I finally dove dry!

[PuyallupCoug]

I finally dove dry for this first time at Edmonds this morning!

I had never dove at Edmonds so it was a tale of 2 firsts. My new Bare Nex Gen worked perfectly, albeight my slight problem with trim, but I think that will be worked out with time. It was such a nice feeling to unzip and be perfectly dry at the end. We started out with a surface swim past the jetty, did a few drills on how to use the drysuit properly and started on our way. We headed out along Jetty Way, saw lots of Cod and a couple of sunken boats including one that looks like a mini hydroplane. Swam under some rings that are sitting upright and then turned and followed Jetty Way back to the beach. All in all it was a great experience for only my 6th dive (I could only manage 5 dives in a wetsuit before seeing the light!)

I think my next purchase is going to be an otter bay 12mm hood as the rental hood just didn't cut it. Anybody else have any good stories about their first time going dry?

I'm never going wet again!

 

[TSandM]

I got certified in a dry suit. I have nothing but intense admiration for anybody who gets in Puget Sound wet.

Congratulations on joining the ranks of the SENSIBLE Puget Sound divers!

BTW, if you ever want a dive buddy to check out some of the local sites, give me a holler. I love diving with new divers -- I was shown so much kindness by experienced people when I was new (some of whom came from SB) that I try to pay that forward as much as I can.

 

[danclem]

Hi PuyallupCoug:

You must have done great. We were photographing at Edmonds on the 15th and did not see anyone rocketing to the surface feet first! How did you do with the Cabazon bumping divers who stray too close to their nests?

Next time you hit Edmonds, try entering north of the jetty, dropping down on Cathedral Way, and doing some touring out to Centennial and back. Lots of different nudibrancs, big ling cod, rock fish, and many what we think are "bamboo" worms sticking about an inch above the bottom.

Congratulations on being dry!

Dan

 

[PuyallupCoug]

I got certified in a dry suit. I have nothing but intense admiration for anybody who gets in Puget Sound wet.

Congratulations on joining the ranks of the SENSIBLE Puget Sound divers!

BTW, if you ever want a dive buddy to check out some of the local sites, give me a holler. I love diving with new divers -- I was shown so much kindness by experienced people when I was new (some of whom came from SB) that I try to pay that forward as much as I can.

Thanks for the invitation. I'm definitely going to keep that in my mind for the future. I'm still acquiring gear so once I have reliable stuff that I can dive with in a short notice (instead of renting everytime), I'll let you know as I think it's good to dive with a variety of people when your new to the sport, you get a lot of different viewpoints. Thanks again!

Zach

Hi PuyallupCoug:

You must have done great. We were photographing at Edmonds on the 15th and did not see anyone rocketing to the surface feet first! How did you do with the Cabazon bumping divers who stray too close to their nests?


Dan

What time were you there? We went in around 9:30 am, there was a large group of Oregon divers though which came up for the day to dive at Edmonds. They have my respect, as that is a long way to drive for a 1 day dive. A couple of them even helped me with my drysuit as my buddy hadn't arrived until after I had it on.

I only had 1 bad incident of "floaty feet" but my dive buddy saw me upside down trying to do the tuck and roll and grabbed me and yanked me back down pretty quickly This was towards the end of the dive so my lighter AL 80 probably had something to do with it as I was pretty succesful at the tuck and roll in the beginning of the dive. I'm still trying to figure out the correct balance of weight and how much I should leave my exhaust valve open but that will come with time.

I got a warning ahead of time about cabazon so I stayed clear

 

[danclem]

We were there about the same time: in the water at 8:50 am, surfaced at 10:00 am. I had a great conversation with one of the Oregon divers about Weezle undergarments. Good group. They are up just about every weekend this time of year.

It sounds like you might need some work with weighting and your dry suit. I don't know if you are using ankle weights, but I think most divers start out with 1.5 - 2 lbs on each foot, and then back off if they find they don't need them. Most of the folks I dive with (me included) open the exhaust valve the whole way, and then back it off just a bit. You vent by rolling to your right (assuming your vent is on your left shoulder). See what your instructor recommends.

As with TSandM, if you want to spend some time working on weighting, buoyancy, or just diving, give a shout. The best thing you can do is get out and dive, especially this time of year when the visibility is pretty good.

Cheers,

Dan