Well this weekend I doubled my number of dives in the sea - from 8 to 16 - or at least I think I did - I can't quite be sure.
First dive jumped in with Daz and Mal and descended - Ok this is good, bouyancy reasonable... trim OK... equalise.....get ready to flow check....
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....
....
Bugger - who turned out the lights?.....
Turn my torch on....
Hmmm.... it IS on....
Bugger...
Where's the bottom.....
Where's my computer....
Where the bloody hell is up? .....
Hmmm....... don't really like this.
Mummy........
So welcome to British sea diving - where vis is an optional extra.
Back on the boat after a grand total on nine minutes we find most people have beaten us to it. Howard and Fiona who had bent my ear before the trip on how good the sea is compared with a quarry - spent the next few hours trying to convince me that it doesn't have to be like that. No fears guys, the next few days may not have shown me sea diving at its best but even I can see that its a bit more fun than inland diving
I won't go through all the dives (although I think Daz, Mal and I were the only ones to do all the dives) but the weekend was brill. Lots of new experiences for me - current, surge - not too bad to see the interesting bits of the dive two or three times over. Well, I use the word "see" but apart from the dolphins and the seals which were on the surface, it was mainly impressionist diving - a glimpse here - a glimpse there and that was just how I saw my buddy.
At one point in a gully, hanging on to the rocks with one hand and Daz with the other while he tried to deploy an SMB I did think fondly for Vobster.... and when I was tossed in the air by the ladder after one of the dives (it was OK I broke the fall with my calves
) even getting in and out of the NDC seemed easy, but nevertheless it was great fun. The bruises are interesting too - everywhere and symetrical
Moments.....
First ever time in the water on my own.... for a seven minute stop... quite peaceful really - and I had nicked Daz's spool on the way up so I had something to keep me occupied.
"Frankly, if you were a better f*ck*n' diver that wouldn't have f*ck*n' happened" became the phrase of the weekend in the Digger and Daz show...
Seeing the spider crab reaching for Mal's crotch strap - with him totally oblivious
Seeing Howard, the diving dude, in all his finery - he attached my three year old's Bob the Builder figure to his rig - Howard we want regular updates on Bob's diving.
Howard eating chocolate.... Digger not eating beans... John's wine
Coming up clean to be told by the skipper that I clearly wasn't cut out to be a wreck diver - and then seeing Daz and Digger plastered in mud and silt from the waist down
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Digger spidge....... anyone thinking of buying a computer on ebay - DON'T. Digger - put it back - you don't know where it's been. On second thoughts... girls... put Digger back - you don't know where he's been
Having a scallop dance up and down on my hand on the boat. OK it's not that spectacular but helped me understand why a quarry will never be the same as the sea.
Seeing Digger survive - whereas most people make up for bad technique with good kit - Digger makes up for bad kit with good technique - Jack - you are unique and long may you stay that way.
Most of the conversations would not play back well, like holiday wine they don't travel especially when you are sober - and would have to be heavily edited by the mods anyway. You can therefore rest easy Mal
Sending Digger on his way with a Go Dive sticker on the back of his car was a poetic way to end a fun weekend.
Thanks to Mary - I truely wish you had enjoyed the diving more given the hard work you put in to the weekend but hope your cold clears up quickly and that you get back in soon. Fiona, John, Simon, Rebecca, Gary you were all really good company and it was a pleasure to meet, if not to dive, with you.
Daz, Mal - it was a pleasure not to dive with you so regularly on this trip
So if the first dive had been the last dive - look what I would have missed....
Can't wait for the next YD trip - although my liver may take to have a while to recouperate.....