Whats the dumbest thing you've done?

[Scott L]

9 years ago I joined this quaint online community called ScubaBoard... Best mistake I ever made!

First mistake happened in September of 1969 on my very first OW dive in Lake Underhill near downtown Orlando. Too cheap to buy a hard pack ($30) I opted to tie rope around the neck and body of the tank creating two arm loops. Hilarity ensued. Then I happened to surface near some bull rushes just a couple feet from the biggest water moccasin I had ever seen. Before the snake could react, I submerged and headed in the general direction of the concrete dock. In a display of supernatural directional aptitude, I found the concrete dock piling with my head. Meanwhile, my "buddy" had surfaced a few hundred yards on the other side of the dock.

If the contact with the dock was more severe you would more likely be a graduate FSU instead of being a Florida Gator.

 

[TheSmoothDome]

This one's not funny nor smart, but I did live to fight another day thankfully.

Nearly 20 years ago, I bought my first drysuit. It was a key deal from Viking for $400.00. The Viking rep had come out to let us demo the suits about 2 months before that, but other than 10 minutes in the pool, I had never dove dry.

So the night I get my suit, a few of us decide to go for a late night shore dive at La Jolla Shores after work. We swim out, drop down. I'm pumping air in my suit to as we decend to about 110 feet. Everything is fine and dandy down there and I must say, I was quite comfortable. Totally warm, no suit squeeze. Very happy.

I go vertical in the water, give a little kick, and next thing I know, I'm heading for the surface. Air is pouring out my exhaust, but I'm heading for the surface faster and faster. I drop my light, which attached to my wrist, swings around wildly as I ascend. No matter how fast you're ascending, it's a long way up from 110 feet! I had no idea of any emergency procedures such as flaring out or opening/tearing a seal. I could see the bubbles rushing all around me and my light spinning madly. The only thing I'm thinking is "Breathe....Keep breathing!"

I hit the surface like a missle, splashed back down and assess my condition. I'm a couple of hundred of yards off the beach. My friends are still down below. They probably don't even realize that I'm gone yet. I've got enough air to sit at 15 feet and decompress until someone finds me....So down I go. I spend 10 lonely minutes floating at 15 feet until my friends arrive. I explain through hand gestures that I'm staying put here until I'm low on air. Eventually, we surface and I explain what happened as we swim in.

I drive home, wake up my girlfriend and tell her that if I wake her up later asking to go to the chamber, she is to get me there ASAP. I promptly fall asleep, leaving her sitting upright and stock still in bed wondering what the hell happened.

 

[ScubaTigress]

I'll have to say jumping in water without realizing i didn't zip up my drysuit... COMPLETELY flooded. Oops!!! Better than my bud accidentally peeing in his without the catheter though!

 

[SeahorseDeb]

Not anything compared to the rest of you, but perhaps so far, not advising my husband and daughter that I'd be underwater more than above from April until November here in the cold (freshwater) Pacific Northwest! I recertified after being out for many years, so naturally, I had no way to predict how often I'd dive. Well, once a week is certainly not enough!

 

[Water Monkey]

I love these stories!

Don’t be shy!

Come on in the waters fine!

 

[Web Monkey]

So my question is, what’s the dumbest thing you’ve done in the water? Again in the water!

Followed a (maybe) DM in Cozumel into a hole in a rock that turned into a single-file pitch black swimthrough that came out @ around 130', when I had a dozen or so dives.

Terry

 

[Hockeynut]

I got married. :depressed:











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Seriously, not diving from 1987 through 2004 was pretty dumb.

 

[Lockdownx99]

in about 25 feet of water, i lost control of my buoyancy and became inverted. i was yanking on my dump valve but all the air in my bc was at my butt and i was pulling on my shoulder valve. stupid on my part, i rose to the surface. i dont think it was faster than my bubbles, but it sure did spook my buddy when he realized what i had done and couldnt grab me. i tried getting my other dump valve but couldnt find it in the heat of the moment. surely could have been a disaster had i been down 60-90 feet.

 

[Garrobo]

While doing a double dip on the Duane got distracted and put my gear on the tank which I used on the first dive. Didn't check my pressure guage and jumped in. When I hit the wreck I looked down and had only 1000 psi. Luckily I came up with 1400 on the first dive. Went back up and changed tanks. Felt like a fool while explaining to the captain what I'd done. Jumped off with no fins once while everyone was watching and laughed their a**es off and jumped in without the reg in my mouth a couple times.

 

[adm3745]

A buddy and myself tried to make a beach entry at Vero beach in 5 ft seas. It was pretty unsuccesfull.