nolatom
Contributor
Very enjoyable dive yesterday off the MV DOWN UNDER, who is my boat of choice after I've been dry a few months and want to get wet without travelling too far (from New Orleans).
Captain Bert put us on two sites I haven't done before, the Liberty ship WALLACE, and the "barge" CAPTAIN SHIRLEY BROWN. Very nice day, roasting hot ashore, but just "ordinary" hot out in the Gulf. There were just 5 of us on board, surprising for a July 4 weekend.
First dive had poor (for the Gulf) vis, about 10 feet. So we went around the perimeter of the WALLACE then doubled back so we would be sure to fine the upline. Good practice though, they can't all be crystal-clear.
Second dive on the BROWN was a success for Bert, who found us better vis, about 30 feet once we descended through the surface murkiness. Nice site, it looks like a barge, but is really a motor vessel witht eh superstructure removed before they sank her in 2015.
My "personal challenge" was one I created myself--in being conscientious about which mask to pack (the one with the correction glass and the gauge-reading magnifier insert) and which one to leave in the closet (my old clear-glass mask from my pre-trifocal days), I managed to leave them *both* in the closet. So the crew, DM Cheynne ("Shane") and DH Bethany, graciously came up with a borrow-mask, which of course didn't have any vision correction.
So, if dives are "art", these were more Impressionism than super-realism, but hey, impressionist paintings are the best, right? It was fine, really, I could enjoy the wrecks, see pretty well, and read my analog gauges (pressure, nitrogen ticks), but not quite able to read smaller digital numbers like depth, depending on what the digits were. But with known depths, and a good insta-buddy, it all worked out okay, and was a fun day on a good boat with a good crew, and a good bunch of fellow divers.
Note to self: Bring your mask next time, dummy!!
Captain Bert put us on two sites I haven't done before, the Liberty ship WALLACE, and the "barge" CAPTAIN SHIRLEY BROWN. Very nice day, roasting hot ashore, but just "ordinary" hot out in the Gulf. There were just 5 of us on board, surprising for a July 4 weekend.
First dive had poor (for the Gulf) vis, about 10 feet. So we went around the perimeter of the WALLACE then doubled back so we would be sure to fine the upline. Good practice though, they can't all be crystal-clear.
Second dive on the BROWN was a success for Bert, who found us better vis, about 30 feet once we descended through the surface murkiness. Nice site, it looks like a barge, but is really a motor vessel witht eh superstructure removed before they sank her in 2015.
My "personal challenge" was one I created myself--in being conscientious about which mask to pack (the one with the correction glass and the gauge-reading magnifier insert) and which one to leave in the closet (my old clear-glass mask from my pre-trifocal days), I managed to leave them *both* in the closet. So the crew, DM Cheynne ("Shane") and DH Bethany, graciously came up with a borrow-mask, which of course didn't have any vision correction.
So, if dives are "art", these were more Impressionism than super-realism, but hey, impressionist paintings are the best, right? It was fine, really, I could enjoy the wrecks, see pretty well, and read my analog gauges (pressure, nitrogen ticks), but not quite able to read smaller digital numbers like depth, depending on what the digits were. But with known depths, and a good insta-buddy, it all worked out okay, and was a fun day on a good boat with a good crew, and a good bunch of fellow divers.
Note to self: Bring your mask next time, dummy!!