Scuba Tricks?

[Teamcasa]

An olde but a goodie!

Hmmm, I'm going to try the walking on the bottom of the boat trick, sounds like fun!

This is SUCH juvenile humour, but I just about drowned laughing anyways.... I was ocean diving with a close buddy (he's like having an idiot little brother with you), just after he had done his cavern course, so we were all about hand signals...

He swims frantically right up to me (facing me), and gives me the "something's wrong" hand wiggle. I look at him, and he is pointing his finger straight at me - like a kid pretending they have a gun - which I immediately understand, as the two of us are apparently sharing a brain.

It is the universal sign for "pull my finger".

So I pull his finger...........

We are trimmed out perfectly horizontally, and he has his octo ready, bum tilted up a bit, octo held down low, and releases some air. Which, of course, being air, follow the quickest route to the surface, which happens to be.... yup, looked like the world's biggest underwater fart.

Seriously, I almost drowned. And, of course, since we are mature adults, we now demonstrate this for others if the safety stop is a little boring...

 

[robint]

Walking on the bottom of the boat is a big thing on the Nekton liveaboard since it has those big pontoons. It is quite hysterical and most people try it. I have a short video on my hubby attempting to do it. It is harder than you think!

Me and my daughter like to freak out new divers by doing our safety stop upside down.

robin

 

[RubberDucky]

I don't have any tricks in my arsenal just yet, although this thread has given me a few ideas. One of the funnier things I've seen underwater was during my last OW checkout dive at Paraiso. We were swimming along the reef when my instructor spotted a juvenile trunkfish. He proceeded to catch it, completely flood his mask, then let it loose inside his mask. It was just like watching a fish swim around inside a fish bowl - attached to someone's face! A few seconds later he let it go. (ATTN: PETA: the fish was not harmed. YAY!).

 

[gypsyjim]

A fun one I do sometimes is while everyone is getting on the boat I take off my fins and inflate my BCD and walk upside down on the bottom of the boat. Hard to balance if the sea is rough and extra hard on a small boat.
I bet there are some good ones out there?

In the Ice Diving thread on DNY earlier this week StandingBear was talking about inflating his dry suit boots and walking upside down under the ice!

 

[robint]

here is the video I was talking about. It is lower quality but I think it shows how funny it is.



robin

 

[ggunn]

My husband and I have made up "secret" hand signals. Some of them are for real -- like "let's keep our distance from that idiot" and others have to do with post-dive activities. We can talk dirty underwater and no one knows.

My wife and I have a few of those. My favorite: make a circle with thumb and forefinger of one hand and thrust all four fingers of the other hand into it. Hint: first word "cluster".

 

[cavew0man]

I love the fart trick...

I sure hope there's no mandatory age where we are actually required to grow up... there isn't, is there?

 

[ScubaTony]

That video is Awesome. I think the first time I saw someone do it was on a big live aboard like that. Not actually easy to do. I think it's hard because our brain does not know how to balance while inverted?
Anyone ever try to put your fins on your hands and swim like a sea lion? It can be very fun but a hard workout on your arms and shoulders.

 

[jayjoans]

No worries Jayjoans. I didn't mention that my captain always turns the motors off when loading people back on.

I think every captain I've dived with turns off the engines when boarding divers. My concern is not that the engine is on, it's that if the captain had to move the boat for some other emergency (another boat approaching at speed, an injured diver brought to the surface at some distance, etc.) he would likely clear the area around him in a hurry, fire up the engine and off he goes, with you "standing" on the bottom of the boat with no fins on. That little joke could turn tragic before you could do anything.

I am happy that the op I use in Cozumel would frown on doing this. Diving is risky enough (that's why we like it), but adding that activity to the mix seems unnecessary. Looks like I'm in the minority though, I'm surprised at how popular it is to do.

I will use the fart trick though

 

[Thalassamania]

Juggle golf balls.