Paladin
Contributor
Well, I drove up to Portage Quarry today and I learned some valuable lessons.
One, don't stay up until way after midnight working on a project, then get up at three to load the truck with gear for a five and a half hour drive to go diving. We left the house at 5 AM and drove nonstop to Portage, arriving at almost eleven. I was already tired before I even started to get ready to make my first dive.
I had originally intended to take my camper to Portage and stay the entire weekend, but my film project is finally coming to fruition and I have a meeting I must attend tomorrow (Sunday) and my wife has to work.
Speaking of the first dive, it was a disaster. My US Divers Pacifica, for which I paid a premium price, leaked like a sieve and I had to constantly clear it. One of my TUSA open heel fins came off and I had to go back to retrieve it. My new back zip wetsuit, which I had previously thought fit me rather well, was too tight around the neck and nearly choked me to death. I was following Simonbeans, Luis and a couple others around as they took some pics, feeling as if I just couldn't get enough air. My DA Aquamaster was working perfectly, as usual, and was giving me all the air I demanded, but it just didn't seem enough. I burned through a 72 in record time and had to leave the others and return to the surface. When I got out of the water, I couldn't get that wetsuit off fast enough. It took me several minutes to recover. I bought that wetsuit because the one I bought last year no longer fits me. I've lost 35 pounds and it is now too big for me.
On top of all that, I was trying out my horse collar BC for its first real test (I hadn't actually used it before. It was there mostly to conform to the rules at places like Twin Quarries that demand that divers have a BC) and, sad to say, it failed. It was difficult to clear it of all the air trapped in the neck area and I once it was empty, I just left it that way. Also, it was a source of some major drag that slowed me down horrendously. I've worn it before on shallow dives in the river and a couple of times at the lake, but I'd never actually used it for anything but surface flotation, which it is good at supplying, but little else. In the not too distant past, I championed the horse collar as a viable option for divers who do not like jacket style BCs. No more. I have seen the error of my ways.
I also had trouble with an old problem that others have had: The straps on my USD backpack kept sliding around and simply would not stay put. Simonbeans even helped me tighten them up, but they still slid off my shoulders. Before our next dive, he kindly made me a very nice chest strap that cured the problem once and for all, but invited a new problem, courtesy of that accursed horse collar. Because of the way it's made, the horse collar has to go on before anything else. Of course, that meant that I then had to fasten the chest strap by trying to reach under the BC and that was not an easy task.
For the second dive, I used my old wetsuit and even though it is loose on me now, I was rather comfortable diving in it. But by the time I got the wetsuit, weight belt and horse collar, tank and everything else all in place, I was already tired and had to rest for a couple of minutes before getting into the water. But this time, I could breathe easily and, once I convinced that delinquent horse collar to mind its manners, I was able to finally able to enjoy diving. I just followed the guys around and watched them take their photos. We stayed down 42 minutes according to Simonbeans' computer. By my reckoning with my watch, I counted 44 minutes but that was no doubt because I had started the stop watch function before I went into the water. I breathed my tank down until the J valve kicked in and I signaled the others that I had to go. It was already near the end of the dive, so I left just a few minutes before the rest.
I really should have forgotten the wetsuit and BC and just dived with my tank, fins, mask and snorkel like I have for many years. The water was nice and warm and even the temp below the first thermocline was just cool enough to be refreshing. I don't usually need any weight with only a steel 72, and am very close to perfect buoyancy. But I have only recently (within the last year) started using a wetsuit and BC and I am wanting to figure them out. I should've known better. The horse collar, it turns out, was a poor choice. I chose it because I had tried jacket style BCs and didn't like them. I thought, mistakenly, that a horse collar would work and better fit into my style of diving while fulfilling the requirements of dive ops. And, for a while, I thought I was right. But, as I said before, I never actually tried to use it as a buoyancy compensator until today. If I had tried one out before I bought one, things would've been very different. They are simply too much work, both in and out of the water.
After the second dive, I talked to Simonbeans and Luis about it and they both suggested I try BP/W. Luis showed me his modified wing and I have to admit, I like the idea. No uncomfortable jacket BC or cumbersome, drag-inducing horse collar to make life harder. To be honest, I had not considered myself to be a candidate for a BP/W. That has now changed. I am now in the market for one. I would like to find one that would allow me to use my vintage back packs with metal bands.
