Scuba Divers Only (DIVER)

[wolfatthedoor]

Ok.... Here is one for ya.......
Grand Bahama Island..... A reef/ledge dive in 80' of water..... Spearfishing with a 40" seahornet, looking for Grouper, Cubarra Snapper etc..... 3 other divers in the water and all with much more experience than my little self......
Anchored the boat up tight to a small ledge and hit the water, regulators in, and down we go..... (no one on the boat)...... I could not believe my eyes at the visibility!!!! 100'+..... You could see a quarter on the bottom from the surface..... NO KIDDING......
Immediatly I took after a small 5lb Hog Snapper, kicking and puffing away at the regulator as fast as a 15 YO kid could possibly go...... and, POOF! snapper out ran me..... Checked the pressure guage.... (1400lbs)
Well I was not done with this-and the hunt was on.........
Meanwhile, I look around for my buddies?????? Nadda! Not even visible bubbles...... and no anchor line!!!!! No panic here.... just the thought of garlic Snapper for dinner......
What was this????? Little SOBing Hog Snapper looking at me from 20' behing a coral head-off I go watching the pressure guage (my last look at it) cought up to the SOB-and the chase resumed......... first it was me.... then him...... then me..... then him........then---------my last breath of air from my regulator! I took stock quickly...... and gave two kicks towards the surface 75'+ away (it seemed like a mile or so)...... I was in an "out of air ascent" situation!!!!!
Yes, I blew my little bubbles while I was going up and within 10' of the surface, my lungs expeled the remainder of air in one breath...... Then I hit the surface!!!! Then it got real interesting........
I inflated my BC manually and took alook around to get my position off the boat........ OHHHHH, there is the Bahamas to my right...... there's the boat, there it is to my left maybe 300' or so away over towards the ledge we anchored up at, so I thought.......
Fin kicked on my back for 5 mins or so..... I should have reached the boat by now...... I'm closer, but not close enough..... I placed the mask on my face and looked down into the beautiful Bahama waters and to my utter disbelief, I was looking at a boat on the surface with an anchor hanging out over the ledge in 500' of blue water drifting away with the wind!!!!!! Sweeeeeettttt!!!!!
I take stock once again......
I quickly shed my tank and BC, my weight belt and made quick towards the boat....... I cought up with it after a minute or two....... haul the anchor and line, crank it up and go for my dive gear floating nearby...... Then, I remember the other divers......................
I head back towards where I thought was the general area of our entry point cut the motor.................
Here if the freeky part....
The other divers come up right at the dive platform! They thanked me for the pick up and said "you did'nt have to come and get us"!!!! They had no knowledge of the anchor breaking free and my ordeals at all.......

That night was the first time I remember tasting a scotch and water on the rocks!

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

I think this would be considered our OWN private board. Not much traffic coming our way, but ole well, maybe there are not alot of divers OR folks do not know the board exist. I will put you as an Asst. Moderator if you would like. It would allow you to add info to the i-box. Just let me know if you are interested!

[RJ Trotts]

PADI for both of us!

[wolfatthedoor]

NASDS or PADI?????
Remind her that when in doubt, follow basic rules of diving in ANY situation........

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

The Marlins look like alot of fun to catch. I have never been Deep Sea fishing at all. So that is going to be great. And I have never dove in salt water. Just sweet water here in the states! So that is another nice part of vacation. And yes I will keep you informed!

[wolfatthedoor]

Congrats on the first year and many many more!!!!
Please keep me informed as to what you find in Cabo for dive spots...... Remember, adventure is my game as well LOL......

Cabo has some raging White Marlin waters in the October month????

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

She is getting certified THIS MONTH, so she can dive. As long as the trip has a dive or two! She is pumped about the trips that we plan. She is looking forward to shopping in Cabo this October!

[RJ Trotts]

First year of marriage!
Been diving since July 99

[wolfatthedoor]

RJ, sounds like you and I are on the same page!!!! I LOVE FISHING!!!!
1st year anniversary of marriage or diving???? If it's marriage, have you talked the trip plans over with your better half LOL........? j/k.....

