Advanced Open Water Day 1
Saturday was the first day of our advanced open water class. We went to Pro Dive and took care of final details with Rich, our instructor. Rich then took us up to the Pro Dive classroom where we introduced ourselves to the rest of the class. There are eight people in the class, many of whom are actually going straight through to instructor classes. The knowledge review was very short and consisted of Rich asking us if we had any questions. He covered a few points in detail and then we went outside to practice our navigation skills.
Navigation consisted of measuring the amount of time and the number of kicks it takes to hit 100 feet, navigating a reciprocal, and navigating a box pattern. Doing this on land yielded some interesting looks from people passing by who were having some trouble figuring out why we were walking around in odd patterns in groups of two.
After the navigation practice we met Dave at The Oasis, a seaside cafe, for lunch. I had an excellent white fish/caesar wrap and french fries. It was an interesting place, not least because the booths were actually on rolling tracks, allowing you to "swing" back and forth during your meal. After lunch Susan and I hurried over to Pro Dive so that we could take care of last minute preparations before boarding the boat. Once on the boat, we learned that our first dive was going to be a wreck named the Tracy.
The Tracy was a good wreck, somewhere between 100 and 150 feet long. It was coral encrusted and we found some cool sea anenomes on one portion. The deck has been cut away in one spot, allowing you to see the piping beneath the deck. We circumnavigated the ship once and then went up over the top to check out some stuff around the boat house. The only real problem was that I lost track of Susan for about twenty seconds. I was looking all around for her but couldn't find her. I was getting very worried until she reappeared next to me. As it turns out she was directly above me, having had some trouble with her ears for a minute.
The next dive we did was the navigation dive. It went fairly well although my first attempt at a square pattern was more of a triangle. I tried it again after we were let loose to play and managed to navigate a very nice square so I felt somewhat redeemed.
After the second dive, Susan and I went back to her car to grab the dinner that Dave had left us. As it turned out, Dave had prepared a gourmet feast. There were bagel sandwiches, each wrapped individually in paper. He had prepared two bags of cheese, a Havarti with Dill and a good smoked Gouda. There were whole pickles, fresh fruit and even a mint in each "lunch box". Several beverage options were even included (I went for the cream soda). It was a great dinner.
After dinner we went back out for our night dives. The first night dive went well and, during the dive, we found a four foot nurse shark laying under a small overhang. We hung out for a while to check it out and we were all pretty geeked. According to Rich, our instructor, the odds of seeing a nurse shark on your first night dive are pretty darn low. Rich also gave us an option to do a second night dive on our own. Susan and I were pretty tired so we decided to do the dive but to make it fairly short. By the time the second dive was done, both of use were completely wiped out. We very slowly got out of our gear and changed clothes. By this point the rocking the ship along with the thoughts of the couple people who had been sick were messing with me a bit and I had to go to the stern at one point to get some fresh air. I won't say I was going to get sick, but I was certainly thinking about it.
When we got back to the dock we got in the car and headed back to Dave and Susan's place. We were both ridiculously tired. I have no idea how divemasters do six dives in a day and also haul around others peoples tanks and gear while they're at it. It was a good day but I think in retrospect I might have skipped the last dive. I remember at one point being underwater and wondering if one could take a nap while breating off scuba. Probably not a good idea...
It was a good day and a tiring day. Sunday brings two more dives after which we should have our advanced certifications. We're almost there!
Navigation consisted of measuring the amount of time and the number of kicks it takes to hit 100 feet, navigating a reciprocal, and navigating a box pattern. Doing this on land yielded some interesting looks from people passing by who were having some trouble figuring out why we were walking around in odd patterns in groups of two.
After the navigation practice we met Dave at The Oasis, a seaside cafe, for lunch. I had an excellent white fish/caesar wrap and french fries. It was an interesting place, not least because the booths were actually on rolling tracks, allowing you to "swing" back and forth during your meal. After lunch Susan and I hurried over to Pro Dive so that we could take care of last minute preparations before boarding the boat. Once on the boat, we learned that our first dive was going to be a wreck named the Tracy.
The Tracy was a good wreck, somewhere between 100 and 150 feet long. It was coral encrusted and we found some cool sea anenomes on one portion. The deck has been cut away in one spot, allowing you to see the piping beneath the deck. We circumnavigated the ship once and then went up over the top to check out some stuff around the boat house. The only real problem was that I lost track of Susan for about twenty seconds. I was looking all around for her but couldn't find her. I was getting very worried until she reappeared next to me. As it turns out she was directly above me, having had some trouble with her ears for a minute.
The next dive we did was the navigation dive. It went fairly well although my first attempt at a square pattern was more of a triangle. I tried it again after we were let loose to play and managed to navigate a very nice square so I felt somewhat redeemed.
After the second dive, Susan and I went back to her car to grab the dinner that Dave had left us. As it turned out, Dave had prepared a gourmet feast. There were bagel sandwiches, each wrapped individually in paper. He had prepared two bags of cheese, a Havarti with Dill and a good smoked Gouda. There were whole pickles, fresh fruit and even a mint in each "lunch box". Several beverage options were even included (I went for the cream soda). It was a great dinner.
After dinner we went back out for our night dives. The first night dive went well and, during the dive, we found a four foot nurse shark laying under a small overhang. We hung out for a while to check it out and we were all pretty geeked. According to Rich, our instructor, the odds of seeing a nurse shark on your first night dive are pretty darn low. Rich also gave us an option to do a second night dive on our own. Susan and I were pretty tired so we decided to do the dive but to make it fairly short. By the time the second dive was done, both of use were completely wiped out. We very slowly got out of our gear and changed clothes. By this point the rocking the ship along with the thoughts of the couple people who had been sick were messing with me a bit and I had to go to the stern at one point to get some fresh air. I won't say I was going to get sick, but I was certainly thinking about it.
When we got back to the dock we got in the car and headed back to Dave and Susan's place. We were both ridiculously tired. I have no idea how divemasters do six dives in a day and also haul around others peoples tanks and gear while they're at it. It was a good day but I think in retrospect I might have skipped the last dive. I remember at one point being underwater and wondering if one could take a nap while breating off scuba. Probably not a good idea...
It was a good day and a tiring day. Sunday brings two more dives after which we should have our advanced certifications. We're almost there!
posted by KzooJason at 9:26 AM
5 Comments:
You guys sound like you are having a blast. Makes me, almost, wish that I was a diver also and that I was there so that I could be doing it too.
Well, Henry, if we all went to a Sandals type resort together they have that sort of thing. You take an extremely short class (like two hours or something) and are certified for the duration of your stay. Then you could try it out with us! That sounds like fun to me!
Good times are being had by all... you should join us!
I just saw a tumbleweed blow past...
This is a great write-up. I am glad that I came across it.
Thank you so much for sharing.
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