glug glug

[gfish]

This weekend we did the classroom and pool sessions of scuba training. So far, I really like it. (Even if it remains ridiculously expensive.) Floating is always nice and breathing underwater is a particularly nice kind of head-breaky. Next weekend is the written test and the open water dive, at which point I get to see if 8 degree Puget Sound water is more annoying than 3 days of heavily chlorinated pool water.

One of the skill tests is removing the BC (buoyancy compensator, the vest to which the tank attaches) underwater and putting it back on. Which doesn't sound too bad until it start to float up away from you with all that buoyancy and the regulator hoses sort of wrap around your neck and the vest kind of binds your arms behind you. That wasn't fun, exactly, but it sure was nice training on how messed up things can get and still be salvageable if you don't panic.

Talking underwater being rather difficult, everything is done with hand signs. And the one we use the most is OK -- the thumb-and-forefinger circle kind, not a thumbs up. It's both a question and a response, and it's particularly useful when you're fighting with your equipment and don't want the instructor coming over to offer you his secondary air supply. I've been doing it so much that it has started to mutate into the greeting gesture from The Prisoner.

'Excuse me, do you happen to be drowning?'
'No, not today, thank you.'
'Ah, excellent. Be seeing you.'
'And you.'
*both swim off in giant victorian paddling devices*

I don't think I'll ever get into diving as more than just an interesting thing to do now and then, but it will be a nice skill to have. There is already talk of doing some diving while we're in Houston. The idea of a warm ocean is just fundamentally weird.

Comments

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're doing this. Now I have someone to send outside to plant the explosives while we're tooling around under Lake Washington in our miniature nuclear submarine.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Gladly. As long as we're no deeper than 20 meters and it doesn't take any longer than 55 minutes.

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

As to the first, the average depth is only, like, 30m. I think it gets down to 60 or 70.
As to the second, I think that's really going to depend how well you swim and how well you plant explosives, no?

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

32.9 and 65.2, according to wikipedia. Doesn't say how deep the canal is, damnit. Lake union averages 10 and gets down to 15. That's plenty deep to hide the sub in for short periods, but I doubt we can get thru the locks without surfacing. This could be a problem.

*adds a couple zeros to the torpedo specs*

[adularia.livejournal.com]

Have you gone over using the NAUI dive tables yet?

And I do think the open water dive was actually warmer than in the pool. I got quite chilled in the pool, wearing just a bathing suit, and for the open water wore a 7mil farmer john (so 1.4cm in the overlap) and was almost toasty. In the pool, I hadn't realized how much body heat goes into your lungs just to warm the air.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the tables are cute. If I was doing this regularly I'd still prefer a dive computer, though.

That sounds promising. I wasn't cold in the pool sessions at all, wearing just a pair of trunks, except after I got out.

[hsifyppah.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to try SCUBA diving, but I will admit it's only so I can play rock paper scissors underwater.

[trystel.livejournal.com]

My ex and I both went diving a ton in the early 90's in the Puget Sound (boat dives, current dives, deep dives, night dives, wreck dives, you name it), but once we divorced and I moved to CA, we only went a few times. And, now back in WA with kids and no time, I really miss it. If you want recommendations on dive sites that are cool, feel free to email me. Vixy has my email address. Also, best way to combat the cold is to bring a thermos of hot water and an empty pitcher. Before you gear up, but after you are suited up, collect some of the cold water from the Sound and pour in the hot water until it's a toasty temperature, then literally pour it inside your wetsuit. Helps a lot.

Enjoy the experience! I've been stung by a jellyfish, attracted a shark with my dive light, was the counter weight for a newbie diver who panicked and gave us both bloody noses for ascending too quickly, held a squid the size of my thumb, had a seal try to steal my fin, knifed my way into shore during a hellacious current exchange, discovered wolf eels hiding in shipwrecks, found an octopus at 110'...wouldn't give back any of the experiences. So much fun! You'll have a blast.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Watch out for Rover!

[gement.livejournal.com]

I snarfed so hard. Thank you. Be seeing you!

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

I think this would work.
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/793.html