My Diving Experiences

[Teacher Terry]

Lake Michigan is always freezing. The farthest I have ever gotten was to my knees.

[Tybee]

Lake Michigan is always freezing. The farthest I have ever gotten was to my knees.

I feel so rugged. I swim every summer!

[iris lilies]

I feel so rugged. I swim every summer!

Funny, I was just thinking that. You rugged Northerners! I cannot do those winters! Boy the cool crisp air this time of year is so attractive though.

There’s a cadre of people in St. Louis who go up north to the great lakes this time of year and you can understand why.

[Teacher Terry]

We swam in all the local small lakes but Lake Michigan is way too cold. Tybee, you are a bad ass)

[Tybee]

We swam in all the local small lakes but Lake Michigan is way too cold. Tybee, you are a bad ass)

Thank you, Terry, I don't think anyone has ever called me that!!

[Tradd]

Well, apparently I'm not giving up quite yet. I was talked into diving tomorrow up in Madison, WI in Lake Mendota.

A local diver - even before the falling out with the boat/dive shop owner - put me in contact early this week with his instructor that he's been taking a really advanced class with. She's my age (early 50s) and the same size/body type (this is important for later). He mentioned my struggles with getting the two tanks on my back up the boat ladder. She suggested that I would be better off with sidemount (tanks on each side of me). I had tried sidemount two years ago and it didn't work well. Hot mess off the boat. Anyway, I talked to her last Sunday and we made arrangements to dive off her boat this weekend. After the falling out with my local dive shop owner, I cancelled with her. Told her I was giving up diving. She wanted to know what was going on and called me. I told her everything.

She has a very interesting perspective on the dive shop/dive boat local to me. Said she doesn't socialize with them at all and doesn't patronize that dive shop unless she absolutely cannot get something elsewhere. She called them a "boys' frat club." Looking back on some things, this really clicks.

She's going to show me how to dive sidemount off her boat the proper and efficient way. The back mounted double tanks were causing me issues with some other things you have to do for the class (reach behind your head and turn them all off and on - important if there is a leak). With sidemount, the valves are right under your armpits, not behind your head, so you can easily see where a leak is coming from. She's loaning me her sidemount harness (since I sold the one I had two years ago) and loaning some bits and pieces (different hose lengths, etc) to convert my regulators for sidemount.

She's donating her time. She's the one who told the local diver who put us in touch that I should come dive with her. I fully expected to pay her something for her time. I offered some $$ for boat fuel and she wouldn't even accept that! Very generous. She's apparently had great success with very enthusiastic middle aged women divers who were struggling.

So we shall see how tomorrow goes.

[catherine]

I feel so rugged. I swim every summer!

I'm with you, Tybee. I don't know how Lake Michigan compares with Lake Champlain, but I've already swum in the lake off the boat this summer. It was great. Since moving up here, swimming in the lake is my favorite outdoor activity.

[Tybee]

Official badass designation passes to Catherine, where the water temp today for her area is a whopping 61 degrees!!

[Tybee]

Tradd, I am SO glad you are going diving with this lady--this is great news.

[catherine]

Official badass designation passes to Catherine, where the water temp today for her area is a whopping 61 degrees!!

Really??? Wow, I must be becoming a Vermonter! The water was chilly when I jumped in, but it was fine after the first couple of minutes. To be honest, the 61 degrees must be an average temp of the water across all depths--the surface water had to be quite a bit warmer. It felt closer to 70. (ETA: it had to be even warmer than 70... I read that 75 is the minimum temp for comfortable swimming. honestly. I'm not THAT badass.).