speac
New
Second post-cert dive with my Dad today at La Jolla Cove. Great day, but damn the growing pains!
I hate hoods. I have long hair and have wanted to keep it relatively contained. I tried a suit with a hood once--fail. Today I tried a cap with a neck strap. I thought I found success, but anytime the cap moved, it shifted my mask strap. I was having leaks, unwanted movement; it was a disaster. I'm pretty sure my Dad thought I was having a psychotic fit every time I attempted to resolve myself.
I got lost. With murky water and about 20 feet visibility, this wasn't hard for a newbie. I saw something pretty, got distracted, and when I turned my head to continue following, there was no Dad. I had a moment of panic and then fondly remembered Finding Nemo. I circled a giant seaweed stalk a couple times (in Dory fashion), and then surfaced. With great relief, I saw my Dad's head bobbing above water about 40 feet away.
I achieved neutral buoyancy for more than a split second. It was amazing to feel perfectly suspended with no movement except for a gentle see-saw current. Really cool experience, reminiscent of the Matrix.
Finally, we made friends with a sea lion pup. The sea lions at La Jolla Cove are accustomed to humans, but we ran into a particularly friendly little guy just near the shore. The pup would swim in circles, do little tricks, and then swim right up to your face. It was pretty remarkable. YouTube links attached for all the sea lions lovers out there.
Overall, it was a great day! But I am certainly looking forward to not struggling so much
I hate hoods. I have long hair and have wanted to keep it relatively contained. I tried a suit with a hood once--fail. Today I tried a cap with a neck strap. I thought I found success, but anytime the cap moved, it shifted my mask strap. I was having leaks, unwanted movement; it was a disaster. I'm pretty sure my Dad thought I was having a psychotic fit every time I attempted to resolve myself.
I got lost. With murky water and about 20 feet visibility, this wasn't hard for a newbie. I saw something pretty, got distracted, and when I turned my head to continue following, there was no Dad. I had a moment of panic and then fondly remembered Finding Nemo. I circled a giant seaweed stalk a couple times (in Dory fashion), and then surfaced. With great relief, I saw my Dad's head bobbing above water about 40 feet away.
I achieved neutral buoyancy for more than a split second. It was amazing to feel perfectly suspended with no movement except for a gentle see-saw current. Really cool experience, reminiscent of the Matrix.
Finally, we made friends with a sea lion pup. The sea lions at La Jolla Cove are accustomed to humans, but we ran into a particularly friendly little guy just near the shore. The pup would swim in circles, do little tricks, and then swim right up to your face. It was pretty remarkable. YouTube links attached for all the sea lions lovers out there.
Overall, it was a great day! But I am certainly looking forward to not struggling so much
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