Congratulations! And BRAVO!!
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Congratulations! And BRAVO!!
Well done on getting over fear, tackling new adventures and succeeding in all!
Tradd, good job!
Diving pics from Saturday! I went to Gilboa Quarry near Findlay, OH, for a weekend of diving with a Midwestern group. They knew I was a rank beginner and welcomed me with open arms. These were my first post-cert dives.
First pic. We were going over the school bus when all these fish came out of nowhere. Turns out this is where they're fed by a lot of people (you buy fish food from the quarry). I was warned to wear my hood if I didn't want my ears nibbled by the bitey, aggressive fish! :0! I pulled up, went vertical, and put my arm up (instinctive reaction) to shield my face!
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...3/IMG_2664.jpg
There was also a huge a$$ monster catfish on the bottom, about 10-12 feet below us. Ugly mother!
Other two pics. These were also from the first dive Saturday and I was nervous, so the guy with me and the gal taking pics let me hold his hand! I'm the one with the blue gloves who is not diving "level." I'll get better with practice. These pics are so cool, though, to see myself in the water!:cool:
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...3/IMG_2665.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...3/IMG_2666.jpg
Wow - great pictures!
Yes, these are realyl interesting!
Tradd, it amazes me how quickly you took up this new hobby and became certified. It is just so, I don't know, out of the box!
Now you will have to plan a Caribbean vacation.
They're so neat, aren't they? All the non-diving people go "oooh, aaah"! Tomorrow is underwater pumpkin carving at our local quarry and i even have a costume to wear underwater that doesn't interfere with my gear. You get bonus points that way! ;) A friend made my costume. I'll post pics.Quote:
Originally Posted by ejchase
Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
I'm going to Little Cayman next August with a friend in another state. I didn't even know she dived until I started talking about it. She's only a vacation diver. Thinks I'm nuts to be drysuit diving in cold Midwestern waters! ;) She invited me on the trip a few days before I got certified. Gave me extra incentive to get 'er done! We're going as part of a group.
I envy your intrepidness!
Jane, no one has ever called me intrepid before!
I won the underwater pumpkin carving/costume contest yesterday! My costume was a ballerina - purple and pink tulle tutu to match the purple trim on my drysuit. My prize was a rather expensive piece of diving gear.
Carving a pumpkin underwater is more difficult than it appears. I was nearly upside down at one point. It was a ton of fun! The gal I dove with last weekend in Ohio drove in for the weekend and was my diving buddy. We had a ball.
Sometimes things just click. I still have a few anxiety issues with getting comfortable, especially on first descending, particularly with low visibility conditions, but it will get better with more time in the water. Yesterday, I had issues descending on the second dive, but I just talked myself through it (out loud to my dive buddy) and went down. She understands since she had a LOT of water related fears when she started diving last summer. But she spends a lot of time in the water and is quite good.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
You should be really proud of what you have done and I am delighted that it has opened up a new world for you to explore.
That's a blast that you actually won. Good fun too.
Believe me, I really am! Still amazed I did it!Quote:
Originally Posted by razz
My dive buddy finally posted the pics of me underwater on FB.
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...70936518_o.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...52431902_o.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...15614750_o.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...13312009_o.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...75998377_o.jpg
You can really see my costume better in this one.
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...28862706_o.jpg
That last picture is darling; love the tutu!
Those fish are helping? Great photos!
The fish want the pumpkin innards!
You just made my day happier!
Very glad to hear that! :)
An action figure of Tradd is needed. It would come with tiny accessories: 2 guns, dive suit and scuba gear, church lady hat and printed music.
IL, that is freaking hysterical! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
I would buy one!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
I've decided no Florida trip this winter, even for a weekend. Simply not in the budget, plus I have a severe aversion to flying out of O'Hare in the winter. Flights get cancelled waaayyy too often.
No Lake Huron diving trip next summer either. I'll be spending about $3K on the Little Cayman trip. I'll take a few of the Lake Michigan trips out of Hammond, IN on the boat my dive shop runs. That way I'll get some experience diving off a boat, which is what we'll be doing on the Cayman trip.
I'm going to get in the pool as much as I can over the winter. I discovered another dive shop in the area has an indoor pool. You can dive in the pool for $10/hour, including tank rental. I'm going to see if my local dive buddy is interested in that, even though it will be a 90 minute drive for him.
Will attempt a quarry trip or two over the next few months. Both the Ohio quarry and Mermet in southern IL are open year round. Yes, I will dive in cold water. That's what the drysuit is for. :)
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by nswef
I've canceled the Little Cayman trip for a variety of reasons. Let's just say my friend expected me to do things I wasn't comfortable with in diving and still expected us to be buddied up, even though she needs someone much more experienced.
Trip would have run $3K or so. I now have the $$ for the Alpena, MI/Lake Huron trip I REALLY want to take.
HI Tradd, haven't been here in a long time, but just came back and read your thread about your adventures with diving...you are so inspiring! You really got it all down so quickly and were on you way...so great!
Thank you! Well, not really got it all so quickly! I still have some issues getting comfortable in the water. Closed out the season at our local quarry on Sunday. I was holding hands with my dive buddy, but only because viz was so bad (about 5 feet). No tight grip, though, so that's an improvement!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tussiemussies
I hope you get to warm water dive places one of these days, the flora and fauna will be wnderful.
I don't really get excited by the tropical flora and fauna many folks rave over.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
My dive shop is sponsoring the Lake Huron dive trip and will advertise it to help fill the boat! :) Water temps are in the 50s, even at the height of summer. Wrecks! :)
I was going to ask about wrecks. Those would be very interesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
Interactive map - click on shipwreck icon on the left if they don't show up on the map.
http://www.us23heritageroute.org/act...t=cv&cid=8&s=m
Someone just posted these pics of me on FB from the Midwestern dive group gathering in October, where I did my first post cert dives. First close-up pics of me underwater I've seen. And look at those chubby cheeks of mine! :D If you look closely at my mask, you will see water at the bottom of the lens. I'm on a never ending search for a mask that doesn't leak...much. I have prominent smile lines on either side of my nose and that's where the water comes in.
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...67769760_o.jpg
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/x...98509307_o.jpg
I was going to say you look proud and happy, as you should!
Thank you! This was my first post-cert dive and frankly, I was pretty nervous. That's why I'm hanging onto the buoy line! My goal when I go diving the first week in December at the Oho quarry is no hand holding!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lainey
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
That is just awesome!
Tradd, these are great!!!
Took back two leaking masks to the dive shop yesterday and brought another one home. Took my snorkel with me to put in my mouth when trying on masks, as having snorkel or reg in your mouth obviously can change the shape of your face. What's great is that the new mask was $40, half the cost of each of the masks I exchanged. A previous mask also fit pretty. It leaked some, but not as bad as the others. And it was only $50. Shop also gave me some silicone grease to try at sealing up the bottom of my mask. Shop couldn't believe how much water I had in my mask in the above pics.