Greetings from Frankenmuth, MI

[Tractor Tom]

A returning diver here. Frankenmuth_tom, middle aged, very grey, soft in the middle. Was first certified NAUI in 1978 while in the Army in Hawaii (yes it was tough duty, but Viet Nam was over and I needed to go someplace...) Made a bunch of dives, mostly off the beach on Oahu. Anyway, next duty station was in the middle of Georgia, houses, kids, motorcycles and stuff got in the way and I sold my gear. So, two years ago we're going to the USVI on a cruise ship, so I took a quick refresher course with the guys in St. Croix and made two boat dives, 85 and 60 feet. It was the highlight of the trip for me, and I'm getting back to it. Have ordered a new prescription ground mask, my new fins are on the way, and within a couple weeks I'll be enrolled in a refresher course and an openwater cert class here at the local dive shop in Flint. Can't wait for the next cruise (January) so I can get it several days of diving in the southern carib.

Good to be aboard....

 

[ckharlan66]

Glad to have you aboard. I am sure now that you have returned to our great sport you will enjoy it more than ever.

Enjoy the board.

Chad

 

[LilmanHSU]

Welcome back! Glad to hear your taking up the sport again.

Has much changed since you last dove prior to your vacation?

 

[Tractor Tom]

I was down in Lexington last year in July for the US Sidecar rally at the Lexington Horse Park. It was hot, but we all had a good time. It is a nice area, but where do you go to dive?

 

[Tractor Tom]

MUCH has changed. In 1978 in Hawaii, when I took my NAUI certification, we did EVERY bit of the instruction in the ocean. Why, because the ocean was free and the instructor didn't have a pool to work in. No one EVER wore an octopus, there weren't any, if someone ran out of air, you shared a regulator until you got him to the surface. A BC was a horseshoe vest you put around
your neck and inflated with your mouth through a very small tube. Integrated weights? Nope, hung a web belt around your waist an hung lead on it. Big fins were the old US Divers rocket fins. Dive tables have changed a bit. Our bottom time was a bit shorter and surface interval was quite a bit longer. Yeah, a lot has changed. Of course, it was all a lot cheaper too. I bought my first regulator for $50.00 used. My tank, and aluminum 80 was $25. My whole rig sold for about $125.00 when I decided to get rid of it in Augusta in 1980.

 

[LilmanHSU]

Impressive..

Gez.. I wish I could get high quality gear for less than 100! =)

Yeah i bet there wasn't to many advacements in BC's, regulators and even somthing as simple as mask design back then.

Probably is a lot more enjoyable and comfortable today though with all the technology that goes into design and research for a product.

 

[DivingGal]

Welcome to the neighbourhood. You'll have a blast here meeting new people. Some are rather unique, some even a bit strange, but we're all rather friendly and don't bite (unless you ask real nice hehehe).

Last time I heard anything about Frankenmuth was when someone was describing the great "Christmas town". Is that still in existance?

 

[ckharlan66]

There is a quarry in Louisville (about 60 miles). There are also some other quarries that are a good weekend trip. Come on down and we will show you around our dive sites.

Chad

 

[Tractor Tom]

I appreciate the offer. But I need to get through a good refresher course and my open water cert, then there is the issue of a dry suit, BC, regulators and such. It may be a year or so before I'm ready to take off and meet folks for dives.... It'll all happen soon enough, I bought 10 tickets for the big $225 million drawing going on tonight. If I win, I'm going to BUY the dive shop.

 

[ckharlan66]

When you get ready for a trip come on down we will still be here.

Chad