O/W - I Did It!!

Vegas · 04-23-2007, 06:07 PM

I Did It!
I completed my Open Water Certification this weekend!

Saturday was beautiful out at Lake Mead - 75 and sunny.
The water was 60 degrees and vis was about 15-20 feet....
(well, until you have a whole class of beginning Scuba divers kicking up silt off the bottom - but we all got better about that as the day progressed.)
We saw two little fish during our first dive - nothing that exciting, a bass, and a tiny little bluegill (I think) - but I was so excited to be on the bottom of the lake WITH the fish, you'd have thought I just saw a Phoenix rising from the ashes! LOL! All our skills went well - and all of us couldn't stop grinning.

Sunday was a little different. High winds came up with the clouds and a little rain in the afternoon. The surface chop was bad, with little waves up to a foot high knocking us about no matter where we went. We descended into 60 degree water with vis about 5 feet. We completed our underwater skills, then back to the surface for the skills we needed to perform up there. ug. THAT was a little more challenging.
Our last dive was into Pea Soup - vis dropped to about 2-3 feet. I have to say it was great for practicing our underwater compass navigation though! LOL! (Yes I was still having an Wonderful time!).
Early afternoon saw a 2 Dive Masters, 5 weary but happy students, and our ever-smiling Instructor (bless that man! lol!) climbing out of the soup onto a rocky beach, just in time to see the sun come out. We all agreed to taking a class photo on the beach before going back to finish up our paperwork at the shop.

So am I hooked? Well....let's see....I'm trying to get back there next Sunday for a dive with our instructor (starting on Advanced

), then
am signing up for a Night Dive with the group on May 5th. My sweetheart and I have another local dive planned for the 11th or 12th. ...and then of course is the dive boat to Catalina already scheduled for June 2nd. One LDS has a drift dive scheduled for June 9th - that's probably going to make it onto the calendar as well. whew! --- yup, one look at my bank statement and you'll know --- I am hooked for sure!

Thanks for letting me share my weekend with you!

MgicTwnger · 04-23-2007, 07:54 PM

Glad everything worked out so well. Advanced is cool, but don't be in a big rush to get a lot of cards. Diving a lot is much more valuable, IMHO.

**dalehall** · 04-24-2007, 01:45 AM

Congrats Vegas. Enjoy your new hobby.. If y'all are ever down for FL Springs diving, give us a holler. We're always looking for an excuse to head down there.

**glynneco** · 04-24-2007, 02:05 AM

2-3 ft vis and you still enjoyed yourself? Yeah, you got it bad. Welcome!

**Kev Martin** · 04-24-2007, 05:08 PM

Congratulations. Bad vis and you still came up smiling! Oh, dear!! Looks like there is no hope for you now.

Scuba Mama · 04-24-2007, 06:59 PM

Congrats!!!!

Low vis, cold water, rocky topside and you still want more. Welcome to the scuba diving ranks. Try not to be to spoiled in the clear blue. As stated before get most of your dive time from doing then card collecting, however, I think advanced would be good. Hope your ready for some truly cold water.

Scuba Mama

**glynneco** · 04-25-2007, 01:29 AM

Advance-yes. Rescue-yes. Nitrox Oh yes!

Vegas · 04-25-2007, 01:47 AM

Thanks guys! Yup - I got it REAL bad! tsk...tsk...tsk...

My sweetheart is delighted to have a dive-buddy now, and with so many Local Dive Shops in town, it appears as though we may never be at a loss to find someone to get underwater with. <grin> (even if it's to "planet pea soup" on the edge of Boulder Beach - LOL!)

I must confess, --the real truth about trying to get back on dives with my instructor right away has much less to do with getting my Advanced Card, than with wanting to feel more secure about what I'm doing before I'm off to the Ocean. I would say that I feel "pretty comfortable" with all that I've learned, but it IS a Whole Bunch of new skills all at once, and takes some getting used to.
I'm also told (by people who know me pretty well) that I might be so captivated by my first underwater ocean view, that I just might forget everything for a minute or two - and the more familiar I am with everything, the better off I'll be.

So the plan? To Dive, dive, dive! With my instructor when I can, with my sweetheart, and with my friends... to keep diving locally in the lakes near my home as often as I'm able - so I can feel comfortable and ready for the infrequent trips to places more exotic.

Yup, I am definately hooked.
Thanks again, guys - all your good advice and encouragement means the world to me!
~Vegas

MgicTwnger · 04-25-2007, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegas

, dive! With my instructor when I can, with my sweetheart, and with my friends... to keep diving locally in the lakes near my home as often as I'm able - so I can feel comfortable and ready for the infrequent trips to places more exotic.

Excellent plan. You may come to love the pea soup, I know I did.

Vegas · 04-25-2007, 04:05 PM

Oh yes! I cannot tell you how much I would LOVE to be hovering about 5' off the bottom, in the middle of that Pea Soup, right now!