OP
humanphibian
Guest
I'm running behind on my report, sorry but..........Here it goes.
It was a dreary morning, I was napping on my way to CSSP. Unbeknownst to those around me, I WAS THE ONE DRIVING!
Anyway, I got to the lake just before 8am. I stopped at the DUI tent and got the lowdown on how thing were going to go down. They were going to start taking people at 9. SO, I went to the north end for a quick dive. I dove wet in a 3-mil for 30 mins, water temp 67, I hit 43' max. There was a very slight thermocline at 33-35 ft. It was barely perceptable. After I got out, I dried off and headed up the hill.
There were several stations in the process. You had to make your way through these before they let you get your hands on their goodies. I guess that just wanted to get to know you better. OK now I've got my reg set-up with an inflator for the DS, got my seal sizes and a new set of fleece undies and socks, on to what we came for. I decided to try the CLX 450. This thing is built like a tank! We get to the gear-up area, and wow! It was a mass of bodies wiggling in all sorts of weird, contorted, spastic motions. If you've never climbed into one of these things, there is a slight learning curve.
After my turn doing the best Houdini-in-a-straight jacket impersonation I could, it was off to the water. Now it was time for the thermal test. This portion was an informal test. There were only a few instructors to lead dives for those of us that were not DS certified. We (TruckDiver & I) waited for 45 mins before we got to go on out first tour. This gave me plenty of time to go down and check my weighting. I MAY have taken the liberty to do a couple of short out and back trips just to get the hang of it. I was expecting to be upsidedown with my fins sticking out of the water within the first couple if minutes, but nope. I dropped leveled out, no problem. I tried moving the air to my feet, still able to bring them right back down. It was far easier that I thought it would be. I always hear horror stories about " The first time I dove dry..." but it was GREAT for me.
After we got an instructor, we did a 40 min tour, nothing notable except the lack of chills. SI was burgers and dogs with all the fixins. The DUI crew were hangin out and telling stories about the DOG Days tour. After lunch I did one more dive (no waiting) to the south end and back, no surprises, just a comfortable dive.
I now know what all of the hoopla is about. I have a new item on the top of my x-mas list too!
oh yeah, I got the hat
It was a dreary morning, I was napping on my way to CSSP. Unbeknownst to those around me, I WAS THE ONE DRIVING!
Anyway, I got to the lake just before 8am. I stopped at the DUI tent and got the lowdown on how thing were going to go down. They were going to start taking people at 9. SO, I went to the north end for a quick dive. I dove wet in a 3-mil for 30 mins, water temp 67, I hit 43' max. There was a very slight thermocline at 33-35 ft. It was barely perceptable. After I got out, I dried off and headed up the hill.
There were several stations in the process. You had to make your way through these before they let you get your hands on their goodies. I guess that just wanted to get to know you better. OK now I've got my reg set-up with an inflator for the DS, got my seal sizes and a new set of fleece undies and socks, on to what we came for. I decided to try the CLX 450. This thing is built like a tank! We get to the gear-up area, and wow! It was a mass of bodies wiggling in all sorts of weird, contorted, spastic motions. If you've never climbed into one of these things, there is a slight learning curve.
After my turn doing the best Houdini-in-a-straight jacket impersonation I could, it was off to the water. Now it was time for the thermal test. This portion was an informal test. There were only a few instructors to lead dives for those of us that were not DS certified. We (TruckDiver & I) waited for 45 mins before we got to go on out first tour. This gave me plenty of time to go down and check my weighting. I MAY have taken the liberty to do a couple of short out and back trips just to get the hang of it. I was expecting to be upsidedown with my fins sticking out of the water within the first couple if minutes, but nope. I dropped leveled out, no problem. I tried moving the air to my feet, still able to bring them right back down. It was far easier that I thought it would be. I always hear horror stories about " The first time I dove dry..." but it was GREAT for me.
After we got an instructor, we did a 40 min tour, nothing notable except the lack of chills. SI was burgers and dogs with all the fixins. The DUI crew were hangin out and telling stories about the DOG Days tour. After lunch I did one more dive (no waiting) to the south end and back, no surprises, just a comfortable dive.
I now know what all of the hoopla is about. I have a new item on the top of my x-mas list too!
oh yeah, I got the hat
