I'm now AOW!!! Hehe

[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
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

[acelockco]

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!

[lottie]

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.

[acelockco]

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.

[lottie]

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

[Tigerbeach]

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

[ereediver]

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?

[lottie]

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

[amtrosie]

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

The deep - didn't seem deep - and I went into a semi-type cave
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

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!!

[acelockco]

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.

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.