My brother informs me that he received his Open Water cert while he and his beautiful wife were on their honeymoon in Jamaica. Can't wait to hear all about it!
In other news, if you're on Facebook you might want to check out PADI's FB profile.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
PADI Fail
No doubt about it: there is no way that the requirements of PADI's "Scuba Diver" certification are enough to allow anyone to dive safely in open water. "Scuba Diver" should be eliminated. It's a joke.
That said, the Open Water requirements seem to me to be thorough enough, provided you have an uncompromising instructor who makes sure you know what you're doing.
Unsafe at any Depth: PADI Scuba Diver
That said, the Open Water requirements seem to me to be thorough enough, provided you have an uncompromising instructor who makes sure you know what you're doing.
Unsafe at any Depth: PADI Scuba Diver
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
This is some of the best and most thorough advice on ear equalization and the effects of pressure on the mechanisms of the ear that I have come across and I can't recommend it highly enough.
The Diver's Complete Guide To the Ear
Presented in PDF format.
The Diver's Complete Guide To the Ear
Presented in PDF format.
Dive #6
Date: October 2, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Brockville, Ontario, Canada
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20/10 ft
Air temp: 55ºF
Water temp: 64ºF
Max depth: 30 ft
Weight: 22 lbs.
Comments: This is my favorite wreck dive so far. The Rothesay is a big old wreck with an nice and easy line to follow out to the site. A surprising number of freshwater sponges (looking like squishy, thick clumps of bleached roots) show the renewed health and clarity of the St. Lawrence. Lots of fish in and around the wreck.
Visibility was fair at the start of the dive, but by the time everybody had arrived at the wreck (the current was so gentle as to be almost unnoticeable) the silt kicked up had reduced visibility to less than 10 feet. Between that and the chill, I cut this dive short to only 30 minutes.
BTD- 2:20
ToD- 0:30
Cum- 2:50
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Brockville, Ontario, Canada
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20/10 ft
Air temp: 55ºF
Water temp: 64ºF
Max depth: 30 ft
Weight: 22 lbs.
Comments: This is my favorite wreck dive so far. The Rothesay is a big old wreck with an nice and easy line to follow out to the site. A surprising number of freshwater sponges (looking like squishy, thick clumps of bleached roots) show the renewed health and clarity of the St. Lawrence. Lots of fish in and around the wreck.
Visibility was fair at the start of the dive, but by the time everybody had arrived at the wreck (the current was so gentle as to be almost unnoticeable) the silt kicked up had reduced visibility to less than 10 feet. Between that and the chill, I cut this dive short to only 30 minutes.
BTD- 2:20
ToD- 0:30
Cum- 2:50
Dive #5
Date: October 2, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Galop Canal- Cardinal, Ontario, Canada
Type: drift dive, shore entry
Visibility: 30 ft
Air temp: 50ºF
Water temp: 64ºF
Max depth: 20 ft
Weight: 22 lbs.
Air used: 2200 psi/bar
Comments: Put in on an old lock gate. Made our way around the lock wall into the canal proper and promptly got tangled in some fishing line, stabbed myself with the hook about 7 times before I got free of it. Thankfully that was the worst part of the whole trip.
The current in the canal itself seemed stronger than the 1 knot I saw listed, but it could just be my inexperience. I do know it was strong enough for us to get caught in the eddy for a while, which completely messed up my navigation until I surfaceed to get my berings.
Saw some interesting fish: perch, smallmoth bass, a catfish, various kinds of sunfish. Also saw a strange looking fish I have yet to identify: it was approximately 18 inches long, round body with rounded fins, and seemed in the light to be sort of a periwinkle blue color, with no other distinguishing marks that I could see. Gonna have to get me an Audabon guide. This was dive #1 of the PADI Underwater Naturalist Adventure class.
The wrecks were pretty cool, but my dive flag kept getting tangled around them in places. Saw the Conestoga and the Wee Hawk.
View Galop Canal Drift in a larger map
BTD- 1:35
ToD- 0:45
Cum- 2:20
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Galop Canal- Cardinal, Ontario, Canada
Type: drift dive, shore entry
Visibility: 30 ft
Air temp: 50ºF
Water temp: 64ºF
Max depth: 20 ft
Weight: 22 lbs.
Air used: 2200 psi/bar
Comments: Put in on an old lock gate. Made our way around the lock wall into the canal proper and promptly got tangled in some fishing line, stabbed myself with the hook about 7 times before I got free of it. Thankfully that was the worst part of the whole trip.
