In a previous post I stated how I felt and why I felt that way, basically promoting why I felt safe to suggest two dive shops that I have visited. I recieved a comment about being curious on why I did not like other shops Ive visited.
First off, a dive shop is not just a place to get gear or sign up for classes, its a place that helps maintain the adventure of SCUBA , and therefore it is my opinion that a LDS is also a life line, a life line to technology, dive locations, safety, ect ... and because of this I feel that I should recieve more then just mediocre information.
Because choosing a shop is a personal experience and deciding to continue using them is a personal decsion I will refrain from naming the shop / shops I decided were not right for me because that is just it, they werent right for me. However anothers experience may be different and I would be wrong to out a shop based on my perceptions, however I will go into what I do expect and reasons why other shops did not compare.
Dive Organizations ...yes we all know that there are different organizations that one can be certified through and we all have our little ribs about such, however I do not think it is right to insult one group only to build up the group they either promote or are. I am PADI, but in a shop I talked about my daughter becoming NAUI, that was the very first thing I said (I was looking to compare prices for snorkel gear) the next thing I heard was a group of 5 men start laughing and insulting NAUI to a degree that I was embarrassed for the shop. Not only that, but during the course of the insult I heard the fuck word 3 times. I had my 12 year old daughter with me, I understand I can not control how others behave around my children nor the words that they speak, but I should expect that if I am in a place of business people will refrain from such excessive rude language. I am a very strict parent who appreciates being able to expose my children to good experiences such as SCUBA but that does not mean I should also expose them to vulgar conversations at a store. The only small saving grace and why I did not walk out right then and there was a different employee apologized for the behaviours of them and was more professional.
Gear knowledge... I expect a store to have a vast knowledge of all the gear they carry. Not only that but I expect them to help guide me based upon my needs that I express and maybe since Im new the needs I may not be aware of. At one shop, although they carried a variety of brands continued to steer me to one perticular brand, even though I stated many times I did not want that brand. I didnt state such though until after asking several times why they promoted that brand so much the only answer was "The warranty" which is not the most important part in my opinion when buying gear. Yes its a part of it, but its not the end all be all. However the shop felt it was enough to where I had a hard time being exposed to the other stuff they had. I felt uncomfortable asking about anything because they seemed more about the sale then what the gear can do for me. If I am to spend sometimes hundreds on a piece of gear I expect to walk out feeling comfortable with the gear.
I think the biggest aspect in why I dont choose to continue with a shop would be my feelings on why they have that shop. Do they really care about the divers? Do they really care about my needs? One of the biggest no nos for me is insulting anything or anyone else to beef yourself or your service up, if that happens I think of two men in the locker room with a ruler, either way , if you have to do that , to me no matter what , you will never measure up to my expectations.
Hence the biggest reasons I love Oak Hill Scuba http://www.oakhillscuba.com/ and Royal Scuba http://shop.royalscuba.com/main.sc . Both shops know I go to the other, and at first I was nervous to hurt eithers feelings because I hear so much about loyality to one shop but I soon learned that I have loyality to diving, I visit and spend money at the shops I feel bring something to this sport and its those shops I care continue doing so. It would be bad in my opinion for either Oak Hill or Royal Scuba to go out of business because they have brought so much to my life by way of scuba that I know they have what it takes to make better divers in the today, tomorrow and for a long time to come and I want more to experience this sport and feel how I do and I know that if they go to some shops over the others they have a better chance at such.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Dive Shop Reviews...Royal Scuba and Oak Hill Scuba
Oak Hill Scuba - To review this shop I must go way back, back to a time I was not a scuba diver. I for almost 2 years would call dive shops to inquire about getting certified, however I was so scared of such sport that somehow I always let them talk me out of signing up. Then one day Nathan says "If you arent going to get certified Im just going to sell my gear". Oh great a guilt trip. So I hatched a plan and called 2 places (not named since I did not take them up on the class) and on the third (oak hill) Nik P answered... I started the convo the same way as always and he said, "well come in and we can talk about that"...Im a sales woman , I know this aspect of getting a sale so I continued to talk, and next thing I know I am paying for the class over the phone ...Anyone knows a man with an accent is better at selling then a non-accent man. So the next day I head to the shop to pick out the snorkel gear I will need to complete the class. While talking about what to look for in gear I meet Melissa (who has turned out to be my favorite dive buddy of all time) and get an intro to gear for chicks. Within 3 hours I have all my gear and being a student I get an amazing price and the Nik although very hyper is probably the best salesman Ive ever dealt with (thank goodness he wasnt selling cars) . The instructors were great, I had Nick (PADI) and his babysitter was ChrisPete (NAUI) and I must admit had it not been for the combination of those two Id have never been comfortable enough to get through my check out dives. Nick is accurate, funny, and full of experience. I enjoyed learning from someone who could "handle" my smartass ways. Then within a few weeks I realized that I ate and breathe scuba and needed to put my gear on rent to own but once again Nik the salesman and me the live in the moment person ended up buying it all out right. Granted that helped me get a better deal and Mac even threw in the air , wetsuit and weight rental for the day as a little bonus. Now my daughter is in ChrisPetes class and I see and know that she is being completely taking care of and safe. Ive only visited 3 dive shops but this one and the one I review next have the feel of home, they make you comfortable with your purchases and thats important...
Royal Scuba ... within a few miles to me is this new little great shop called Royal Scuba. So far Ive been there three times. Each and everytime I have spent more time then needed due to the staff. The staff is ready willing and able to bend over backwards to get you the best price while also sharing thier experiences in the sport in relation to where I am at and where I am heading. With them being so close getting tanks from them is the easiest for me, not only is the air coming in at 3100 psi but every time I come out with more knowledge in this sport. Yesterday I went in just to get a tank and try on some fins (on a side note I cant seem to find fins, the ones I wanted dont fit, and the ones I can settle for are to expensive, Im mad at the makers of Jets, I cant fit into the mediums) I notice they have short top booties and they are 20 bucks so I call Leia in from the car to try some on. Next thing I know I have all her snorkel gear. I saved almost 100 bucks , and she got exactly what she wanted. Nico didnt just push the pricey stuff, as a matter a fact some things were the cheapest ones yet they were better for Leias needs. I was ubber impressed with the experience and Leia is now sporting fins, booties, a mask and snorkel which is something I didnt think would be affordable for another month.
Either way anyone would be happy visiting either of these shops, hell visit them both and let me know how much Im the shit for referring them to you...
Royal Scuba ... within a few miles to me is this new little great shop called Royal Scuba. So far Ive been there three times. Each and everytime I have spent more time then needed due to the staff. The staff is ready willing and able to bend over backwards to get you the best price while also sharing thier experiences in the sport in relation to where I am at and where I am heading. With them being so close getting tanks from them is the easiest for me, not only is the air coming in at 3100 psi but every time I come out with more knowledge in this sport. Yesterday I went in just to get a tank and try on some fins (on a side note I cant seem to find fins, the ones I wanted dont fit, and the ones I can settle for are to expensive, Im mad at the makers of Jets, I cant fit into the mediums) I notice they have short top booties and they are 20 bucks so I call Leia in from the car to try some on. Next thing I know I have all her snorkel gear. I saved almost 100 bucks , and she got exactly what she wanted. Nico didnt just push the pricey stuff, as a matter a fact some things were the cheapest ones yet they were better for Leias needs. I was ubber impressed with the experience and Leia is now sporting fins, booties, a mask and snorkel which is something I didnt think would be affordable for another month.
Either way anyone would be happy visiting either of these shops, hell visit them both and let me know how much Im the shit for referring them to you...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Train Wreck Nekkid man, Massive Wows and SMB "incident"...
Dive Log - 07/20/2008
Dives 31 and 32
I had been itching to get out to the boat again and tried to fill it up but in the end it was just me and Matt (Jared flaked out , the flaker) and of course Leia and Maddy who planned on being typical pre teen girls and giggle for the 6 hours on the boat. I had started to get comfortable diving as Ive been diving the same spots and always from the shore. Heck my other trips on the boat we went to the same spots to cause they are "classic" sites but this time we decided to hit the oasis so I was dying to get to Sunday. I was due to pick up my tanks Saturday after Co Bears birthday party. Although I had gotten tanks from them before they didn't get my credit card info before, and well that is the problem. I don't have one, so thank god Oak Hill was still open and had some available, and I begged Nathan to make the long drive there to save my day of diving. Once Sunday a.m. rolled around I got to annoy the girls by waking them up very early, then got to embarrass them in the car by singing loud and poorly and topping it off by waving to everyone we saw and blowing kisses. Its a small payback considering how they act in public with me. Once arriving to the marina I realize we forgot the sunscreen and towels and *gasp* the Dimwit shirt, but Robert of course came through for us and had extra of everything. I swear Robert is the most awesome SCUBA diver ever (Besides Water God ) he really is passionate about his boat and tries to think of anything someone might forget and has it ready for us. I felt bad when Jared didn't show up so we waited till 830 he didn't seem like the type to stand us up. Come to find out he had a good reason to so its all good. We did stop by Windy Point and I got to see Nic my old instructor and say hi to a few people before getting back on the boat.
The girls were in heaven, they thought the boat was so cool, and Robert even let them play the music they like versus us old people music. He was very accommodating to the needs of non-divers as well which just shows his level of commitment to Lake Travis Scuba. As we were heading to our first spot I find out that we pass by Hippie Hollow, and as we are driving I asked for the binoculars ... what a stupid move. Its like a train wreck, I only saw the guy from the side, I must say the fat tans well. but major ewwww. Once on location I decide to get in the wet suit in the water, which was new for me. It was a blast, not as easy as I thought but easier then when above water. Plus all I had was a 7 mil with this temperature, I needed to be in the water to survive. After getting all hooked up and air on (YAY 3100 psi) our plan was to just follow the rocks around and Robert was going to follow the bubbles. Diving with Matt is great, I feel a higher amount of pressure to be a "good" scuba diver with him, he has so much more time in the sport and also dive numbers that its an honor to continue to be welcomed to dive with him but it does add to my nerves and the need to maintain skills and improve enough to keep him wanting to dive with me. I like feeling a bit of pressure to be better, even if its me putting the pressure on myself. Matt just likes to dive, just wants to dive and never has voiced anything but praise and advice. This also will be my first time attempting to use a dive reel. Matt has one as well. I get a run down of how to use it them we start descending. Im to light so Robert throws me some more (last weekend I dived without a wetsuit) (oh yea he didnt throw them, Im not that great at catching...) and down we go. Almost as soon as we get down Matt finds a fin. Then shortly after he finds a ten dollar bill and an anchor. Im in to much of a dream world to actually find anything, I was in love with the oasis wall, there were many fish, and even a few I hadnt seen before. After we surfaced to bring up Matts first anchor of the day we get back down, and as we are coming around a bend with a overhand I see Matt pointing down and low and behold I find the missing link of the water world, this huge mean looking catfish is swimming below us , and I find myself SCREAMING into the regulator, the freak fish was HALF my length, and his head was as wide as my torso. With wide eyes I look back and forth from Matt to the fish, in shock that he was right in front of us. Although it felt like an eternity it probably was only in our presence all of 5 seconds. Holy batman spit it was scary but awesome.
One of the things I felt so stimulated by was the fact that this was not the "Lake Travis" I knew, the contours of the rocks, and grotto's were different, and with just following the cliff line for the first time , everything coming up was like Christmas morning, ohhhh look I unwrapped a huge tree, yea the tree was a bit scary because by the time it came into view we were right on top of it. It was that same exact tree we see in Polgergist, ya know the one thats outside the boys window...yea that one. It was interesting to see, and very surreal to realize I needed to be aware of my body in relation to all the tree. Once we get towards the end of our dive I find out that I only have a few hundred psi less then Matt, I take a moment to "go me go meee" for air consumption and try to get stable to start the smb. The amount of silt I uplifted while trying to hover and work, breathe in, reg back, breathe in, let go ...click click... click...click....hook back up was pitiful. Even the fish were blinded. However I did succeed and so there was a small amount of pride. However the second time I did it on dive one was not so great, I hooked the two brass pieces together and so once inflated holding the handle made me go up as well, within a few feet I had to suck it up and let it go, Id prefer to pay for the potentially lost reel then bypass my safety stop. Regardless if it is an "option" I still unless unable to will continue to stop at 15 feet. So bye bye pride. However the reel was floating and waiting for us so I did not have to pay for anything.
Once onboard the boat I asked if we could just continue the oasis after the SI, it was just that awesome to me and there was still so much wall to explore. By now the girls are all about the boat and jumping off and holding the line. Its nice that they are having a blast, and both are talking about their class that ChrisPete will be giving them this week. Even though Chris is the only one I fully trust to give her Scuba I am getting nervous, Robert helps ease my fears even more and the girls seem more ready then ever. I tell Leia that if she passes Scuba I promise to bring her on the boat once a month. While on SI we eat and Robert drives us around the dam area and gives us a bit of education on the dam and the area.
