Colorful Characters (And We Don't Mean The Fishes)

[PinayDiver]

I once dived with this…

…yoga instructor who wore white like a trademark and who, it was whispered around the deck, tutored presidents and CEOs. I wondered then why this supposed master at breathing was exhaling bubbles at shallow intervals, consuming air faster than the rest of us. She was excitable too, barreling through other divers for a closer look at say, a pawikan (sea turtle) or marble ray, disturbing it away to the group’s exasperation. For a practitioner of body awareness, I thought, this woman did not seem to know how to position herself unobtrusively around marine life

…deaf-mute underwater photographer who initially had trouble connecting with people (most shied away from the perceived extra effort of trying to make sense of his gesticulations). Underwater, however, where everyone was muted anyway, he was a master at the hand signals, truly in his element, the most animated and “talkative” in the group. Dangling the promise of an underwater photo-souvenir, he confidently herded (with energetic wrist flicks) divers this way and that for the best backdrop of schooling barracudas--although, I noticed, he didn’t always press the camera button!

And you?

[santelmo]

i remember hearing a story from my SI that he once dove w/ a diver of actually and literally took off his wetsuit and defecated underwater and tried to sit on a vase coral? <--- i cant remember the name) well, as if it wont float....

[PinayDiver]

While on our knees and lined up in a row on Monad Shoal (waiting, waiting for a manta to glide in), we were semi-aware of one local divemaster swimming to and fro from behind our backs -- methodically picking up one octopus after another, seemingly examining it, test-breathing from it, even hand-signaling O.K.

Later, he confessed that he was already about to backroll when he discovered that his tank had only 1,500 psi. This being the second dive, and with all the other tanks awarded to guests, he decided to just go with it and, when he already needed to, just start “testing” other divers’ air. Ingenious

Your turn

[santelmo]

hahahaha nice! i'll keep that in mind... just in case....

[PinayDiver]

What? No story-to-trade? (she says, wanting to be entertained ).

[santelmo]

uhmm... i think i ran out interesting of dive stories/ experience... people....pls. contribute... anyone?

[PinayDiver]

Haha, no pressure While awaiting Sarah, Matt, Missy, Ron, phrenicnerve, WetWillie, Bubblemaker, Daddy-h20, BamaCaveDiver, onebourbon to share their own dive stories (LOL) over balut and beer …here’s one under the “Tear Our Hairs Out” category:

On a dive in Apo Reef, three divers, including our divemaster, brought down one newly bought underwater camera housing each to TEST against possible leaking-under-pressure.

Midway into the dive, what else would choose to reveal itself but a magnificent and powerful-looking hammerhead shark!

No one in the group had ever seen one before. Tanks were banged like crazy. Arms punched overhead. Muffled screams.

And they could've kicked themselves over the fact that all three camera housings contained only…drumroll please…paper

[seasnake]

While posing for a picture at 90', after just reaching the bottom on this nice wreck we have here locally, The Arrow, an "instructor" and a "divemaster" completed their descent by CRASHING into the bottom directly between photographer and subject. I mean literally CRASHING . . . their descent rate was probably more like 75 ATMOSPHERES per minute and the resulting silt cloud where they struck the bottom would make you think a meteorite had just hit. As they were engulfed by their own silt cloud that had now destroyed our photo op, they gave us the ok signal and crawled off along the bottom.

(Best I could come up with on short notice . . . )

[Daddy-h2O]

Thanks for the mention Pinay, but I have no idea what balut is , and from what I read over at that other thread , I'm not sure I want too. I do have some rather interesting character stories that I may relate, but you will have to pardon some languge.
During a surface Interval at a Local Shore Dive

Two divers enter the water, both decked out well beyond thier physical capacity, both we found out later were in thier early 70's and recently certified, both wore 7mm suits,gloves and hoods, both had very impressive brand new techie-like gear bc, knives, lights, more gadgets than you see in any 10 LDS, and don't forget the back ups. Both dropped the "f" bomb ever 2-3 words to sound impressive. and both were diving doubles, Both swore that snorkles were worthless, and that they filled them up with gunpowder and set them off the second they got thier certs.
The entry at the time was 2 steps and drop and you were on the wreck, it is a really cool wreck dive.
So in goes these two old guys step,...step...splash.....splash... away they go!

With in 2 minutes the one hits the surface like he was punched in the face, remember I am on shore watching this, and he is screaming " I flossed min f#$^&* (This was the only understandable word) feith" and is pounding the water with his hands. It took a minute but we relized he lost his teeth! His buddy surfaced less than a minute later completly unfazed over the whole deal. They get out huff the gear up to the car, ask directions for coffee and say they will be right back.

15-20 min later two diver surface and calls us over to show us "this stange find", right on what was remaining of part of the deck he found a full set of upper teeth! he figured they couldn't be old and thought he would bring them up. We suggested that he keep them because we didn't think the owner was going to return, he said no and left them there on a large rock next to the entrance. Just as this diver had his car packed and was leaving the two old guys show up, now walking around in ratty street clothes and just walking back and forth, Toothless finally spots his teeth drops several "f" bombs,declared them his and they head off never to be seen again.

Of all the gear I think the teeth had the longest bottom time!!

[santelmo]

hahahaha! LMAO! nice stories!