22 Nov. Fin Sacrifices To the Whiskey Wreck god

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mos11b1p

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Messages
51
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Location
Slidell, LA
# of dives
200 - 499
The morning started off perfectly...toothpaste on my shirt. (***FIRST MISTAKE***: hold mouth OVER the sink.) But what beautiful sunny weather today! A quick run over to MBT dive shop for fills and to get cmu's mini speargun reconfigured to make it "idiot proof" (well....ah...hm....so that I can use it too :))

Bahama Bob's lot was packed but a short wait later, a friendly elderly couple yielded their spot. Cmu and I parked the van, got out, and took a walk down to the beach to look at the surf. Usually SHE is the cautious one, not I, but I kept my reservations to myself and simply asked her "what do ya think?" She said "Well, we're here! Let's just do it!" (***SECOND MISTAKE***: MBT would later report to us "Did you guys know it was six foot seas the hour you got in the water??? Are you NUTS?)

Back up at the truck cmu and I geared up. The usual "kit" (as the Brits call it)... compass, mini spearguns, bug bag, hoop stringer, dive flag... cmu in an AL80, me in AL80 doubles. (***THIRD MISTAKE***: doubles on your back wading out in high surf...BAD IDEA.)

We were SO ENTHUSIASTIC as we headed down to the beach ready to go! I checked my gas pressure one more time but had a "hard time reading it." (***FOURTH MISTAKE***: Check all your gear! My SPG was jammed down under BOTH my backplate harness AND my wieght belt! It took cmu a few precious minutes to get it unjammed...NOT something you want to be doing standing on a beach in doubles.)

We waded out into the surf carefully. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular shore dive...there is a sandbar about 30-40 feet out from shore. Between the shore and the sandbar the water depth drops deep enough for you to put your fins on and "think" the "dive has begun"...but it HASN'T! lol You must keep wading out until you clear the first sandbar. It is a DIFFICULT trec in scuba gear in high surf.

We staggered over the first sandbar but I just couldn't make it anymore...fatigue and loss of balance left me down in less than waste deep water trying to put my fins on. I got ONE on before the next surf wave just slammed me rolling. Regulator in mouth I didn't care... except RIGHT ABOUT THEN...cmu says "Hey dave...turn my air on" (***FIFTH MISTAKE***: "when scuba diving, always turn air on BEFORE getting in the water. :wink: )

Joking aside, with high surf, heavy gear, poor balance...it could be a bad scene to be washed down and NOT have air to breath, so I literally lunged for her, got a hold of her tank valve and cranked it open. While still cranking on it, we got SLAMMED again by a wave and went tumbling together. That tumble sent me into cmu. Her speargun was clipped to a D ring on her waste belt. The shockcord from the shaft of the gun got wrapped around my safety reel crank knob...(***SIXTH MISTAKE***: When scuba diving DON'T take anything extra you don't need!)

A couple more powerful tosses by the surf...and cmu and I were hopelessly wrapped up in each other and being tossed around like rag dolls. Me with one fin on...her with neither...both of us tangled together by speargun line and being carried down the beach line by the wind-n-waves. The surf carried us 200 yards from where we , before we were able to literally CRAWL out onto the beach.

Each of us lost a fin!!!! (***SEVENTH MISTAKE***: Don't lose NOTHIN! If anybody knows of anybody else selling just 1 Scubapro jetfin, size extra large, and/or a Diverite fin, size small...please let us know. Oh, and a spring strap set. :) )

Staggering back along the beach towards the boardwalk that leads up to Bahama Bob's, physically exhausted, morally defeated...and furious at having lost the fins....I looked over at lil cmu trudging along by my side...and I said to her..."Where is the dive flag?" She looked up surprised and said..."It's right here." She reached down for her dive flag spool snap-linked to her D ring and followed the running end of the line a couple feet down to plastic clip that was ONCE attached to a dive flag. The flag is now floating away like "Wilson" lost at sea. She couldn't believe it and just broke out laughing because it was so pathetic. "It was RIGHT HERE but it's gone."

The whole dive lasted about 10 minutes. Neither of us actually got "below the surface." It cost an estimated $350 in lost gear and pretty much blew our entire Saturday.

I swear to ALL of you...one day I shall sit down to a flounder dinner at the dinner table with cmu and say to her... "Whiskey wreck flounder NEVER TASTED SO GOOD as they do tonight" and I KNOW that at that moment...it will have all been "all worth it!" (NOT!!!!!)
 
Thanks for sharing the lessons learned. Beach dives are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. It may be like diving into the shallow end of a chlorine filled pool as you swim between the 80+ aqua aerobics class, or, it can be a topsy turvy, equipment ripping, bottom disappearing cauldron of confusion. Whatever the case, reg. in mouth (or at least in hand) and air on, no worries.
 
:rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3:

Only you, Dave!

(Just glad neither of you gut hurt - equpment can be replaced, friends can't!!)
 
:rofl3::rofl3:

Next time maybe you should get the opinion of a Local before U wast your money:confused:
 
:rofl3::rofl3:

Next time maybe you should get the opinion of a Local before U wast your money:confused:

I believe CMU IS a local, as well as a very experinced diver... but she's with Dave now, so she's obviously prone to lapses in judgement! :tongue:

(Sorry Stasia - you know Dave's one of my best friends and so by default, you're my friend too now and I get to tease both of you!) :D
 
Thanks for the report... I don't feel so bad now about loosing a Jet Fin at Ft. Lauderdale by the Sea now... :wink:

Oh and I'm pretty sure the ocean must have a preference for Jet Fins with spring straps... lol
 
I agree...I personally saw the Orikany eat a Jet Fin...it wasn't mine...but I saw it.

Thanks for the report... I don't feel so bad now about loosing a Jet Fin at Ft. Lauderdale by the Sea now... :wink:

Oh and I'm pretty sure the ocean must have a preference for Jet Fins with spring straps... lol
 
Great report to read.... BUT not so fun to be a part of.... Glad you both made it back without it getting any worse than lost gear!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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