The second dive of the day was finally fruitful for me as far as stuff went. I found my first anchor (Im gonna paint it lol) and also an A.C. D.C. cassette tape. Also barely visible on it is "For those about to rock, we salute you" . Yes I find these corny treasures amusing and they are displayed on my desk as I type this. Seeing them brings me back to the moment I reached out and as the silt floats away I see this item someone left for me to discover. Neat huh? Then the most awesome thing of the day happens, Matt asks me how much air I have left and I tell him 1000 and he says "Me too" holy bear burps I consumed as much air as someone with as much time in sport as I have time in life. The excitement of that moment is hard to put into words. I love the feeling of progression, I love knowing that at least in some areas I am becoming a better diver. That moment is short lived as I prepare for my Darwin Award... the smb reel. Oh how glorious is thy...I for the first time of the day it goes smoothly, so smoothly that when I get the second breathe into it in all the excitement I let go of the regulator and watch it float up, then the bubbles are becoming less and I realize what I did, as I reach the regulator I have no air left to purge I for the first time know what it feels like to have no air left, for the first time diving I saw a glimpse of what its like to have no choice but to start to breathe in water, which thank goodness by that time the reg was back in my mouth and my reward was a bit of water up the nose followed by sweet sweet air. I didnt panic though, and I learned a huge lesson about getting to happy in the water. Somehow once surfaced I drop the reel though, and head down to get it thinking I can stop it before it hits bottom. Although I realized what I was doing I probably shouldn't have gone down. I did stay with the line and saved the reel, Matt met me at about 20 feet on my way up.
Well theres probably much I am forgetting to write about but I must get back to the "reel" world. What I carry most from Sunday is the new appreciation for the Lake, and all the new things I learned. Im on my way to hitting 50 dives by end of August, maybe one day I can convince Nathan to actually dive to, considering I now have as many dives as him and he has more time in the sport.
Dives 31 and 32
I had been itching to get out to the boat again and tried to fill it up but in the end it was just me and Matt (Jared flaked out , the flaker) and of course Leia and Maddy who planned on being typical pre teen girls and giggle for the 6 hours on the boat. I had started to get comfortable diving as Ive been diving the same spots and always from the shore. Heck my other trips on the boat we went to the same spots to cause they are "classic" sites but this time we decided to hit the oasis so I was dying to get to Sunday. I was due to pick up my tanks Saturday after Co Bears birthday party. Although I had gotten tanks from them before they didn't get my credit card info before, and well that is the problem. I don't have one, so thank god Oak Hill was still open and had some available, and I begged Nathan to make the long drive there to save my day of diving. Once Sunday a.m. rolled around I got to annoy the girls by waking them up very early, then got to embarrass them in the car by singing loud and poorly and topping it off by waving to everyone we saw and blowing kisses. Its a small payback considering how they act in public with me. Once arriving to the marina I realize we forgot the sunscreen and towels and *gasp* the Dimwit shirt, but Robert of course came through for us and had extra of everything. I swear Robert is the most awesome SCUBA diver ever (Besides Water God ) he really is passionate about his boat and tries to think of anything someone might forget and has it ready for us. I felt bad when Jared didn't show up so we waited till 830 he didn't seem like the type to stand us up. Come to find out he had a good reason to so its all good. We did stop by Windy Point and I got to see Nic my old instructor and say hi to a few people before getting back on the boat.
The girls were in heaven, they thought the boat was so cool, and Robert even let them play the music they like versus us old people music. He was very accommodating to the needs of non-divers as well which just shows his level of commitment to Lake Travis Scuba. As we were heading to our first spot I find out that we pass by Hippie Hollow, and as we are driving I asked for the binoculars ... what a stupid move. Its like a train wreck, I only saw the guy from the side, I must say the fat tans well. but major ewwww. Once on location I decide to get in the wet suit in the water, which was new for me. It was a blast, not as easy as I thought but easier then when above water. Plus all I had was a 7 mil with this temperature, I needed to be in the water to survive. After getting all hooked up and air on (YAY 3100 psi) our plan was to just follow the rocks around and Robert was going to follow the bubbles. Diving with Matt is great, I feel a higher amount of pressure to be a "good" scuba diver with him, he has so much more time in the sport and also dive numbers that its an honor to continue to be welcomed to dive with him but it does add to my nerves and the need to maintain skills and improve enough to keep him wanting to dive with me. I like feeling a bit of pressure to be better, even if its me putting the pressure on myself. Matt just likes to dive, just wants to dive and never has voiced anything but praise and advice. This also will be my first time attempting to use a dive reel. Matt has one as well. I get a run down of how to use it them we start descending. Im to light so Robert throws me some more (last weekend I dived without a wetsuit) (oh yea he didnt throw them, Im not that great at catching...) and down we go. Almost as soon as we get down Matt finds a fin. Then shortly after he finds a ten dollar bill and an anchor. Im in to much of a dream world to actually find anything, I was in love with the oasis wall, there were many fish, and even a few I hadnt seen before. After we surfaced to bring up Matts first anchor of the day we get back down, and as we are coming around a bend with a overhand I see Matt pointing down and low and behold I find the missing link of the water world, this huge mean looking catfish is swimming below us , and I find myself SCREAMING into the regulator, the freak fish was HALF my length, and his head was as wide as my torso. With wide eyes I look back and forth from Matt to the fish, in shock that he was right in front of us. Although it felt like an eternity it probably was only in our presence all of 5 seconds. Holy batman spit it was scary but awesome.
One of the things I felt so stimulated by was the fact that this was not the "Lake Travis" I knew, the contours of the rocks, and grotto's were different, and with just following the cliff line for the first time , everything coming up was like Christmas morning, ohhhh look I unwrapped a huge tree, yea the tree was a bit scary because by the time it came into view we were right on top of it. It was that same exact tree we see in Polgergist, ya know the one thats outside the boys window...yea that one. It was interesting to see, and very surreal to realize I needed to be aware of my body in relation to all the tree. Once we get towards the end of our dive I find out that I only have a few hundred psi less then Matt, I take a moment to "go me go meee" for air consumption and try to get stable to start the smb. The amount of silt I uplifted while trying to hover and work, breathe in, reg back, breathe in, let go ...click click... click...click....hook back up was pitiful. Even the fish were blinded. However I did succeed and so there was a small amount of pride. However the second time I did it on dive one was not so great, I hooked the two brass pieces together and so once inflated holding the handle made me go up as well, within a few feet I had to suck it up and let it go, Id prefer to pay for the potentially lost reel then bypass my safety stop. Regardless if it is an "option" I still unless unable to will continue to stop at 15 feet. So bye bye pride. However the reel was floating and waiting for us so I did not have to pay for anything.
