Keeping skills sharp

[oldogre]

My local Scottish S.A.C (like many others) hire a local Pool from 8.30 to 9.30 P.M. for 10 Wednesday nights before Xmas and again after Xmas for a package price. I join them as a Social Member, last night we practised "non-responsive" Diver Rescue, and sprang the occasional O.O.A. on each other. One problem is that the Pool is only 5ft.6in deep. Could you and a group of friends come to a similar arrangement?

 

[Jax]

Brave the cold and ice dive

At this point, I would like to point out to the new people reading, that this person is pretty much certifiable, as one can tell from his totally insane statement that puts "dive" and "ice" in the same sentence.

 

[TSandM]

Man, if open water diving when you need the defroster in the car was a no go here, we'd dive about two weeks a year!

We got a couple of dive clubs together last year and rented a pool for several hours, so that club members could do a tuneup. Almost nobody came, but it was a good idea anyway, I think.

 

[mathauck0814]

It's not the diving that's cold... it's the getting out!

 

[mselenaous]

A funny post from another thread...figured you could relate.

(with apologies to the National Institute of Mental Health SAD site)

Scuba Seasonal Affective Disorder (SSAD) is episodes of depression, restlessness, and irritability that occur among divers, usually during winter.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Divers who live in places with extended winter offshore winds and rough surf are at greater risk for SSAD.
Other factors that may make SSAD more likely include:

• Low Viz
• Low Water Temperature
• Snowbird traffic
• Wetsuit shrinkage over the holidays

Symptoms

Symptoms usually build up slowly in the winter months. Symptoms are usually the same as with depression:

• Increased appetite with weight gain
• Tendency to do the same inshore dives over and over until you know the given names of every creature under BHB
• Less energy and ability to concentrate
• Loss of interest in work or anything other than scuba-related activities
• Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
• Social withdrawal
• Spending too much time surfing Internet diving sites and scuba sales, and reading and rereading old scuba diving magazines.

Signs and tests

There is no real test for SSAD.
Your health care provider can make a diagnosis by asking about your history of symptoms and checking your dive log.
See also: Irritability

Treatment

As with other types of depression, antidepressant medications and talk therapy can be effective.
Internet shopping, Chocolate, Beer, or wine can be an antidepressant medication.
Talk therapy similar to couples counseling can be done with dive buddies.
Taking long walks near the ocean and getting exercise can make the symptoms better.
Keep active socially, even if it involves talking to non-divers.

Attempts to replicate dive conditions may be helpful..

• Follow doctor's instructions about how to use photos torn from dive magazines spread around the sleeping area to mimic being underwater, on a liveaboard, etc. Sound generators that make bubble noise have sometimes helped. Long periods spent with mask and fins in the tub or shower may reduce tension

Symptoms of depression should improve within 3 - 4 weeks if simulated dive therapy is going to help.

Side effects of simulated dive therapy include:

• Eye strain and headache from wearing a mask all day
• Difficulty in communications while speaking on the phone through a regulator
• Mania, less often (see: Bipolar disorder)

With no treatment, symptoms usually get better on their own with the change of seasons.

​

 

[Doc Harry]

When I was getting ready for a February cave course in Mexico, I frequently soloed at a local reservoir throughout Nov, Dec, and Jan.

Yes, it was really cold.
4x4 to get through the snow in the parking lot.
Dress warmly.
Plan on one dive, your dry suit will freeze when you take it off.
My dives were short, even with dry gloves and a 400-weight Thinsulate suit it was COLD.
It was worth every minute.
Valve drills, stage bottle management, etc. was all so much easier in warm water afterwards.
Especially without dry gloves.

 

[waterpirate]

+1 on the drills on the bench dry in the house. The beauty of the internet has introduced me to a new contact with a pool only 2.5 hours away. That is dooable. We are hashing out details now and I feel really good about it. I even made a set of fake doubles to wear around the house. I tortured the poor folks on deco stop with them for about a week, talking about cave fills yada yada. 1/2 the folks think I am a "a hole" and the other 1/2 thought it was briliant that I wound the others up so tight. If any one wants to se them I can post pics later.
Eric

 

[waterpirate]

My Day with Wayne Fisch

So I met this guy on the board, traded a couple pm's, several emails, and what folows is the story. Wayne is one of the owners of The Scuba Connection in Hillsborough NJ. Turns out it is really 3 hours away,oh well. Being a self proclaimed agnostic but wanting more out of my diving I am truly in a bit of a pickle. Wayne runs a Padi shop that also does dsat.

From the very first e-mail requesting a complete gear list, I knew I may have been in trouble. I knew where this was going, but I have a pretty good sense of humor. My gear list came back to me as expected, with a lot of suggestions and deletions. Still unsure about my decision.

It was very odd loading the truck in the cold, and equally odd driving north instead of south with a truck full of gear. I arrived at the shop at the arranged 9am kick off time, met the shop worker and took a quick tour. I unloaded my gear and set it up on the pool deck and waited for Wayne. The shop was well stocked with what I will call gear for the serious diver. The complete lack of any frilly stuff or racks full of jacket bc's was refreshing.

Wayne arrived a few minutes later. He was very un assuming wearing a big smile and carrying a bagel with a smear in one hand. I am going to stop right here and tell you I do not warm up to people very well, but Wayne is one of those people you can not hold at arms length for more than 5 minutes.

We started by looking my gear over and picking it apart bit by bit. Alot of the things he brought to my attention I was aware of, and some of them I was not. Him making me think was a good thing. We then looked his gear over and noted all the differances from mine, the simmilarities were that we both had a ss back plate, everything else was different, but simmilar. Waynes attitude through all this was very nurturing in that he evoked thought proccesses and made the statement many times "lets do it with your gear, and if there is a problem we can change it out.

Step one was plate fit with no tanks. Wayne felt that it was okay sans pushing my waist d rings back a little and thought it was a little low on my back, but we would see. Next came the dry suit fitting to check ranges of motion and flexibility, I got a pass on that.

We then put the plate back on the tanks and ran through some valve drills on the bench. Wayne introduced me to the two handed isolate and post shut down which I really enjoyed. I made some mistakes and Wayne corrected and we went again till I achieved correct and ok.

Next we were going to get in the pool. Wayne sent me in alone to get comfortable and relax prior to hs getting in and starting to work on trim,boyancy,and finning. Wayne equipped himself with a video camera to shoot me after he had demonstrated the skill. I had heard from others that you can not hide from video. I will save the pool humor for part two of my post.

Eric

 

[Bombay High]

At this point, I would like to point out to the new people reading, that this person is pretty much certifiable, as one can tell from his totally insane statement that puts "dive" and "ice" in the same sentence.

Ice diving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia