Victory's of the day

[Kaffphine]

Anyone else notice that some of your best diving is done at unsupecting times at unusual places? Today I went to the pool to mess around with some basic skills and have an 'intro to scooters'. On the skills one by one I checked off my list, starting with the one that I was dreading most, but knew I should be doing. The scooter was fun, but doing a roll-spin... the roll was pushing comfort levels. Since I had lots of time left and my gear was wet already I starting thinking up self-torture! One was put a weight on the bottom and my mask under another, about 20-30ft apart. Go get the one & bring it back to the first, blind. The other, with everything in my hands (mask, fins, the works) go to the bottom and come up with everything on. It's harder than it sounds, an AL80 with like..1200 doesn't want to go to the bottom with you! Did it three complete times, in the process learned -weights go on first, use the ladder which goes down 6ft to your advanage, if your tank get out from under your arm be VERY glad your first reaction was biting the mouth piece harder, <-- once that happens ... hey let it there it's out of your hands, you can still breath!, I've never felt so much of my gear (did mask last). First time 15min, last time 6min. Second time I was solving too many problems and forgot to check time. Yea, there wasn't much to see (especially since I wasn't useing a mask for most of it), but this was defiently one of the best times I've had while diving!

 

[Fishkiller]

Now let me get this straight... You did this THREE times and enjoyed it??


;-0 I will someday as well



yes those little things you do as a diver

 

[Kaffphine]

Yes! Well three complete and succeful times. There were countless um... 'learning experices'. I also did a lot of free diving to recover dropped gear... namely my weight belt ugh.

And although I enjoyed the expeirce a few times I surfaced after dumping everything to cough my brains out. Those moments were less enjoyable than the whole, but I caught my breath, learned what doesn't work ... fixed it, and did it again. I'm having an conversation over AIM with a friend who's telling me I invented a dumbed down 'bail-out' . Apperealty with NAUI, DM's and higher need to do a bail out. And with the exceptions of my air was on and I started in the water it's basicly what I came up with to do for fun!

 

[Fishkiller]

I heard the same thing about NAUI everything dropped to the bottom of the deep end and you go down only to surface full gear...WI BC does have a benefit



Now what I consider fun as well would be assembling your full gear at night, without artifical light and dive

 

[Kaffphine]

Fishkiller- "Now what I consider fun as well would be assembling your full gear at night, without artifical light and dive "


That's thrusday nights, the unusuals at the usual spot doing the usual thing.

 

[pipedope]

I have always done recreational ditch and don or recover and don by getting the weight belt first. Then the mask and then everything else.
Actually the sequence was more like;
1. Grab reg second stage and place in mouth, clear and breath.
2. While doing #1 grab and hold the weight belt to stay down. Sit on bottom with weight belt across thighs.
3. Find mask, don and clear, to see what is around.
4. Don BC and any other gear.
5. Don weight belt.
Remember this is rec diving in wetsuit where the weight belt must be free if a ditch is needed.

For commercial skills, everything is done first 'lights on', that is with a clear faceplate. Once you can do it all smoothly you do it all 'lights out'. This is important as most work is done by feel anyway and on some dives we even cover the inside of the faceplate with foil before starting the dive. This is done when there is soupy water with enough vis for there to be some light but not enough for you to really see anything. If you eyes are just trying to focus on green or brown soup then you get a nasty headache. :upset:

The more you practice all of this stuf the more natural and easy it becomes. Then when something happens on a dive you just deal with it and go on. Often without even breathing hard.

Now I just need to buy a house with a 50m pool for swimming laps and build a 20' tank for gear and skills practice.