Once onboard the boat I asked if we could just continue the oasis after the SI, it was just that awesome to me and there was still so much wall to explore. By now the girls are all about the boat and jumping off and holding the line. Its nice that they are having a blast, and both are talking about their class that ChrisPete will be giving them this week. Even though Chris is the only one I fully trust to give her Scuba I am getting nervous, Robert helps ease my fears even more and the girls seem more ready then ever. I tell Leia that if she passes Scuba I promise to bring her on the boat once a month. While on SI we eat and Robert drives us around the dam area and gives us a bit of education on the dam and the area.
The second dive of the day was finally fruitful for me as far as stuff went. I found my first anchor (Im gonna paint it lol) and also an A.C. D.C. cassette tape. Also barely visible on it is "For those about to rock, we salute you" . Yes I find these corny treasures amusing and they are displayed on my desk as I type this. Seeing them brings me back to the moment I reached out and as the silt floats away I see this item someone left for me to discover. Neat huh? Then the most awesome thing of the day happens, Matt asks me how much air I have left and I tell him 1000 and he says "Me too" holy bear burps I consumed as much air as someone with as much time in sport as I have time in life. The excitement of that moment is hard to put into words. I love the feeling of progression, I love knowing that at least in some areas I am becoming a better diver. That moment is short lived as I prepare for my Darwin Award... the smb reel. Oh how glorious is thy...I for the first time of the day it goes smoothly, so smoothly that when I get the second breathe into it in all the excitement I let go of the regulator and watch it float up, then the bubbles are becoming less and I realize what I did, as I reach the regulator I have no air left to purge I for the first time know what it feels like to have no air left, for the first time diving I saw a glimpse of what its like to have no choice but to start to breathe in water, which thank goodness by that time the reg was back in my mouth and my reward was a bit of water up the nose followed by sweet sweet air. I didnt panic though, and I learned a huge lesson about getting to happy in the water. Somehow once surfaced I drop the reel though, and head down to get it thinking I can stop it before it hits bottom. Although I realized what I was doing I probably shouldn't have gone down. I did stay with the line and saved the reel, Matt met me at about 20 feet on my way up.
Well theres probably much I am forgetting to write about but I must get back to the "reel" world. What I carry most from Sunday is the new appreciation for the Lake, and all the new things I learned. Im on my way to hitting 50 dives by end of August, maybe one day I can convince Nathan to actually dive to, considering I now have as many dives as him and he has more time in the sport.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I was not born a follower...
Just when I think that I had the best day of my life, Tommy and Evan prove me wrong. On my way to meet the boys I call Tommy to let him know I am at starbucks and what kind of coffee do they want... It is within this phone call I find out that I am going to be leading a bit today. Was I more scared? No, I actually knew I was ready to learn this part of the sport, I was not scared of climbing anymore, that fear turned into respect and love for this art. I knew that we were going to walls that had 5.5s and really thats not much harder then the approach (slight exaggeration of course) so I knew I would be okay. I could not surpress my joy and it made the drive to Reimers Ranch that much longer.
Reimers is really a beautiful place. Im dumbfounded at how close I live to this little bit of paradise. I only saw a small portion of it, and I can not wait to discover more as I progress in this sport. Our first spot was sex cave for a boulder problem that Evan and Tommy are working on for the comp. They both did it and then Tommy says "okay your turn". Now ladies and gentlemen, I had at this point only 5 sport climbs.... now Tommy is telling me to hang upside down ? He must be insane, but he couldnt have been to insane because I did get my body off the ground and I did start to actually do it. However the ability was not there and I fell rather quick. I did like hanging upside down though, and it was really fun mentally to try to solve it before even getting up. It was a laydown start, in the dark, very interesting feeling that is. I dont know if I will become a "boulderer" however I do know that it will be fun to find out if this part of the sport is something I can achieve. So basically that means I will continue to try it until I can solve a few problems.
Next we approach to "dead cats wall" and to the 5.5 called "Lisa the puamatic 6000 Kitty". Tommy was going to set up top rope, have me follow and set up my quick draws (minus rope clipping) and then come down. I really liked this wall. The textures of the rock were smooth, and crisp yet a millon avaliable holds no matter which way I climbed. No problem getting up, no fear or freaking out whats so ever. Once I get down Tommy asked if I was ready to lead and yup, I was more then ready. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I could lead this. We once again went over the difference in risks of a lead versus the follow and I was off. As I am making my way from bolt to bolt I realize that yes Im not going to be "the lead" for a long time, but dammit this is the most fun ever.....Each time I clip the rope in I feel power, each time I passed above it I started to mentally try to figure out how much Id fall including line stretch.
Remember this is only a 5.5 2 bolts 2 top anchors, so its pretty simple. That however does not take from it being my first lead. Evan got tons of pictures because at this point it is known that I want pictures of everything, from fresh morning dew to the setting of the sun and everything that happens between. There really was an outstanding feel to looking above me and not having the rope in my site.... it was truly just me and the rock. When the climb was complete I knew I was hooked (as if my last blog didnt represent that). It started to get out to the others on nearby routes that I just did my first lead and got about 3 congrats from the group next door.
