Greetings and Salutations from Vancouver Island

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

I wouldn't discount rescue for that reason. Just FYI rescue is just as much about rescuing yourself and understanding what could go wrong as it is about how to save someone else. That and Fundies (Fundamentals of Diving from DIR) were the two best courses I ever did - and most of my diving is solo.

Oh I understand the benefits of the Rescue course, quite a few of my dive buddies are Rescue Cert. A couple of weeks ago, I joined the GUE Thursday night group dive. I have been told that Liz Tribe is one of the best around for learning finning and buoyancy from.
I am just not into, 'keeping the hamster on the wheel". I see you are also from Victoria, Perhaps we have been at the same dive site at the same time in the last 10 months. I am guessing we probably know, or have dove with, a lot of the same people ?

 

[_Ralph]

Oh I understand the benefits of the Rescue course, quite a few of my dive buddies are Rescue Cert. A couple of weeks ago, I joined the GUE Thursday night group dive. I have been told that Liz Tribe is one of the best around for learning finning and buoyancy from.
I am just not into, 'keeping the hamster on the wheel". I see you are also from Victoria, Perhaps we have been at the same dive site at the same time in the last 10 months. I am guessing we probably know, or have dove with, a lot of the same people ?

Liz, Jo, Guy, Jason are all awesome instructors on the island, With Nick in Vancouver. Lots of great local talent all around the island there!

_R

 

[Rose Robinson]

Where in BC are you Rose?

High Mike,

Just outside Victoria. ''Island Girl''

Rose.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

High Mike,

Just outside Victoria. ''Island Girl''

Rose.

Gotta love the diving here. As of yet, I still have to get north of Maple Bay, and all my diving has been in the Victoria area, except for a couple of dives west of Sooke, and a couple in Maple Bay.

 

[Darnold9999]

Oh I understand the benefits of the Rescue course, quite a few of my dive buddies are Rescue Cert. A couple of weeks ago, I joined the GUE Thursday night group dive. I have been told that Liz Tribe is one of the best around for learning finning and buoyancy from.
I am just not into, 'keeping the hamster on the wheel". I see you are also from Victoria, Perhaps we have been at the same dive site at the same time in the last 10 months. I am guessing we probably know, or have dove with, a lot of the same people ?

Possible but not particularly likely. Most of my diving is from liveaboards. I tend to dive infrequently in local waters and when I do a shore dive it is solo and almost always mid day on a weekday so it is pretty rare for someone else to be in the water at the same time. I don't think I have dived with anyone in Victoria since I moved here ten years ago from Vancouver. Most of my local diving is off my boat as we cruise the Gulf Islands. Still pretty infrequent as solo off an untended boat (my partner could not possibly raise the anchor in case of emergency) is a challenge so I have to be very sure that the site is one where I am not going to be blown away by current, and that the anchor is not going to come loose!

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

Possible but not particularly likely. Most of my diving is from liveaboards. I tend to dive infrequently in local waters and when I do a shore dive it is solo and almost always mid day on a weekday so it is pretty rare for someone else to be in the water at the same time. I don't think I have dived with anyone in Victoria since I moved here ten years ago from Vancouver. Most of my local diving is off my boat as we cruise the Gulf Islands. Still pretty infrequent as solo off an untended boat (my partner could not possibly raise the anchor in case of emergency) is a challenge so I have to be very sure that the site is one where I am not going to be blown away by current, and that the anchor is not going to come loose!

Fair enough, whereas I am shore diving tons here, midweek as well as weekend. Am currently talking with a local SDI/TDI instructor about doing the Solo course. I have actually run into quite a number of solo divers, while I am shore diving.

 

[Darnold9999]

Fair enough, whereas I am shore diving tons here, midweek as well as weekend. Am currently talking with a local SDI/TDI instructor about doing the Solo course. I have actually run into quite a number of solo divers, while I am shore diving.

Once you experience Indonesia diving it is hard to get really enthusiastic about dry suit diving in crappy vis! Don't get me wrong, the diving here is world class and I have done my fair share, but Indonesia is in a whole other class and I carry 4 lbs or less of weight there in a shorty wetsuit and aluminum backplate, instead of 20 plus with steel tanks and backplate here. Getting too old to hump that kind of weight to and from the water You will want to go north this fall and experience some of the dive sites up the island if you can. Browning Pass, Quadra Island, Barkley Sound etc. are all spectacular and the vis cleans up once summer is done.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

Once you experience Indonesia diving it is hard to get really enthusiastic about dry suit diving in crappy vis! Don't get me wrong, the diving here is world class and I have done my fair share, but Indonesia is in a whole other class and I carry 4 lbs or less of weight there in a shorty wetsuit and aluminum backplate, instead of 20 plus with steel tanks and backplate here. Getting too old to hump that kind of weight to and from the water You will want to go north this fall and experience some of the dive sites up the island if you can. Browning Pass, Quadra Island, Barkley Sound etc. are all spectacular and the vis cleans up once summer is done.

Chuckles .... what is warm water ? I want to go see the Columbia, especially since I watched it go down when I lived in Campbell River. Grinz @Too old. I got my OW, 11 days before my 59th bday. My back and knees do not like the 28+ lbs I carry with my steel 100. I use a buggy at most shore dive sites to get my gear to the water, especially the breakwater or McKenzie.