2012.06.16, 09:14 – Drysuit Dive #1
Breakwater (pipe), Monterey, CA
- Buddy: Instructor
- Computer: Oceanic Veo 2.0 (wrist mount)
- Weight: 28Lbs
- Water Temperature: 53.1°F
- Beginning Pressure Group: n/a
- Max Depth: 44′ (Profile)
- Bottom Time: 0:29
- Ending Pressure Group: I
- Bottom Time to Date: 2:24
Started off rocky with my original buddy, who couldn’t descend properly for a host of reasons I’m sure he feels like he can explain rationally. Eventually Instructor grew frustrated enough to have me go to the bottom and do fin pivots and hovering, and we went back to shore. The 15 minutes it took before we went back to shore I’m not quite counting in all my diving crap, though I merged the profiles together.
Then Instructor and I went back out, I took my BCD off and put it back on quick, and we went for a tour along the pipe by ourselves. Saw a crapton of starfish and sun starfish, a decorator crab, and I think a shrimp. Visibility cleared up once we got away from the anchor and I discovered I started getting cold at almost exactly 30′ in my drysuit.
2012.06.16, 12:25 – Drysuit Dive #2
Breakwater, Monterey, CA
- Surface Interval: 1:33
- Weight: 26Lbs
- Water Temperature: 50°F
- Beginning Pressure Group: B
- Max Depth: 43′ (Profile)
- Bottom Time: 0:36
- Ending Pressure Group: P
- Bottom Time to Date: 3:00
Original buddy decided he could do this dive, took him forever to get his skills all dealt with while I both waited on the surface and by the anchor underwater. Visibility was much worse at the beginning of this tour, and Instructor making it clear to buddy up with her. We saw a couple giant crab, along with every starfish ever. I checked my depth when I started feeling cold and was at 29′. On our way back Original buddy started becoming too buoyant and rising over us. We eventually surfaced when he couldn’t get it under control, and then decided to head back down for the swim back to shore. Instructor gave me a bearing to follow since we had no anchor and visibility had become shit again, in case we got separated.
Got separated we did! Apparently my aluminum tank made it hard for me to get back under once half-empty. They descended without a problem and I sat struggling at the top until I forced my way under the water and then kicked myself deeper until I could control things again. I followed the bearing at a slightly faster than casual pace, not wanting to have them possibly waiting on me at shore. It was fun riding the surge with a single little frog kick and I eventually found myself in a school of probably a couple hundred really tiny fish. They swam off about as soon as I noticed them.
I swam to about 5′ before surfacing and then stood and watched for them while riding the swell. Turned out that they realized the aluminum was probably throwing me off, and went to surface, but by that time I had already forced myself under and gone on my merry way.
And now I’m certified to use a drysuit, which is perfect because Jenny and I have our first dive together scheduled for next week!