Next we headed to "Clawing Zoe" 5.7 3 bolts 2 top anchors and again Tommy lead, I followed and clipped my quick draws, and came down. This was alot of fun to follow on. I did well, didnt use the rope at all and felt I was going to lead it well also. I did great the first three bolts. However as I was getting very close to the anchors I made a mistake of taking I high right foot where I should have done the high left. I was secure in my position but I could not figure out how to make it back to where I needed to be to anchor. I got scared, and when I say scared, what I really mean is I started to get upset, calling to Tommy that I couldnt do it, and wanting nothing more then to have them come up and change the position of the top anchors for me. I was yelling at the rock, I was pissed that I had failed, I couldnt figure out how far my fall would be, I had thought I passed the last bolt 6 feet ago but I might have been wrong....damn this stupid rock. I started hearing Tommys encouragement, and other voices of those I didnt know, I look back and on either side of tommy the groups climbing had stopped what they were doing and were watching and encouraging me. At that moment my legs stopped shaking and my arms stopped trembling and I figured it out, got anchor and told the rock "how do you like them apples" (Im a dork I know this) When I got back on the ground before I was even off the rope a man I didnt know told me "Wow you are a inspiration" I looked at Tommy and had to hug him, I then told the man thank you, Ive never heard that before and dammit if my ego isnt huge now. Damn best teacher in the world I have. When the group realized it was only my second day of outdoor climbing and I already was leading, the looks on their faces seemed shocked and wow factored. I asked Tommy "Am I moving to fast? Should I be leading?" Tommy replied "What do you think?" I thought about it, and said "no Im not"
Next was "Hissing Cloe" a 5.8 with 3 bolts. We were going to follow the same routine, Tommy top rope, me follow with quick draws, come down then men lead. It was a beautiful climb. This limestone has such a variety of feel, color and texture that each grip brings a new surprise visually and feel wise. However when I got back down I had to tell Tommy I cant lead it, I was to tired and there was a moment where I wanted to and almost needed him to take and I wont lead something when following it, I almost needed the rope, at least not yet. It was however a beautiful end to the sport climbing part of the day. That did not end the day, but my fingers, and my body just hurt to much today to continue to write. However the best part of my day happened after this, while Tommy and Evan made new problems of new boulders yet to be ascended....
Reimers is really a beautiful place. Im dumbfounded at how close I live to this little bit of paradise. I only saw a small portion of it, and I can not wait to discover more as I progress in this sport. Our first spot was sex cave for a boulder problem that Evan and Tommy are working on for the comp. They both did it and then Tommy says "okay your turn". Now ladies and gentlemen, I had at this point only 5 sport climbs.... now Tommy is telling me to hang upside down ? He must be insane, but he couldnt have been to insane because I did get my body off the ground and I did start to actually do it. However the ability was not there and I fell rather quick. I did like hanging upside down though, and it was really fun mentally to try to solve it before even getting up. It was a laydown start, in the dark, very interesting feeling that is. I dont know if I will become a "boulderer" however I do know that it will be fun to find out if this part of the sport is something I can achieve. So basically that means I will continue to try it until I can solve a few problems.
Next we approach to "dead cats wall" and to the 5.5 called "Lisa the puamatic 6000 Kitty". Tommy was going to set up top rope, have me follow and set up my quick draws (minus rope clipping) and then come down. I really liked this wall. The textures of the rock were smooth, and crisp yet a millon avaliable holds no matter which way I climbed. No problem getting up, no fear or freaking out whats so ever. Once I get down Tommy asked if I was ready to lead and yup, I was more then ready. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I could lead this. We once again went over the difference in risks of a lead versus the follow and I was off. As I am making my way from bolt to bolt I realize that yes Im not going to be "the lead" for a long time, but dammit this is the most fun ever.....Each time I clip the rope in I feel power, each time I passed above it I started to mentally try to figure out how much Id fall including line stretch.
Remember this is only a 5.5 2 bolts 2 top anchors, so its pretty simple. That however does not take from it being my first lead. Evan got tons of pictures because at this point it is known that I want pictures of everything, from fresh morning dew to the setting of the sun and everything that happens between. There really was an outstanding feel to looking above me and not having the rope in my site.... it was truly just me and the rock. When the climb was complete I knew I was hooked (as if my last blog didnt represent that). It started to get out to the others on nearby routes that I just did my first lead and got about 3 congrats from the group next door.
Next we headed to "Clawing Zoe" 5.7 3 bolts 2 top anchors and again Tommy lead, I followed and clipped my quick draws, and came down. This was alot of fun to follow on. I did well, didnt use the rope at all and felt I was going to lead it well also. I did great the first three bolts. However as I was getting very close to the anchors I made a mistake of taking I high right foot where I should have done the high left. I was secure in my position but I could not figure out how to make it back to where I needed to be to anchor. I got scared, and when I say scared, what I really mean is I started to get upset, calling to Tommy that I couldnt do it, and wanting nothing more then to have them come up and change the position of the top anchors for me. I was yelling at the rock, I was pissed that I had failed, I couldnt figure out how far my fall would be, I had thought I passed the last bolt 6 feet ago but I might have been wrong....damn this stupid rock. I started hearing Tommys encouragement, and other voices of those I didnt know, I look back and on either side of tommy the groups climbing had stopped what they were doing and were watching and encouraging me. At that moment my legs stopped shaking and my arms stopped trembling and I figured it out, got anchor and told the rock "how do you like them apples" (Im a dork I know this) When I got back on the ground before I was even off the rope a man I didnt know told me "Wow you are a inspiration" I looked at Tommy and had to hug him, I then told the man thank you, Ive never heard that before and dammit if my ego isnt huge now. Damn best teacher in the world I have. When the group realized it was only my second day of outdoor climbing and I already was leading, the looks on their faces seemed shocked and wow factored. I asked Tommy "Am I moving to fast? Should I be leading?" Tommy replied "What do you think?" I thought about it, and said "no Im not"
Next was "Hissing Cloe" a 5.8 with 3 bolts. We were going to follow the same routine, Tommy top rope, me follow with quick draws, come down then men lead. It was a beautiful climb. This limestone has such a variety of feel, color and texture that each grip brings a new surprise visually and feel wise. However when I got back down I had to tell Tommy I cant lead it, I was to tired and there was a moment where I wanted to and almost needed him to take and I wont lead something when following it, I almost needed the rope, at least not yet. It was however a beautiful end to the sport climbing part of the day. That did not end the day, but my fingers, and my body just hurt to much today to continue to write. However the best part of my day happened after this, while Tommy and Evan made new problems of new boulders yet to be ascended....
My fingers are bloody, my body is bruised but my...
spirit is satisfied. Yesterday I made my first outdoor climbs on two different walls, 5 routes. I have always been scared of heights and so it doesnt make sense that I would skydive and climb rocks. However my goals in life are to fight my fears and win. When I started skydiving I fought fears but it did not help my fear of heights, if anything it made it harder to be off the ground unless I had a rig.
So I was introduced to some rock climbers and there my plan was hatched. I was to climb one day, stop being afraid and move on. Last thing I needed was another addicting sport in my life. That wasnt to be the case. As I sit here, typing with two fingers, letting the others rest due to them being swollen, bruised, and missing some layers of skin, I am finding that I NEED to go climb again and if I could go today I would.
