First milestone achieved this weekend!

[LindaSSF]

For me, my milestone dive was somewhere around dive 60 - it wasn't the count that was significant, but the learning moment! It was in the mid-1970's. I was certified, but didn't even have a driver's license yet, in North Central Florida. An older firiend & dive partner who COULD drive had just gotten a "xerox" (remember those) of a page of a book that gave directions to a new spring to dive. My friend had dived it once before & said it was WONDERFUL.

We piled in his VW Beetle with our horse collar BCs, a steel 72 each & light wetsuits. He took us onto some private property to "Peacock Spring" - better known now as "Peacock Slough". I was unimpressed by the pothole with duck weed on the surface... We didn't have a dive plan and he didn't mention a cave...

There wasn't anyone offering cave certs then that I knew of - dive shops reminded you to take doubles & a back up light. We'd all learned not to kick silt up with the spring dives we were doing every weekend. I STILL knew that we weren't prepared for this!

We followed someone's line that was already there into the cave system. At some point I remember my guage briefly showing 90'. Gulp! When I saw my tank was down the first 1/3, I signaled that we needed to start back, and he took his tank off his back to start up through a chimney in the ceiling. I think I was a bit narced and was starting to have some panicky feelings. I remember grabbing his fin, tugging him back down & signaling to abort the dive.

It was a LONG trip back out. I was aware enough & had air enough to do some stops on the way up, even though I didn't have any underwater tables with me. (No dive comps then.)

I chewed David out for a really CRAPPY dive plan and developed a backbone about insisting on safe diving with him or anyone else after that. It was a huge step for a 16 year old kid who was still relatively new to diving & dependant on her friend for a ride to go dive. Definitely didn't tell my Mom about that dive.

I dove Peacock Slough many times after that - using better plans & more equipment. Met a lot of guys there & at Ginnie Springs in the 70's that went on to develop the safety and certs that we use today for cave diving.

 

[XS-NRG]

You found the car? Add the navigation card!

Oh right! Missed that one lol

S&R could be a consideration but we didn't recover it, our lift bags were too small!

 

[canadianmikey]

Congrats on the 25th dive and new certifcation! I probably wont get up there this summer, but I'm going to get as many as I can this year!

 

[XS-NRG]

Congrats on the 25th dive and new certifcation! I probably wont get up there this summer, but I'm going to get as many as I can this year!

Thanks Mike. We will get some dives in together. You gonna join us for the Beargrass in Waterton on Aug 25? I think we might be able to do a Pine Coulee or something before then too. I just have to consider that you're fresh out of OW and the dives we are doing would really exceed your training and likely your comfort levels especially considering our dives are pretty well low to no viz dives. It's so hard to find sites right now that are clear with all this rain and high turbidity levels. Cameron Bay at Waterton was great viz I thought. Will let you know when we go on some dives that would suit your experience level. Are you planning AOW anytime soon? I want to take my night rating too and if you're up for that we should rattle our LDS's cage a little bit to get that specialty going. With your night rating you'd be able to do these really awesome no viz dives with us lol

 

[canadianmikey]

Thanks Mike. We will get some dives in together. You gonna join us for the Beargrass in Waterton on Aug 25?

Probably wont make it to that one... It is really hard for me to get saturdays off. Conseqence of working at the mall
But question: Do you know any local divers that have time on Mondays?

I think we might be able to do a Pine Coulee or something before then too. I just have to consider that you're fresh out of OW and the dives we are doing would really exceed your training and likely your comfort levels especially considering our dives are pretty well low to no viz dives. It's so hard to find sites right now that are clear with all this rain and high turbidity levels. Cameron Bay at Waterton was great viz I thought. Will let you know when we go on some dives that would suit your experience level.

We have had a lot of rain so far this year. I can imagine that that would really make for crappy vis. It's one thing that our LDS warned us about, espically during our checkout dives. But I hope that the rains calm down a little bit after my waterton dives (July 13/14 - they are coming up soon!). As far as comfort levels... I guess we'll find that out as we go. The more I dive the better my comfort levels will be, eh? I'm planning on going on as many afterwork dives as I can, and I also help to get out this summer. Are you still up for the August 10/11th weekend ?

