Open Water with Chris and Steven

We are getting down to it, our big Bahamas weekend is at the end of the month! 
No more time to mess around got to get these two to become certified divers!

Off to the lake we went, could not ask for a better weekend. Top side it was a great spring weekend. In the water, since I was just here on Wednesday doing a Dry Suit class I knew it was  64 degrees.   Our dives at the end of the month will be in the high 70 or low 80's  so this was a good way to start.

These two are always fun when they get together.   Steven was apprehensive, could not figure out why, he did great, look great in the water. He is an athlete so this is another sport for him, with all the sports he does, I expected he would take right to it.

Chris surprised me, we have long history. But he is grown up now, I was more than impressed. after working though some initial equipment issues and the 'everybody is awkward'   the first dive and a half.  Watching him during dive 4 and 5 this guy is a natural. His is looking like he has been doing this for years. Could not have been prouder.

Next up Bahamas for the group at the end of moth, Can NOT WAIT! This will be a blast.

February Pool Fun

Chris and Steven did there run through Try Scuba to see if Scuba Diving was for them back in December.  Now it was time to step up. Time to get the certification underway. Amanda and Paul joined the class as well for their open water cert. Jerry was the Dive Control Specialist for the class.

All of them did great, they had fun. Now to wait for the quarry to open and the water to warm up a bit to complete the Open Water dives, For Chris and Steven then it is on to the Bahamas!!  That is the goal a family trip to Nassau NP Bahama.

August Open Water

Another great open water class, at Millbrook this time.  The water was the best conditions we have seen this year. You could actually see across the platform.  At the surface was very warm for Millbrook.  The really cold water was still at 30 ft and deeper.   The students did great. We had a great time.  Mpre certified divers in the world, that is a good thing.

Almost an Open Water Class today

This dive season has been challenging at Millbrook this year. As usual the water was it's normal cold back in April in the 40 degree range but it was pretty clear. May was about the same the water temp was not rising like it normally would due the rain, we have had a good bit this year.

From observation, but not by any scientific measurements, the picture you see here is the entrance to Beach one. There is a wooden platform with 5 or 6 steps.  Last fall the water level was so low only the last 2 steps were under water.  With this weeks past rain the entire platform is underwater and is about 18+ inches above the deck.  So that is 7 inches for each step plus the 18+ on top of the deck, that would put the total rise around 30 inches.  That is a lot of water considering the size of the quarry.

Somewhere between May and June a cloud of turbidity formed. This is not unusual there is always a layer of turbidity normally just above the thermocline and it is a few inches to foot high in the water column.  The density would vary from place to place in the quarry but never really dense.

When I was diving there in June, entering the water I notice something was different the surface water was very warm, warm like you would have in September around 70 degrees.  Once we descended I found out why. The turbidity layer started around 12 ft and went about 25 ft and it was like looking though pea soup.  Its density was such that sunlight could not penetrate that deep, it was heating up the surface water.

The end of June there was some more rain and divers I know where at the quarry they said the turbidity had seem to thin out. it was still not great but better.

Move a head to today July 13.  We had several inches of rain this week. Surface was warm, the descent had good viz down to 12 feet. Then it got ugly!  Taking my two open water students to about 20 ft holding a line I could not see them. The both grabbed my hand and pulled up, up we went.  They express their concerns about diving in this. This was if you could picture a green cloud in the water. I told there there was a good chance that if we got below it on the training platform it would be clear. I explained my past months experience. PADI standards say you can not leave a student unattended in the water. I explained that if they were willing we could go together in physical contact down line to the platform and see what the conditions looked like. If it was clear we could do the dive. They agreed.

Down we went. I have an Aeris AI dive computer, it is clipped to the chest D-ring on my BCD. It is always about 6-8 inches from my face. The digital display has reasonable size numbers and is easy to read. 16 feet was the last depth I could see. After that I could not see the computer the turbidity was so thick.  What was more disturbing as we continue down I swear the cloud turned from green to red.  That could be a problem. 

After what I thought was red, it became black and we where on the platform. Once my eyes adjusted it was clearer, 3-5 feet of viz, we where below the cloud but the only thing of note I could see was the phosphors glow of our three compasses, to read my computer I had to press the light button. 

Dive over, up we went.  I still swear the lower few feet of the cloud is red and that should not be. 

My divers where troopers, we are working on a plan  to go to Lake Rawlings.

Have to see what happens with the quarry. It may have too much water in it. Throwing off the ecosystem.  I will keep you posted. May just have to finish out the dive season at Rawlings.  It is just such a long ride.

Sunday Pool Dive

This morning I volunteered to go diving with Virginia Scuba, for the purpose of taking pictures of the classes in progress.  We had an Open Water Class, a Rebreather class and a few diver who wanted to work their skills or getting ready for a trip; some open, some closed circuit.

I took advantage of the opportunity to try out my new Hollis M-1 mask. I can not tell you how comfortable this mask. The mask skirt is excellent and creates a great seal. I had to take the mask strap off to put on the Virginia Scuba strap cover I can tell you of the dozens of mask that I have either had or have help students or divers with this task, the assembly that hold the mask strap to the mask was by far the most user friendly I have ever seen.  This is a  frameless, low volume mask, the overall design provides an amazing field of view.  