My first route was a 5.6, which is very minor and probably considered an easy climb. At this point I had learned alot about how the gear works, and how the belayer and climber relate to each other. I was most fearful about putting my life in anothers hands. This is not something I have done ever. I do not need other people to protect me. However in rock climbing your life depends on the communication and skills of TWO people. In my life I have learned that its only me, I protect myself and not to rely on others. I was quite surprised that once I actually learned and saw how it works that my fear was unfounded. I trusted my belayer Tommy more then I can even describe. I think mostly due to the fact I had my first fall on my first climb about 10 feet off the ground. Actually I didnt fall at all, I just lost hold of the rock, my belayer had me. He saved me from broken bones. Right then and there I knew that this sport was for me, I knew that no matter what, I finally relied on someone else and he had me. It felt so great to know this, so many things healed in me in that very moment. I however was still freaked by how high I felt and that I literally fell within the first 5 mins of my first climb, but there was no way I was turning back. Tommy protected me from falling, now I must let him see his training at work, I will make it to the top and I will let him help me down. Back to the rock, I slowly made my way to the top. Although it was only a 5.6 it was MY 5.6. I didnt see the holds, I felt like I was flailing around clinging to the rock. Tears at different moments because every so often I had to stop and Tommy had me practice my way down and would have me look at the ground, and I did it. I hated it , hated every moment of it.... Until I reached the top, turned around, and saw Tommy grinning ear to ear. I DID IT. As I was walking down the wall being lowered by Tommy, I was looking at the rock, all of a suddan I start seeing all these holds, three finger grips, where my toes could have been etc etc.... I started seeing the rock and how it could be climbed. It was a rush, it hit me and it was the first thing after the high five I told him. I saw the rock.
The next route was a 5.8. However it looked MUCH taller then the 5.6 I was just on. I was okay though I knew I could do it, and I started climbing in my head before I even stepped on the rock. I saw where the right hand would go and my right foot, I knew when Id have to make a long reach. I was in the climb before I was in the climb. I get my shoes on, which by the way are way to tight and hurt until you get on the rock itself. The part that was hard and out of sight about halfway up was very intimidating to me, I had to trust my feel, and Tommys words from below. And I did just that. After a bit of crying and whispering I want down I made it. I whispered my grievences so Tommy didnt hear, I didnt want to actually come down. It was a battle between my mind and my body and my mind won. Looking down still was a battle, coming down was a bit scarey still. Another high five, some belaying (which I hear I did well at as well because although I had a back up they didnt need to take over) and a feeling of complete self.
Next route was my first 5.10. On the ground Tommy told me when I got to the spot that I already was freaking about, that if I listen to him I will make it past. To listen and put my feet and hands just how he said and I will do it. It was hard, it sucked, and I screamed a few times when I slipped. I had tears and I wanted to vomit and I hated this stupid rock. I look down and see Tommy closer, he came up on the first ledge to be closer to help talk me over. I did okay, and made it with alot of help from Tommy, but I made it also because of me. I listened to him, I trusted him, I knew I could beat the rock. I knew he was with me every step of the way. I knew I could do this. On the way down I started having alot of fun, coming down is a blast. Just sitting in the air, with your feet on the wall. I noticed I wasnt nearly as scared at being up high and dammit this is the most fun I have ever had. How can that be possible?
On the second wall we went to called "Meet the flintstones" I really was excited to get up it. I was problem solving on the ground, I knew I wanted this rock. He was a 5.9. On the way up, I was having a blast, grunting to fight the pain in my arms, hands, fingers, legs and toes. I loved this rock. I loved this spot of Barton creek. I loved this sport. We all knew I passed my limit already but it was me who kept pushing myself. I told Tommy on the ground that Im reaching my limits limit and I hope I can make it but I might not. I never give up on things in life, ever. Its not something I can do. I cant have unfinished business so this was a weird feeling to me, to actually accept that I will not succeed and actually still try it. I sat there before climbing and explained I want to try to but I do not think Ill be making it to the top. I was actually okay with saying "dude I wont be able to finish this but hey Im gonna what I can" I made it past the first anchor (this is a old route and that first ones pretty high, Tommy who does the maintence on the routes said they should be replaced and re-routed) but getting past that first one was a blast. Theres so many things I noticed, from the various colors of the layers, to the different textures of the surfaces, I could see and feel my holds before I got to them. I was becoming part of the rock. I wanted to at least make it to the second anchor because that would mean I got past the hard part for me. I got really close, and I probably could have touched it if I just reached a bit further. However all at once my whole body told me that I was done, completley washed of all energy and endurance, I was done. I wasnt upset, I didnt feel like a failure because I didnt get there, I felt satisfied of my journey and knew that me and "meet the flintstones" will come together another day.
Tommy and Evan did one more climb on the 5.12a (I think that is what she was) and it was a beautiful piece of rock at that. Even if I hadnt given up on the last route there would not have been a chance for me to climb this. Its just way out of my realm, but I watched, and I took pictures and I knew that one day that will be me. I started seeing Tommy and Evans moves and seeing them as art. They were creating art, melding their bodys to nature and it was a thing of beauty. Of all the pictures that day, this is my favorite. To me it captures a moment in my life, where I fought and won fears I knew I had and even some I didnt realize were a problem.
I dont know where this journey will take me, all I know is that in 6 hours yesterday my life changed. I saw things in myself that I never thought existed. As I lay to try to sleep last night, all I saw was my movements of the day, all I heard was the communication between me and my belayer, all I felt was pure satisfaction of who I am, what I am and what I can do. Although tomorrow I climb again, I know in my heart that no matter where I go with this hobby, that everything I did yesterday does define who I am. I am strong, mentally, physically, and emotionally and no one will ever take that away from me.
So I was introduced to some rock climbers and there my plan was hatched. I was to climb one day, stop being afraid and move on. Last thing I needed was another addicting sport in my life. That wasnt to be the case. As I sit here, typing with two fingers, letting the others rest due to them being swollen, bruised, and missing some layers of skin, I am finding that I NEED to go climb again and if I could go today I would.
