Shore Duty

The large rock you see in the pic is the place where I spent most of my shore duty. It offers an excellent vantage point to see all the groups of bubbles.


As we went through the majority of our divemaster training last year, there was a nice group of us that got along very well. We rode together, chatted, shared the work and struggles.

Often when we arrived at the dive site, there were three or four of us, which was way more than needed for the actual classes, so we would switch off and rotate. Which meant someone was always pulling "shore duty."

Most of the people I dove with weren't crazy about shore duty, but I have to tell you, it has it's own responsibilities and perks.

Perk #1 - you can listen to music and be in the sun getting a tan


Perk #2 - you can get a drink, go to the bathroom, etc. (VERY quickly)





NOT a perk #1 - you better be keeping an eye on all sets of bubbles to make sure no one gets separated


NOT a perk #2 - you gotta watch the sky and be ready to head out with rocks to bang if a storm is coming/lightning, etc.


NOT a perk #3 - you better know your first aid/CPR/rescue stuff really well because YOU are gonna be the one in charge if there is a problem


NOT a perk #4 - if someone is shaky underwater and they come out, you need to know how to talk to them and help them through whatever it was that they couldn't work out the first time


NOT a perk #5 - it gets awfully hot when you are out of the water


NOT a perk #6 - know gear - how to adjust it, fix it, replace it, or find another one so whoever came out can finish up with an enjoyable dive


NOT a perk #7 - help the instructor, help your other dive buddies, and help the students get in and out of the water, take gear off and on, etc.

So while no really likes to go diving without ending up in the water, shore duty is pretty important. So the new term for shore duty? Land diving.

Scuba Storage

All righty then. You got the gear? And of course, then you got more gear. Then you bought some goodies that you didn't need but really wanted. Then you bought some duplicates incase something went bad, you wanted to be prepared. And of course, there are TWO divers in the house, not just one.

So then what? Build on an extra room for storage???

In the beginning, storage was a MAJOR problem for us so we had to limit what we bought. Then we got a bigger apartment and had a two car garage, so we felt unlimited.

Despite finally having a place to put everything, we struggled as we would pack to leave for diving. What to do with it all? We didn't need something so fancy as a nice big piece of luggage because we weren't flying and the stuff would sit wet in it.

So we opted for a PERFECT solution. We went and got a rubbermaid tote. The biggest they make. It has wheels on one end. And it holds EVERYTHING but our tanks - for two people! We can even throw our wet suits and wet swimming suits and towels in it and drive home in comfy dry warm clothes.

What's in our tote?

2 bc's

2 weight belts with weights

2 sets of fins (and of course he wears xl so they are super long)

2 regulators with octos

2 3mm wetsuits

2 pair of boots

2 pairs of gloves

2 sets of slates

2 inflatables (orange ones)

1 flashlight (long story - don't ask)

2 knives

1 repair kit (extra straps, flaps, velcro, tools, etc)

bag of ziploc baggies

1 spare air

1 tarp

Yep. It all fits. And while it is heavy when you have to lift it into the truck/car (like I do that, yeah right) I can easily roll it on the ground AND carry a lounge chair :)

It was one of the best things we ever bought for diving. And in the off season, it is sealed and stored in the garage all nice and neat, out of the way. So if you are having problems with storage, check into it.

Scuba Diving Swim Suits

The time is coming. Luckily, I have plenty in stock.

I am talking about appropriate swimsuits for scuba diving and classes. And before all you "guys" run away, a little note about appropriate swimsuits for men who dive.

I don't care who you are or what you look like or where you are from. You really had better not wear one of the those Speedo suits to teach a class or work with a class. Jeez - that would just be crazy. First, no one would respect you, and therefore, no one would listen to you. Besides, it might be hard for everyone to hear what you have to say if there is a bunch of newbies in the back snickering. Its just too much like being naked.

Second, if you are going to wear one of those red suits with the white stripe across the front for the scuba diving flag, PLEASE make sure it is a quality suit and the white part isn't see through!

Enough said. Guys, you may now leave as the rest pertains to us girls.

This has just been something I have personally come up with. When I dive on my own with hubby, I don't care what suit I wear, as long as he likes it. That is completely different when we are expected to help with a class.

