08.30.08
Posted in 7. Courses at 9:04 am by scubagirl
This report is of my experience only and by reading this it does not qualify you to dive by yourself, and I am not in any way suggesting that you should dive independently or take the SDI Solo Dive course unless you want to (please contact your SDI Solo Dive Instructor)All through my PADI training the buddy system has been mandatory and imprinted into our brains. ‘if you don’t have a buddy … you don’t dive!’
Why I took the course
Over the last two years I have seen a few flaws in the buddy system:
- it has been quite rare that I have buddied someone with similar levels of diving or needs and wants when we are under the water
- the varying types of kit configuration confuses me no end during the buddy check
- I found that the Dom:Sub characteristics can exist outside of fetish clubs
A few events over the last two years had made me decide to do this SDI Solo course
First, (this is the main reason for the course, in my opinion) I realized that, like with anything, after you had done it for a while you get a little slack and lazy and I needed to relearn things about self preservation and making sure I knew how to get myself to the surface if anything negative happen to me while diving. This is the case if you have a buddy or not
Second, a few weeks ago my buddy called to cancel on me after I had reached the lake so I ended up going home and doing the vacuuming, because I had no-one to dive with
Third, I do a lot of traveling on liveaboards and I didn’t want to be buddied with someone who I was not suited …..
if they wanted to set their deep dive personal best, or
if they wanted to clock a world record in “time to fin around the wreck/ reef”, or
if I thought they were a danger to myself or themselves
On one trip I was the odd person on a boat full of couples and there was no buddy for me, I was at the mercy of the dive masters
Fourth, I have taken up photography and I didn’t want to p!55 off my buddy by making them wait while I took 15 pictures of the same shrimp
when all they were interested in were sharks
Fifth, I’m getting selfish in my old age and I don’t want to be ‘someone’s nursemaid, lifeguard and travel guide
The Course
After completing the paperwork we started to review the theory
Why do you want to take this course?
I answered this pretty much as above, and explained to my instructor, who I had met a few times before:
I am diver who is not interested in squeezing myself into a flooded tunnel for 7 hours or going down to 90 meters with 5 cylinders and a 2 hour deco time and will never dive doubles …. really, never! Not even twin 7s, no matter how comfy you tell me they are
All I wanted was to learn how to look after myself under water and use the ticket to dive the lake on a sunny Saturday when I had nothing planned and I had a couple of hours free or when I am on my trips overseas if the buddy I was assigned to did not work out
Personal requirements:
100 logged dives, over 18 years of age
Equipment requirements:
(this is not the complete list, please refer to your SDI Solo Diving Instructor) dsmb/ reel, redundancy air supply, cutting devices, lights, surface audible signaling device etc
Importance of:
(this is not the complete list, please refer to your SDI Solo Diving Instructor) control, overhead environments, dive planning, when not to solo dive, gas management, emergency situations etc
First dive:
we took a series of air consumption tests
Back in the class room we calculated my SAC at the various activities
Second dive:
navigation
Emergency situations
Gas switching
Buoyancy control
200 meter surface swim
Third dive:
I planned my dive to enter at the jetty at a specified time, navigate to five objects in the water to a maximum depth
I would release my DSMB at the fifth object, ascend to do my stop, ascend to the surface at an agreed dive time and surface swim back to the jetty
As soon as I entered the water I got this feeling of amazing independence and freedom. I looked around and there was no-one there, in fact I had the entire lake to myself, other than the swans
It was 6 degrees in the water and pouring with rain – so that may have had something to do with it – conditions were not ideal
I did not need to keep looking at someone to see if my buddy was still there, were they cold, did they want to get out, were they bored with swimming round and round the same little fishing boat that I found so fascinating
I could do what ever I wanted so long as I didn’t go into an overhead environment, kept to my depth limit and I came out of the water when I told the instructor that I would
Summary
I found this course really useful
I learned things that I had not known, there was re-enforcement/ revision of items that I had overlooked/ forgotten over the years and we discussed at length the risks associate with diving generally and independent diving