My first route was a 5.6, which is very minor and probably considered an easy climb. At this point I had learned alot about how the gear works, and how the belayer and climber relate to each other. I was most fearful about putting my life in anothers hands. This is not something I have done ever. I do not need other people to protect me. However in rock climbing your life depends on the communication and skills of TWO people. In my life I have learned that its only me, I protect myself and not to rely on others. I was quite surprised that once I actually learned and saw how it works that my fear was unfounded. I trusted my belayer Tommy more then I can even describe. I think mostly due to the fact I had my first fall on my first climb about 10 feet off the ground. Actually I didnt fall at all, I just lost hold of the rock, my belayer had me. He saved me from broken bones. Right then and there I knew that this sport was for me, I knew that no matter what, I finally relied on someone else and he had me. It felt so great to know this, so many things healed in me in that very moment. I however was still freaked by how high I felt and that I literally fell within the first 5 mins of my first climb, but there was no way I was turning back. Tommy protected me from falling, now I must let him see his training at work, I will make it to the top and I will let him help me down. Back to the rock, I slowly made my way to the top. Although it was only a 5.6 it was MY 5.6. I didnt see the holds, I felt like I was flailing around clinging to the rock. Tears at different moments because every so often I had to stop and Tommy had me practice my way down and would have me look at the ground, and I did it. I hated it , hated every moment of it.... Until I reached the top, turned around, and saw Tommy grinning ear to ear. I DID IT. As I was walking down the wall being lowered by Tommy, I was looking at the rock, all of a suddan I start seeing all these holds, three finger grips, where my toes could have been etc etc.... I started seeing the rock and how it could be climbed. It was a rush, it hit me and it was the first thing after the high five I told him. I saw the rock.
The next route was a 5.8. However it looked MUCH taller then the 5.6 I was just on. I was okay though I knew I could do it, and I started climbing in my head before I even stepped on the rock. I saw where the right hand would go and my right foot, I knew when Id have to make a long reach. I was in the climb before I was in the climb. I get my shoes on, which by the way are way to tight and hurt until you get on the rock itself. The part that was hard and out of sight about halfway up was very intimidating to me, I had to trust my feel, and Tommys words from below. And I did just that. After a bit of crying and whispering I want down I made it. I whispered my grievences so Tommy didnt hear, I didnt want to actually come down. It was a battle between my mind and my body and my mind won. Looking down still was a battle, coming down was a bit scarey still. Another high five, some belaying (which I hear I did well at as well because although I had a back up they didnt need to take over) and a feeling of complete self.
Next route was my first 5.10. On the ground Tommy told me when I got to the spot that I already was freaking about, that if I listen to him I will make it past. To listen and put my feet and hands just how he said and I will do it. It was hard, it sucked, and I screamed a few times when I slipped. I had tears and I wanted to vomit and I hated this stupid rock. I look down and see Tommy closer, he came up on the first ledge to be closer to help talk me over. I did okay, and made it with alot of help from Tommy, but I made it also because of me. I listened to him, I trusted him, I knew I could beat the rock. I knew he was with me every step of the way. I knew I could do this. On the way down I started having alot of fun, coming down is a blast. Just sitting in the air, with your feet on the wall. I noticed I wasnt nearly as scared at being up high and dammit this is the most fun I have ever had. How can that be possible?
On the second wall we went to called "Meet the flintstones" I really was excited to get up it. I was problem solving on the ground, I knew I wanted this rock. He was a 5.9. On the way up, I was having a blast, grunting to fight the pain in my arms, hands, fingers, legs and toes. I loved this rock. I loved this spot of Barton creek. I loved this sport. We all knew I passed my limit already but it was me who kept pushing myself. I told Tommy on the ground that Im reaching my limits limit and I hope I can make it but I might not. I never give up on things in life, ever. Its not something I can do. I cant have unfinished business so this was a weird feeling to me, to actually accept that I will not succeed and actually still try it. I sat there before climbing and explained I want to try to but I do not think Ill be making it to the top. I was actually okay with saying "dude I wont be able to finish this but hey Im gonna what I can" I made it past the first anchor (this is a old route and that first ones pretty high, Tommy who does the maintence on the routes said they should be replaced and re-routed) but getting past that first one was a blast. Theres so many things I noticed, from the various colors of the layers, to the different textures of the surfaces, I could see and feel my holds before I got to them. I was becoming part of the rock. I wanted to at least make it to the second anchor because that would mean I got past the hard part for me. I got really close, and I probably could have touched it if I just reached a bit further. However all at once my whole body told me that I was done, completley washed of all energy and endurance, I was done. I wasnt upset, I didnt feel like a failure because I didnt get there, I felt satisfied of my journey and knew that me and "meet the flintstones" will come together another day.
Tommy and Evan did one more climb on the 5.12a (I think that is what she was) and it was a beautiful piece of rock at that. Even if I hadnt given up on the last route there would not have been a chance for me to climb this. Its just way out of my realm, but I watched, and I took pictures and I knew that one day that will be me. I started seeing Tommy and Evans moves and seeing them as art. They were creating art, melding their bodys to nature and it was a thing of beauty. Of all the pictures that day, this is my favorite. To me it captures a moment in my life, where I fought and won fears I knew I had and even some I didnt realize were a problem.
I dont know where this journey will take me, all I know is that in 6 hours yesterday my life changed. I saw things in myself that I never thought existed. As I lay to try to sleep last night, all I saw was my movements of the day, all I heard was the communication between me and my belayer, all I felt was pure satisfaction of who I am, what I am and what I can do. Although tomorrow I climb again, I know in my heart that no matter where I go with this hobby, that everything I did yesterday does define who I am. I am strong, mentally, physically, and emotionally and no one will ever take that away from me.
Its Official...
Nathan listed my first piece of gear I ever owned to sell. I am taking an extended break from the sport of skydiving. Break as in I am not sure when or if I will jump again.
There are many reasons, some of which are personal but the main reason is in skydiving I can not include my children. The day I taught my kids to climb a rock was one of my most prized moments. The pride I felt as I belayed them is something that even the best skydive cant compare to.
Ill still hit the occasional boogie, I might even borrow gear for a coach jump, but from this moment on to say I am a skydiver would be a lie. I havent been a "skydiver" for some time now. Yes I still jumped, but it was more out of doing something familiar then desire for the sky. Yes it was fun, but not nearly as fun as my day to day life. I guess its safe to say that skydiving became just another way to spend the day. I am not willing to die skydiving, so I have no business jumping.
I dont want to die rock climbing... I am however able to accept the risk. Hope the "sky friends" will still be friends, but if all we had in common was the sky then we probably arent very good friends anyways so we wont miss each other.
Its been a lovely ride though.
