So yesterday was the one year mark of my OW certification. In that year, I managed to accomplish 83 dives, my AOW, my Rescue, a couple PADI specialties, (PPB, Nitrox, Wreck), my NACD Cavern Diver rating, and a dive trip to Mexico, where i dove in Tulum and Cozumel. Not bad!
I've come a long way since my first OW dives. I was reading my log book and on all of my first dives I wrote something like "Wow! That was an awesome dive! I saw this and this and this and this, but I had a hard time descending and I couldn't do a safety stop even though I was wearing 40 pounds of weight". But I dove more and eventually I descended no problem and learned the art of a safety stop, and reduced my total weight down to 30lbs in my neoprene dry suit that burped air from the neck seal every time I tried to pump some into it (and trust me, 30lbs was as low as I could go, with the amount of undergarment that I wear...)
I took my cavern class and learned the art of anti-silting kicks and horizontal trim, which is MUCH easier said than done. I also learnt to dive a long hose and double tanks.
I think I've done pretty well, for only a year of diving.
Mind you, I just bought a new drysuit. A shell suit, that actually holds air when i pump into it. And now, I have come full circle and am learning to dive a drysuit properly and essentially feel freshly certified all over again, until I get used to the new suit. Now I've only done 2 dives in the suit so far, but it will come. My second dive in the suit was a thousand times better than my first, but I am wearing extra weight while I get used to it. I've got to do the "dropping weight" thing all over again!
It has made me realize that with diving, you are always learning. You change your equipment set up, you have to re-learn certain techniques and go through another learning curve (like, if you usually dive with a short hose for your reg, if you switch and start diving with a longhose...you have to re-learn how to deploy it in an OOG situation, how to route it, etc). Always learning new things and regardless, you can always improve and continue learning. It's great.
So I've come a a long way, sure, but I definitely have a long way to go.
I look forward to it!
I've had an awesome first year of diving, here's to my second! Yay.
I've come a long way since my first OW dives. I was reading my log book and on all of my first dives I wrote something like "Wow! That was an awesome dive! I saw this and this and this and this, but I had a hard time descending and I couldn't do a safety stop even though I was wearing 40 pounds of weight". But I dove more and eventually I descended no problem and learned the art of a safety stop, and reduced my total weight down to 30lbs in my neoprene dry suit that burped air from the neck seal every time I tried to pump some into it (and trust me, 30lbs was as low as I could go, with the amount of undergarment that I wear...)
I took my cavern class and learned the art of anti-silting kicks and horizontal trim, which is MUCH easier said than done. I also learnt to dive a long hose and double tanks.
I think I've done pretty well, for only a year of diving.
Mind you, I just bought a new drysuit. A shell suit, that actually holds air when i pump into it. And now, I have come full circle and am learning to dive a drysuit properly and essentially feel freshly certified all over again, until I get used to the new suit. Now I've only done 2 dives in the suit so far, but it will come. My second dive in the suit was a thousand times better than my first, but I am wearing extra weight while I get used to it. I've got to do the "dropping weight" thing all over again!
It has made me realize that with diving, you are always learning. You change your equipment set up, you have to re-learn certain techniques and go through another learning curve (like, if you usually dive with a short hose for your reg, if you switch and start diving with a longhose...you have to re-learn how to deploy it in an OOG situation, how to route it, etc). Always learning new things and regardless, you can always improve and continue learning. It's great.
So I've come a a long way, sure, but I definitely have a long way to go.
I look forward to it!I've had an awesome first year of diving, here's to my second! Yay.
