A couple buddies and I contacted Duane Johnson from Precision Diving (ppo2 diver on the board) for an Intro to Tech class. I wanted to learn to dive my doubles and improve my skills, the guys are interested in pursuing technical diving. I was the experienced one in doubles with 19 dives, Steve had used my doubles once and Jim had never tried doubles and hadnt been in the water in nearly 7 months. Duane had his work cut out for him with this crew. Duane has a complete bp/w doubles set up available for students and Jim rented that; Steve has most of his own gear and only needed to rent tanks from Duane.
Steve and I went up to Gilboa Quarry Friday night to get my favorite spot and set up camp for the weekend. Saturday morning I wander up to the bath house and a woman comes out of the ladies room and says, Theres a MAN in there! I asked if he was cleaning, I was just trotting in to brush my teeth and freshen up after all. She said, No hes using the bathroom, he said he didnt realize it was the ladies. She says she really has to pee and I indicate Im going on in and there are two stalls in there, she didnt know that. We wander in as I yell Are you naked? the guy is doing his business and apologizes through the curtain but says he isnt naked darn. She darts into the other stall and I proceed to freshen up. The poor guy is really apologetic as he comes out from behind the curtain. I tell him its no big deal, mistakes happen. He just has to remember hes on our turf, I did leave out the and if youre not packing were laughing comment. Thats how my day started, meeting new people is always fun!
Duane arrived much earlier than expected and Jim was a little late so Steve and I had Duane to ourselves for awhile. Hes a really nice guy and as Jim later pointed out hes much younger than he looks I mean hes much younger than we were expecting him to be
. Jim arrives and we get down to business and complete the requisite paperwork.
The first part of Saturday consisted of lecture on gas management, dive planning, equipment and skills. I was rather terrified of the lecture stuff; this bunny is horrible at math and physics. I did manage to divide 500 by 2 when one of the guys was struggling with the problem. He had been whipping out answers to questions involving fractions while I was still asking if fractions were decimals but for some reason 500/2 was eluding him. I think I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that math is not my strong point. Duane presented some really great stuff on dive planning and doing running dive plans in your head that I think anyone would enjoy learning, even newer divers. He kept things simple enough that I could follow along and thats really saying something.
We spent some time going over gear and getting everything set up and checked for fit. I noticed the guys plates didnt touch their butts while my plate was gently brushing mine. I also noticed I could lift my plate with my butt by arching my back. Duane told us we should be able to reach back and touch our plate but I wasnt sure if that was with or without butt assistance so I asked. I could touch the plate without lifting it too but I wasnt sure if cheating while fitting was going to screw something up.
The gear was fitted and we had done some propulsion technique review so it was time to head for the water. I had the orange flip fins along for this dive since its so much easier for me to get out of the water with them using the doubles. I get to the water and notice my power inflator isnt connected. Steve is roasting in his 7mm and so intent on getting in the water he doesnt hear me ask for help. Jim is donning his fins so I have him fix the problem the problem that wasnt there when I set up my gear .Duane
I opted to enter with the fins in the locked position instead of repeating the doubles with no fins experience that happened the last time since I lack a reliable kick to lock them in place. I chose a standing backroll instead of a giant stride to keep the fins locked on entry. That didnt work, I hit the water on my back but the right fin came unlocked. I did manage to get it locked on the second kick while holding the stair railing.
Jim, Steve and I did our version of a buddy check then Duane showed us a better way and we tried that. Im not sure when Steves isolater got closed but we still managed to miss it with the pre-dive buddy check verification is that what yall call the s-drill? Im still a little foggy on terms. I dont remember exactly when he figured out it was closed either but he did mention it on the surface after the dive. Personally I have a hard time determining which way stuff should be turning when working behind my head ok its not just when working behind my head but that makes it even more confusing than it normally is.
We were using 32% and Im still kind of foggy on remembering the dives. I know we did propulsion and the basic 5 on the first dive but I dont exactly remember which came first, I believe it was propulsion. Duane demonstrated a frog kick then had each of us use the kick while taking a lap around the platform as he filmed us. I ended up assigned to go first. The doubles were shifting on my back a bit and I could feel the fear of tipping over forward as I tried the kick around the platform. I was about three kicks from him when the right fin came unlocked $#%*(%(_@. I tried a flutter kick to lock it, no luck crap Im on video I dropped my right hip and tried the kick lock again with my body at an angle success! Back to the frog kick I went. I could feel the fin threatening to unlock with every stroke. It was only one fin though, the other was fine but it was seriously affecting my confidence in my kick. Overall with the tanks wobbling and my legs not cooperating combined with fear of doing a front flip and a distinct awareness of being filmed while questioning whether I would have a functional right fin I simply couldnt relax and follow the how to instructions Duane had so carefully explained and beautifully demonstrated.