I'm going to my friend's LDS this week to find a two-piece wetsuit that will fit me better and be easier to get on. One piece jumpsuits are just too much for this old man, I'm learning.
For years, I was stubbornly set in my ways and swore I'd never change. I guess it's time to eat a little crow and admit that my needs, and physical abilies, have changed with the passage of time. Are you guys sitting down? I'm even considering (shudder) getting an inexpensive computer. Yeah. Hell justfroze over and the Devil has a great deal on popsicles.
Most of my diving over the years has been done solo with a dive with a friend interspersed only occasionally. I was once completely content to dive solo and spend time sitting on the bottom somewhere, alone with the fishes or slowly cruising along. But I find I have grown tired of diving alone and want the company of other divers. The two dives I made today, just following the guys around, were enjoyable and fulfilling, despite the problems borne of my own, poor choices.
This is not to say that I am going to go the tech route. Huh-uh. I will still use my DAAM and my old single hose regs without octos. This is simply because I like them and they work for me. But I am getting a bit lazy in my old age and the convenience of a BP/W is looking good to me now.
Over the past couple of decades, I have developed arthritis in my hips and knees as well as degenerative disc disease in my lower back. This doesn't affect my movement underwater, though, and I actually feel more comfortable there. What it does do is dictate how I get into the water in the first place. Sometimes this can be embarrassing, but it's something I have to live with. My doctor has cautioned me against entries like the giant stride, due to the condition of my lower back. Likewise with heavy lifting. Otherwise, she approves of my diving as a useful activity.
I want to sincerely thank Simonbeans, Luis, Herman and the others who so graciously came to my assistance on what has to be one of the most SNAFU days I've had in quite awhile. These guys were terrific and I hope to be able to return the favor someday. Also, I am honored to consider these guys my friends and hope I can dive with them under better circumstances soon.
Also, Simonbeans gently chided me about my smoking habit. I take no offense at this. The man is absolutely right. I know quitting would greatly improve my enjoyment of diving. I just wish I had the wiilpower to do it.
Oh. the surface temp of Portage was 80 and the temp below the first thermocline was 72. Visibility was about 20 feet. I like the place and will go back as soon as I can.
One, don't stay up until way after midnight working on a project, then get up at three to load the truck with gear for a five and a half hour drive to go diving. We left the house at 5 AM and drove nonstop to Portage, arriving at almost eleven. I was already tired before I even started to get ready to make my first dive.
I had originally intended to take my camper to Portage and stay the entire weekend, but my film project is finally coming to fruition and I have a meeting I must attend tomorrow (Sunday) and my wife has to work.
Speaking of the first dive, it was a disaster. My US Divers Pacifica, for which I paid a premium price, leaked like a sieve and I had to constantly clear it. One of my TUSA open heel fins came off and I had to go back to retrieve it. My new back zip wetsuit, which I had previously thought fit me rather well, was too tight around the neck and nearly choked me to death. I was following Simonbeans, Luis and a couple others around as they took some pics, feeling as if I just couldn't get enough air. My DA Aquamaster was working perfectly, as usual, and was giving me all the air I demanded, but it just didn't seem enough. I burned through a 72 in record time and had to leave the others and return to the surface. When I got out of the water, I couldn't get that wetsuit off fast enough. It took me several minutes to recover. I bought that wetsuit because the one I bought last year no longer fits me. I've lost 35 pounds and it is now too big for me.
On top of all that, I was trying out my horse collar BC for its first real test (I hadn't actually used it before. It was there mostly to conform to the rules at places like Twin Quarries that demand that divers have a BC) and, sad to say, it failed. It was difficult to clear it of all the air trapped in the neck area and I once it was empty, I just left it that way. Also, it was a source of some major drag that slowed me down horrendously. I've worn it before on shallow dives in the river and a couple of times at the lake, but I'd never actually used it for anything but surface flotation, which it is good at supplying, but little else. In the not too distant past, I championed the horse collar as a viable option for divers who do not like jacket style BCs. No more. I have seen the error of my ways.
I also had trouble with an old problem that others have had: The straps on my USD backpack kept sliding around and simply would not stay put. Simonbeans even helped me tighten them up, but they still slid off my shoulders. Before our next dive, he kindly made me a very nice chest strap that cured the problem once and for all, but invited a new problem, courtesy of that accursed horse collar. Because of the way it's made, the horse collar has to go on before anything else. Of course, that meant that I then had to fasten the chest strap by trying to reach under the BC and that was not an easy task.
