Jay_SMART_Diver
Contributor
Spent most of Friday at Aquarena, was a totally gorgeous day temp was in the high 70's and water was around 71 throught the lake. Got two dives in over 60 minutes each and a lot of new pictures. Here's a few...enjoy.
Aquarena Springs 3-18-2005
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Awesome! I'll be down there this afternoon. Maybe I'll see you sometime in the next three days. I have no idea who all I will be diving with.
Ken
Ken
Satshark
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Jay_SMART_Diver:
Awesome pictures Jason.
Very nice and warm water!!
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I did have fun, although I didn't get to do as much diving as I had planned on.
The first day there (Monday), it began to pour down rain as I started to get into the water and there had been threats of the rain turning into thunderstorms (been there, done that, don't wish to do it again). I waited out the hardest rain and then got in. I had been in less than 5 minutes when my octo began free-flowing and I could not get it to stop. So, that dive was aborted pretty quickly. I took my reg to a local dive shop (that I had to drive around town for more than 30 minutes to find), and the girl there hooked it up to a tank and told me it was working fine. She said it might have been just the way I had it configured, so I decided to attach it in a different configuration the next day.
On Tuesday, I dove with Jason (Jay_SMART_Diver), and the octo worked fine. Unfortunately, I didn't. After being under for about 15 minutes, I began having coughing fits again, and the harder I coughed, the harder it was to maintain neutral buoyancy. They are sticklers for proper buoyancy at Aquarena, and it makes sense, but when I would cough and began to choke up instead of breathing properly, I kept floating up to the surface. I fought hard to get back down three times before finally calling the dive after 35 minutes. Since the maximum depth there is only 25 feet, it doesn't take much to get to the surface, so you can imagine the trouble I was having. We still got to wave to the people in the glass bottom boats that came by, though. I really have to thank Jason for watching out for me while I was in "distress." Since I didn't get to take any pictures, keep an eye out here for Jason's pictures. He should be posting them soon.
I still had a full tank that I had not used (I brought two with me), but we had a visitor to the Center in the afternoon -- U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was on hand to report on the confirmation of a project she had been working on in Congress that will, hopefully, provide much needed funding for the Aquarena Center. As a result, the diving supervisor scheduled regular divers in the water for demonstrations while the senator was touring in the boats, and that did not include me. In all, I got in one dive and part of another one, so it was not a total loss. It was still fun, and I found a couple of places in San Marcos that make wicked margaritas. One was a Mexican restaurant that had the best Salsa Verde I've ever tasted anywhere.
My only regret is that San Marcos is so far from Arlington and this is the first time that I've had the chance to dive there since completing the Scientific Diving course in Dec. 2002. I also regret not having the chance to meet up with Ann and Don while I was there. Hopefully, next time, we will get that chance, but after gas prices come down considerably...
The first day there (Monday), it began to pour down rain as I started to get into the water and there had been threats of the rain turning into thunderstorms (been there, done that, don't wish to do it again). I waited out the hardest rain and then got in. I had been in less than 5 minutes when my octo began free-flowing and I could not get it to stop. So, that dive was aborted pretty quickly. I took my reg to a local dive shop (that I had to drive around town for more than 30 minutes to find), and the girl there hooked it up to a tank and told me it was working fine. She said it might have been just the way I had it configured, so I decided to attach it in a different configuration the next day.
On Tuesday, I dove with Jason (Jay_SMART_Diver), and the octo worked fine. Unfortunately, I didn't. After being under for about 15 minutes, I began having coughing fits again, and the harder I coughed, the harder it was to maintain neutral buoyancy. They are sticklers for proper buoyancy at Aquarena, and it makes sense, but when I would cough and began to choke up instead of breathing properly, I kept floating up to the surface. I fought hard to get back down three times before finally calling the dive after 35 minutes. Since the maximum depth there is only 25 feet, it doesn't take much to get to the surface, so you can imagine the trouble I was having. We still got to wave to the people in the glass bottom boats that came by, though. I really have to thank Jason for watching out for me while I was in "distress." Since I didn't get to take any pictures, keep an eye out here for Jason's pictures. He should be posting them soon.