The modified frog kick was next; Duane again demonstrated then sent us out one at a time to perform. I get two kicks into the exercise when I realize Im doing the exact same kick I was doing the first time crap. Ok, so I discovered I only have one frog kick and its kind of a cross between a regular frog kick and a modified frog with a little flutter thrown in for good measure. The fin is still threatening to come unlocked and its causing me to come unglued in the focus department.
Back kick was next. I was so rattled I completely couldnt get my legs to cooperate; it was so bad Duane turned the camera off very early in the exercise. I tried grabbing the upline as a cheater to manage my buoyancy while trying to talk myself through the mechanics of the kick; it did zero good.
Now it was time to try a helicopter kick um yeah two legs going two different directions and I have no back kick this is going to be ugly and it was.
Duane didnt film our basic 5 since that should have been pretty straightforward and it was. Remove and replace the mask, ok maybe he should have filmed it so everyone could see the extra steps required to do this exercise with ears; yes I wore the hood. The reg remove/replace/clear/retrieve was pretty standard. I like the fact that while Im doing the retrieval of the long hose I get to put my back-up reg in my mouth while I find the primary I like that a lot. Im comfortable without my mask; Im not comfortable going without my regulator for very long and I realize I need to work on that. I really enjoyed the long hose donation practice and stowing it, maybe it was just because Duanes movements were so clean and crisp when he demonstrated it making it look uber cool.
We spent a few minutes touring, trying out our new kicks and trying to stay together as a three man team. I was pretty frustrated with our performance in that arena, its hard to see someone when they get behind you and I felt I constantly had to roll over to see one buddy or another. We needed to work on staying shoulder to shoulder and at the same depth though at least we were all going the same general direction. I dont mind diving in a three man team but its too much task loading when youre all trying to learn something new, practice and keep tabs on each other. I suck as a competent buddy when Im learning because I have to focus so hard to learn new things. I prefer to be the only one training in a threesome so they can take care of each other while keeping a close eye on me leaving me free to focus on what I need to learn.
The good news was everyone came back from the dive unharmed. The rest of it needed some work and Duane used the video to show us what we needed to do to improve.
More later.....
Steve and I went up to Gilboa Quarry Friday night to get my favorite spot and set up camp for the weekend. Saturday morning I wander up to the bath house and a woman comes out of the ladies room and says, Theres a MAN in there! I asked if he was cleaning, I was just trotting in to brush my teeth and freshen up after all. She said, No hes using the bathroom, he said he didnt realize it was the ladies. She says she really has to pee and I indicate Im going on in and there are two stalls in there, she didnt know that. We wander in as I yell Are you naked? the guy is doing his business and apologizes through the curtain but says he isnt naked darn. She darts into the other stall and I proceed to freshen up. The poor guy is really apologetic as he comes out from behind the curtain. I tell him its no big deal, mistakes happen. He just has to remember hes on our turf, I did leave out the and if youre not packing were laughing comment. Thats how my day started, meeting new people is always fun!
Duane arrived much earlier than expected and Jim was a little late so Steve and I had Duane to ourselves for awhile. Hes a really nice guy and as Jim later pointed out hes much younger than he looks I mean hes much younger than we were expecting him to be
. Jim arrives and we get down to business and complete the requisite paperwork. The first part of Saturday consisted of lecture on gas management, dive planning, equipment and skills. I was rather terrified of the lecture stuff; this bunny is horrible at math and physics. I did manage to divide 500 by 2 when one of the guys was struggling with the problem. He had been whipping out answers to questions involving fractions while I was still asking if fractions were decimals but for some reason 500/2 was eluding him. I think I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that math is not my strong point. Duane presented some really great stuff on dive planning and doing running dive plans in your head that I think anyone would enjoy learning, even newer divers. He kept things simple enough that I could follow along and thats really saying something.
We spent some time going over gear and getting everything set up and checked for fit. I noticed the guys plates didnt touch their butts while my plate was gently brushing mine. I also noticed I could lift my plate with my butt by arching my back. Duane told us we should be able to reach back and touch our plate but I wasnt sure if that was with or without butt assistance so I asked. I could touch the plate without lifting it too but I wasnt sure if cheating while fitting was going to screw something up.
