CDMac
Contributor
I just came to say that I'm one of the newest PADI OW certified divers on Scubaboard
Wrapped up my final checkout dive yesterday afternoon and man, do I have a story.
As excited as I was to get my certification, I don't know if the day could have been more perfect had I scripted it.
The weather was supposed to let up from the previous week and the seas were supposed to flatten out but as of noon-thirty on Sunday May 5, there were whitecaps heading out to the Copenhagen wreck off Pompano/FLL.
The dive went great and even though the winds had caused the viz to drop to about 30'-35', I saw plenty of neat things (lobster, starfish, blow fishes, barracuda...). The roughness of the seas due to the wind was exacerbated by the wakes and swells being generated by all the boats in the water due to the airshow over FLL beach. Getting back on the boat proved a challenge but I'm glad it was rough and ladder was slamming as it forced my really focus on what the divemaster had told me about getting back on. She was great and it was satisfying to have them compliment me on my diving and my composure given the challenging seas.
At any rate, the second dive of the day was even closer to FLL beach and after a short surface interval, we dropped in and finished up the skills needed for me to complete certification.
Gary Thomas from Force-E scuba in Pompano was my instructor and he was wonderful. Everything you want in an instructor (patient, attentive, concise, funny and fun to be around, etc etc).
Get to the point, CDMac
Ok ok, so we surface from OW dive #4, and I'm chilling there with my safety sausage when I look down the coastline towards the south and the Blue Angels have started their performance as part of the air show over FLL beach.
They come screaming overhead all in formation and then bank around to head back for their next maneuver for the show.
As a former Marine and as a military brat growing up, I've seen many airshows in my time. But this was such an exhilarating experience watching those jets fly over my head as I bobbed along in the ocean. That was the icing on top of an already highly exciting moment having just completed my OW cert.
Cinco de Mayo 2019 will be a very special memory for me!
Wrapped up my final checkout dive yesterday afternoon and man, do I have a story.
As excited as I was to get my certification, I don't know if the day could have been more perfect had I scripted it.
The weather was supposed to let up from the previous week and the seas were supposed to flatten out but as of noon-thirty on Sunday May 5, there were whitecaps heading out to the Copenhagen wreck off Pompano/FLL.
The dive went great and even though the winds had caused the viz to drop to about 30'-35', I saw plenty of neat things (lobster, starfish, blow fishes, barracuda...). The roughness of the seas due to the wind was exacerbated by the wakes and swells being generated by all the boats in the water due to the airshow over FLL beach. Getting back on the boat proved a challenge but I'm glad it was rough and ladder was slamming as it forced my really focus on what the divemaster had told me about getting back on. She was great and it was satisfying to have them compliment me on my diving and my composure given the challenging seas.
At any rate, the second dive of the day was even closer to FLL beach and after a short surface interval, we dropped in and finished up the skills needed for me to complete certification.
Gary Thomas from Force-E scuba in Pompano was my instructor and he was wonderful. Everything you want in an instructor (patient, attentive, concise, funny and fun to be around, etc etc).
Get to the point, CDMac
Ok ok, so we surface from OW dive #4, and I'm chilling there with my safety sausage when I look down the coastline towards the south and the Blue Angels have started their performance as part of the air show over FLL beach.
They come screaming overhead all in formation and then bank around to head back for their next maneuver for the show.
As a former Marine and as a military brat growing up, I've seen many airshows in my time. But this was such an exhilarating experience watching those jets fly over my head as I bobbed along in the ocean. That was the icing on top of an already highly exciting moment having just completed my OW cert.
Cinco de Mayo 2019 will be a very special memory for me!
Congratulations
