OP
Day 5: (Week 4), Saturday August 1st, 2009
I've been apprehensive about this day. After the dehydration fiasco at the rigs I have been light-headed and woozy most of the week. But thought I might be ready for helping out again.
So Thursday evening I decide to rinse my gear (I was unable to since the oil rigs). It will have been my first time ever (in hundreds of dives) that I went more then 48 hours before rinsing or soaking my gear. Oh boy, my wetsuit was white from the salt and the crystals were building up on other gear. So I soak in warm water for an hour or so and blast the gear on high to get the sand and salt particles loose. I think I did a good job but we'll see.
Saturday morning I wake up before the alarm by 15 minutes so I turn off the alarm, hit the shower, make my breakfeast and head out. I already packed my gear the night before. Had to re-read the staff instructions for the days plans. There are a lot of students, instructors, and assistants. Sometimes its hard for me to fully comprehend the instructions by verbal only, so I greatly welcome seeing the plan in writing because that is my method of comprehension.
I roughly on-top. Crystal Cove, Reef Point is close to my home so I do not have 60 minutes of driving followed by arriving 60 minutes before the class starts, preceeded by waking up 60 minutes before I start driving to worry about on my volunteer Saturday. So I feel good.
I gear up and bring my gear down to the sand. We decide to dive near the kelp forest on the south side of the parking lot. I dive here a lot, it is one of my favorite dive sites, so I welcome it. I'm in group 1 to take the dive float out but my mask strap breaks and then my bungie necklace breaks from around my neck and then my weight belt keeps coming unbuckled before I even enter the water. I must be all that salt build-up screwing with my gear. Who knows what else is the problem. Due to the mask I'm on skin gear.
So I head out and help set the floats, do some skin diving to 25 ft. max with 7 mm wetsuit but not weights. Didn't think I could do it. Then we do various rescue drills and excercises for about 1-2 hours in the hot sun. I'm getting woozy and agitated from the heat and generally feeling like I should have stayed home and rested.
After doing some kick excercises to measure distance with the students (kick with my right fin only, I can propell 50 ft with 12 kicks). The students get roughly the same number. After heading back to shore I feel very weak and light headed so I decide to rest but then feel it is better to go home and get some rest. I inform the lead instructor and then start my journey up the hill.
I can barely make it but I try. A fellow assistants son ended up helping me so I pay him $5 for his efforts. Pack me gear and head off to the place I call home. The class continues on to do scube rescue but I'm not up for it. I must fix my gear and my health first.
On that note, I informed the instructors that I will not be participating in the Dive Master program after all. I'm not up to all the extra obligations feeling the way I do and also I have a UTD Essentials class in 4 weeks, I don't want to push myself too far. But the offer extends that I can still count my help with ADP towards an after-program DM program if that's what I want, being as I'm not really dropping out, I just have health issues to tend to.
I arrive home and sleep nearly the rest of the day. I was exhausted from 5 hours in the sun in a wetsuit doing excercises with the class.
I've been apprehensive about this day. After the dehydration fiasco at the rigs I have been light-headed and woozy most of the week. But thought I might be ready for helping out again.
So Thursday evening I decide to rinse my gear (I was unable to since the oil rigs). It will have been my first time ever (in hundreds of dives) that I went more then 48 hours before rinsing or soaking my gear. Oh boy, my wetsuit was white from the salt and the crystals were building up on other gear. So I soak in warm water for an hour or so and blast the gear on high to get the sand and salt particles loose. I think I did a good job but we'll see.
Saturday morning I wake up before the alarm by 15 minutes so I turn off the alarm, hit the shower, make my breakfeast and head out. I already packed my gear the night before. Had to re-read the staff instructions for the days plans. There are a lot of students, instructors, and assistants. Sometimes its hard for me to fully comprehend the instructions by verbal only, so I greatly welcome seeing the plan in writing because that is my method of comprehension.
I roughly on-top. Crystal Cove, Reef Point is close to my home so I do not have 60 minutes of driving followed by arriving 60 minutes before the class starts, preceeded by waking up 60 minutes before I start driving to worry about on my volunteer Saturday. So I feel good.
I gear up and bring my gear down to the sand. We decide to dive near the kelp forest on the south side of the parking lot. I dive here a lot, it is one of my favorite dive sites, so I welcome it. I'm in group 1 to take the dive float out but my mask strap breaks and then my bungie necklace breaks from around my neck and then my weight belt keeps coming unbuckled before I even enter the water. I must be all that salt build-up screwing with my gear. Who knows what else is the problem. Due to the mask I'm on skin gear.
So I head out and help set the floats, do some skin diving to 25 ft. max with 7 mm wetsuit but not weights. Didn't think I could do it. Then we do various rescue drills and excercises for about 1-2 hours in the hot sun. I'm getting woozy and agitated from the heat and generally feeling like I should have stayed home and rested.
After doing some kick excercises to measure distance with the students (kick with my right fin only, I can propell 50 ft with 12 kicks). The students get roughly the same number. After heading back to shore I feel very weak and light headed so I decide to rest but then feel it is better to go home and get some rest. I inform the lead instructor and then start my journey up the hill.
I can barely make it but I try. A fellow assistants son ended up helping me so I pay him $5 for his efforts. Pack me gear and head off to the place I call home. The class continues on to do scube rescue but I'm not up for it. I must fix my gear and my health first.
On that note, I informed the instructors that I will not be participating in the Dive Master program after all. I'm not up to all the extra obligations feeling the way I do and also I have a UTD Essentials class in 4 weeks, I don't want to push myself too far. But the offer extends that I can still count my help with ADP towards an after-program DM program if that's what I want, being as I'm not really dropping out, I just have health issues to tend to.
I arrive home and sleep nearly the rest of the day. I was exhausted from 5 hours in the sun in a wetsuit doing excercises with the class.
I hope you feel better soon!
