Here is a grainy pic from one of those camera phones of this weeks' dive site and dive buddies. I was doing my "check out" dives for drysuit. Figured it was about time! (I am on the far left w.o. a hat. It was 20 degrees F)
Had a good time with the pool sessions this week as well. About 20 students showed up for
their first session on the way to OWD. Had a good laugh when a DM trainee came up to me as we were gathering at the pool and said, "Ever attach a BCD to a tank?" I told him, "No." He began to explain. I acted like I was enthralled. Then I said, "Usually, I just attach the tank to the BCD, but from now on, I am going to do it
your way; it sounds so much easier!"
When we got in the pool, the instructor that was going to "check me out" told me to just head down to the deep end and go through all the things I was suppose to do, check buoyancy, etc., and he would be down in a minute to verify. Rather than try to walk through the crowd of bodies, I thought, "Hmm, the air is already paid for. Why not?" I dropped to the bottom and began weaving my way through the feet (less crowded there!)
I had gotten almost all the way through, when I felt someone tug my fin. I popped up and one of the "students" gave me hand signals to "watch the instructor." I hand signaled him to mind his own business and started swimming away. He grabbed my fin again and repeated
his signals. I repeated mine. Then he tried to grab my fin a third time and I hit his hand away. I was thinking, "What
is it with this guy!? I am a peaceful man! We're going to go at it right here and now and I don't even have one of those 14" Scubapro knives to cut his regulator hoses!" I gave a quick set of flutter kicks and escaped to the deep end and he turned back to his class. Later I learned that he was another DM wannabe and thought that I was one of the OWD students goofing off!
When we got out of the water, I found out that this guy is HUGE. He is all of 7' tall and not skinny either. :doh2:
We got talking afterward and he said that he thought I was just a goofball from the OWD class. Then the inevitable question,
"How long you been diving?"
"Since '83"
He looked at me funny and repeated the question in Estonian thinking I misunderstood. Then he said,
"I wasn't even born then!"
"How come you are just
now getting drysuit certified?" (A lot of divers here
start in a drysuit.)
"Hey, I'm from California!" "Ooohh.."
O.K. since this is officially an advice column, I had better ask advice so a mod doesn't accuse me of thread hi-jack!
What is the international hand signal for mind-your-own-business that can be used by a preacher? I used a scowling wave-off but my 6 year old told me a stick-out-your-tongue-thumb-on-nose-fingers-wiggling-in-the-air was better. (Don't do this without first removing the regulator!) What think ye?