The current in the canal itself seemed stronger than the 1 knot I saw listed, but it could just be my inexperience. I do know it was strong enough for us to get caught in the eddy for a while, which completely messed up my navigation until I surfaceed to get my berings.
Saw some interesting fish: perch, smallmoth bass, a catfish, various kinds of sunfish. Also saw a strange looking fish I have yet to identify: it was approximately 18 inches long, round body with rounded fins, and seemed in the light to be sort of a periwinkle blue color, with no other distinguishing marks that I could see. Gonna have to get me an Audabon guide. This was dive #1 of the PADI Underwater Naturalist Adventure class.
The wrecks were pretty cool, but my dive flag kept getting tangled around them in places. Saw the Conestoga and the Wee Hawk.
View Galop Canal Drift in a larger map
BTD- 1:35
ToD- 0:45
Cum- 2:20
Dive #4
Date: September 19, 2010
Time: 10:40 AM
Location: Canandaigua, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20 ft
Air temp: 65ºF
Water temp: 68ºF
Max depth: 10 ft
Weight: 16 lbs.
Comments: More skills testing. This dive completes my training! After completion I am now a PADI certified open water diver.
BTD- 1:15
ToD- 0:20
Cum- 1:35
Time: 10:40 AM
Location: Canandaigua, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20 ft
Air temp: 65ºF
Water temp: 68ºF
Max depth: 10 ft
Weight: 16 lbs.
Comments: More skills testing. This dive completes my training! After completion I am now a PADI certified open water diver.
BTD- 1:15
ToD- 0:20
Cum- 1:35
Dive #3
Date: September 19, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Canandaigua, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20 ft
Air temp: 65ºF
Water temp: 68ºF
Max depth: 10 ft
Weight: 16 lbs.
Comments: Skills testing. Almost lost my $220 borrowed fin!
BTD- 0:55
ToD- 0:20
Cum- 1:15
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Canandaigua, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20 ft
Air temp: 65ºF
Water temp: 68ºF
Max depth: 10 ft
Weight: 16 lbs.
Comments: Skills testing. Almost lost my $220 borrowed fin!
BTD- 0:55
ToD- 0:20
Cum- 1:15
Dive #2
Date: September 19, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Canandaigua, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20 ft
Air temp: 65ºF
Water temp: 68ºF
Max depth: 25 ft
Weight: 16 lbs.
Comments: Cool, gray morning on Canandigua Lake. Went in across from West Lake Schoolhouse Park. Saw some fish, and a really big blue crayfish which looked good enough to eat! Felt under-weighted, though. Had a hard time descending.
View Larger Map
BTD- 0:25
ToD- 0:30
Cum- 0:55
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Canandaigua, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 20 ft
Air temp: 65ºF
Water temp: 68ºF
Max depth: 25 ft
Weight: 16 lbs.
Comments: Cool, gray morning on Canandigua Lake. Went in across from West Lake Schoolhouse Park. Saw some fish, and a really big blue crayfish which looked good enough to eat! Felt under-weighted, though. Had a hard time descending.
View Larger Map
BTD- 0:25
ToD- 0:30
Cum- 0:55
Dive #1
Date: August 31, 2010
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Williamson, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 25 ft
Air temp: 85ºF
Water temp: 67ºF
Max depth: 10 ft
Comments: My first open water dive with Jim Weiser, my instructor, and another student named Rachel. Weather was gorgeous. Saw some Smallmouth Bass. A really nice first dive.
BTD- 0:00
ToD- 0:25
Cum- 0:25
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Williamson, NY
Type: shore dive
Visibility: 25 ft
Air temp: 85ºF
Water temp: 67ºF
Max depth: 10 ft
Comments: My first open water dive with Jim Weiser, my instructor, and another student named Rachel. Weather was gorgeous. Saw some Smallmouth Bass. A really nice first dive.
BTD- 0:00
ToD- 0:25
Cum- 0:25
Hi there!
This blog is more like my attempt at keeping an online Diver's Log than anything I actively share with the world, so updates probably won't be all that frequent, but as I find cool stuff worth recording/sharing, I'll certainly add them here, and anyone happening upon them is welcome to comment even if it's just to say hi.
I'll probably start by inserting my current log entries and then include various thoughts, links, and commentary from there. I've got some interesting links I'll be adding to the side bar also.
I'll probably start by inserting my current log entries and then include various thoughts, links, and commentary from there. I've got some interesting links I'll be adding to the side bar also.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)