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Posted in 5. Overseas trips at 8:57 am by scubagirl
The travel:
American Airlines 777 LHR to Miami, change planes American Airlines 737 to Providenciales
Weight allowance 2x 23kg hold + 18kg cabin
Outbound - delayed 30 minutes at Heathrow and 1 hour at Miami
Inbound – Six hour lay over in Miami + delayed 1 hour
This may have been something to do with me because the Steward asked me to move to a window seat and let the lady with a bladder problem next to me sit on the isle
No, I was not going to move. They put her in Business Class in the end
I have written the rest of the “Travel” bit at the end as it’s really really negative
The Crew:
I walked out of Providenciales airport and spotted the rep carrying the Explorer Ventures sign. I caught her eye at the exact same time she caught mine and in unison we said “I know you!” Fear gripped me and I was thinking, “oh, no …. not her”. She may have been thinking the same?! I had met this crew member on a trip to Saba and St Eustatius in June 2006 where she was covering the position of the Purser for one month because the Captain had sacked two of his crew who were now on the Turks and Caicos Explorer II
After the Saba trip I made a complaint of both the Captain and the Purser – the Captain was removed from his position
I have to say now that she, the Purser, is a completely changed person. She seems to have grown up a lot and she did tell me a few things that were going on during the Saba trip which helped me understand her behaviour …. all is forgiven
On this trip she was a dive guide, which I think she is more suited to
The other crew members were: a Purser, two more dive guides, engineer x 2, chef, and the captain
I can not fault the crew at all, they were great, especially the Purser who really went out of her way to help me and the other guests
This is the first live-aboard Captain I have travelled with who mingled/ chatted with the guests and showed that he really cared for them and not just steering the boat
The Other Guests:
American …. all of them!
I could not have asked for a nicer group of people to travel with
12 were from one group based in New York, two met this group on a previous trip and were invited to join them on the T&CEII this week, there were two guys that came together and one more guy who travelled on his own …. and me
I was so well looked after, once John got over his initial worry about Cy. He was convinced that he would have to rescue me at some point. Luckily he did not – I hope I proved myself?
- Donna lent me tooth paste and two different types of anti itch ointments (I was the only one to get bitten by sea lice)
- Anne lent me stuff to heal my bites/ stings and batteries
- Stan lent me meat tenderiser
- Trish lent me clothes and a hood (if I had asked her for the kitchen sink she would have produced that from her back pack and she let me keep the hood - thanks)
- Steve would pull me out of the tank stop when I did my impression of a demented turtle
- John tried to sort out my camera
- All the boys “zipped” me up!
Some notable things that were said to me:
- “oh, you are so teenee beenee”
- “don’t you speak English good”
- “when you talk, you sound so intelligent”
- “you must breathe under water”
- “why don’t you just use your pony as your main and the crack bottle on your DSMB as your pony?”
- “have you only just got back to the boat” said by people who were de-kitted, showered and half way through lunch as I emerged from the depths
- “you should add a few layers of fat so I don’t get so cold”
And, I gained the admiration of a few because I do my own planning and travel on my own and I solo dive
….. yes, I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right – I have no friends!
I have been invited to join them in Lake George some time over the summer, or on their next trip, which I would love to do. I will bring Wagon Wheels and Curly Wurlys
A few of them are going to Gos in two months so it gave me the chance to reminisce and talk about my trip there last October. I kept a few things to myself, though ;o)
The diving:
This was not at all what I expected! We were told: 70 minute max dive time to a max depth of 110 feet and come up on 1500 PSI, up to five dives a day. This was fine for everyone
I have no idea what 110 feet is so I just stuck to my usual
plan of max 34 meters at PO 1.4 and I never run my gas down to 50 bar so I was not too worried about the PSI thing, and I’m so pleased I took my little pony
Actual average depth, for me, was 13 meters to 18 meters depending on the site with a max of 31 meters once in the whole week – no need to go deeper
The wall started at between 12 meters and 17 meters on all dives. So I would start along the wall and end on the flat bit …. what is that called??
