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Before the weather gods decided otherwise I was going to the south coast this weekend. As I had some regs serviced recently I thought a bimble in Stoney was in order to check everything out.The day got off to a good start - nice sunny morning so of I toodles to Stoney. Get there before my buddy so assemble the rig, now I'm using up the dregs of a gas fill (18/45) so I need to attach the suit bottle. Pick it up hmm feels light, crack the valve no resistance, empty bottle. Bum!Somehow the valve got knocked open. No problem I'll get out the whip and decant of Phils cylinder when he arrives... now where did I put that whip? Ahh yes the spare bedroom 35 minutes away Damn! This means I'm going to have to pay for a fill... Then a thought creeps into my mind. I've never had this cylinder tested and I bought it in '97...
By now I was determined to get a dive so I thought I'm a rufty tufty technical diver, dressed all in black, so I'll dive the suit of back gas and tough it out. Finish assembling the kit discovering in the process that my backup torch has got flat batteries. About now Phil arrives so after coffee we arrive at a plan. Time to kit up.
Put thinsulate on but as its sunny dont zip it up much past my beer gu ... I mean six pack. Finally get the gear on and start to sweat. Down to the water we go which is looking more and more lovely the hotter and sweatier I get. Last minute check and in we jump. Ahh its lovely and cool ... No its cold especially on my chest... did I do my thinsulate zip up? No oh bugger!
Right lets get on with this before I chicken out so down we descend. Get to about 1m when I really get a cold feeling down my neck. That sodding neck seal has started to leak which is all I really need. 6m time to put some gas in the suit as its tightening up. Instant air conditioning all down my front but not as bad as I thought it would be. I can do this so off we set down to 20m along the chain to the Stengrath (sp?)
Dodging divers coming the other way, we get to the wreck and tootle around it with me posing for piccies. Phils got a new camera he's playing with. Contents reach the agreed level so we return the way we came dodging more divers with tunnel vision hurtling toward the wreck.
By this stage I'm not feeling so heroic, so signal for an ascent up the cliff. Phil gives me the Ok so up we go ... start to dump from the wing no problem but I can feel the suit expanding its not dumping so grab onto the cliff with one hand and use the other to dump the wing end up virtually emptying it. Ok I'm at 14m and neutral so I fiddle with the dump. Sodding thing seems jammed, it was working fine before I jumped in.
Right time to ascend whilst hanging on to the cliff occaisonally stopping to get the dregs out of the wing and to swear at the suit dump. By 6m I've managed to get enough out of the suit and wing to regain some control but what with the cold and lack of control I think bugger this. I hang onto a rock at 5m for a safety stop before getting out.
All in all I had an enjoyable time. Who says Stoneys boring. Though I've got to admit I'm glad the weather gods are on my side cos I dont think I really would have enjoyed diving this weekend what with all the above to fix.
Scotty
Before the weather gods decided otherwise I was going to the south coast this weekend. As I had some regs serviced recently I thought a bimble in Stoney was in order to check everything out.The day got off to a good start - nice sunny morning so of I toodles to Stoney. Get there before my buddy so assemble the rig, now I'm using up the dregs of a gas fill (18/45) so I need to attach the suit bottle. Pick it up hmm feels light, crack the valve no resistance, empty bottle. Bum!Somehow the valve got knocked open. No problem I'll get out the whip and decant of Phils cylinder when he arrives... now where did I put that whip? Ahh yes the spare bedroom 35 minutes away Damn! This means I'm going to have to pay for a fill... Then a thought creeps into my mind. I've never had this cylinder tested and I bought it in '97...
By now I was determined to get a dive so I thought I'm a rufty tufty technical diver, dressed all in black, so I'll dive the suit of back gas and tough it out. Finish assembling the kit discovering in the process that my backup torch has got flat batteries. About now Phil arrives so after coffee we arrive at a plan. Time to kit up.
Put thinsulate on but as its sunny dont zip it up much past my beer gu ... I mean six pack. Finally get the gear on and start to sweat. Down to the water we go which is looking more and more lovely the hotter and sweatier I get. Last minute check and in we jump. Ahh its lovely and cool ... No its cold especially on my chest... did I do my thinsulate zip up? No oh bugger!
Right lets get on with this before I chicken out so down we descend. Get to about 1m when I really get a cold feeling down my neck. That sodding neck seal has started to leak which is all I really need. 6m time to put some gas in the suit as its tightening up. Instant air conditioning all down my front but not as bad as I thought it would be. I can do this so off we set down to 20m along the chain to the Stengrath (sp?)
Dodging divers coming the other way, we get to the wreck and tootle around it with me posing for piccies. Phils got a new camera he's playing with. Contents reach the agreed level so we return the way we came dodging more divers with tunnel vision hurtling toward the wreck.
By this stage I'm not feeling so heroic, so signal for an ascent up the cliff. Phil gives me the Ok so up we go ... start to dump from the wing no problem but I can feel the suit expanding its not dumping so grab onto the cliff with one hand and use the other to dump the wing end up virtually emptying it. Ok I'm at 14m and neutral so I fiddle with the dump. Sodding thing seems jammed, it was working fine before I jumped in.
Right time to ascend whilst hanging on to the cliff occaisonally stopping to get the dregs out of the wing and to swear at the suit dump. By 6m I've managed to get enough out of the suit and wing to regain some control but what with the cold and lack of control I think bugger this. I hang onto a rock at 5m for a safety stop before getting out.
All in all I had an enjoyable time. Who says Stoneys boring. Though I've got to admit I'm glad the weather gods are on my side cos I dont think I really would have enjoyed diving this weekend what with all the above to fix.
Scotty
