Scuba Diving

[purbeast]

Grrrr called the doc today since it had been a week with no feedback, and they called me back saying the hospital did not send over the test results.  They called the hospital and they were going to send them over today.  However the doctor is out until Tuesday so chances are I won't hear anything until Wednesday or so.  I'd like to get this signed before I got o Grand Cayman on the 15th because I want to do a couple resort dives.  But if I don't have it by then, I'll just put NO on the forms like I did in the past.  I can't believe how long this has taken.

[bromjer]

I love 70s metal.

 

[purbeast]

Just got a call from the doctors office that my waiver is ready to be picked up so I'm getting a bit CISED!

 

I asked the receptionist if that meant it's good to go and he signed off on it and she said she thinks so, so still just waiting till I go pick it up to be fully CISED.

[purbeast]

Yeah so I'm good to go!  I will be doing at least 1 dive while in Grand Cayman in 10 days and now it'll be nice to not have to lie on the form lol.  Then when I get back I plan on taking an OW Cert course.

[UKskins]

8 hours ago, purbeast said:

Yeah so I'm good to go!  I will be doing at least 1 dive while in Grand Cayman in 10 days and now it'll be nice to not have to lie on the form lol.  Then when I get back I plan on taking an OW Cert course.

 

Brilliant news mate, really glad you got it sorted!

[purbeast]

Well I ended up not doing any dives while in Grand Cayman, by choice.  If you weren't aware, GC is expensive as **** generally speaking.  Well the diving where I was staying wasn't cheaper either.  It also would have taken up a lot of time for a 1 tank dive so I said screw it.  It required a 2 hour portion in the pool in the morning, then around lunch time we'd go out for just a 1 tank dive.  And the cost was $175 so I said screw that.  In Florida when I did it, we did the poolwork in the morning then did 2 1-tank dives in the afternoon, and it was $120.  And I knew I was going to get certified in the near future so just decided not to do it.

 

I just signed up for my OW certification course which is the weekend of November 10th and 11th.  It was hard for me to pick a weekend because that means I'm missing a Redskins game, but it was either the Bucs or 2nd Giants game in December so I did this one.  Then I plan on going with the class (and my wife and possibly some friends) to Grand Cayman for a long weekend mid-December to do the dives.  

 

Now that the class is official I'm a bit more excited, but also a tad nervous lol.

[UKskins]

I was meaning to post to see how you'd got on in GC Purbeast, it popped into my head last week but I forgot again! 

 

That does sound expensive for a single dive, so I don't blame you for bailing on it.

 

Exciting news that you've got it all booked in now though! It's such a great hobby to be involved in, and the dive community are a great bunch. Never met anybody who I actively disliked whilst diving. Did once meet a guy who shot some incredible footage for Discovery Channel - schools of Hammerheads off the Galapagos Islands - he was a serious diver though with serious equipment! 

 

We're currently trying to work out our travel plans for next year - I think we're planning to spend some time in China next summer but the caveat to that is I want to go somewhere to get some diving done so I guess maybe Christmas or Easter we'll do that. 

[purbeast]

Trip has been booked for Grand Cayman in December. I just need to book my flights, going to do that tomorrow. Going with the wife and son again and they will just hang at the beach while I do the dives. I may also do the Advanced OW certification while there, if I feel comfortable enough. That involves 5 more dives after the initial 4. I can get it all done in 3 days so that would be pretty awesome. As of now I plan on doing it, however I am going to just wait and see until I get there since there's no need to let them know this early.

I do wish my wife would do it with me, but she did the dive with me when I first did it in Cancun and she kind of panic'd and had to come back up without us. She did go back down with another group and had a great time, however she says she just doesn't want to do it now because she thinks she will be to paranoid. And the whole thing of clearing your mask underwater freaks her out. My son is 3 and already says he wants to SCUBA with me so when he turns 10 he's going to get certified lol.

[purbeast]

Well day 1 of the classes is in the books.  I really struggled with the swim and treading water.  I had to do 100yds with fins/snorkel which was really easy then 200yds without it and that just killed me.  I had to take a break before I could try treading for 10 minutes, and holy  hell I didn't think I was going to make it.  It sucks seeing everyone else doing the treading portion so easily and I simply am not bouyant at all.  I have an athletic build and am muscular and I know muscle is more dense than fat so I think that works against me big time.

 

I also ended up buying new fins because the damn sales guy got me lol.  I didn't "need" new fins as I had my old backup ones, but I wanted some new ones and wanted to try non-split fins.  The ones they had were $150 and I looked em up online and they are like $170ish and had great reviews, so I said **** it and got em.  I also wanted new booties because mine were pretty beat up and I used them a lot to wade in the Potomac while I go fishing, so they are just beat.  So I splurged and got em.