Only felt current on one dive and surge on a couple of dives
There was little in the way of marine life and even less colourful soft coral
We had some sharks, the odd moray, no nudibranchs, one flat worm, a few hermit crabs, lots of lobsters. It was all hard coral and rock
The visibility was usually 20 meters, and the water was 26 degrees.
The only real mistake I made was not taking my dry suit. This was way too cold for me even when I was wearing four layers: under armour borrowed from Trish, AeroSkin borrowed from Jules, five mil long and three mil shorty
The best thing I did was solo dive for 25 of the 26 dives I made (the night dive I did with Steve was really good with those lobsters fighting, thanks. But after this dive he developed an ear infection and did not dive for the next three and a half days)
I was free to do what ever I wanted (within the rules of the boat, SDI and my own safety). I was doing 60+ minute dives and still coming up on 80 bar to the amazement of some of the people on the boat
I can’t really tell you anything else – this is, in my opinion, not a good diving destination
A couple of us, individually, mentioned to one of the crew about the “not so good” diving and we were told that they are saving the best for last.
Why?
Why don’t we go there first and stay there – weather and mooring availability permitting. And the weather actually got worse toward the end of the week. I accept that we can’t ‘hog’ mooring points, I think this was only a problem once and Captain Mark requested the Aggressor to move
The Boat - Tea and Cakes Explorer II (T&CEII):
The Tea & Cakes Explorer II undertook a refit in February 2007, so she still looks quite new
She is 35 meters long and holds 20 passengers and 8 crew, we had 18 passengers
There was lots of room on the sun deck and fly deck. The combo dining room and lounge was much smaller than other boats that I had travelled on and when all 18 people were in there it was full full.
But, on the plus side – the dive deck was huge and there were more mid deck state rooms than normal, and the engine was in the middle of the boat
I had a cabin to myself at the bow, I think it would have easily accommodated two people. The shower was a little ‘iffy’ but not enough for me to make a fuss about
The problem with cabin three and four is that there was a loud speaker mounted on the wall outside so that the Captain and the crew could communicate when approaching a mooring. The Captains voice would bellow through the speaker and the crew would yell back at him. Not very nice first thing in the morning
They made their own water! So, you can drink the water out of the taps and the toilet we were told, although I decided against that
Alcohol is included, but as I don’t drink anything other than Blue WKD (chilled in the freezer for exactly 45 minutes so that it just starts to crystallize) this was a cost I incurred and did not make use of …. other than Bailey’s and hot chocolate after the night dives
More about the boat ….what is that swing about?
T&CEII is built of aluminum (spelling for my fellow American guests) and sits very high in the water. I was told that there is a battle between the water current and the wind. So, the winds pulls the boat in one direction, and as the wind drops the current pulls it back the other way. You could be making your ascent directly below the stern, and then the boat would swing and it swings fast so you have to chase after it, but it is very very fast and not easy to catch
Or, you could simply wait eight minutes for it to swing back again and grab hold of the drop line which pulls you along as it swings
Make sure you get a strong grip, if you let go you won’t catch it again
The smart ones amongst us – not me, I did not think of this until I saw people doing it on day five, a bit late by then! They made their ascent and stop on the bow line and swam under the boat to the stern and up the ladder.
What I was doing was navigating back to the entry point, I would watch for which way the boat was swinging, make my ascent at some meters away and hope that I reached 7 meters at the same time the drop line was passing me
Two nights on Providenciales after the T&CEII
There are only three things to do in Providenciales: sit on the beach, dive and drink!