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

I am also looking forward IF time allows, to get some deep-sea fishing done while we are out that way. That is a great way to spend the FIRST year anniversary!

[RJ Trotts]

October is when we are going...so I am pumped about that!

[wolfatthedoor]

As I recall, Cabo San Lucas has a blue sink???!!!.... Off the cuff with no "DD" if you will.... LOL....
You can't go wrong on that coast tho.......

Dive hard!!!!

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

Another place in October...we are looking at Cabo diving too...any suggestions? tia

[wolfatthedoor]

RJ, Never been to Thailand for recreational diving reasons..... What have you researched and what did you find out?????
I have been to the Carribean, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, California, South America and lots of live springs for recreational purposes......


WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

Have you even dove in Thailand? I am going there in February...and looking for a nice spot or two? TIA

[RJ Trotts]

Down here in the South for me!

[wolfatthedoor]

RJ... Where is "here"????? N S E or W??????

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

Great...we just got out of the local lake this evening! Just wanted to go and use a tank of air! It is a rainy day here...but wet is wet! The visablity here is about 30-40 feet right now! Not bad, for a lake that USUALLY has about 10-15 visablity!

[wolfatthedoor]

Thanks RJ...... I will post more stories from time to time...... I have quite a few interesting adventures from my childhood right up to now!!!!
The Cayman Islands are, imo, the best waters on the planet to dive....... My fav is the little Cayman wall..... 60' wide barrier reef on the island side, say 3' to 5' tops of water to the wall- a drop off, straight down drop to 1100'...... The most lobster I have ever seen was in that reef and wall.....
The problem with that type of drop off is mind control..... Looking down into the blue trench gives you the feeling of "falling"..... A good depth guage is paramount in that enviroment....... AND SHARKS ON EVERY LEVEL!!!!!

WOLF

[RJ Trotts]

I am glad that my first dive was NOTHING like yours! Heck I have been diving since 99, and I can NOT compete with that story!

[RJ Trotts]

Thanks for coming by and sharing. I liked the idea of this board, so maybe we can grow it. And when we dive we can share it here! Thanks again for taking time to come around!

[wolfatthedoor]

Here's a story for you....... I have been SDing for 20+ years..... On my first open water dive, my instructor was spearfishing as he was "instructing" off the Clearwater, FL coast in 40' in the Gulf of Mexico...... Mind you, "my 1st open water dive".... I watched as any interested kid would seeing a sharp object hurling through the water lunging into a 20# + Grouper rendering it to the hand of mankind placing the great catch on a steel stringer lashed to his side...... This went on for about 15 minutes, then, all of the sudden, to my right I notice a large billowing cloud of seafloor sand sloshing about creating limited sight distance..... silly me, I rubbed the outer glass side of my mask to "see better" LOL...... The cloud kept getting larger and larger..... Through the mist of the cloud I saw a sight the shivers me to this day....... There before my eyes, was my instructor being dragged sideways by his steel stringer, mask off face, regulator dangling out of his reach....... by a 14' + Bull shark weighing in at clost to 750lbs +, and out of sight!!!!
The other student divers took to the surface without the fear of the bends, narcosis, or anthing!!!! ME, I went after my instructor for about 30' or so...... The shark had made off with the stringer of fish leaving the instructor flailing for his life supporting regulator..... I helped him get to a breathing pattern, and we surfaced about 300' from the dive boat...... That was the longest 300', BC inflated, not wishing to see what was below me fin kick I can remember to the relitive safety of the dive boat..........
As we the students and the instructors regrouped aboard the dive boat, a quick head count found all safe and unharmed....... Crying was heard.......
Out of the seven class mates bucking for their NASDS certifications, me and 2 others ever hit the water again....... The other 2 were with another instructor 75' away, and did'nt hear a thing!!!!!
The instructor guided another class the next day, to the same wreck, the same spot, only this time he had a 12guage bangstick in one hand and a speargun in the other.......

WOLF

ps I have many more......

[RJ Trotts]

I have been diving since 1999, and it is great to see the land UNDER the water!