I would love to wear a one piece, like those sleek ones the real swimmers wear. But I don't have a swimmer's body. Or enough water resistant glue to hold down the back of the suit to an appropriate spot (like they do in the pagaents). Besides, when I get in one of those I look like a majorly overstuffed sausage. And while I don't strive to impress, I don't want to look like an idiot with tons of rolls lolling around.

I try to find conservative 2 piece suits. And then I usually wear a tank top over the top part. This helps in more ways than one. It keeps me warmer, it allows me to go to the bathroom more quickly, and it keeps important parts covered up.

Once you get in the wetsuit, everything is fine. It's just getting to that point that you have to think about.

Another thing I am always conscious of is color. My bright fun swimsuits are okay for the pool. But I wouldn't dare wear them in the lake or quarry. They will fade, get mud stains, etc. So I look for dark colors (black, brown, dark purple) to wear in the "pond."

I'm also not gonna pay an arm and a leg for a suit, no matter where I am going to wear it. The butt gets snagged on the side of the pool on concrete or on the door walking into the portapotty and then your done. 100 bucks down the drain to look cute for a smidge of time isn't worth it.

Then there is something to be said for the ones that have hooks everywhere, rather than tie. Those knots can really be uncomfortable at times (like when you are out of the water with your bc and all the gear on).

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any more advice for diving swimsuits. Except maybe to make sure you won't fall out the top, if you know what I mean.

I'm Cheating Today

This is a rough draft for when I finally finish my divemaster program.

Comments are welcome. Make sure to turn your speakers on (not too loud though).

http://www.archive.org/details/DaisyScubaDocPadi

The Importance of a Good Snorkel

When we bought our gear, snorkels and masks were one of the very first things we got. I was way more concerned about color than anything. I wanted it all to match.

The snorkel (a brand name in scuba diving) started breathing wet about a year into ownership. It never bothered me much. I didn't use it much diving, and when I did snorkel, I was able to just shoot the extra water it had taken on out. I looked just like a whale spouting, and it helped hubby keep track of me :)

Things changed when I had to complete the 800 meter/ yard (whatever, stinking long is all I know) swim for the divemaster program. We had to keep our face in the water the entire time, breathe through only the snorkel and we got to use fins.

Oh, and it was timed.

So I knew my snorkel wouldn't cut it and I couldn't use hubby's cause we would be doing it at the same time. I came up with the brilliant idea of just getting a cheapy one from the general all purpose store. Big mistake.

To make my idea even more brilliant, I cut it off so the tube would be a lot shorter, therefore having less "dead air." (a concept I had just learned about in divemaster class)

So the time came. We were lucky enough to do it outside in the quarry, as it would have been extremely difficult going back and forth in the pool with our big fins on.

The instructor said go. We went. And about 50 yards into it, I stopped and yelled to hubby "go on without me." And I swam back to shore. I was just about dying. I couldn't get any air at all. So I trudged back and explained I couldn't do it because of my snorkle. The instructor saw it and began laughing hysterically at my homemade cheapy contraption.

One of the other girls in the class offered hers. And one of the other students (who had just purchased the fabulous and wonderful scuba pro split fins) offered me her fins. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to try the new fins AND maybe get a great score.

So I cheered and rooted hubby on till he finished and then I started again, all on my own. No way to gauge my speed, but I could look at my watch for time elapsed.

The borrowed gear was great. The snorkel stayed dry and worked great. And those fins!!! I'm saving up for a pair.

I ended up passing and getting four point out of five for my time. It all worked out. But I learned that those cheapy snorkels are for nothing but pictures and a good laugh.

Scuba Diving is a Small World

I went to a meeting the other night for NEA. I arrived an hour early and just sat working on my computer (or "Pewter") as my 3 year old niece calls it.

As I sat there, FINALLY someone showed up. He had on a scuba diving jacket from a "rival" dive shop. (Yes, here in my city, they are all rivals and none of them like the other. Strange. It isn't the instructors or the students. It's just the dive shops in general that can't get along, but anyway . . .)

I immediately struck up a conversation. It is so rare to find a fellow diver and it tends to be a unique sport. I asked him about his shop and which one it was exactly. From there we proceeded to talk about local dives (Rolla, Dive Stop, and Mermet). Then we talked about the divemaster class. He is an instructor, so he had been through it. He asked how far I was and I explained the 2 measly things I still had to do.