 

And damn, they are NOTICEABLY easier to use than my other ones.  The huge difference is how much lighter they are in all honesty.  But I feel like they propel better with less effort, which is odd because that is what split fins are supposed to be for.  But that's really all I know since that's all I have ever bought just because I thought they looked cool lol.  But I'm glad with my purchase now and plan on using em for a long time.

 

Tomorrow is another long ass day like 9am to 9-10pm.  I'm missing all football and going to DVR the Redskins game and just not pay attention to anything, which should be easy because today I didn't pay attention to anything other than SCUBA stuff.

[UKskins]

Sounds like all is going well Purbeast! Most of the skills are more about teaching yourself not to panic and staying calm rather than actually being difficult to execute. You'll do fine with the rest of it.

Edited November 11, 2018 by UKskins

[TheGreatBuzz]

10 hours ago, purbeast said:

 

I also ended up buying new fins because the damn sales guy got me lol.  I didn't "need" new fins as I had my old backup ones, but I wanted some new ones and wanted to try non-split fins.

That's weird.  I swear by split fins. Also, research the buoyancy of your fins.  If they are too light, your feet will want to rise when you are trying to stay horizontal.  These are what I use and I love them.

 

https://www.leisurepro.com/p-scpft/scuba-pro-twin-jet-open-heel-split-fins

[purbeast]

14 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

That's weird.  I swear by split fins. Also, research the buoyancy of your fins.  If they are too light, your feet will want to rise when you are trying to stay horizontal.  These are what I use and I love them.

 

https://www.leisurepro.com/p-scpft/scuba-pro-twin-jet-open-heel-split-fins

https://www.leisurepro.com/p-mrsfvp/mares-volo-power-open-heel-fins?origterm=mares+volo+power+open+heel+fins+regular+blue&searchredirect=true

 

Those are the ones I got and I really am happy with them.  

 

I confirmed what I already knew today too - I'm a sinker, and my dive instructor said for diving that's a good thing.  When we did the fin pivot skill in the pool, he was pretty damn surprised how much he had to put into my BCD for me to be able to do the pivot.  

 

When we were down underwater with the group for some time and waiting for other people to do their skills, I practiced filling my mask with water and clearing it and I feel super comfortable with it.  The one skill where I have to take it off and swim with it in my hand and then put it back on was a piece of cake.

 

The free flow skill I had seen videos of but never even understood what it was until today, and man is that just weird as hell how it works lol.

 

By the end of the final pool session today I felt super comfortable with everything and look forward to my dives.  The only one that concerns me is the CESA because it's from 30 feet and I suck at holding my breath, and having to not breathe for 30 seconds is going to be a chore but I'm confident I can do it.

[purbeast]

Any of you guys know of any dive shops in the DC area that have a good amount of wetsuits to try on?  I want to get one before I head to Grand Cayman next month but from everything I heard it's way better to buy them after being properly fitted and trying them on at a store, preferrably with someone who knows a thing or two about SCUBA being there.

[purbeast]

So I picked up a wetsuit in Gaithersburg.  I think it fits pretty well.  It feels snug and the neck feels a tad tight, almost like when you have a tie on and it just isn't that comfortable.  But I'm assuming once in the water it will be okay.  I tried on the XL and it had too many 'wrinkles' in it in various spots I felt, and the person who was there thought the large fit better.  Which is weird because I tried on another model by the same company and the L was way too tight and the XL fit better.  So I guess trying on is best for sure.  I also have an athletic build so the sizes and measurements aren't really meant for me.

 

I also ordered 2 dive computers and am going to keep only one of them.  I was torn between the Mares Puck Pro and the Suunto Zoop Novo after my extensive research so I ordered both to see which I like better.  One is like almost 1/2 the price of the other, but it only has 1 button so I'm not sure how much I will like it.  I also like the other one better asthetically and it has this cool 'live log' feature on it where you can playback your dives and it has a neat little graphic.  

 

After that is settled, I'll be ready for my checkout dives next month.  I'm both nervous and excited about it.

[redskinss]

On 11/11/2018 at 11:42 PM, purbeast said:

The only one that concerns me is the CESA because it's from 30 feet and I suck at holding my breath, and having to not breathe for 30 seconds is going to be a chore but I'm confident I can do it.

Yeah dont do that or your lungs will explode. 

I'm surprised they haven't taught you the number one rule of scuba diving is never hold your breath.

You'll be slowly exhaling as you ascend and it seems much worse than it is because as you ascend the remaining air in your lungs expands and when you reach the surface despite having exhaled for so long you wont be out of breath as long as you exhale at the right pace.

