I'm now AOW!!! Hehe

Well, after all those indecisions - I've finally done it.

The deep - didn't seem deep - and I went into a semi-type cave :D
The UW nav - I got off-track LOL
The night - wasn't so good - got a bit claustrophobic
The wreck - absolutely fantastic. Want to do that again - AND I can penetrate it (those of you that do wreck diving, don't worry, this isn't complete penetration, as most of the bits that you can go into here are still classed as open water - if that makes sense
The Peak buoyancy- i was jumping through hoops

next stop - Rescue :D :D

CONGRATS!!!!


Don't worry about the navigation, it seems to take most students a while to get the hang of it. Just keep trying.

Sorry to hear that you did not have a great night dive. I love night dives, in fact we went last night and had a blast! Something you can try to help you get over your fear with the night diving thing is to go on or near a full moon. With a nice clear night and a full moon, the entire reef will be easy to see.....even without a light (which you will still have of course). But anyway, that should help with your laustrophobia.

By the way, if you already did not know it, wreck diving is my favorite thing, glad to know that you are hooked!

Cheers for that Ace,
The night dive was okay to start off with - in about 20ft, half moon, and semi-clear viz. But saying that since Dean, the viz hasn't been as good as it should, which might be another reason. Anyway, i'm digressing. Once we got down to about 40ft, it was alot darker, and holding the light, trying not to bang into the reef (which I nearly did and put my hand very close to a spiny urchin!!), trying to equalise, wondering where the hell I was going. It just got too much and I just had to ascend and get outta there, otherwise, I would probably get more panicky and that wouldn't have been good.
I think I might try it again once I've got another 20 or so dives logged and see if i'm any better. By that time I might be more relaxed (and check whether there's a full moon or not :))


As for the wreck - WOW!!! - There were 9 other divers with another instructor (as well as me and my OWSI/friend) and they were able to go in the wreck, my OWSI said that I can go into the wreck but not on the AOW course..hence why I want to do the wreck dive again - and its a double-tank dive, so once they do the wreck, have an SI of 40 mins and some gorgeous fresh fruit on the boat while anchored at Anse Cochon then over to the Anse La Raye wall reef for the second dive.

Double Tank Dive? Do you mean you are going to need to wear doubles, or do you mean that you do two dives, with a SI between?

Anyway, if you really liked the wreck dive, maybe you should think about taking a specific wreck dive course. They will teach you many things, but some of the cool things will be lift bags, wreck reels and lines, deeper deep dives, redundant gas supply, deco stops and such. I am sure all classes are not the same, but that some of the stuff they teach here.

Well, I am off to head to the dive boat. Have a good one.

A double-tank dive is one tank per dive with an SI on the boat (shore at Anse Cochon)

I don't think I'll get into wreck diving in a big way (she says that now..but in a few years time...hmmm)

Anyway. I need sleep. All this divings tired me out :)

Nicely done, Lottie.
Go play underwater every chance you get!

Underwater navigation? Just get one of those Xios Tracker thingies....

Congrats Lottie :)

Congrats Lottie!!!

PS: Check your PM's..

Congrats Lottie! Why not descend just before twilight so there's still plenty of light to keep you well-oriented. By the time night falls, you've comfortably eased into your dive. When you eventually break the surface, a blanket of stars is already overhead. This might help ease you into night diving which is one of the reasons we love scuba (as Quero's posted song goes, haha, no escaping it :))

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PinayDiver

Congrats Lottie! Why not descend just before twilight so there's still plenty of light to keep you well-oriented. By the time night falls, you've comfortably eased into your dive. When you eventually break the surface, a blanket of stars is already overhead. This might help ease you into night diving which is one of the reasons we love scuba (as Quero's posted song goes, haha, no escaping it :))

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Thanks for that.

The night dive was just just after dusk, there was a half moon and for the first 10/15 mins when we were in 20ft of water, with some light coming down besides the torches. After we dropped further, thats when I got a bit panicky and clausrophobic - plus having to equalise, hold the torch, try not to bang into the reef(s), try and stay buoyant, try and keep an eye on where the instructor was and everything else...i think thats why I got into a bit of a state.