Here are some pictures from this morning's adventure.

Rebreather Class

Open Water Class

Rebreather predive

Open Water Entry

Junes Dive Classes

Okay so it has been a little slow on the dive training front. But the end of June was very busy; for me at least.

I had two Discover Scubas and one Scuba Tune up. In between my classed I took pictures of Steve and Rachel's Confinined Open Water class.  All of the classes and student we had did great. The OW students are signed up for thier open water dives in the coming weeks. 

Here are some pics.

Another open water diver

Sam meet everybody. Everybody this is Sam.

Sam has an English class assignment where she has to write a paper about something she learned. This girl is going to the extreme. Which after getting to know her that is not surprising.

Back in March Sam was in one of my Open Water Pool classes. I knew then she would be a natural. Her families plan was to go to St Thomas for Spring Break. But with Carnival and out of control air fare they are opting to go some place closer to home later this spring or early summer. Sam needed to get her paper done so she chose this past weekend to complete her open water dives at Millbrook quarry.

Her dad was doing this Advanced Open Water this weekend so the timing was perfect.  I wish I could say the same about Saturday mornings weather. It was pouring down rain. Yeah, I know we where diving,  we where going to be wet anyway. But you have to change in and out of scuba gear, it would be nice to get/be warm between dives, the water tempure at 30 ft was 42 degrees.  We where down in the water for 25-30 minutes. Sam's mom came along to watch from the warmth of their pickup truck and commented that is really wasn't raining all that much until we surfaced.  Her mom also brought a 5 gallon water jug full of hot water. We poured cupfuls of it in our wet suits as we changed gear and off gassed. All in all Saturdays dives where very wet but fun.

 Sunday was bright and sunny we headed over to beach 2.5. The day had promise to flawlessly. Until my ears decided to be not clear. After completing a few surface skills we where descending for our first dive , I could not get past ten feet. My left ear would not equalized. After a couple of attempts we surfaced, I did several equalizing techniques. Then we tried again, I got to 20 feet,  decided we would do Sam underwater nav. On the return trip of both my ears equalize and I was good for the rest of the day. Sam worked all of her skills requirements like a champ. 

When we surfaced from our second dive of the day Sam was officially an Open Water Diver.  Way to go Sam!

Sam, her dad Justin, Gavin and JerryOpen Water Diver Sam and her instructor

Spring Dive training picking up.

Up early this weekend to teach Open Water Confined pool classes. I had three students, plus Gavin with his Divemaster Candidate Jerry joined in at times so Jerry could see an OW class in process.

The students Sam, Marissa and Christian did a great job. Saturdays class was tough for Christian and Mariissa both being very fit and very little body fat got cold early and could not get warmed up no matter what we did, even though the pool is 79 degrees, they were troopers.  We fixed this problem for Sunday, we outfitted them with wet suits and it made the day much more fun.  

Sam, she stared out in a wet suit so she was warm all weekend. Her dad bought her a set of regulators Saturday when we got back to the shop. She used them Sunday morning for her dives.

They will all be good divers, Marissa and Christian will be doing their Open Water dive with Virginia Scuba on the first dive of the dive season at Millbrook Quarry the weekend of April 2. Sam is going to St Thomas with her family for Spring Break; she will finish her Open Water dives there, then go diving with her dad.

With the change in time, Saturday morning the sun was up when I got to the shop.  Sunday morning it was still dark, not sure I am crazy about the whole time change thing.

Next weekend I am back in the pool again. At the moment I have five students, I would like to get three more people to join me.  If you are currnetly doing e-learning, finish up and join me.  If you have been thinking about it, sign up today, complete the e-learning course by Friday and join us next weekend!

Open Water Diving in the Quarry for the weekend.

Spent the mornings this weekend diving in Millbrook quarry.  My dive computer says it was 54 degrees on the platform, but it sure felt colder. Viz was about 10 feet, it was a little better Saturday, it was sunnier.  What made this round of diving so good is the surface temps where in the high 70's, low 80's.

We had five students and they all did great. No poppers, no wonderers. The quarry is a real proving ground for a new diver, if you can dive here you can dive almost anywhere. One of our students, Kristine, is graduating college in the next few weeks. Her family is going on a cruise to the Caribbean as part of her graduation. She already has plans to to go diving while on her trip.

Yup, I sure I will be able hear Kristine laughing from St Lucia. She will be in warm, clear, bountiful seas and I will be still diving the quarry.

Congratulations to Ken, Rick, Rob, Kristine and Matt for achieving your Open Water Certification!

So what's next gang, Nitrox, Nav, Deep??

Open Water Certs Easter weekend

It was 43 degrees at the platforms, 30 feet down.  I had two Open Water Student who wanted to get their Open Water Certification completed this weekend.  It rainy, damp and cold on Saturday, Sunday was sunny but the chilly wind was blowing.  They where troopers about getting this done. They drove down from New York on Easter weekend to complete their certs.  Congratulations to Alissa and Brent; they are Certified Open Water Divers. Great job!