Sorry for the delay in the trip report ought to be a law against an all-day VTC on the first day back from vacation. :yuck:
I signed up and headed out for the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber Emergency Response Diver Course which was held 16 21 Oct, 2011. This is a wonderful class folks, and very inexpensive. I strongly recommend it even if you have had Rescue Diver, as I have.
SoCal has an amazing diver support system I hope you all are justifiably proud of it.
Given that I was headed that direction, I cajoled some SoCal divers to dive with me the Saturdays before and after the class.
Saturday, Oct 15
This is from my MOF/NMOF posting quoting here because I figure some of you might not see it.
After all this, we had a lovely lunch together. These GUE practitioners were gracious in their understanding, and we had a good laugh over Neptunes intro to surf diving. They are even <gasp> willing to dive with me again. :shocked2:
Trip report for ERD Class is here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/389648-catalina-emergency-response-diver.html
I signed up and headed out for the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber Emergency Response Diver Course which was held 16 21 Oct, 2011. This is a wonderful class folks, and very inexpensive. I strongly recommend it even if you have had Rescue Diver, as I have.
SoCal has an amazing diver support system I hope you all are justifiably proud of it.
Given that I was headed that direction, I cajoled some SoCal divers to dive with me the Saturdays before and after the class.
Saturday, Oct 15
This is from my MOF/NMOF posting quoting here because I figure some of you might not see it.
Hiya, MOF! :wavey:
Awww, DB beat me to it! By golly, those waves were 20' if they were an inch!!!
It's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
Seriously, it was a good experience all around. I learned something, it was an adventure, and I had a splendid morning with MOF/NMOFs!! AND they were GUE folks and quite lovely to talk to and dive with. Rig gave us a super briefing, and what I saw was exactly that.
I was watching Rig and L as they walked out arm in arm, and I thought it was a good idea. I walked over to DB, and (I think!, as I was moving or had just put the fin from the right hand to both in left hand) the wave snatched my fin right out of my hand. I realized immediately, without a fin, this dive was off, so I kind of leaped for it. About that time, the reflected wave that worked DB over hit me from behind. (Yes, I was told, don't turn your back on the waves . . . )
So I am chasing, kicking (sans fins!) crawling after the blanking fin, when a south wave came in --- spun me over and grabbed my mask! (I immediately thought, yes, Lord, you don't want me to dive today! Got it!)
I commenced crawling toward the beach, because all attempts to stand up were immediately squashed. Mind you, rig and all, I weighed about 160lbs. Every time it knocked me over, it seems like it would suck the sand right around my tank . . . my obliques are sore from the rolling over. Finally, I was in the shallower part, and spotted one of the divers that just finished walking by, and I hollered, "Help, please!"
Y'know, to talk, you have to take your reg out. Of course, that was when a wave came up and I got the most unpleasant mouthful of sandy water! The other divers helped me up, then I'd get tossed again, and the lovely you man just drug my lame butt to shore!!! Like DB, I was thoroughly winded and my whole body seemed one big muscle burn!
Hey -- I stayed dry!!! Whoot!!!! but I had sand in every nook and crevice you could come up with! And was chewing sand . . . ugh.
I would do it again, just because it is something to broaden my experience. I wish I could have seen the reef, but oh, well, gives me an excuse to come back! I guess God just wanted me to have the white SP Seawing Nova fins I've been lusting after. The young gentlemen at Leguna Seas of Beach Cities scuba shots took the time to call around to all the other scuba shops . . . figure the odds that if they did have them, they would be white, and in my size medium!
I'll miss my 12-y/o Tusa Liberator mask, though. Nothing else seems to fit as well as that mask. (Sigh)
I apologize to all of you that had a moment of anxiety. I was completely in control of me, and I knew that the waves would push me toward some low rocks were I could get some purchase -- the freakin' sand would ebb away from under my knees, feet, and hands . . . Worse than any dunes I've run up! :shocked2:
Now, how about the rest of the story, DB?? The part where you had all the women's underwear???? What a great day!!!
After all this, we had a lovely lunch together. These GUE practitioners were gracious in their understanding, and we had a good laugh over Neptunes intro to surf diving. They are even <gasp> willing to dive with me again. :shocked2:
Trip report for ERD Class is here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/389648-catalina-emergency-response-diver.html