But I'm not going to give up and "no, never again going on a night dive". I'll have another go in about 20 or so dives time :D

Lottie,
Congrats on the new cert :)
as for NAV... you'll get the hang of it :) night...... Love it myself but go in to it easy, know the site befor you dive it, its amazing how different a site that you know well changes 180 degrees when under the blanket of darkness WOW.
happy for you :)
may you have many more dives :)

Congrats Lottie,
You'll be a Dive Master before you know it. Like everything it all takes practice, and I'll be surprised if you don't fall in love with night diving someday.
All the Best
Seadog :D

Congradulations Lottie,
Just courious, was the wreck the Lesleen M... I think thats who you spell it. roof of the wheelhouse is beautiful, not a difficult penitration, but some sharp edges. I did that dive in May Loved your Island, whos' things after Dean?

Hey EreeDiver - welcome to the boards.
Yes the wreck was the Lesleen M and no, it's not a difficult penetration. i noticed the top bit (can't remember the correct wording) was virtually open, apart from what looked like some large bars across it. I did look in, but couldn't see much. Some of the other divers were in the wheel house.

Things after Dean - check out my blog as I put some stuff on there.
The reefs aren't too damages - a few yellow tube sponges and sea fans have come loose and the viz is down to about 20 odd feet instead of the 60+ feet.

Glad you loved St Lucia - you'll have to come back :D

Pinay that's exactly what I was going to say, enter right at or a little before sunset when it's still light out, and keep the dive pretty shallow.

Night diving is a lot of task loading at first, but it gets more comfortable once you start looking a little beyond the circle of light of your torch beam. Getting comfortable with night diving requires "situational awareness" and it takes a while to develop it in any new environment. With several more night dives (ideally at the same site), you will learn how to "sense" things and plan your movements accordingly. You will figure out how fast to swim, how to move your torch beam so that it gives you an overview of the area, how to make a mental map of what is within the area a few finstrokes around you, where other divers are in relation to you, etc.

We keep coming back to the similarities between driving a vehicle and scuba diving, and here are other points of convergence--when you are a new driver, you are nearly overwhelmed with keeping track of the traffic, your own car, the turn signals, the side streets and driveways, the mirrors.... it's exhausting, and at night or in a rain storm it can cause real anxiety. But after sufficient experience, you check mirrors without even noticing, you "sense" where that blue car coming up in the other lane behind you "must be" by a certain point, you learn to "read" the intentions of other drivers around you, you are familiar with your equipment, etc. You can relax and enjoy the ride.

I have no doubt that sooner rather than later, night diving will be something you look forward to with relish.

Thanks for the info, Quero. I'm sure I'll get the hang of night diving at some point...perhaps once i've got more used to diving in the daytime and not having to think about things (breathing, equalising, buoyancy) as much as I do at the moment.

As for the analogy with night driving - LOL. I loved night driving straight away (I did one as a driving lesson)...didn't have any problems at all :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lottie

Well, after all those indecisions - I've finally done it.

The deep - didn't seem deep - and I went into a semi-type cave :D
The UW nav - I got off-track LOL
The night - wasn't so good - got a bit claustrophobic
The wreck - absolutely fantastic. Want to do that again - AND I can penetrate it (those of you that do wreck diving, don't worry, this isn't complete penetration, as most of the bits that you can go into here are still classed as open water - if that makes sense
The Peak buoyancy- i was jumping through hoops

next stop - Rescue :D :D

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Lottie,

Congratulations on the new card, remember it is only a licence to continue learning.

A thought about the night dive, what kind of torch did you have? A small hand-held one with an incandescent bulb? If so, consider getting an LED torch. The light cast by these small torch bulbs is awe inspiring! To coin a phrase, "it is the difference between night and day." Night dives are great experiences, and a good light source will be a great addition. These LED lights are a little more expensive, but with the increased light, your experience will be enhanced and your comfort level increased due to the enhanced light.

Good luck, and keep learning!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amtrosie

If so, consider getting an LED torch. The light cast by these small torch bulbs is awe inspiring! To coin a phrase, "it is the difference between night and day." Night dives are great experiences, and a good light source will be a great addition. These LED lights are a little more expensive, but with the increased light, your experience will be enhanced and your comfort level increased due to the enhanced light.

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I have to agree. I have an older style light (halogen bulb and 8 D-Cell battery) and while it is insanely bright, the color it throws out is a little in the yellow spectrum. One of my dive buddies had a new Princeton 8 c-cell, and has 3 of the new 5 watt LED's. Let me tell you, I have never seen something light up the water so brightly and clearly. The blue/white light it emits really brings out the colors and is easy on the eyes. It also uses less draw, so the batteries last longer.

There are even better lights out there using HID technology, which are amazing, but they are very cost prohibitive ($600-$1500 area).

