Well, as we all know, great vis is sooooo overrated, so I took off for the pond this afternoon with my girl "Supper Diver". (She hasn't posted yet, so I gave her an alias that some of you will appreciate...) We have been friends since working together a few years ago, and we've been out a couple of times now since her OW last July.
When we arrived, we drove past Swamper's Point West, in search of any fellow Swampdivers. Over there, we ran into a huge group from Scuba Steve's, (Steve was the instructor who was finally able to teach me to dive- I was on the "slow-learners" plan.) Enjoyed visiting with friends I haven't seen in a while.
We made camp at the Swamper's Circle of Knowledge East. SD was using all her new gear. (some brand new, some used, from her LDS) After proper buddy checks, we moved north along the eastern wall. The vis was very poor, algae bloom still in glory, although I don't think in full glory, from the reports I've read the past few weeks. I've seen it worse, so perhaps vis must be getting better. (?)
Buddys' mask leaked throughout the first part of the dive, and when we turned to go back, I noticed my buddys' tank slipping from the band, so I attempted to replace it several times, unsuccessfully. We finally did a tandem surface swim on our backs, me holding the yoke, she carrying the body of the tank under her arm. We arrived at a nearby dock, and a couple of knights in shining armor helped us get her going again. I was really proud of her calm demeanor throughout that situation in very poor vis- she is already a very good diver. The remainder of the dive was uneventful, and we adjusted her mask and doo-rag, and the mask stopped leaking.
During SI and lunch, we realized that the tank strap on the new (used) BC was threaded incorrectly at the buckle, which enabled it to slip.
We cinched it good, and did our second dive. This time was much more relaxed and pleasant, no leaks, and tank stayed put. Interesting thing- my usual dive buddy is my husband, and we match SAC rates breath for breath. SD and I ended with the same amount of air on both our dives today, so we're certainly compatible! LOL.
Not much to report that I viewed down there, except lots of tiny white snot thingies hanging in the water column- yall know what I mean. Is this the algae? Who knows about such things amongst us?
Finished out the day visiting with Scuba Steve friends while some folks were doing their AOW night dive- all went well with that, also. Got home kinda late, but it was a very nice day to practice not bumping into large rocks and walls in the muck. Oh, we did cruise through a huge cloud of babies once, they were surrounding us, very cool. Highlight.
When we arrived, we drove past Swamper's Point West, in search of any fellow Swampdivers. Over there, we ran into a huge group from Scuba Steve's, (Steve was the instructor who was finally able to teach me to dive- I was on the "slow-learners" plan.) Enjoyed visiting with friends I haven't seen in a while.
We made camp at the Swamper's Circle of Knowledge East. SD was using all her new gear. (some brand new, some used, from her LDS) After proper buddy checks, we moved north along the eastern wall. The vis was very poor, algae bloom still in glory, although I don't think in full glory, from the reports I've read the past few weeks. I've seen it worse, so perhaps vis must be getting better. (?)
Buddys' mask leaked throughout the first part of the dive, and when we turned to go back, I noticed my buddys' tank slipping from the band, so I attempted to replace it several times, unsuccessfully. We finally did a tandem surface swim on our backs, me holding the yoke, she carrying the body of the tank under her arm. We arrived at a nearby dock, and a couple of knights in shining armor helped us get her going again. I was really proud of her calm demeanor throughout that situation in very poor vis- she is already a very good diver. The remainder of the dive was uneventful, and we adjusted her mask and doo-rag, and the mask stopped leaking.
During SI and lunch, we realized that the tank strap on the new (used) BC was threaded incorrectly at the buckle, which enabled it to slip.
We cinched it good, and did our second dive. This time was much more relaxed and pleasant, no leaks, and tank stayed put. Interesting thing- my usual dive buddy is my husband, and we match SAC rates breath for breath. SD and I ended with the same amount of air on both our dives today, so we're certainly compatible! LOL.Not much to report that I viewed down there, except lots of tiny white snot thingies hanging in the water column- yall know what I mean. Is this the algae? Who knows about such things amongst us?
Finished out the day visiting with Scuba Steve friends while some folks were doing their AOW night dive- all went well with that, also. Got home kinda late, but it was a very nice day to practice not bumping into large rocks and walls in the muck. Oh, we did cruise through a huge cloud of babies once, they were surrounding us, very cool. Highlight.
