After far too long, I finally got to blow some bubbles again!

[Hoag]

OK, it was only a pool session (and PLEASE let's not make this about whether to log pool sessions or not), but on Saturday, I finally got to jump in and blow some bubbles.

I have a trip to Cayman Brac coming up soon and the last time that I went diving was in the spring of 2019, in what I refer to as "The Before Days". Since my last dive trip, I have acquired 2 new dive computers (a PERDIX AI and a Teric) and I have lost over 50 pounds so some significant changes made and a fair bit of rust to knock off. IMHO, it was prudent to get in the pool before my trip.

I did some of the basic skills such as Remove, Recover & Replace my reg, Remove, Replace & Clear my mask, breathe from my Octo etc. Given that the pool was fresh water, and the water around Cayman Brac is most definitely salty, checking my buoyancy was a "best guess" and will have to be fine tuned once I get there but let's just say that even with a 3mm wetsuit, I now need significantly less lead than I used to need with just a skin. I also used the session to take a good look at my new DCs and see what info is presented and how. (I have an SPG as a back-up, and I compared the pressure from the 2 DCs to the SPG and was happy that they were very close.)

After about 40 minutes, I was happy with my refresher "splash" & got out and went home. I did log the dive, if for no other reason than the dive shop at CBBR wants to know when my last dive was, and now I can say that it was just a few weeks before my trip and I used it as an unofficial skills review. Is there still more rust to knock off? Of course there is, but I think that jumping in the pool was, for me at least, a very good idea.

As an aside, although only a pool session, based on what I saw, I am very happy with the two new dive computers and although it is smaller, I found the Teric easier to read than the PERDIX AI.

 

[Marie13]

That’s great. I love pool sessions, especially in the winter when other ways to dive might be limited. I don’t log (that’s what computer is for). LOL.

 

[Hoag]

That’s great. I love pool sessions, especially in the winter when other ways to dive might be limited. I don’t log (that’s what computer is for). LOL.

I log it on my iPad. That way, for pool sessions, I can track how much weight (whether it is going up or down) and what skills I practiced/reviewed. For other dives, I can keep track of the dive site names and what I saw or how I liked it.

 

[Searcaigh]

@Hoag welcome back to diving

 

[inquis]

checking my buoyancy was a "best guess" and will have to be fine tuned once I get there

If you got the fresh-water weight correct, then it's pretty easy. Add 2.4% of your total dry mass (you+tank+lead is close enough) to that fresh-water lead amount. (A single AL80 weighs about 34 lbs with regulator.) If you weigh 170 lbs without gear, your salt-water ballast is about 5 lbs over your fresh-water weighting. Fine-tune of course, but that should be pretty close (if your pool weight was good).

My aging eyes also find the Teric easier to read than the Perdix. Brightness seems to outweigh the slight size difference. Have a great time!