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 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.

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 Pictures Sea & Sea MX5

I thought I would share some scuba pictures. These were taken in Jamaica on the north coast. With an Sea and Sea MX5. I was feeling reminiscent :)