Last Years recap and new years dive resolution

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Lets hear em:

What did you accomplish last year and what do you plan on doing this year? Some pointers are as follows:

a) Gear purchases
b) Training,
c) Any new dive destinations (or even older ones revisted)
d) Number of dives
e) Dive Fitness

As for me, I could not dive as much last year because I blew up a lot of my diving budget on underwater DSLR. After that, the only diving I could afford was local East Coast. I did some shark dives in North Carolina, which to me is home water even though it is 6 hours away. I was also able to join some of the folks on this board for a couple of dives in Cape Ann.

For the coming year I plan on exploring dives closer to home. This would mean Virginia Beach and possibly New Jersey. I know folks are still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy but as soon as dive boats are out I will be there. Also, more dives in Cape Ann and Maine area. Id like to dive Cape Ann during snow so let me know if anyone would be interested in joining.

Training wise, I am looking to do an Ice Diving course this season. If budget allows I may also do Rescue.

Gear wise I have pretty much everything. I may buy a macro lens for my DSLR. "MAY"

Ya that is about all. Suggestions?

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I bought a new drysuit that should last me a decade (hopefully). I did my PADI rescue course. I did shore diving and boat diving around Vancouver and Nanaimo, visiting numerous wrecks and other boat sites. I did a few local trips, one to Barkley Sound and one to Port Hardy, both excellent. I dove in the Dominican Republic as well.

Mostly shore dives, because they're free.

Number of dives, near 200 for the year, will probably reach 200 by the end of the year. Probably not going to happen again, due to increasing work-related pressures, but I'll try to maintain a constant stream of dives for next year.

Next year, I'll try to dive at least a couple of times a week and do maybe two local trips again. I probably won't do any more training, except maybe a GUE course, if it comes up and if I get a BP/W set-up (which would be my next desired purchase).

--

I'd recommend the rescue course before the ice diving. It gives really relevant skills and helps in improving your diving abilities (for yourself and your buddy). Why do you need ice diving? Are there a lot of opportunities around your area?

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I bought a new drysuit that should last me a decade (hopefully). I did my PADI rescue course. I did shore diving and boat diving around Vancouver and Nanaimo, visiting numerous wrecks and other boat sites. I did a few local trips, one to Barkley Sound and one to Port Hardy, both excellent. I dove in the Dominican Republic as well.

Mostly shore dives, because they're free.

Number of dives, near 200 for the year, will probably reach 200 by the end of the year. Probably not going to happen again, due to increasing work-related pressures, but I'll try to maintain a constant stream of dives for next year.

Next year, I'll try to dive at least a couple of times a week and do maybe two local trips again. I probably won't do any more training, except maybe a GUE course, if it comes up and if I get a BP/W set-up (which would be my next desired purchase).

--

I'd recommend the rescue course before the ice diving. It gives really relevant skills and helps in improving your diving abilities (for yourself and your buddy). Why do you need ice diving? Are there a lot of opportunities around your area?

So which had better diving Barkley Sound or Port Hardy?

 

[3D diver]

2012:

• Returned to diving after a 7 year break
• Splurged on the thickest drysuit underwear I could find & have never been warmer
• Sadly discovered I cannot get my Nikonos' serviced but am having lots of fun with my GoPros
• Used the SCUBA Board to find buddies. Met lots of nice & interesting folks in the process.

2013?

Haven't thought about it---but some kind of dive travel may be in order

 

[TSandM]

2012:

No classes (really, none at all -- hard to fathom!)
Only major gear acquisition was my Thermal Fusion (which I love) but I did get my heated vest running, at least briefly.
Not much travel -- one long weekend in FL, thanks to katepnatl; a week in Loreto, thanks to our friend Dennus Baum, and a week in Mexico this month.

My two biggest accomplishments were diving as part of a team that put in new line in virgin cave, and getting to dive with Diver0001 here from SB.

I think I'm on track for my usual 180 or so dives -- haven't downloaded dives in a while, but being involved in classes racks up dives fairly quickly.

As far as fitness goes, I haven't accomplished much. I was pretty diligent about a "mini-workout" routine for a couple of months, until I separated a rib a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, I'll get back to it when this thing is less painful.

2013? Everything is up in the air. I'm out of a job as of Jan 1, although I have some prospects, and everything is going to hinge on that and what some legal expenses I've facing end up amounting to. Might be a pretty quiet year, as this one kind of was.

 

[kierentec]

2012 was a busy year...

a) Gear purchases: couple different sidemount systems, ending up with the nomad LT for recreational dives. absolutely living it! also took the plunge and went to the dark side and bought a rebreather, an optima. by far the best purchase of my life so far.

b) Training: CCR mod 1 through advanced mixed gas CCR. seriously intense courses, learned a lot, and had a blast working with Lamar Hires. also crossed all instructor ratings over to TDI/SDI, really hoping 2013 will be the last year I ever pay PADI dues.

c) Any new dive destinations (or even older ones revisted): finally made it to Bonaire. meh, certainly not as great as everyone makes it out to be. super convenient diving, but that's about it. if it weren't for the training we did while we were there, I would have been pretty bummed. The rebreather purchase pretty much destroyed our travel budget, so we didn't get anywhere else (besides wisconsin for a long weekend to visit my family).

d) Number of dives: no clue, over 100 decompression dives, though. with 20 beyond 250'

e) Dive Fitness: started running for a couple months, then stopped. now that I'm thinking about it, I have no idea why. gotta get back into it.

