Skill practice dives this weekend?

[mikemill]

Anyone up for a dedicated skills dive this weekend? I'm on the Vision with a bunch of UTD guys so I don't want to fumble around too much Plus I got a pair of dry gloves (and maybe, hopefully, if the mail gods are nice to me a can light) that I need to try out. As a twist I want to do them with my camera at least attached

 

[kathydee]

Sorry Mike, but I'm busy this weekend.

Otherwise I'd join you in a heart beat - you know how much I love those long dedicated skill dives . I'd offer to share a pool session but the distance just won't allow it.

K

 

[Hepcat62]

I'm not quite equipped to do your kind of drills yet.

Having said that, I'm definitely in the mode of doing a very simple dive this weekend, probably at the Breakwater, to continue adjusting my new gear (which will involve a weight check at the end of dive 1). While I can't fully help with the drills, I'd be happy to record video (vis permitting) of you doing yours.

I won't be able to finalize plans until Thursday or so. What day were you thinking about?

 

[mikeguerrero]

Hi Miller,

I'm looking to dive this Saturday if weather is in favor. I am diving with a friend who is interested in UTD and has joined their forum.

I want to introduce him to Don, so if I do go down I would be more than happy to do some skills with you.

I now dive my can light, dry gloves and camera... Just added the camera to the mix, all seems to be working out.

I will also let you know by Thursday, maybe Hepcat can join us for some video support. So what light did you get Mike? How about gloves, did you go with the SiTech or the Diving Concepts?

 

[Peter_C]

I'm not quite equipped to do your kind of drills yet.

Having said that, I'm definitely in the mode of doing a very simple dive this weekend, probably at the Breakwater, to continue adjusting my new gear

There is no gear requirement for doing drills. Even if you do not have a long hose you can still practice air shares. Of course you could pickup a long hose at the LDS For Mike it does not make a difference what hose length you have.

Buoyancy, air shares, hand signals, cutting tool deployment, rig don and doff (At least at the surface), predive planning, post dive debrief, the list goes on and on...

I now dive my can light, dry gloves and camera... Just added the camera to the mix, all seems to be working out.

Mike G. step away from the camera! Seriously, do you feel you are a good enough buddy at this time to task load with a camera taking away over 50% of the focus on your buddy? Is your buoyancy spot on? Are you back kicks strong. Taking pictures requires both good buoyancy and strong back kicks, so you do not crash into the reef.

I happily quit taking photos for well over a year and focused on improving my diving. I improved an incredible amount during that time. My point is we all need to gain experience and work towards goals of photography and video, but not jump into them before we have become excellent divers. Do you have every skill down to a science? I still feel I have plenty to learn, and there isn't much that hasn't been photographed or won't be there later to take pictures of in the future.

 

[Anti-Hero]

Anyone up for a dedicated skills dive this weekend? I'm on the Vision with a bunch of UTD guys so I don't want to fumble around too much Plus I got a pair of dry gloves (and maybe, hopefully, if the mail gods are nice to me a can light) that I need to try out. As a twist I want to do them with my camera at least attached

You'd be surprised how much additional task loading is caused by a can light when doing drills.

I may be up for some skills dives, but I won't know until closer to the weekend.

-C

 

[mikeguerrero]

There is no gear requirement for doing drills. Even if you do not have a long hose you can still practice air shares. Of course you could pickup a long hose at the LDS For Mike it does not make a difference what hose length you have.

Buoyancy, air shares, hand signals, cutting tool deployment, rig don and doff (At least at the surface), predive planning, post dive debrief, the list goes on and on...



Mike G. step away from the camera! Seriously, do you feel you are a good enough buddy at this time to task load with a camera taking away over 50% of the focus on your buddy? Is your buoyancy spot on? Are you back kicks strong. Taking pictures requires both good buoyancy and strong back kicks, so you do not crash into the reef.

I happily quit taking photos for well over a year and focused on improving my diving. I improved an incredible amount during that time. My point is we all need to gain experience and work towards goals of photography and video, but not jump into them before we have become excellent divers. Do you have every skill down to a science? I still feel I have plenty to learn, and there isn't much that hasn't been photographed or won't be there later to take pictures of in the future.

Peter,

Don't need to tell me twice, camera is stowed away... I will not take it out on any more dives until my diving improves to the level you stated...

You are 100% percent correct, anyone trying to balance out the camera and all those factors is just making task loading all that much more difficult...

Once again thanks for the @#$%! slap and waking me up.... I don't know what I was thinking...

 

[Peter_C]

Peter,

Don't need to tell me twice, camera is stowed away... I will not take it out on any more dives until my diving improves to the level you stated...

You are 100% percent correct, anyone trying to balance out the camera and all those factors is just making task loading all that much more difficult...

Once again thanks for the @#$%! slap and waking me up.... I don't know what I was thinking...

Thanks Mike. I went through what you are going through with new gear almost every time out. I can speak from experience. It takes time and a large number of dives until everything falls into place. At this point I have close to 300 dives, and find that what I knew at 100 was nothing. Scary would be a better word.

If you focus on FUN and improving your diving you will find they both happen There will be plenty of dives in the future to bring home photographic memories.

 

[mikemill]

I'm not quite equipped to do your kind of drills yet.

Having said that, I'm definitely in the mode of doing a very simple dive this weekend, probably at the Breakwater, to continue adjusting my new gear (which will involve a weight check at the end of dive 1). While I can't fully help with the drills, I'd be happy to record video (vis permitting) of you doing yours.

I won't be able to finalize plans until Thursday or so. What day were you thinking about?

Either day is good for me. My back is still a little sore so I might wuss out but I think I'll just man up and do it anyways

As for the equipment: What I want to work on is how the gloves feel, deploying the long hose with my camera there (both stowed and in my hands), and if the light is here by then dealing with that. None of that requires any particular gear on your part. But if you wanted to do some air sharing drills with the regular length hose for comparison I'd be up for it.

Hi Miller,

I'm looking to dive this Saturday if weather is in favor. I am diving with a friend who is interested in UTD and has joined their forum.

I want to introduce him to Don, so if I do go down I would be more than happy to do some skills with you.

I now dive my can light, dry gloves and camera... Just added the camera to the mix, all seems to be working out.

I will also let you know by Thursday, maybe Hepcat can join us for some video support. So what light did you get Mike? How about gloves, did you go with the SiTech or the Diving Concepts?

Sounds good Mike. I got the new SiTech glove lock system. Came in last night and I have it assembled. Tonight gonna check the positioning to make sure it is ok.

You'd be surprised how much additional task loading is caused by a can light when doing drills.

I may be up for some skills dives, but I won't know until closer to the weekend.

-C

Yeah I can imagine (especially after being blinded left and right by Mike and Kathy during essentials) but the only way to deal with it is practice.

 

[eric gundrum]

Anyone up for a dedicated skills dive this weekend?

Mike, I'll be at BW with Don and Greg doing our UTD Essentials course Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We lost Robert to illness. (Hopefully he's not seriously ill.) Contact Don. Maybe he'll let you be our third on some of the dives.

--eric