3 things to tell a new guy (In Monterey)

[dannobee]

Does the deer have a little doe? Yeah, two bucks. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.

 

[mikerault]

No, dinner is a career path for Deer...

 

[mikeguerrero]

Mike you say that you are taking it easy but you are doing it again. You are going to dive at BW (Good) with your new BC (Good) and new Drysuit (not so good...) and practice a new SMB and Reel? (Not good at all)

Plus you are missing the point of the "back to the bunny slopes" approach. You change one aspect of your configuration at a time... when you change your BC and your suit at the same time that's 2 things you have to worry about. Master one thing (BC or drysuit) then master the next then add more gear.

You had 3 incidents in the last 3 dives. That's too many IMHO. Slow down! What's your rush? Sorry to call you out but you aren't getting the message.

Ben,

Don't apologize for calling me out with another mistake I'm about to do. I will lay off the SMB until I have sufficient dives off my entire rig and drysuit.

The more I dive my new gear the better experience I'm gaining.

Thanks,

MG

 

[emttim]

Breakwater is still part of the ocean and I agree it is not a good idea to try too many new gears at the same time. Any water depth above your knee with full Monterey gears still can cause drowning/death. Treat BW the same as Monastery. Go with dive buddy and plan all the dives there. Even if it is to master dive skill (Nav, Bouyancy,weight, etc) or to try new gear.

Agreed. Although one of these days me and my buddy's dive plan need to include doing the flats at night...we always do the wall and apparently the flats is where the octopi hangout at night.

 

[Brewski]

I agree it is not a good idea to try too many new gears at the same time.

Yes I've seen Mike go through gears like a mad trucker jammin down the road.

Just kidding.

My top 3 would be.

1. Streamline your gear. you don't need every gadget you own hanging from your D rings ready to catch kelp. If you need it, keep it secure. if you don't use it, why carry it?

2. Work on your trim, we walk head up, we don't dive head up. Keep your profile to a minimum,

3. If you need a lot of weight to overcome the extra exposure protection, consider moving some to a belt. those weight integrated BC's are great for warm water, but for cold water that rig will be pretty heavy to pick up.

 

[jky]

Don't apologize for calling me out with another mistake I'm about to do. I will lay off the SMB until I have sufficient dives off my entire rig and drysuit.

It's not about "sufficient dives". It's about learning your gear, comfort in its use, and how to deal with problems as they arise.

jky

 

[Gombessa]

It's not about "sufficient dives". It's about learning your gear, comfort in its use, and how to deal with problems as they arise.

jky

Wow, a great thread to resurrect, John.

I'd just add that a huge part of diving here is cutting problems off at the pass. A few minutes spent in preparation goes a LONG way in preventing problems from popping up in the first place, and we know what they say about an ounce of prevention!

Best,
Kenn

 

[Hepcat62]

I'd just add that a huge part of diving here is cutting problems off at the pass. A few minutes spent in preparation goes a LONG way in preventing problems from popping up in the first place, and we know what they say about an ounce of prevention!

Well said.

I'd also add - much of our most beautiful diving here is comprised of big clumps of entanglement hazards. Kelp is beautiful and interesting. Getting hung up in kelp doesn't sound serious (and it doesn't have to be), but when it happens to you for the first time you will be stressed, and your air consumption will likely double (or worse). Make sure that you pay attention to your available gas supply, and don't eat into your reserves. Plan your dive so that you can reasonably expect to handle a situation if one should arise, and dive that plan.

 

[blewgrass]

3. If you need a lot of weight to overcome the extra exposure protection, consider moving some to a belt. those weight integrated BC's are great for warm water, but for cold water that rig will be pretty heavy to pick up.

This was especially true for me. I'm a big guy and wanted initially to add rear weights to my ranger BC. The belt was the best answer. It solved my trim issues immediatley.

 

[finadict]

I loved the suggestions for instructors taking their students to Monastery, which is exactly what my instructor did for me in my AOW class! We were oriented to the entry dangers of the underwater topography with the immediate steep dropoff and strange waves right past ankle level, the sand dangers of those darn little pebbles screwing up your gear, kelp dangers, surge and rock dangers, and we also encountered the dreaded underwater waterfall at 100 feet. There occasionally is a STRONG down current at this site near the dropoff ledge to the west. You can tell you are near the area where this occurs when you see the bottom topography stripped smooth like a post avalance area on a mountainside.