Then, we spent the next 10 minutes talking about the equipment exchange. Everyone seems to have their own horror story. And everyone wants to hear everyone elses! It really is a small amount of people that you meet that can relate to that particular experience.

Personally, my story will be a long one, so that will probably be the next post, as I came home from that ordeal and wrote it all down and have been dying to get it on here. So stay tuned!

Anyway, I enjoyed getting to chat with someone about diving and share experiences. I am ready to hear about your scuba experiences so feel free to comment!

Strangest Dive

I have to say that one of the strangest dives I ever did was at a place called the Dive Stop in Missouri. We (four of us) were working on completing our dive map for our divemaster project.

Two of us had gone out in search of "other things" to map on the bottom.

We were over by the main dock and above us we see, in the water, a wedding party. No lie.

Now they weren't actually getting married at that moment. They were doing a trash the dress shoot. (Where the bride gets in the water with all her wedding attire on).

The poor girl was freezing and looked like she could drown at any moment because her dress was so heavy. Her dress was a long full strapless one and the water temp at the surface was about 65. Brr.

Well, we surfaced to check things out - just in case there was a problem.

The next thing we knew, we were asked to be in the photos. I did my best to look cute in all my cold weather gear - ha ha!

I didn't have MY underwater camera with me and I would doubt the photos came out very well. The water was murky and dark, even just below the surface.

But I have to say it was one of the weirdest, most unusual things that ever happened to me on a dive. The photo at the top is just before she fell in.

SCUBA and the Economy

money photo courtesy of penywise morguefile.com
scuba gear photo - jdurham morguefile.com
For more FREE scuba photos, check out jdurham on morguefile.com


I have to admit. I am a bit worried about our sport and its continuation to grow. Scuba is a very expensive sport due to necessary equipment. With the depression (can I say that word?), people will not being looking to spend money for fun and enjoyment. And if they do, it will be much cheaper things, like movies, Wii, etc. But maybe I am wrong.

In the last few years, meaning 2 to 10 or whatever, the increase in the number of people who have learned to dive has grown A LOT. When we started diving, there weren't many people going out on the boats at our favorite resort (Couples).

A few years later, it was hard to get a spot on the boat sometimes. They had too many people taking their discovery dives to take certified divers. While inconvenient for us at times, it was great for the sport.

Now, as we are (yes still) getting ready to be divemasters, I WANT people to be knocking down the doors to learn to dive, because then I get to dive too! (not that I can't dive anyway, but it just gives more meaning to diving)

Our favorite resort doesn't seem to be fairing well in the current economy either. They are really pushing hard and have extremely low prices right now. But who can go? I'm worried that any minute the bank might close!

I guess those with lots of money will still be learning to scuba dive. But maybe not so many middle class like me anymore. Maybe I am wrong though. And I hope I am. Maybe a lot of people are making "learn to scuba dive" their new year's resolution!

One of the Keys to Scuba Diving

Last night my husband got a call from one of the instructors at the shop we are affiliated with.(Midwest Scuba - check them out online :)

(photo courtesy of ppdigital at morguefile.com)

http://www.midwestscuba.net/

As I said in an earlier post, we are only "inches" away from completing the divemaster course.

We have all the hard stuff out of the way and all our practicals are completed. But cold weather (not snow and sleet, but cooler water temperatures) hit and we became "invisible" at the dive shop. We used to be there every weekend over the summer, and then at least one evening during the week. I haven't been in almost 2 months now.

But hearing from our friend/instructor got us chatting about diving and finding time to finish. It was much needed.

In the meantime, a woman I work with has called them to get started on her rescue diver course. We have been chatting and emailing about it and I am now longing for diving.

So, one of the keys to diving?? Talk about it. Share it. Even over the icky cold months - talk with other people who dive so you can refuel your passion :)

Oh, maybe someday I will finish my story about my open water course. Hang in there if you are waiting :)

The Weight of Training Scuba Divers

(picture courtesy of earl53 at morguefile.com)

A sure-fire way to cause diver trauma is by shooting to the surface. Thank goodness the divemaster was strong as the student struggled to right himself and keep from floating up to the surface. Neutral buoyancy was a skill to still be learned by the newbie, as was about a jillion other things. But the calm dive master candidate reached over and grabbed the student's BC and dumped the air from the purge valve, all without moving from his spot. Later, Mr. Daisy (the dive master candidate) said, "It's a good thing I have strength in my arms and weight on my side. Otherwise, Student X would have dragged me to the surface with them."