Are you planning AOW anytime soon? I want to take my night rating too and if you're up for that we should rattle our LDS's cage a little bit to get that specialty going. With your night rating you'd be able to do these really awesome no viz dives with us lol

AOW... Probably next year as time and money - actually lack there of- tend to get in the way. But I'd be up for getting night rating at some point this summer (as long as it fits in the budget)

 

[Searcaigh]

One of my most memorable dives was when I first dived the then pristine reefs of the Red Sea north of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia back in 1989 having only dived off of the west of Scotland, North Sea and southern Ireland before then.

 

[XS-NRG]

Probably wont make it to that one... It is really hard for me to get saturdays off. Conseqence of working at the mall
But question: Do you know any local divers that have time on Mondays?

No, not Mondays. We usually just message each other back and forth a hundred thousand times until we find something that works. Don't know anyone that has set days off really unless it's the weekend and that can be hit or miss sometimes.

We have had a lot of rain so far this year. I can imagine that that would really make for crappy vis. It's one thing that our LDS warned us about, espically during our checkout dives. But I hope that the rains calm down a little bit after my waterton dives (July 13/14 - they are coming up soon!). As far as comfort levels... I guess we'll find that out as we go. The more I dive the better my comfort levels will be, eh? I'm planning on going on as many afterwork dives as I can, and I also help to get out this summer. Are you still up for the August 10/11th weekend ?

Yes lots of rain doesn't help. The good thing about your checkouts is that you'll do them at Emerald and the viz will be low, BUT, the diving rule (PADI at least) is to dive in conditions the same or better than your training, so if you can get through the dives in low viz to begin with then diving after that will be within your comfort level and of course diving in the tropics will be paradise. If you can dive in these conditions locally you'll be able to dive just about anywhere. This is almost as hard as it gets. Training and learning under our circumstances really is a blessing in disguise believe it or not. You should become a really good diver here.

August 10/11 still looks good. I work till 5:30 on the 10th but a Saturday dive should be fine. We can either head out first thing or take tents and head out the night before.

AOW... Probably next year as time and money - actually lack there of- tend to get in the way. But I'd be up for getting night rating at some point this summer (as long as it fits in the budget)

Just talked to one of my instructors tonight and she is rated to teach the night course and will do it. If you're in let's sign up. With you and me I'm sure I can gather a couple more to have enough people to run it. Will be in touch with that one. Let me find out the price for you.

 

[StaceyL]

Milestone - hmmm, well, it was about my 7th dive, and I was getting checked out for my AOW 120' down on the Speigel Grove wreck in Key Largo. I couldn't get my mask to clear, and I was attempting to do so it came off and I sucked water up my nose, which made me panic and immediately try to ascend. I remember a hand on my leg pulling me back down and there was the instructor holding my mask. We ascended together, he held my hand the whole way since my eyes were shut against the salt water, and I held my nose shut. Once I realized I was not going to drown - hey guess what, regulator in mouth means I could still breath! WooHoo! - I calmed down and just enjoyed floating in the peaceful water. Once we surfaced I thought for sure that he was going to tell me I was a goofball and wasn't getting my cert, but instead he said I did very well and next time an emergency happened under water I knew I'd be able to handle it.

Another milestone was diving in Jamaica and the guide told me a very easy way to breath slowly (I have a habit of sucking air down fast) - it worked and since then I've had success in staying down longer

 

[canadianmikey]

Another milestone was diving in Jamaica and the guide told me a very easy way to breath slowly (I have a habit of sucking air down fast) - it worked and since then I've had success in staying down longer

what is it that he told you?

 

[StaceyL]

Pretty simple really - count 1-5 while breathing in, 1-5 breathing out... made me focus on breathing instead of the excitement of being underwater that made me breath so fast in the first place. After a while it just became natural and I just breath nice and slow. If I feel myself getting anxious or excited and breathing fast, I start counting and "calm" down.