bottom seeker
Registered
Normally I don't post comments, usually just enjoy reading about diving experiences and getting new ideas on gear and such. However, after my experience yesterday, thought I would post about my dives and get some ideas what happened.
The weekend started off bad, got lost getting to the dive site. I live in Italy and we travel to Croatia to go diving. The group left before me and I never had a problem getting there before, but somehow lost my way for over an hour. Fine, dealt with it and got there two hours later than everyone else. Got up yesterday to dive, did a shore dive and other than visibility, was a great dive 18C water temperatures. Getting out of the water, cut my hand on a rock near the dive ladder, no big deal. Start taking my wetsuit off and the zipper broke off. Had to rent one from the LDC, not too bad, but the suit was obviously well used and worn out.
So, we get on the boat to go to the Baron Gautch (German wreck off the coast of Croatia), been waiting to do this since I started diving in Croatia. Anyway, so the water is choppy and not much of a fun boat ride, but I dealt with it. Get to the dive site, and almost fell over twice with the pitching of the boat. Did I mention this would have been my 13th dive? Anyway, so my buddy and I get in the water and fight the current and waves to the line and start to decend. At about 19 meters, the water gets a little cooler, no big deal dealt with it before. Then, at around 26 meters, gets really cold and becomes hard to breath through reg. Slowed down figuring it was just excitement or something. Then it just seemed to get worse. Breathing became almost impossible and I tapped my buddy to ascend. Tried to monitor how fast I was coming up the rope, but seemed like no matter how much air I let out of the BCD, seemed to expand even quicker (yes I know I was releasing, not adding). Dive computer screaming at me the whole ascent about speed. And I think my safety stop ended up being about two minutes. Total bottom time was about 8 minutes.
After I surfaced, almost got hit by the bow of the boat and had to swim almost all the way around to get back on the boat. While climbing the ladder, my mask falls off and with the boat pitching so bad, climbing out was a definite challange.
Got on the boat and was almost like sea sickness set in. Never been seasick in my life until yesterday. Lay down on the bench waiting for the others to finish their dive, fell asleep and got sunburned.
So, is there anything to the whole 13 being an unlucky number? The one dive I have longed to do here, turned out to be the worst experience I have had yet as a diver.
In hindsight, I wonder if I was just more exerted from the swim to the line than I thought and was trying to get more air from Reg than normal and it freaked me out. Any thoughts. Thanks
Bottom Seeker
"If it's down there, I want to find it"
The weekend started off bad, got lost getting to the dive site. I live in Italy and we travel to Croatia to go diving. The group left before me and I never had a problem getting there before, but somehow lost my way for over an hour. Fine, dealt with it and got there two hours later than everyone else. Got up yesterday to dive, did a shore dive and other than visibility, was a great dive 18C water temperatures. Getting out of the water, cut my hand on a rock near the dive ladder, no big deal. Start taking my wetsuit off and the zipper broke off. Had to rent one from the LDC, not too bad, but the suit was obviously well used and worn out.
So, we get on the boat to go to the Baron Gautch (German wreck off the coast of Croatia), been waiting to do this since I started diving in Croatia. Anyway, so the water is choppy and not much of a fun boat ride, but I dealt with it. Get to the dive site, and almost fell over twice with the pitching of the boat. Did I mention this would have been my 13th dive? Anyway, so my buddy and I get in the water and fight the current and waves to the line and start to decend. At about 19 meters, the water gets a little cooler, no big deal dealt with it before. Then, at around 26 meters, gets really cold and becomes hard to breath through reg. Slowed down figuring it was just excitement or something. Then it just seemed to get worse. Breathing became almost impossible and I tapped my buddy to ascend. Tried to monitor how fast I was coming up the rope, but seemed like no matter how much air I let out of the BCD, seemed to expand even quicker (yes I know I was releasing, not adding). Dive computer screaming at me the whole ascent about speed. And I think my safety stop ended up being about two minutes. Total bottom time was about 8 minutes.
After I surfaced, almost got hit by the bow of the boat and had to swim almost all the way around to get back on the boat. While climbing the ladder, my mask falls off and with the boat pitching so bad, climbing out was a definite challange.
Got on the boat and was almost like sea sickness set in. Never been seasick in my life until yesterday. Lay down on the bench waiting for the others to finish their dive, fell asleep and got sunburned.
So, is there anything to the whole 13 being an unlucky number? The one dive I have longed to do here, turned out to be the worst experience I have had yet as a diver.
In hindsight, I wonder if I was just more exerted from the swim to the line than I thought and was trying to get more air from Reg than normal and it freaked me out. Any thoughts. Thanks
Bottom Seeker
"If it's down there, I want to find it"
