Interesting Dive Log Website

I found this little gem one day just wasting time on the computer.

I haven't signed up yet. But only because I have so many dives to log it seems like a huge project. But I can see the benefits of this website.

It would be great for those just starting to dive. :) And it is free. There is a place to look around before you sign up too.

http://www.diverecord.com/Welcome.asp?p=f

So there it is. Check it out. Let me know what you think about it and if you sign up and what it is like :)

Being Prepared

I think divers have to always be on their toes. Always thinking ahead to what might happen. What might go wrong. By doing this, it helps you prepare for the dive.

It isn't a sport for those who are lax in doing what needs to be done to prepare.

But sometimes you don't know what it is you need to prepare for.

This post is about one of my very first dives AFTER my certification, about 10 years ago.

We headed down to the home of Superman! Metropolis (Illinois to be exact). They have a nice, large diving site down there called Mermet Springs. We were staying the weekend just for some diving fun, just the two of us.

The first day was great (we got there on a Friday). Lots of room and the weather was warm and the water was cold. Too cold to go too deep. (I like it like that, when you know how deep you are just by the temperature :)

The second morning was crazy. There were classes (large ones) every where. The heat was majorly intense (90*). We still had to wear our 8 mm suits because the water was so cold. With hoods. And gloves.

My poor hubby just can't stand getting so hot. He was ready to get in and saw a gap in the line of people getting in, so we went.

We got in and went right down to the school bus they have close to the main dock (we wanted to get out of the way of the classes). The bus sits at about 20 or 25'.

The next thing I know, he's asking if I'm ok and I'm shaking my head no vigorously. I KNOW there was a look of panic on my face.

I was getting ready to puke.

Here I am, 25' down, thinking, OMG how am I gonna do THIS?

I tried to calm myself down as I debated whether to head for the surface or just try to stay. I kept thinking back to my training and any stories I had heard about puking underwater and what to do.

I knew what had caused it. The massive sudden change in temperature. It hit my body like I had been dumped into a tub of artic ice, fully submerged.

As I stood on the top of the bus, debating, I began to get a bit more acclimated to the water temperature. The rushing nausea subsided bit by bit. I was NOT going to get sick :) Yeah for me!

I swam around a bit checking out the bus and trying to get my mind off it. It worked. We were able to continue on a nice shallow dive with no problems.

So my question is this. How do you prepare for that?? No one had ever told me about how that sudden change might affect my body. Maybe it doesn't happen to others. ?

Over the next few years, I asked others about puking underwater. All said it was possible, you gotta keep the reg in your mouth, and then you gotta have it serviced right afterwards for a good cleaning.

I would prefer for it just not to happen.

And I learned how my body doesn't like a fast temperature change, so I have subsequently avoided that.

Any other comments on if this has happened to you and such would be great. Tell me a good story :)

The Ocean

A Humorous Yet Thoughtful Poem

The Ocean is a Woman

The ocean is a woman and I can prove it.

Depending on the season, it's calm, fluid and captivating

or rough, angry and roaring.

Men continue to try to conquer it and out manuveur it.

They explore it and dive to the depths.

Which leads to land being a man.

Just look at the continent of Africa or South America.

Or the best example, the state of Florida. Need I say more?

The ocean is a woman and mother of all.

It heals, inspires, and nutures us

Yet dares us to walk on it.

(Once again, men invented surfboards and boats.)

Why Did I Start Scuba Diving?

What made me think I could do it? What made me even want to do it?

I asked hubby the other night because I really didn't know.

He said it started when we got married in Jamaica. We saw them going out and thought we would like to try it and were kicking ourselves when we got home.

I said, "Yes, okay, but what made us even think about doing it?"

He replied, "We're adventurous." (yeah that is me jumping into the water)

Which is true. I love doing different things. I love trying new things, to an extent. I still go to McDonalds and order the same thing over and over. I rarely try new food. I know what I like. I hate the changing of plans or rituals. But I do like to experience different things. And I am awfully dog gone curious.

I wondered what was down there. What did it look like? What could you see? What was there?

Nowadays I am much more comfortable down under than floating on the top. You can't see anything from up there. I would rather see something scary and face it head on than not know it was there.

So I guess it was all about the unknown. And I could make it known, so I (we) did.

But I had a lot on my side before we ever even started. My whole life we had swimming pools. I spent my summers swimming and was never afraid of the water. We canoed and swam in rivers. I went on cruises with my family when I was young and saw the vastness of the ocean. We visited beaches.

Water is very comforting to me.

The Fight with Myself

I am a toucher. Now mind you, I don't want to touch coral, or break it off, or damage anything ever. If there is a sign posted, or a law, that says DO NOT TOUCH, I won't.

But what about when you can? And want to?

I love have my picture taken with various creatures. I think it all started when I was 8 and they had a bobcat at the place where we bought our family car. I got my picture taken hugging it. Not the car, the bobcat. (The poor thing was so drugged it could barely open it's eyes as I look back to the pic.)

I also am a big proponent of protecting marine life. Do no harm. Protect the ecosystem, etc.

I have had my picture taken with the porcupine puffer, a sea cucumber (I am actually snuggling with it), and several starfish. I have had my picture taken while petting/scratching manatees. None of the animals were harmed. I have been one on one with sea turtles and never touched them due to the laws.

I have also petted dolphins at Sea World. I have had clams opened up and killed to get the pearl (at Sea World.) But I don't eat fish (well, except tuna) but only because I don't like the taste of any of it.

So I struggle with myself. Get a cool picture with an odd animal or get one of just the animal. They just seem so much better with a person involved.

I would imagine a lot of you have a lot to say about this subject. But please be kind - as I said, I fight with myself.

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!

Frozen

My pond is frozen over. The larger pond down the way is frozen over. No watery waves or ripples to see anywhere. Just ice. How my poor fish do it is beyond me. I guess they don't get miserable in the cold.

It all got me to wondering when spring will REALLY arrive and how much longer after that it will take for the water to warm up.

I don't remember ever diving in April. May seems a bit early too.

The water needs so much sun to warm up. And then there is that period where the water turns over - murky, cloudy, ick.

We have dove well into September though. Some of the braver souls around here dive in October and cut out pumpkins - weirdos! :) I think I might be fine IN the water at that time of year but coming out to frigid cold really doesn't excite me at all especially if you already got chilled in the water.

I talked to a guy once who went ice diving. YIKES! Not only is it cold, you have to deal with getting lost under the ice. Not my idea of fun.

I'm ready for warm waters.