A great day of snorkeling...

[geogator]

I finally got to get out again to one of our Florida springs yesterday & had an awesome day. Some highlights/observations of the day:

Highlights:
* I got to try out my new mask, snorkel, fins, 3mm wetsuit & weights in a place other than my pool! I LOVE this new gear & although I started with 12lbs & wound up using 8 for most of the day, it was OK. (I really should've gone back to 10lb but didn't feel like fighting the crowd back on shore to retrieve more lead. )
* Got some nice pix of some fish & the spouse & myself snorkeling with my little Kodak Playsport camera (also some not so good). Tip if you have one - don't use the zoom, just get closer to your subject for better clarity.
* I got a little better at the frog kick & was able to not spook as many fish while coming up to them to get a pic. However, as for that reverse kick, I kept trying but couldn't quite get it. Definitely need more practice here. (Darn, I'll have to go back & snorkel more )
* BIG highlight - by the end of the day I was able to hold my breath longer & go deeper than I ever have before (~15-20') thanks to some of the relaxation & other tips here on SB. (I'm so proud of myself - thanks everyone.)

Things to work on:
* I had a hard time equalizing my ears when I got to my deepest dives, even when pinching my nose & blowing out on the way down & while holding at the deepest point. This did get a little better by the end of the day but my ears still hurt some & I couldn't seem to "pop" them like going up/down from altitude. I hope this isn't a bad sign for when I get to OW class next month. Does anyone have any other ideas for this issue? I was told that it's easier to equalize when you can actually breathe underwater from a reg. Is this true?
* I got a couple of ugly mask squeeze marks under my eyes but didn't realize it until I got out later & my wife told me & I saw them in a mirror. I guess I'll have to loosen it up a bit & try to blow into it some for next time.

Other Observations
* I got to watch 2 different scuba classes (instructor + 3/4 students) do their OW checkout dives which was a treat. (I can't wait for mine to start - it's worse than waiting for Santa!) I felt bad for them though because there were a few rude snorkelers who'd dive down near them & get in their way or distract them while they were trying to do skills. Both classes had young kids (12 - 14yrs) & one was a family that I chatted with beforehand. Watching one of the girls ditch her gear & do a CESA from about 20', then have to dive back down & don it again was really cool. (She got lots of high fives afterward.) Sure hope I'll be able to do that too. (It gave me some incentive to practice more diving down later in the day however - if she could do it than I should be able to. :blinking The only glaring issue I saw from the classes was that one student had a free flow on her octo for about 5 minutes before someone noticed & got the instructor's attention so he could finally stop it.

Overall it was a fabulous day & I can't wait to get wet more as the season rolls on.

 

[frogbmth]

Man, I am filled with envy. The most fun snorkels I have had are in Florida's springs, I have been only four times, mostly in Ocala Forest and once up to Ginnie Springs. Where did you go? I so need to get back over there.

I find it a lot easier to pop my ears when I scuba dive, although I have given it up now for the freedom of a good snorkel.

Go on share some pics, you know you want to

 

[geogator]

We went to Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest. My profile pic/avatar is one of my shots but I'm having trouble posting any others. It said it uploaded them last night as an attachment but then they don't show up in the post. I must be missing something somewhere.

 

[frogbmth]

Alexander is just lovely, a brilliant day out. Here's me when I was last there

I post my pics on photobucket for forums and just insert them, it's frustrating when you are having trouble. SOunds like you had a great day out, going back soon?

 

[geogator]

Probably not to Alexander Springs, ($22 total for 4 people to get in!!) & I'm not sure I'll get anywhere else before my class starts on Memorial Day weekend due to other weekend commitments between now/then. We'll be doing our checkout dives at Devil's Den in Williston (where I've never been but heard it's cool) and at Ginnie Springs. I've kayaked at Ginnie before so that will be fun to dive/snorkel but the crowds can get big on the weekend.

Nice shot of you with your scooter toy. I'd love to have one of those but I'm saving my $$ for a BCD & regulator set once I finish my class & hopefully I'll get to try out a few different ones. I figure around $800-900 should get me some nice middle of the road equipment. (The Zeagle Ranger BC I've recently tried on is really nice but runs about $ 630.)

PS: I think I got the attachment thing worked out. (See below)

 

[tddfleming]

I have to say I am jealous of your photos and post. We went snorkeling yesterday also. But not near as good or fun as you had. We went in Lake Anna here in VA. Viz was maybe 3 feet. All we saw was large particles floating past us. Did not dive down as we did not know the depth or what we would hit. Not to mention keeping an eye for boats.

 

[geogator]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Not to mention it was probably cold water too. Those conditions would probably keep me out of the water altogether but then again, living up there you must really need a nice snorkeling/scuba fix by this time of year if you don't do cold water diving. My coldest temp so far in my wetsuit was 68deg in my pool the first weekend I bought it when trying it out. It was warm enough but it also wasn't at diving depth so I'm not sure how it'd be that far down.

 

[tddfleming]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Not to mention it was probably cold water too. Those conditions would probably keep me out of the water altogether but then again, living up there you must really need a nice snorkeling/scuba fix by this time of year if you don't do cold water diving. My coldest temp so far in my wetsuit was 68deg in my pool the first weekend I bought it when trying it out. It was warm enough but it also wasn't at diving depth so I'm not sure how it'd be that far down.

Our coldest to date is 53 with an air temp of 33. COLD! Lake Anna is a cooling pond for the nuclear plant. We were hoping to see the 3 eyed fish We started diving back in mid March. But we were hoping to just have some fun and maybe see something, but that is not the case. I guess I was thinking that since it was a sandy bottom there it would not be too bad, I was wrong once again. The temp in the lake is not too bad because of its use for the plant. There were other kids and people playing in the water as well. I am planning on moving to FL in the next year or 2, I hope. I really want to move to a nicer, warmer location.

 

[geogator]

I've never heard of folks swimming in a nuke plant's cooling pond before but I guess if it's good enough for the manatees down here it must be good enough for humans. They congregate around the outfalls during the winter since the water temp's around 72 or higher.

I just added a couple of more pix to the set but it won't let me add the quicktime movie I shot of the dive class doing drills.

 

[tddfleming]

Lake Anna is one and Mt Storm is the other in WV, the scuba in that one. Manatee is the next on my list. Can't wait!!