The gear was fitted and we had done some propulsion technique review so it was time to head for the water. I had the orange flip fins along for this dive since its so much easier for me to get out of the water with them using the doubles. I get to the water and notice my power inflator isnt connected. Steve is roasting in his 7mm and so intent on getting in the water he doesnt hear me ask for help. Jim is donning his fins so I have him fix the problem the problem that wasnt there when I set up my gear .Duane
I opted to enter with the fins in the locked position instead of repeating the doubles with no fins experience that happened the last time since I lack a reliable kick to lock them in place. I chose a standing backroll instead of a giant stride to keep the fins locked on entry. That didnt work, I hit the water on my back but the right fin came unlocked. I did manage to get it locked on the second kick while holding the stair railing.
Jim, Steve and I did our version of a buddy check then Duane showed us a better way and we tried that. Im not sure when Steves isolater got closed but we still managed to miss it with the pre-dive buddy check verification is that what yall call the s-drill? Im still a little foggy on terms. I dont remember exactly when he figured out it was closed either but he did mention it on the surface after the dive. Personally I have a hard time determining which way stuff should be turning when working behind my head ok its not just when working behind my head but that makes it even more confusing than it normally is.
We were using 32% and Im still kind of foggy on remembering the dives. I know we did propulsion and the basic 5 on the first dive but I dont exactly remember which came first, I believe it was propulsion. Duane demonstrated a frog kick then had each of us use the kick while taking a lap around the platform as he filmed us. I ended up assigned to go first. The doubles were shifting on my back a bit and I could feel the fear of tipping over forward as I tried the kick around the platform. I was about three kicks from him when the right fin came unlocked $#%*(%(_@. I tried a flutter kick to lock it, no luck crap Im on video I dropped my right hip and tried the kick lock again with my body at an angle success! Back to the frog kick I went. I could feel the fin threatening to unlock with every stroke. It was only one fin though, the other was fine but it was seriously affecting my confidence in my kick. Overall with the tanks wobbling and my legs not cooperating combined with fear of doing a front flip and a distinct awareness of being filmed while questioning whether I would have a functional right fin I simply couldnt relax and follow the how to instructions Duane had so carefully explained and beautifully demonstrated.
The modified frog kick was next; Duane again demonstrated then sent us out one at a time to perform. I get two kicks into the exercise when I realize Im doing the exact same kick I was doing the first time crap. Ok, so I discovered I only have one frog kick and its kind of a cross between a regular frog kick and a modified frog with a little flutter thrown in for good measure. The fin is still threatening to come unlocked and its causing me to come unglued in the focus department.
Back kick was next. I was so rattled I completely couldnt get my legs to cooperate; it was so bad Duane turned the camera off very early in the exercise. I tried grabbing the upline as a cheater to manage my buoyancy while trying to talk myself through the mechanics of the kick; it did zero good.
Now it was time to try a helicopter kick um yeah two legs going two different directions and I have no back kick this is going to be ugly and it was.
Duane didnt film our basic 5 since that should have been pretty straightforward and it was. Remove and replace the mask, ok maybe he should have filmed it so everyone could see the extra steps required to do this exercise with ears; yes I wore the hood. The reg remove/replace/clear/retrieve was pretty standard. I like the fact that while Im doing the retrieval of the long hose I get to put my back-up reg in my mouth while I find the primary I like that a lot. Im comfortable without my mask; Im not comfortable going without my regulator for very long and I realize I need to work on that. I really enjoyed the long hose donation practice and stowing it, maybe it was just because Duanes movements were so clean and crisp when he demonstrated it making it look uber cool.
We spent a few minutes touring, trying out our new kicks and trying to stay together as a three man team. I was pretty frustrated with our performance in that arena, its hard to see someone when they get behind you and I felt I constantly had to roll over to see one buddy or another. We needed to work on staying shoulder to shoulder and at the same depth though at least we were all going the same general direction. I dont mind diving in a three man team but its too much task loading when youre all trying to learn something new, practice and keep tabs on each other. I suck as a competent buddy when Im learning because I have to focus so hard to learn new things. I prefer to be the only one training in a threesome so they can take care of each other while keeping a close eye on me leaving me free to focus on what I need to learn.
The good news was everyone came back from the dive unharmed. The rest of it needed some work and Duane used the video to show us what we needed to do to improve.
More later.....
