A tale of woe.

[Green Mountain]

Last week the wife and I flew down to Florida to visit friends and relatives. I was given permission to sneak in one day of diving. I do go on my own all diving vacation every year so don't think she is that mean.

Now when you fly you can only take 2 bags on your flight. I used to be able to take my big bag with all my underwater video camera gear and enclosure. Plus my dive bag. Plus my bag of personal articles.

So I condensed my camera stuff into my personal stuff then I put the enclosure in my dive bag. When I got to Albany air port the guy at the United Air Line counter charged me an additional $25 bucks because my dive bag now weighted in an 11 lbs over.

Anyway my Florida based sister-in-law lined me up with a dive shop. I made reservations to go out with an outfit from West Palm Beach. Pick up my rental tanks for the next day's dive. I got up Sunday morning. The sun was shinning and the birds were singing and the wind was blowing.

The cell phone rang. "This is the dive shop. The boat isn't going out. High seas. 8-12 ft. Worse weather since WWII"

"Why don't you try us again on Wednesday" Well because I will be back in the snow on Wednesday.

So I dragged all my gear back through the airports and it didn't even get wet.

 

[DandyDon]

Been there, done that, got the T-shirts... :jump013:

Flew to Miami once just to dive The Keys for a week, and got blown out for 3 days. I've had Rock Fever before, but nothing like this.

Weather is always a risk, but I've been lucky. That's the only time I've been totally blown away...

don

 

[H2Andy]

one of the great things about Florida is that you can dive the springs year round.

it's not the reef, but, hey... at least you get wet

 

[Dee]

That's as bad as getting a cold AFTER you get there and have to watch the boats leaving without you.

You'll make up for it at CCV!

 

[Natasha]

I had this sorta happen on my 40th birthday. I had tickets to stay with a friend in Ft. Lauderdale and dive on my B day.
Chicago decided to have one of the worse snow storms in 20 years. The airport closed for 3 days. They closed the schools too. So there I was another snowy B day in Chicago Jan 12th. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Now that I'm in Texas I should be safe!

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Hey man, dont feel too bad. I was supposed to go on a trip to Sipadan, Malaysia back in October (all expenses paid, I might add) and my flight out of Boston was cancelled. I missed the whole trip...

If I were you, I wouldnt feel too bad for missing one day of diving in FL.

 

[H2Andy]

oh that just sucks mud through a straw expecting it to be chocolate syrup...

and i'm not talking no fancy mud neither

 

[gfisher4792]

The cell phone rang. "This is the dive shop. The boat isn't going out. High seas. 8-12 ft. Worse weather since WWII"

I hear ya, man. I was down at WPB this past week, and was scheduled to go out on Tues., but was bumped to Wed. At least for me, our flight out was Thurs. afternoon. The dive itself was, well, bumpy, with 2-4' seas, with a couple of 6' hits. And since I haven't been off a boat for quite some time, by the second tank I was close to feeding the fishes. Held strong, though, and saw my share of barracuda, turtles and lobster.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I can feel your pain...We have been staring at the forecasts wondering "Will it ever end?" I am finally realizing after living here of upteen years, that the springtime is breezy, and the last weekend in July during mini season usually is breezy also..

 

[DEEPLOU]

several things addressed in this thread: airline curve balls and weather curve balls.

Airlines first: In last couple of months I flew to WPB about 3 times on Southwest. They allow 3 bags of 70 lb each. Then last month (Pres. Week) on American. They limit u to two bags of 50 lbs each. My dive bag which was more trim than usual was still 47 lbs. My feeling: it is just a way of an ailing airline making more money.

Weather: It wasn't the first time a dive trip got messed up by weather and won't be the last. I forgot how many times I packed my dive gear when we went to NC, only to drive from the Apt. to the boat (hour drive) and get blown out. Heck, it happens at home too.

Sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you!