finally signed off ocean diver course! :D

[SomethingFishy]

Hooray! I got signed off my BSAC ocean diver this week!

:banana:

I'm going to the pub to celebrate

Jo

 

[verona]

Well done, Jo! A great feeling, huh? And it just gets better. Enjoy

 

[SomethingFishy]

Well done, Jo! A great feeling, huh? And it just gets better. Enjoy

Thanks! I'm loving it. And I've been lucky enough to get some great dives during my training, 15 ocean dives so far, including a few great wrecks in Ireland. The Kowloon Bridge, by far the best. It was huge.

All I need is a new job so I can get a nice HID and a twinset and a drysuit and a ...

 

[23angler]

grats.

i just got my OW with PADI today and the wife WILL get hers in 2 weeks or i am looking for another one. :grin J/K hunny
brian

 

[String]

Well done. I was 20 dives before getting ocean diver. Sounds like you had the same grounding as me, "real" dives with the odd skill during it so you dont get signed off fast but when you do get signed you have some experience to go with it.

When do you start your sport training ?

Incidentally isnt the Kowloon Bridge slightly below your 20m depth limitation? (not a moan, i went well below during training too!).

First thing id get with your cash now is a drysuit, you'll find it invaluable.

btw, where in Wales are you and where do you dive around there? (Im in Wales and dive pembroke/milford most weekends). I take it you're part of a bsac club as opposed to a school qualifcation.

 

[verona]

Yes, Jo - start exercising your credit card. This passion just grows and grows. I am on my second round of equipment buying - upgrading, you understand!

 

[SomethingFishy]

Well done. I was 20 dives before getting ocean diver. Sounds like you had the same grounding as me, "real" dives with the odd skill during it so you dont get signed off fast but when you do get signed you have some experience to go with it.
When do you start your sport training ?

Yup, plenty of practice, I've been lucky to have had a lot of opportunities to dive.
I'll start Sport Diver in september if they'll have me.

Incidentally isnt the Kowloon Bridge slightly below your 20m depth limitation? (not a moan, i went well below during training too!).

Some of it is below my limit, but surprisingly we hit the ship at only 8 meters! I hadn't even cleared my ears!
True, it goes down another 30, but what I did see of it was amazing. I went a leeeetle bit over my limit, but not by much.

First thing id get with your cash now is a drysuit, you'll find it invaluable.

Tell me about it. Shivering on a RIB for 40 mins hasn't been much fun.

btw, where in Wales are you and where do you dive around there? (Im in Wales and dive pembroke/milford most weekends). I take it you're part of a bsac club as opposed to a school qualifcation.

I'm from Swansea, so far I've been diving in mostly Oxwich, mumbles, and some in West Wales (dale, martins haven, etc.).
You're right about the club vs. school qualification, the club is SYSAC (Swansea Yacht and Sub-Aqua Club) in the marina. There's a pretty busy diving section, always plenty of trips and 2 or 3 weekly club dives.
Great fun so far.

Yes, Jo - start exercising your credit card. This passion just grows and grows. I am on my second round of equipment buying - upgrading, you understand!

of course. My credit card is almost crying out in pain when I walk into the dive shop.

 

[String]

Didnt realise it was only 8m under water so fair enough, i havent dived it myself but others in my club have and all agree - its *big* !

As for RIB shiverring, luckily its something ive never experienced (straight into dry suit) but its something you see often, fine under water, near hypothermic on surface interval or at best shortens second dive.

Ive done exactly 1 dive in the gower and cant say i was impressed. Was off port Eynon and basically 12m on a flat sandy featureless bottom and as i was the last pair in, surfaced and it was near totally dark. I saw 1 rock and 1 starfish Im sure there are better dive sites around there though but as all 3 of our boats are based in west wales we dont do swansea much.

Ive dived martins haven once as well ( my only shore dive), too rough for boats to go out so we dived that. Had 6 inch vis, ground swell and i think i still have the cuts and bruises .

Dale is nice to call in for lunch (if you can find a parking space for RIB) and its near the islands along with wrecks in the haven (dakotian,behar,thor, watwick bay sub etc).
Ive probably past your rib at some point down there (along with hundreds of others) as we dive every weekend down there and somehow i think im diving this wednesday there too and i cant wait !

Oh, your bank is going to REALLY start to hate you

So thats a drysuit and computer basic equipment. Oh then theres the delayed SMB/Reel if not already owned. Then you have the torch, then you have the spare cylinders and/or pony, then you have............................ (continued page 43)

 

[SomethingFishy]

Ive done exactly 1 dive in the gower and cant say i was impressed. Was off port Eynon and basically 12m on a flat sandy featureless bottom and as i was the last pair in, surfaced and it was near totally dark.

I did a great drift dive near gower last wednesday. One hermit crab, lots of silt. The only thing that kept me near my buddy was his torch. Gave me something to aim for.

Dale is nice to call in for lunch (if you can find a parking space for RIB) and its near the islands along with wrecks in the haven (dakotian,behar,thor, watwick bay sub etc).

The dakotian was a nice dive, lots to see, but the behar... vis was so bad I could just about make out my own hands.

Oh, your bank is going to REALLY start to hate you

Whaddaya mean "start"?

So thats a drysuit and computer basic equipment. Oh then theres the delayed SMB/Reel if not already owned. Then you have the torch, then you have the spare cylinders and/or pony, then you have............................ (continued page 43)

Got the BCD and computer last month, the torch 2 weeks ago, this week I'm buying regs as I've borrowed the club ones until now and they're awful.
Ah, sweet sweet debt...

 

[String]

The behar is a bit of a personal challenge wreck for me. Ive never managed to dive it on slack so the result is (i) poor vis and (ii) you either get taken off it by the current in 2 mins or you gulp all your air in 30 mins trying to pull yourself along it. Ive also lost 2 torches on the last 3 dives on the thing.

Dakotian is far better and more scope for getting inside it (if thats your thing!).

If you want a good fast drift with life to see try Linney Head or Crow Rock. (out of the haven and turn left).

Anyway this is going off topic now so i'll leave it at that