2013: If 2012 was busy, I have no idea how I'm going to fit everything into 2013. first of all, getting married in Feb, woohoo!!! then we're off on our honeymoon sailing around the BVIs for a bit. over the summer/early fall we're heading up to FL for cave training and TDI/SDI instructor trainer course. We are also hoping to head up to NJ to visit my sister and brother and law and get on some real wrecks while we're there.

 

[knfmn]

Gear purchases:
I bought my HOG doubles wing, HOG doubles regs and put together a set of doubles to get some practice in.

Training:
I started the year with a bang, knocking out a drysuit class early in the year and then doing cavern and intro to cave on Cozumel island with German Yanez in March. Everything tapered off after that. I had hoped to do a couple more classes, but unfortunately life and work got in the way.

New dive destinations:

The cenotes of Cozumel. They are beautiful and I can't wait to get back. That's pretty much it. It was a slow year for dive travel. Cozumel is the only trip I really got to do, unfortunately.

Number of dives:

I'm not quite finished for the year, but I've made both my goal of doing a total of 100 dives this year and my stretch goal of breaking 200 dives total. I'll probably end the year at about 125-130 dives. It's less than I hoped for, but working and going to school full time have taken a toll on the "important" stuff.

Dive fitness:

This has been bad. I started smoking again. My weight is still about where it has been, which isn't a fantastic thing. My goal for next year is to quit smoking for good and lose some weight. It has to happen. I'm getting to the age where losing weight isn't as easy as it once was, so its time to drop it off while I still can.

Next year:

Gear purchases:

I need to get at least one more set of doubles, preferably steel 100's or LP95's. I also need to get a stage bottle.

Training:

I'm signed up for TDI intro to tech and the SDI solo course in early spring and plan to take TDI AN/DP next summer. Not sure if it'll be here or back down in Mexico at this point.

Dive destinations:

I'm going to Florida for diving for the first time in January. Plan to spend a couple of days in cave country, go to Venice beach for a day of fossil diving and then do one or two days of diving in the keys. I want to get back to Mexico and possibly head down to North Carolina.

Number of dives:

I want to do at least another 100 dives next year. I'd like to do more than that, but I'll be finishing my Bachelors degree and starting grad school, so we'll see what happens with that. If I can squeeze in a couple of dive vacations, it shouldn't be too hard to do.

Dive fitness:

Stop smoking and lose weight.

Kristopher

 

[TheDeuce]

Year of firsts for me.

1. First time doing any local diving - Hillock Lake in northwestern Ontario (supposedly one of the 50 clearest lakes in North America)
2. First time in a 7 mm farmer john. Oy...
3. Finally got to take my Rebel XTi SLR down in the used housing I grabbed last year
4. First liveaboard - Cayman Aggressor IV
5. First time using nitrox
6. First 'real' wreck. I'd done the Doc Poulson before but the Kittiwake was terrific.
7. Got my AOW and MD certs (along with a wreck course)

I finally passed my usual buddy in dive count. He'd started diving a year before I did so I spotted him 15 or so dives but was catching up to him a few dives a year. Since I was on the CAIV and he wasn't my 29 dives that week has him in my rear-view mirror. But he'll have his opportunity to retake the lead in 2013. My wife and I are expecting twins in January so my diving will be stopped in it's tracks for a long time...

Ice diving - that's one I'd like to get into once I've got more experience under my belt. Underwater ice hockey is an extreme sport I can get on board with!



m.

 

[debajo agua]

I fell a few dives short of my goal (44 of 50) but I still have some time left.

I didn't make it to the Speigal Grove, but I did buy my own boat, and I dove the Sheridan.

I achieved my Rescue Diver Cert.

I achieved my OUPV/Six-Pack

I bought a bp/wing with a dual-manifold and I'm preparing for some tech classes.

I tried to play it down, but after every dive, the though of reaching my goal entered my thought process. One closer to my goal, I thought, but I also came to believe that setting a number for the year was stupid and that I'd rather have quality of quantity; however, with that said, I believe having a arbitrary goal got me into the water a few times, when I otherwise would have found something else to do. Over all, I feel like I'm building experience at a good pace, and in the long run, I think that will make me a better diver.

 

[freewillie]

I'm still looking to get my regs this year. I'm trying to convince the wife the Atomic T2x is a necessary purchase not only for local diving but for travel as well. I would also like to streamline my gear with AI wireless dive computer.

I am looking to find time to take Rescue Diver certification and Nitrox this year. I'll have to find time in between sporting seasons for my son.

We haven't picked our summer family trip but Hawaiian Islands are top of the list.

My 25 yo nephew recently certified and any free weekend can be a potential morning of diving.

No specific dive related fitness plans but will start exercise program. Real trick will be how long I keep it up!