AngieDinOKC
Registered
New dive buddies and slightly longer pool game, have a couple of beers and gab buddies--we got in the car and headed west to Santa Rosa New Mexico. It's an easy 6 hour drive--and if you happen to stop at the Shamrock Irish Inn and head to the Blarney Stone bar, just tell Colby we sent you...they like us there...
Woke up in the morning, 38 degree air temp at 8:30. We decide that coffee and CNN were almost as fun and waited until the afternoon to head to the hole. We find a parking place somewhere in the back 40, go get tanks, and walk them back to the car. We noticed at this time that the blue hole was not really blue...it had a solid layer of black neoprene with shiny aluminum tanks covering the entire surface. We gear up at the car, hike to the hole and pick our way down the stairs to the concrete "briefing platform"...
I have to say that this is one of the nicest entries I've ever seen. But, be prepared to be kicked, to dodge spinning tanks and to be pummelled by rabid groups of newly certified OW's that haven't quite figured out the trick of situational awareness when wrapped in neoprene and carrying 60 lbs of gear on their backs...
We had a couple of problems ourselves with weighting issues and rings that we forgot to take off...(it happens...) so by the time we descended, we were comfortable with the temp and the crowded conditions...off we go to the first little ledge and a horizonal swimming descent to bypass the platform and go straight for the line to the bottom. The crawdads were huge. Didn't see a lot of fish...just two...saw the Joe Cool tombstone and the grate, but missed the golf ball gallery. The bottom of the hole was clear of the neoprene bloom that had infiltrated the surface. We just had fun exploring and breathing compressed air. The cold finally did get to us. We ascended the line, did our safety stop and then swam straight to the stairs and out. We stopped at one. It was just too crowded and too chilly to think about doing another one. We did meet a couple of really neat folks in the parking lot from Lubbock. Hopefully we'll get to dive with them in the near future.
Planning on going back over Memorial Day. If anyone is heading out that way, let us know! We'll say hi and show you the best place to go dancing in Santa Rosa, NM!
A grand time was had by all...and we will do it again!
Angie
Woke up in the morning, 38 degree air temp at 8:30. We decide that coffee and CNN were almost as fun and waited until the afternoon to head to the hole. We find a parking place somewhere in the back 40, go get tanks, and walk them back to the car. We noticed at this time that the blue hole was not really blue...it had a solid layer of black neoprene with shiny aluminum tanks covering the entire surface. We gear up at the car, hike to the hole and pick our way down the stairs to the concrete "briefing platform"...
I have to say that this is one of the nicest entries I've ever seen. But, be prepared to be kicked, to dodge spinning tanks and to be pummelled by rabid groups of newly certified OW's that haven't quite figured out the trick of situational awareness when wrapped in neoprene and carrying 60 lbs of gear on their backs...
We had a couple of problems ourselves with weighting issues and rings that we forgot to take off...(it happens...) so by the time we descended, we were comfortable with the temp and the crowded conditions...off we go to the first little ledge and a horizonal swimming descent to bypass the platform and go straight for the line to the bottom. The crawdads were huge. Didn't see a lot of fish...just two...saw the Joe Cool tombstone and the grate, but missed the golf ball gallery. The bottom of the hole was clear of the neoprene bloom that had infiltrated the surface. We just had fun exploring and breathing compressed air. The cold finally did get to us. We ascended the line, did our safety stop and then swam straight to the stairs and out. We stopped at one. It was just too crowded and too chilly to think about doing another one. We did meet a couple of really neat folks in the parking lot from Lubbock. Hopefully we'll get to dive with them in the near future.
Planning on going back over Memorial Day. If anyone is heading out that way, let us know! We'll say hi and show you the best place to go dancing in Santa Rosa, NM!
A grand time was had by all...and we will do it again!
Angie