That being said, on my first night dive all I had was a little 4 AA batt. old backup light, but was fine without even turning it on as the full moon was so bright.

By the way, the next time you do a night dive, find a dark spot hidden from the moon, turn off your light and wave your hand forward and backward really quickly and you will see some organisms light up. It really is quite interesting to see, someone told me they are called Dynaflagalites, but I have not been able to verify that.

The torch I used was a big one! I don't know what make or model it was. So long as it worked i didn't care. All I remember was that it had two bulbs :S

Just found a similar one on leisurepro....
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Categ...SW2.html?Hit=1

Now what would be ideal would be to have the light/torch affixed to my head (akin to the hardhats you wear when caving :D :D :D....hmmm...maybe I need to patent that idea :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amtrosie

Lottie,

Congratulations on the new card, remember it is only a licence to continue learning.

Good luck, and keep learning!!

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Oh dont worry. I'm going to keep on learning. Not diving this week as I've got more important things that I need to get done, but going out again next week to try and put my buoyancy skills to the test :D

Apart from other reasons, I wanted to get my AOW before I go out to St Maarten. It wasn't a pre-requisite, but it gives me a greater expanse of doing different diving while there (i think there are a few wrecks around as well.)Thereby increasing my diving experience, rather than diving just in St Lucia (yes, okay, I know its still the caribbean......)

I have no idea when I'll do my Rescue, but hopefully before the end of the year (depending on what else happens) :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lottie

The torch I used was a big one! I don't know what make or model it was. So long as it worked i didn't care. All I remember was that it had two bulbs :S

Just found a similar one on leisurepro....
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Categ...SW2.html?Hit=1

Now what would be ideal would be to have the light/torch affixed to my head (akin to the hardhats you wear when caving :D :D :D....hmmm...maybe I need to patent that idea :D

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That light has an incandescent bulb. Now listen to me close!!!! A LARGE SIZE DOES NOT MEAN BETTER!!!! ....... errrrrr...... :eek: :eek: :rolleyes: A larger sized LIGHTis not better. The small LED lights put out a fantastic amount of light. I am not sure of the lumens (measurement of light) but this site should begin to "enlighten" you. http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.as...72&Context=965

The key is the LED tag. There are other manufacturers, but they will be more expensive and not as readily available. As for the helmet mounted lights......NO!!!! These mounts (head) are nothing but a major annoyance for those around you, for you can not look at anyone without blinding them! So, communication is very difficult, and it is irritating to have to look to see something, rather than "sweeping from side to side", looking and then focusing on something that may have caught your eye.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amtrosie

Now listen to me close!!!! A LARGE SIZE DOES NOT MEAN BETTER!!!! ....... errrrrr...... :eek: :eek: :rolleyes: A larger sized LIGHTis not better.

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LOL, so you think......LOL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amtrosie

These mounts (head) are nothing but a major annoyance for those around you, for you can not look at anyone without blinding them! So, communication is very difficult, and it is irritating to have to look to see something, rather than "sweeping from side to side", looking and then focusing on something that may have caught your eye.

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VERY TRUE! The head mounted lights are good for use as an auxillary light, but not good for your main or backup. There are times when they can be useful, for example if you are digging for artifacts on a wreck using a scooter. If you don't have someone helping you (holding the flashlight and looking) then the head mounted light could be a great help.

I must say, it really sucks when you get one of these new ultra bright lights shined in your face! It really can throw off your "night vision" and is not cool. Of course it happens sometimes, but it is something you should really be aware of when using a light during the day or night.

By the way, the light you used is available in regular incadescent and now in an LED version which is the one I was saying my dive buddy has. That particular light is probablly the best bang for your buck in lighting right now. He bought it in a pack with 2 other lights, a LED backup that takes 4 aa's (which is still crazy bright!) and a flashing mini strobe (which is not worth crap!!).

Here is a link to the light we are talking about:

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Categ...SWL.html?Hit=1

I'm not sold on led, quite yet. I have both but my halogen light gives me a lot lot lot more depth. Led is brighter and a nice color light but it only illuminates stuff up close. So I use my halogen as my primary and led as back up.

Really? I felt just the opposite. My halogen only lights up a pretty narrow area. I was messing around with a few of the lights we all have over here, and the thing that I liked about the LED lights is that I thought they were not only spot lights, but had a lot of area lighting as well. It definately lit the inside of the wreck much more than my halogen.

Plus the color of the light is so nice.

