Scuba diving - Page 2

jaleely · 11-20-11, 09:10 PM

Oh i completely understand about the ear thing. I was surprised I could dive at all, actually. I had so many bad ear infections when i was a kid, and i have terrible equalization issues. I throw up half the time we go out on boats, from sea sickness, and i have thrown up multiple times under the water. That is a fun trick *lmao*

SO, we spend all this money, have been waiting ten years to go to Australia, and when we finally do...hubby gets sick...THEN he's better and I get sick...and i'm sick for the boat trip to the reef.
There were 14 dives on the trip and on the 12th dive, i get a reverse block 10 feet from the surface. I was down for 11 minutes trying to equalize...it was SO PAINFUL. I forced it once on Catalina Island and broke a blood vessel in my sinuses, bled and bled for a day, off and on, and then saw blood for the next two weeks if i blew my nose. It was horrible.

Okay so yeah, got a reverse block. The guides on the trip FLIPPED out, and granted, it made me pretty dizzy, and i was already sea sick. So they babied me, and i went to bed that night (it was a night dive). So the next day i pretend to be all better because i didn't want to miss out on our last two dives *lol* they flipped out and made me sign a paper that they had warned me i could blow out my eardrum, etc. all freaked out. I thought they would force me to stay on the boat, actually. I was all prepared to cry at them and give them waterworks *lol* I mean, it's the freakin great barrier reef!!! It's not like i'm there all the time! Once in a lifetime thing!

So I went on the morning dive anyway, and just stayed at 20 feet, no up and down. I did just fine. Actually would have missed out on seeing a juvenile dragon wrasse if i hadn't gone. He was soo cute!

So, the last dive, I finally admit that I'll stay out and just snorkel. Within 2 minutes they had undone my gear FOR me and took it all apart so I couldn't' dive *lol*
The snorkeling couldn't have been better though. I actually hate snorkeling because I always get water in my snorkel cuz i look around so much. IT was worth it though. Everything was so close to the surface! It was low tide, and the reef was in the daylight so everything was bright. Got right up next to a reef shark, and a bunch of other amazing fish. SO i hate being left out...my hubby has one more dive logged than me =P

jaleely · 11-20-11, 09:15 PM

Oh alessa, i'm sorry! lol hubby was sick one day, and only stayed like 20 feet, and i went down to the bottom and brought him back shrimp, slugs, a swell shark, and various things *lol*

I do understand the feeling though. The very first time i went in the ocean it was cloudy, murky (we could only see about 5 feet in front of us..or less actually. it's that way down here very frequently) and for like a whole second as i started to go under the water for the first time i was like "OH MY GOD i'm in the OCEAN WHAT AM I DOIN.....Oh there's the bottom" and then i was fine *LOL*

We just recently did wreck dives in San Diego...now THAT was freaky. 90 feet down and in a big, black, dark boat?? Uhm no thanks. I peeked, with my light. And part of our certification was to go inside and tie a line...I told our instructor i was a little scared though, so when we went in i was right with him, and i was concentrating on the line...and he didn't shine the light anywhere but where i needed to look, so i didn't have a moment to realize how scared i should be. *lol* i'm usually pretty brave...but i don't think i'm a wreck diver!!

youngster · 11-20-11, 09:27 PM

I love freshwater snorkeling.
No scuba diving for me though, I wish!
Too expensive

stephanbakir · 11-20-11, 09:40 PM

I've never had issues throwing up, the only time I threw up after swimming was last summer, my cousin fell off the pier in Varadero Cuba where the river dumps out into the ocean, hes 16 but he can't swim. I dove in after him, normally I can swim out of current like that but supporting his weight the best I could do is keep our heads out of the water.

No1 knew we were there and we drifted for about 2 hours before we were spotted, there were no boats available so the life guard (giant superman style lifeguard(I'm 6'3 and he was MASSIVE)) swam out to us, 45 mins later he got to us and we had to swim back with his help, 3/4 the way back a boat picked us up and by the time we got to shore almost 5 hours had passed, I was fine but he took in a bunch of salt water and needed spend the night in the hospital. (it wasn't a total loss, we drifted over some spectacular schools of fish)

Gungirl · 11-20-11, 10:11 PM

Thank you for sharing all of this. I really hope someday me and the family can take a trip and do something like this. I don't know if the hubby would agree but hell for that stuff he can sit on the boat if he doesn't like it.. lol

stephanbakir · 11-20-11, 10:45 PM

Great attitude to have. If you want prank ideas, find a big sea snail and bring it to the surface, the second it breaks water it sucks itself into the shell shooting water out, toss it to him :P

Gungirl · 11-20-11, 10:51 PM

LAMO thats cute!!!

stephanbakir · 11-20-11, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gungirl

LAMO thats cute!!!

Find him an octopus thats too small to bite him, and get him to hold it, then REALLY annoy it for a second, it will ink all over him. Same with squid and cuttlefish :P

**millertime89** · 11-21-11, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Find him an octopus thats too small to bite him, and get him to hold it, then REALLY annoy it for a second, it will ink all over him. Same with squid and cuttlefish :P

LOL!
you shouldn't have told me that...

I'm getting scuba trained next (spring) semester for credit at my university, both regular and rescue certified. Can't wait to do it. The closest I've been was snuba and it was a blast, I would post pictures but our water-proof camera got lost somewhere between Hawaii and Nebraska.

stephanbakir · 11-21-11, 12:39 AM

Get a GoPro Hero 2.

**millertime89** · 11-21-11, 01:13 AM

water around here is too murky, all you'll see is brown. I've got a go-pro, just needs a new case (fell off the car during a drag race, whoops)

stephanbakir · 11-21-11, 01:14 AM

Ahh nice. No idea whats wrong with mine, I just got it and for some reason, you turn it on and it takes photos every other second till you turn it off.

**millertime89** · 11-21-11, 01:20 AM

huh... no clue

jarich · 11-21-11, 08:02 AM

Youve got the time lapse function on Stephan. I can send you a PM about turning it off if you need help with it. Theyre a little tricky sometimes.

I love scuba diving! Used to go all the time when I lived in Spain, even though there really isnt much left in the Mediterranean except sea urchins (nasty little vermin). I got to go once in Thailand and it was a whole different experience. Although having said that, I did have a huge school of barracuda swim by in the Med once. They were only about 2 feet long each, but talk about intimidating!

And as for your octopus trick, how the heck do you hold on to a pissed off octopus!? I found one and every time I thought I had it, it would just sneak through my hands. It was literally like trying to keep water from slipping through your fingers! So beautiful but so sneaky!

stephanbakir · 11-21-11, 09:00 AM

Anticipate their direction and have the other hand ready :P