downslope at about 140 feet. One diver takes off down the slope to chase the ray. Divemaster chases errant diver and drags him back up. Me and my buddy watch googly-eyed, and when we check our depth we are at 110 feet and sinking. Learned to be more aware of depth.
-On about my 25th dive, on a wreck dive, swam away from the wreck to look at the debris field and lost the wreck. Got lost. Ascended at an uneven rate, but surfaced only about 25 yards from the dive boat. Learned to take a compass bearing before swimming out into the big wherever.
-Other than that, I was a mostly a conservative diver so not much trouble happened.
Soloist
Contributor
My 100th dive was on a pleasant and sunny morning during the 2012 Memorial weekend. It was slated to be a rather benign endeavor at Blue Heron Bridge. A dive site we had done many times before including at night. For those not familiar, BHB is a shallow shore dive in Riviera Beach, FL. Its confines are the main boat channel for the inlet 30 meters in front, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to the west, Singer Island to the east and the public beach.
We typically tow a heavy duty inflatable diver down marker, but I decided this was way too cumbersome, so I bought a small styrofoam marker just prior to this dive. Lisa and I decided to dive the east side, a section relatively new to us. So we set out with me towing the brand new little marker. Early on I noticed the diver down flag that is supposed to sit proudly atop the float had disappeared. I discovered it was very easy to drag the entire styrofoam ball beneath the surface thus pushing the flag up and off the poll. So now the only thing alerting the Memorial weekend traffic on the nearby boat channel was a thin white stick bobbing up and down in the shimmering sea. This would have never happened with the large inflatable float, but not to worry, we were not swimming in the busy boat channel because that would be incredibly stupid and dangerous.
We continued sans flag for a very interesting dive viewing a small eagle ray, squid, sea horses and lots of octopuses. In an attempt to entice a hapless octopus out of a small pipe, I whipped out a bright new nickel. Intellectually challenged creatures are easily distracted by shiny objects. I know this for fact, because while playing with the silvery coin I became so captivated I unknowingly let go of what was left of the dive float. So we went from a float without a flag to nothing at all, BUT, we were no where near the busy boat channel, so forget about it!
After about 75 minutes the tide was going out and the visibility along with it, so we began our underwater journey back. One of the unfortunate aspects of diving the east side and exiting on the far west side is having to avoid the public swimming area. Off limits to divers and patrolled, at the time, by a tyrannical lifeguard. So you must first swim south towards the boat channel to reach the western passage that lay just beyond the swim area buoys. No problem. So with lots of help from the out going tide I’m swimming like hell directly towards the boat channel while painstakingly looking for recognizable terrain to signal our pending and critical westerly turn right. That’s weird. I’m not seeing anything familiar, including my buddy! I decided to pop up and take a look quick around. Hello Harbor Police!!! These guys had been directly overhead staring down at the moron swimming through the middle of the boat channel. My face is as red as my missing dive flag, which just happens to be the first thing they ask about. They said another boater found, and kept by the way, my brand new dive float. Under their incredulous and watchful eye I made the humiliating swim of shame back to the beach. They were very cool about the whole thing, but my self loathing over this debacle lasted for years! The ONLY reason I am revealing this epic fail now is as a warning to others to never be complacent regardless of how simple the dive.
In my defense, I believe the “split fins” I was wearing at the time contributed greatly to this near catastrophe.
We typically tow a heavy duty inflatable diver down marker, but I decided this was way too cumbersome, so I bought a small styrofoam marker just prior to this dive. Lisa and I decided to dive the east side, a section relatively new to us. So we set out with me towing the brand new little marker. Early on I noticed the diver down flag that is supposed to sit proudly atop the float had disappeared. I discovered it was very easy to drag the entire styrofoam ball beneath the surface thus pushing the flag up and off the poll. So now the only thing alerting the Memorial weekend traffic on the nearby boat channel was a thin white stick bobbing up and down in the shimmering sea. This would have never happened with the large inflatable float, but not to worry, we were not swimming in the busy boat channel because that would be incredibly stupid and dangerous.
We continued sans flag for a very interesting dive viewing a small eagle ray, squid, sea horses and lots of octopuses. In an attempt to entice a hapless octopus out of a small pipe, I whipped out a bright new nickel. Intellectually challenged creatures are easily distracted by shiny objects. I know this for fact, because while playing with the silvery coin I became so captivated I unknowingly let go of what was left of the dive float. So we went from a float without a flag to nothing at all, BUT, we were no where near the busy boat channel, so forget about it!
