Kriterian
Guest
Part 1:
I started my certification check out dives for my SSI open-water class today. I know there are some out there on the boards that enjoy reading these, so I thought I'd post my experiences, trials and tribulations.
I arrived late, with everyone staring at me with that look your wife would give you if you stayed out late drinking. Something told me to arrive at the Rolesville, NC quarry (aka "Fantasy Lake") at 8am, but my map to the place said 8:30am and I went by that.
After introductions from the small 5 person group, we began pre-dive planning. The instructor (a different one from my pool training) was nice and regimented, which in these parts is known as anal, but at first glance seemed like the "Navy Seal-Rambo knife on thigh" kind of guy. Thankfully he wasn't.
After buddy and equipment checks we wandered down the rocky slope to the dive docks. A giant stride and a short 25 yard surface swim to the buoys later, we did another planning session to make sure every one understood the skills we'd be doing on the "platform" below. I was nervous as I had trouble equalizing in the pool and had to postpone later pool sessions because of a nasty ear infection (damn peeing kiddies!). THANKS to scubaboard and the great links on ears and diving, I equalized early and often and dropped down on top of the school bus. That's what the platform was, a big orange school bus. We performed the basics (mask clearing, regulator recovery etc) with no problems. We then played follow the leader, dropping down to peer inside the bus and then swimming over to an abandoned rock crusher. We were the last class in the water so the visibility was less than 4 feet.
The buddy group in front of my buddy and I followed the instructor and we followed them back to the bus. With the crappy vis and roto-tillers in front of me, I couldn't see a thing. My buddy and I arrived at the bus to see our buddy group heading on in up the steps like we were off to grade school! I was getting nervous, I thought maybe they were eager explorers and didn't see the instructor. After some quick communicating, I learned it was an authorized swimthrough. That was awesome! I had alot of trepidation but could tell I will love wrecks later in my dive career. I had fun just looking at the trapped air on the roofs inside.
After the swim through we headed back up to the top, and followed the rope up the buoy to the surface. My buddy and I went slowly but a girl from the first group popped the surface. Our instructor had jokingly said he liked to surface like a Navy Seal. He was parading and grand-standing, it was actually a good analogy. His bald head slowly slid up through the water and came out ever so slowly, demonstrating the slowness of the ascent. He then claimed we would launch that girl like a bottle rocket to show the enemy our location. The humor lightened the situation, and we all had fun. We swam back to shore for my first surface interval.
I started my certification check out dives for my SSI open-water class today. I know there are some out there on the boards that enjoy reading these, so I thought I'd post my experiences, trials and tribulations.
I arrived late, with everyone staring at me with that look your wife would give you if you stayed out late drinking. Something told me to arrive at the Rolesville, NC quarry (aka "Fantasy Lake") at 8am, but my map to the place said 8:30am and I went by that.
After introductions from the small 5 person group, we began pre-dive planning. The instructor (a different one from my pool training) was nice and regimented, which in these parts is known as anal, but at first glance seemed like the "Navy Seal-Rambo knife on thigh" kind of guy. Thankfully he wasn't.
After buddy and equipment checks we wandered down the rocky slope to the dive docks. A giant stride and a short 25 yard surface swim to the buoys later, we did another planning session to make sure every one understood the skills we'd be doing on the "platform" below. I was nervous as I had trouble equalizing in the pool and had to postpone later pool sessions because of a nasty ear infection (damn peeing kiddies!). THANKS to scubaboard and the great links on ears and diving, I equalized early and often and dropped down on top of the school bus. That's what the platform was, a big orange school bus. We performed the basics (mask clearing, regulator recovery etc) with no problems. We then played follow the leader, dropping down to peer inside the bus and then swimming over to an abandoned rock crusher. We were the last class in the water so the visibility was less than 4 feet.
The buddy group in front of my buddy and I followed the instructor and we followed them back to the bus. With the crappy vis and roto-tillers in front of me, I couldn't see a thing. My buddy and I arrived at the bus to see our buddy group heading on in up the steps like we were off to grade school! I was getting nervous, I thought maybe they were eager explorers and didn't see the instructor. After some quick communicating, I learned it was an authorized swimthrough. That was awesome! I had alot of trepidation but could tell I will love wrecks later in my dive career. I had fun just looking at the trapped air on the roofs inside.
After the swim through we headed back up to the top, and followed the rope up the buoy to the surface. My buddy and I went slowly but a girl from the first group popped the surface. Our instructor had jokingly said he liked to surface like a Navy Seal. He was parading and grand-standing, it was actually a good analogy. His bald head slowly slid up through the water and came out ever so slowly, demonstrating the slowness of the ascent. He then claimed we would launch that girl like a bottle rocket to show the enemy our location. The humor lightened the situation, and we all had fun. We swam back to shore for my first surface interval.