I’m not a sun worshipper, I’d was already all dived out and when I drink I seem to get myself into trouble
More about the travel:
I called American Airlines two weeks before I travelled to see if I could book my seat in advance. I was told that you can only book your seat at the check in desk. This is strange because I went on their website allows you to select/ change your seat, but when I tried the entire plane was showing as full except for one seat
I got to the check in desk well over two hours before take off and asked for an isle seat close to the front of the plane. I was told that the seats are assigned at the departure desk. I questioned this and was told that this is how things are always done on all airlines!!!!????? So, I skipped the usual compulsory duty free shopping and rushed through to departures and was given a pre-printed boarding pass for 44D ….. NO!
I was not accepting this seat at all, ever!
I was told that the plane was full and there were no other seats. I pointed out that there were no more than 20 people in the departure lounge and that she can switch my seat with someone else’s.
No, she said that the seats are assigned a year in advance to people. Well that just did not make sense to me and I was getting conflicting messages from American Airlines staff, she was not prepared to help me at all or provide any explanation to my questions and I reluctantly accepted the boarding pass.
As they started to board, I went back to the lady on the desk and appealed to her to change my seat. She sent me round the corner to someone else who it seems assigned the seats (had she been standing there for the entire past 12 months? I wondered)
Without much trouble she changed my seat to a front bulk head seat and there was a spare seat next to me! And the plane was not full
On the flight to Miami we were given an omelette – not very nice
Then five hours later we were given a snack – quite disgusting
And the drinks trolley came round once only
I was so hungry!
I asked for a glass of water after 7 hours and was shouted at to get out of the galley – I was not in the galley, the staff were rude and arrogant, clearly hated their jobs or maybe the people that they worked with from comments I heard from one cabin crew
There was a complete debacle at Miami airport
I had to go through immigration, pick up my bags, drop them somewhere else and then go straight through to departures
I’m so surprised when my bags turned up at Providenciales
I was impressed with the finger printing and that they took pictures of everyone as they cleared customs. Is Heathrow T5 going to implement this?
We were delayed an hour and all we were given to eat on the next flight was an airline measure bag of salted pretzels during the next flight
In Summary:
The Good: the boat, the crew, the guests
The Bad: the boat swing, Providenciales
The Ugly: the lack of colour and marine life on the reefs
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Posted in Wraysbury at 8:41 am by scubagirl
within a couple of recent YD threads i have read lines similar to this one …
“there are lots of experienced divers that will dive with you and show you a few things”
well, this semi-experienced diver will not dive with you and will not show you a few things 
for those of you who know me I ask for three things:
your friendship
your happiness
your kindness toward other people
i am going to add a fourth …..
if you pitch up at the lake on your own with no buddy and you have only done 13 dives, two of which are in the UK
and i offer to take you round the lake, afterward i expect you to say thank you 
NOTE: as you know - since march i have been very choosy about who i buddy
so, this guy shows up and my buddy and i offer to take him round
i give him a briefing before we get in 
i navigate our way to 5 objects in the lake, checking his air at the fifth i decide it is time to head back
so, i navigate us back to the jetty via three of the original objects also allowing him to practice smb deployment at the third … which is not ….
QUOTE FROM THIS PERSON “a sheet of chipboard on the back of something???) lol” UNQUOTE
pretty good, i think for your third UK dive and your first at the lake considering you may not have been able to get into the water at all following your 80 mile journey
this was not my plan for dive one if he was not there
a very well know and well respected YDer was there and he said
“it is impossible to get into the lake and travel for more then 12 meters and find your way back”
well, i took this guy out and i brought him back 
not a word of thanks - unless he whispered it while my back was turned
i don’t expect a huge thread (LadyD is American that’s her excuse)
i don’t expect you to offer to buy me a coke (i don’t drink beer)
i do expect you to be just a little grateful for me changing my plan to help you out
i even found him a buddy for his next dive - another American
here’s another quote i found on YD the other day
“there’s actually a fair few divers who won’t mind helping out with some of the basics that you’d probably pay a fair bit of money for at a centre”
here’s another quote said to me that evening
“he was very lucky that you took him round the lake and showed him so much”
do you think i’m blowing this out of proportion - am i wrong to expect a simple thank you 
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