After about 75 minutes the tide was going out and the visibility along with it, so we began our underwater journey back. One of the unfortunate aspects of diving the east side and exiting on the far west side is having to avoid the public swimming area. Off limits to divers and patrolled, at the time, by a tyrannical lifeguard. So you must first swim south towards the boat channel to reach the western passage that lay just beyond the swim area buoys. No problem. So with lots of help from the out going tide I’m swimming like hell directly towards the boat channel while painstakingly looking for recognizable terrain to signal our pending and critical westerly turn right. That’s weird. I’m not seeing anything familiar, including my buddy! I decided to pop up and take a look quick around. Hello Harbor Police!!! These guys had been directly overhead staring down at the moron swimming through the middle of the boat channel. My face is as red as my missing dive flag, which just happens to be the first thing they ask about. They said another boater found, and kept by the way, my brand new dive float. Under their incredulous and watchful eye I made the humiliating swim of shame back to the beach. They were very cool about the whole thing, but my self loathing over this debacle lasted for years! The ONLY reason I am revealing this epic fail now is as a warning to others to never be complacent regardless of how simple the dive.
In my defense, I believe the “split fins” I was wearing at the time contributed greatly to this near catastrophe.
AdivingBel
Diver
...
AdivingBel
Diver
I checked my log and this was one of my first 100:
I was diving the Adolphus Busch a relatively deep (artificial) wreck off Big Pine in the Keys. I was on my own and met up with an insta-buddy on the boat. He was a nice guy and seemed to have his sh*t together. We're doing the dive, nice viz, low current (which isn't always the case on this wreck) and decide to check out one of the holds. The DM told us a Goliath Grouper liked to hang out in the hold and to shine a light around and check it out if we wanted to go in. We did so and all was clear. We're tooling around for a couple minutes and something bumps my shoulder. I shine my light over and all I see are huge eyeballs and a mouth. Wow, I know things are magnified under water, but that was a BIG, bloody fish. My first thought was "where's the door." My second was "where would they like one." My insta-buddy (and new best friend) sees what's going on and he's headed out lighting the way. ( I did mention he was a nice guy, right?). We get back on the boat and his eyes are still HUGE (I get part of that might have been the prescription in his mask, but still...). Looking back, not that scary now, but then...I'm glad I had extra swim trunks and skin 'cause mine needed a change (fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for just such emergencies...).
I was diving the Adolphus Busch a relatively deep (artificial) wreck off Big Pine in the Keys. I was on my own and met up with an insta-buddy on the boat. He was a nice guy and seemed to have his sh*t together. We're doing the dive, nice viz, low current (which isn't always the case on this wreck) and decide to check out one of the holds. The DM told us a Goliath Grouper liked to hang out in the hold and to shine a light around and check it out if we wanted to go in. We did so and all was clear. We're tooling around for a couple minutes and something bumps my shoulder. I shine my light over and all I see are huge eyeballs and a mouth. Wow, I know things are magnified under water, but that was a BIG, bloody fish. My first thought was "where's the door." My second was "where would they like one." My insta-buddy (and new best friend) sees what's going on and he's headed out lighting the way. ( I did mention he was a nice guy, right?). We get back on the boat and his eyes are still HUGE (I get part of that might have been the prescription in his mask, but still...). Looking back, not that scary now, but then...I'm glad I had extra swim trunks and skin 'cause mine needed a change (fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for just such emergencies...).
Last edited:
mallbritton
Contributor
Hahahaha!
That reminds me of the first night dive I led on a particular dive site around Koh Tao.
We jumped in and descended just as it was getting full dark. I reached the top of the pinnacle, not quite at our maximum depth, and swung the light around a bit checking out where I was while waiting the few seconds for my fun divers to arrive at my location. Right as I "spotlighted" a reef fish a pick handle barracuda blaseted out of nowhere and bit the thing in half! As a floated there stupidly still staring at the half of a fish in my torch light the barracuda leisurely came back around and took the rest of it as I helpfully shined my torch on it. My fun divers missed all the fun.
That reminds me of the first night dive I led on a particular dive site around Koh Tao.
We jumped in and descended just as it was getting full dark. I reached the top of the pinnacle, not quite at our maximum depth, and swung the light around a bit checking out where I was while waiting the few seconds for my fun divers to arrive at my location. Right as I "spotlighted" a reef fish a pick handle barracuda blaseted out of nowhere and bit the thing in half! As a floated there stupidly still staring at the half of a fish in my torch light the barracuda leisurely came back around and took the rest of it as I helpfully shined my torch on it. My fun divers missed all the fun.
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