Anyway if you have one that you don't really like, I have a 8-D cell light that I would be willing to put up for trade towards a LED!

thanks for the offer but don't think I want to lugg two 8D lights. I agree about the spot light with halogen that's what I was trying to refer to in the previous post. I'd rather see furter away(depth) than have a brighter up closer area, if that makes any sense:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hbh2oguard

Pinay that's exactly what I was going to say, enter right at or a little before sunset when it's still light out, and keep the dive pretty shallow.

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Thanks for affirming and adding on, hbh2oguard

Hi Lottie,
I've also been meaning to add that the site that our then instructor chose for navigation during the day was the same site that we returned to for night diving hours later. Not only were we relatively familiar with the terrain by then (especially since our navigation had a bit of "search and retrieval" thrown in for fun), seeing immediately how the same site put on a different "face" after dark added to our being hooked. The pros here would say it's fairly standard to pick a site for night diving that you've swam through early on the same day. Or at least the pros I've dived with :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hbh2oguard

I'm not sold on led, quite yet. I have both but my halogen light gives me a lot lot lot more depth. Led is brighter and a nice color light but it only illuminates stuff up close. So I use my halogen as my primary and led as back up.

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It all has to do with the ability to focus the beam of light. LED lights are brighter than halogen. The true difference is in the ability to harness the light for a specific purpose. I have found the LED's that do not focus, are good for lighting up the immediate area, but not the area away from the diver. For me personally, in the caves, I find the ability to focus the beam is imperative, so I am able to communicate by signaling. Another point to consider is the lights of your dive partners. Your light (or theirs) could "wash out" the counterparts light with the intensity of the brighter light. This could lead to confusion and the inability to communicate. Sooooooooo the light that is bright and can be focused, with out over-powering your dive team mate's light is the puuuurrrrrrrfect light.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hbh2oguard

I agree about the spot light with halogen that's what I was trying to refer to in the previous post. I'd rather see furter away(depth) than have a brighter up closer area, if that makes any sense:)

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Oh, I think I miss understood what you were saying. I was under the impression you wanted a light that worded better at depth, not for seeing depth. You know for deeper dives, not longer sight.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PinayDiver

Thanks for affirming and adding on, hbh2oguard

Hi Lottie,
I've also been meaning to add that the site that our then instructor chose for navigation during the day was the same site that we returned to for night diving hours later. Not only were we relatively familiar with the terrain by then (especially since our navigation had a bit of "search and retrieval" thrown in for fun), seeing immediately how the same site put on a different "face" after dark added to our being hooked. The pros here would say it's fairly standard to pick a site for night diving that you've swam through early on the same day. Or at least the pros I've dived with :)

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thats exactly what we did - the UW Nav was done at the shore site and so was the night dive - thinking back now (IMHO, hindsight is a wonderful thing :)) i didn't really take much notice of the 'lay of the land' as such when we did the Nav dive.
Thats also what they say in the AOW book to dive the site during the day before doing the night dive.

think i'll take more notice of whats around me next time i dive and do some natural navigation :D

amtrosie thanks for the info. So I guess my led doesn't focus the light, I might have to try another one. I know previous post said the size and amount of batteries doesn't matter, but how so? I've also noticed most led are C4 or maybe C8 while halogen are mostly D4 or D8.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hbh2oguard

amtrosie thanks for the info. So I guess my led doesn't focus the light, I might have to try another one. I know previous post said the size and amount of batteries doesn't matter, but how so? I've also noticed most led are C4 or maybe C8 while halogen are mostly D4 or D8.

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First the batteries are there to support the power requirement of the LED. Remember that LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. So the bigger the Diode, the more more the power required to support. There are lots of torches out there using 4 AA, 3,4, or 6 C cell batteries. It is important to note that these "bulbs" (diodes) are very durable and require less power than others (hence increased battery life). They are however, more expensive. The halogen bulbs are more brittle, but less expensive. The cost is the primary reason that most of the larger lights are halogen, and not LED

This may be me being "picky", but the reflector focuses the light beam. The light is already there, it is the beam of light that requires attention. For that is what is used for signaling.

All right, I am now officailly a geek!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amtrosie

All right, I am now officailly a geek!!

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yep, your a geek :cool:

but thats good as we can ask you loads of questions and know that we'll get a good geekie answer. Hehehe :D

Well done Lottie!

Now go and get some dives in!:D

Yay Lottie! Wahooo! *cheering, applause* Great job ... :)