For the second dive, I used my old wetsuit and even though it is loose on me now, I was rather comfortable diving in it. But by the time I got the wetsuit, weight belt and horse collar, tank and everything else all in place, I was already tired and had to rest for a couple of minutes before getting into the water. But this time, I could breathe easily and, once I convinced that delinquent horse collar to mind its manners, I was able to finally able to enjoy diving. I just followed the guys around and watched them take their photos. We stayed down 42 minutes according to Simonbeans' computer. By my reckoning with my watch, I counted 44 minutes but that was no doubt because I had started the stop watch function before I went into the water. I breathed my tank down until the J valve kicked in and I signaled the others that I had to go. It was already near the end of the dive, so I left just a few minutes before the rest.
I really should have forgotten the wetsuit and BC and just dived with my tank, fins, mask and snorkel like I have for many years. The water was nice and warm and even the temp below the first thermocline was just cool enough to be refreshing. I don't usually need any weight with only a steel 72, and am very close to perfect buoyancy. But I have only recently (within the last year) started using a wetsuit and BC and I am wanting to figure them out. I should've known better. The horse collar, it turns out, was a poor choice. I chose it because I had tried jacket style BCs and didn't like them. I thought, mistakenly, that a horse collar would work and better fit into my style of diving while fulfilling the requirements of dive ops. And, for a while, I thought I was right. But, as I said before, I never actually tried to use it as a buoyancy compensator until today. If I had tried one out before I bought one, things would've been very different. They are simply too much work, both in and out of the water.
After the second dive, I talked to Simonbeans and Luis about it and they both suggested I try BP/W. Luis showed me his modified wing and I have to admit, I like the idea. No uncomfortable jacket BC or cumbersome, drag-inducing horse collar to make life harder. To be honest, I had not considered myself to be a candidate for a BP/W. That has now changed. I am now in the market for one. I would like to find one that would allow me to use my vintage back packs with metal bands.
I'm going to my friend's LDS this week to find a two-piece wetsuit that will fit me better and be easier to get on. One piece jumpsuits are just too much for this old man, I'm learning.
For years, I was stubbornly set in my ways and swore I'd never change. I guess it's time to eat a little crow and admit that my needs, and physical abilies, have changed with the passage of time. Are you guys sitting down? I'm even considering (shudder) getting an inexpensive computer. Yeah. Hell justfroze over and the Devil has a great deal on popsicles.
Most of my diving over the years has been done solo with a dive with a friend interspersed only occasionally. I was once completely content to dive solo and spend time sitting on the bottom somewhere, alone with the fishes or slowly cruising along. But I find I have grown tired of diving alone and want the company of other divers. The two dives I made today, just following the guys around, were enjoyable and fulfilling, despite the problems borne of my own, poor choices.
This is not to say that I am going to go the tech route. Huh-uh. I will still use my DAAM and my old single hose regs without octos. This is simply because I like them and they work for me. But I am getting a bit lazy in my old age and the convenience of a BP/W is looking good to me now.
Over the past couple of decades, I have developed arthritis in my hips and knees as well as degenerative disc disease in my lower back. This doesn't affect my movement underwater, though, and I actually feel more comfortable there. What it does do is dictate how I get into the water in the first place. Sometimes this can be embarrassing, but it's something I have to live with. My doctor has cautioned me against entries like the giant stride, due to the condition of my lower back. Likewise with heavy lifting. Otherwise, she approves of my diving as a useful activity.
I want to sincerely thank Simonbeans, Luis, Herman and the others who so graciously came to my assistance on what has to be one of the most SNAFU days I've had in quite awhile. These guys were terrific and I hope to be able to return the favor someday. Also, I am honored to consider these guys my friends and hope I can dive with them under better circumstances soon.
Also, Simonbeans gently chided me about my smoking habit. I take no offense at this. The man is absolutely right. I know quitting would greatly improve my enjoyment of diving. I just wish I had the wiilpower to do it.
Oh. the surface temp of Portage was 80 and the temp below the first thermocline was 72. Visibility was about 20 feet. I like the place and will go back as soon as I can.
), but, that aside, here is the deal. Whenever you have new equipment or are going to use equipment in a different configuration or combination that you have not used before you really need to get in a pool with it and play around, especially if you got it on eBait. Most YMCA will let you in during free swims and Y memberships are very cheap but as well some universities, health clubs etc will work with you if you have a membership or even your lds.