Face it. Most students learn to dive while being over-weighted to keep from shooting to the surface. While in the pool, they learn the proper technique to find neutral buoyancy in their training. First, dump all the air out of your BC while at the surface and hold a normal sized breath. You should hover/float right at eye level and sink when you exhale that breath. But nervousness, full tanks getting lots of heavy breathing, and lack of underwater comfort can later transfer into "fishing bobber" look-alikes. That full tank becomes positively buoyant as it empties!

(picture courtesy of penywise at morguefile.com)

Despite all the weight, students can still become positively buoyant. Sometimes it is because they haven't quite mastered their BC controls yet. This can lead to dangers for them AND for the dive master candidates. And if a DMC isn't "properly weighted," they can have difficulty doing their job.

Being a dive master candidate means being prepared. And in water that means having

1. enough strength to compensate for both of you while attending to a positively buoyant student OR

2. enough weight in the belt to compensate for a positively buoyant student.

So, DMC's have worked hard to perfect the art of neutral buoyancy to make it look easy for students, yet they are many times over-weighted when helping out the very people they most need to be role models for.

Scuba diving tends to be a man's sport. PADI, one of the largest companies educating scuba divers, believes that worldwide, only 28% of divers are female. This can cause issues with both weight and strength. In a question about gender and who is a better diver, Lawrence Martin wrote, "The long answer is that women, on average, have smaller lungs, a lower aerobic capacity, a greater percentage of body fat, and less upper body strength than men, and these differences have some effects on diving." (http://www.lakesidepress.com/pulmonary/books/scuba/women.htm , October 27,2008) It should be noted that he was discussing recreational diving, rather than women in diving education roles.

The fact remains that I weigh a lot less than most of the students, male or female. And while I work at remaining in shape and staying strong, I cannot overpower and muscle my way through. I have to use other tactics, such as overweighting, to be able to help my students and keep them safe. Having had this discussion with various instructors, one said, "You gotta do what you gotta do."

Dread

Ah, okay, I told you the next post would be about the next day. But I am not there. I have been dreading that post like I dreaded that cold water. It seems flat and boring and I want something more "now."

So, I got a monkey. He goes underwater with me. No, not really, but I got a monkey on my back about finishing this divemaster thing. The rest isn't fun or a challenge. 7 skills demonstrated in the pool. Boring. Retake the dive table exam (which I should point out, I know and have known for 10 years, but misinterpreted the questions). So, get it done.

Ahhhh - time is killing me right now. So is motivation. Tune in next week . . .

Starting

So where do I start? At the beginning of the journey? When I snorkeled over my husband when he was 60 ft. down and I couldn't get down because of my ear? And how bad I wanted to be down there with him? Or maybe my first dive just 2 days before that, when the divemaster at the resort (Breezes Runaway Bay Jamaice - great dive people) worked painstakingly slow to get me to the bottom because I wasn't a good equalizer?

I still have that video of my very first ever resort course dive. I had a death grip on the poor divemaster. But look what he has done for me! His patience was immense, and my desire to dive was just as strong. And now, I am just a smidge away from being a divemaster myself.

That first dive I was hooked as soon as I got down and by the time it was over, there wasn't a death grip anywhere. What an amazing transformation that took place in my mind. Being weightless (although not so good at that part back then) and the peace, quiet, and beauty of the alien world before me. Seeing things that not everyone gets to see. I think that was a big attraction for me at first. The wonder and curiosity of what was really down there.

During that time my husband was actually getting his certification. He fell in love the first day, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't ready to pour all the money into something I would do maybe once a year. (Yeah, right)

So, I came back from Jamaica and realized a month later that it WAS something I wanted to do. So I began the journey of my certification here in the midwest. But that will be for the next post :)

My intention was to start with my divemaster course and explain the difficulties and successes that have come with the coursework. But I felt I needed a slower introduction, and a bigger view to the path. Because it really has been an amazing journey.

I hope you return to read about the journey and I hope it inspires you on your path, whatever path that may be, whether it is diving or not.