It seems strange but it works.

[purbeast]

37 minutes ago, redskinss said:

Yeah dont do that or your lungs will explode. 

I'm surprised they haven't taught you the number one rule of scuba diving is never hold your breath.

You'll be slowly exhaling as you ascend and it seems much worse than it is because as you ascend the remaining air in your lungs expands and when you reach the surface despite having exhaled for so long you wont be out of breath as long as you exhale at the right pace.

It seems strange but it works.

They did teach that.  But "holding my breathe" i mean "not breathing".

 

I think I'll be fine though I've 'practiced' a bit while in the car driving and can get to 40 seconds pretty easily.  I also realize I'm sitting still and using no energy so it's not quite the same.  

 

It was also brought to my attention that at 30 feet my lungs will hold double the air that I would have at the surface, which makes sense since it's 1atm down, so that will also help.  Additionally I heard that it just depends on the instructor at what depth you do it at.  Some people said they've done it at 15 feet.

[redskinss]

Yes but it's not just that your lungs will hold double it's that at 2 atmospheres your lungs will hold double but it will be contracted just as the air in your bc is compressed and as you rise to the surface that air in your lungs will continue to expand.

That's why you have to exhale because you can do serious damage to your lungs if you hold your breath.

It is weird to let air out slowly for thirty seconds and still not be totally out of breath but if you time it right it really does work but it takes a little practice.

Most divers once they have some experience use their lungs as a bcd because it's far easier than constantly dumping and filling the bc.

Depending on what you do for diving ,if you're going to be going up and around a lot of structures you'll find yourself taking in a deep breath and sort of holding it as you ascend and then just before you Crest you'll start dumping your lungs to descend back down.

Once you've dove enough times it'll feel like second nature.

[purbeast]

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Grand Cayman and do my first checkout dives on Friday and the final ones on Saturday.  There's a chance I'm doing 5 more dives to get my AOW or I may just do some of them, depending on my comfort level.  I am very intrigued to do the night dive but also kind of nervous.  Once I saw it's 30 feet max I'm leaning towards doing it.  I also want to do the sting ray city dive that is just 15ft too, but it qualifies for the AOW.  But again it just depends how comfortable I feel.

 

But damn, packing with all my gear I have to bring another carry on and my wife isn't happy about it LOL.  But I had to put my wetsuit in there and my booties too, which takes up quite a bit of space.  They also aren't light so fighting them in my checked on luggage wouldn't work and I'd rather just have a smaller luggage to bring. Also my fins are larger now too then my previous ones.

 

I also got my dive computer and I love getting new gadgets.  I ended up getting a brand new Suunto Zoop Nov for like $300 but then I found someone selling a like new (8 dives) Suunto Zoop Vyper for $375 with the USB cable, bungee adapter, the protective adapter thingie, and a bag for $375.  I ended up getting that instead because it comes with a digital compass and also has the ability to have AI if I want to go that route in the future, so I said might as well upgrade for a few bucks more since it came with accessories I wanted anyways.  Plus, I could pretty much sell it for the price I paid for it if I didn't want it.  So I'm going to return the Zoop Novo that I got when I get back.

 

I'm both excited and nervous about it all but I think I'm kind of psyching myself out to be honest and I think once I'm in the water I'm going to feel right at home.

Edited December 13, 2018 by purbeast

[purbeast]

So it didn't go too well.  I did the first 3 dives the first day but was a bit under the weather even early that morning, but it got really bad overnight into the morning so I had to call it yesterday

 

It sucks too cause I missed out on 5 awesome dives after the 4th and final checkout dive.  But as much as it sucks my health is more important.  It's really a bummer to come all the way here to get certified and leave without even completing it.  

[purbeast]

Well, I booked another trip back to GC for March with the class again so I'm going to be knocking on wood that I don't get sick this time!

[max21]

You weren’t able to clear? Afrin and Sudafed my friend. I’ve had some terrible squeezes and just load up on Sudafed. 

[purbeast]

2 hours ago, max21 said:

You weren’t able to clear? Afrin and Sudafed my friend. I’ve had some terrible squeezes and just load up on Sudafed. 

Nope.  I could barely get out of bed.  I went to a health clinic and was put on 4 prescriptions.  I had some strand of the flu.  It was not a fun 24 hours.

[purbeast]

I'm now officially OW and AOW certified.  Still in Grand Cayman until Wednesday.

 

Here is Captain purbeast of the USS Kittiwake

 

[UKskins]

Brilliant stuff Purbeast - great to see you finally made it!!! Congrats buddy!

[tshile]

That’s awesome dude! I’ve always wanted to do a trip like that