I still had a full tank that I had not used (I brought two with me), but we had a visitor to the Center in the afternoon -- U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was on hand to report on the confirmation of a project she had been working on in Congress that will, hopefully, provide much needed funding for the Aquarena Center. As a result, the diving supervisor scheduled regular divers in the water for demonstrations while the senator was touring in the boats, and that did not include me. In all, I got in one dive and part of another one, so it was not a total loss. It was still fun, and I found a couple of places in San Marcos that make wicked margaritas. One was a Mexican restaurant that had the best Salsa Verde I've ever tasted anywhere.
My only regret is that San Marcos is so far from Arlington and this is the first time that I've had the chance to dive there since completing the Scientific Diving course in Dec. 2002. I also regret not having the chance to meet up with Ann and Don while I was there. Hopefully, next time, we will get that chance, but after gas prices come down considerably...
Ken,,, great report,,,,sorry for your dives being cut short.....but the reasons are understanable for sure. I bet you will be back down to SM before to long for another dive or two.
Gee, no wonder Bridget was so anxious about getting demo divers out that week. My professor told me she went out to the grid and "pretended to use" a lift bag for half an hour. I can't imagine using a lift bag for more than 10 minutes, even for real.ScubaTexan:
I wonder what Hutchinson's "project" is that'll get Aquarena funding. I sincerely hope it's not a pork barrel-type thing, but any money going to Aquarena is better than no money. They'll lose a heap of revenue when Parks & Wildlife vacates, and lord knows Texas State can't afford to be generous with all the higher education cuts. Never figured Hutchinson to be pro-habitat restoration though; every letter I've written her (3-5) regarding getting more state environmental funding has always been returned with "not in economic interests of Texans" wording.
I heard Aquarena got itself a new albino catfish. Yay!
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Basically, what it is -- from what I understood -- is a project called the El Camino Real Trail that she has pressed to become a National Park attraction. It has already passed through Congress and Bush has already signed it into legislation. Part of this trail is a Native American landmark that supposedly lies within Aquarena Center's grounds, and she wants to have a monument dedicated there to commemorate it. If Aquarena could get federal (and state) funding, it would be a tremendous boon. However, it also bears mentioning that Sen. Hutchison has already formed a feasibility committee exploring a possible run at the Governor's mansion next year. How that would affect everything that she was talking about yesterday remains to be seen.
I didn't get to see an albino catfish there, but we have at least one at Clear Springs.
As far as I know, she didn't dive yesterday. She had divers in the water working at the grid, but I don't think she was one of them. When I left yesterday, she looked like she had all day long. Ethan had just finished a dive when I got there yesterday, but Bridget was running back and forth between the dive area and the office as far as I know. Maybe Jason saw her get in, but I never did.
I didn't get to see an albino catfish there, but we have at least one at Clear Springs.
archman:
As far as I know, she didn't dive yesterday. She had divers in the water working at the grid, but I don't think she was one of them. When I left yesterday, she looked like she had all day long. Ethan had just finished a dive when I got there yesterday, but Bridget was running back and forth between the dive area and the office as far as I know. Maybe Jason saw her get in, but I never did.
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texdiveguy:
Not unless gas prices come down considerably...
parrotheaddiver
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Ken, our weekend was jam packed since the rain we haven't been able to do anything to our property and we have 4 acres so we worked from sunup to sundown sat and sun maybe next time.
Was the salsa at the new mexican food restuarant Los Cucos? it has just recently opened and we thought it was very good and so was the pricing.
The albino catfish are gone from the lake. I was talking with Ron Coley (the director there) and I ask about them when I took Dee out there last month and he said that people still sneak in and fish and they are all gone. Well I hope the good senator is able to do something the grounds really look sad.
I laughed and reminded him of the time when he & I were younger in the 70's when we would sneak in to dive he laughed but didn't say anything. I guess since he is on the other side of the fence (so to speak) now it is different. The good ole days.
Was the salsa at the new mexican food restuarant Los Cucos? it has just recently opened and we thought it was very good and so was the pricing.
The albino catfish are gone from the lake. I was talking with Ron Coley (the director there) and I ask about them when I took Dee out there last month and he said that people still sneak in and fish and they are all gone. Well I hope the good senator is able to do something the grounds really look sad.
I laughed and reminded him of the time when he & I were younger in the 70's when we would sneak in to dive he laughed but didn't say anything. I guess since he is on the other side of the fence (so to speak) now it is different. The good ole days.
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