There are many reasons, some of which are personal but the main reason is in skydiving I can not include my children. The day I taught my kids to climb a rock was one of my most prized moments. The pride I felt as I belayed them is something that even the best skydive cant compare to.
Ill still hit the occasional boogie, I might even borrow gear for a coach jump, but from this moment on to say I am a skydiver would be a lie. I havent been a "skydiver" for some time now. Yes I still jumped, but it was more out of doing something familiar then desire for the sky. Yes it was fun, but not nearly as fun as my day to day life. I guess its safe to say that skydiving became just another way to spend the day. I am not willing to die skydiving, so I have no business jumping.
I dont want to die rock climbing... I am however able to accept the risk. Hope the "sky friends" will still be friends, but if all we had in common was the sky then we probably arent very good friends anyways so we wont miss each other.
Its been a lovely ride though.
Scuba Newb
SCUBA LOG
04/06/2008
Dive 1
Well today was the day, the day I finally got to dive since training finished in San Marcos. Since before I learned to SCUBA dive I have been unsure exactly how I feel about it. When asked if I like diving my over all response has been "It’s interesting, but I’m not sure". I have always had a high fear of the unknown, and a fear of water. This goes to show SCUBA should not be for me. Most of the water world is a huge unknown. At the back of my mind I know that I know just enough about SCUBA diving to be dangerous. Seriously only 5 dives under my belt so in the grand scheme of this world I know nothing.
I was set to dive with Chris and Melissa, Chris had been there during my training open water dives so I knew at the very least I have a dive master to recover my remains should I die, or have a catfish bite my face off. I had yet to meet Melissa well I hadn’t realized I had, it was nice to see that she was the one who helped me look at gear from a Chicks perspective. From the day I met her she eased a few fears I had that were technically more myth then fact. So speed up to Windy Point Park, Austin Texas… just the park itself is awesome, a bit pricey for my cheap self but the parks amenities warrant the cost. We take the rickshaws down to the picnic benches and I immediately feel the nerves double in size as I watch my surroundings. First off most the more experienced divers have dry suits and I am a wimp with the cold. I had not realized that 60 degree water is no match for 7 mil yet. In my head I was picturing my blue face bobbing up and down next to the buoys and Melissa and Chris having to pry my frozen fingers off my computer. Yes yes yes I am a bit dramatic in my thoughts, and my imagination often gets the best of me in thought only. The good aspect is my ability to realize the drama and exaggeration and put it to the side.
As I am considering gearing up, I hear Chris tell Melissa "its your dive, you and Lisamarie make the plan and I will be there" and then low and behold, Melissa is by my side with a map (and by map I mean a piece of paper with numbers on it and a picture of a shark and turtle) I truly did not understand the map that much at first. Melissa starts going over the first dive plan idea and I was game. We were going to start out and just acclimate to the water temp, and also the newness as I think my fear showed and was possibly dripping out of my ears. We would start out , go see the turtle, a different platform, a shark, then go to 15 and rest for 3 minutes then surface. In hindsight it seemed complicated to me and I was a bit confused on how it was going to all come together. During training you do not have to have such an intensive navigation route so I was thinking that we would not succeed on seeing it all but was hoping. I was reminded to clear early and often and to remain calm. We went over the hand signals to make sure we were on the same wave length and also over buddy breathing techniques since I was using a BCD that had the secondary integrated.
Next thing I know we are walking over to the stairs, Melissa in front and Chris following close behind. I felt trapped, and decided I could not flake out easy because someone was covering my escape route. I grab the railing and by this time convinced myself that I was going to at least survive this dive. It took me three stairs before I felt the water slowly seep into my bootie, ohm not bad at all. So I move faster and exclaim "this isn’t cold at all" and Chris states "give it about 10 seconds" approx 5 seconds later I am stricken with a rush of bone crushing cold and I literally scream out in surprise. Melissa and Chris just laugh it off as if they KNEW this would happen. Lucky for me the cold passes fast and I am quite comfortable and relaxing a bit.
Next thing I know were starting to descend, oh shit I know there are things I am supposed to remember, yes I need to let out air, and uhhhh regulator in my mouth, yup that’s where it goes. Breathe, yes , that’s it I need to breathe. Looking at Melissa I realize I am not sinking, nope I am basically snorkeling with a regulator, not exactly what I am here for, I try for a few seconds to fight down and signal to surface, since we literally had only a inch or so to go we were up fast. I let them know I think that its more my fault and that I do not think I am under weighted. I knew I was not fully expelling the air in my lungs. So we try again and success I start to slowly descend. Using the rail to help me stay in one place. At about 15 feet we rest for a second to give me time to see the fish and the environment I just voluntarily entered. I am stunned, I had seen fish in Aquarena but I had not seen fish this big. The first big catfish I swear was a good 3 feet long and secretly was plotting to take me hostage and bite my face off, but he must have ADHD because he did not even make one attempt on my face nor my life. I felt I did fair on the dive overall, I was a bit unsure if I was staying at a safe distance from Melissa and often felt I was to close or to far. I did well at maintaining communication with her and felt that I was aware of what was needed of me and from me. Granted with time I will tune the skills a bit better but think I have a great foundation. During this first dive we worked a bit on buoyancy, which I am not horrible at but by no means am I respectable at it. Thank goodness I didn’t drag the bottom, I was worried Id be "one of those divers".
When we were at a platform and it was obvious I was comfortable with the surroundings Chris had me practice switching to my secondary, which I am grateful for as its known Id prefer to practice my Eps before they are not for practice. I’m very comfortable with my ability to share air with another diver and hope I can continue to remind myself that it is okay to practice these as often as needed to have them become engrained in this bubble head of mine. Also got to see the turtle, when I reached 1500 psi we had to turn back. How the heck did that happen so fast? How is my dive almost over? As we were turning around I caught sight of the jet ski, dude there is a jet ski chained to the bottom, and funny enough it didn’t seem like a wasted jet ski, as a matter a fact when I surfaced I saw a boat and my thought was "they should chain that to the bottom". Back to the dive, I did not get to explore the jet ski because we were done and heading back. We of course got to see things on the way back but we dived the plan and that means no jet ski for me.
The first amazing point for me that was really remarkable was when we reached a platform and I notice Melissa and Chris turn to almost a reclining position, so I follow suit and the moment I turn around I notice at the very least 25 fish of various types staring straight at me, as if they are the FBI and I am Jimmy Hoffa. Wow, nothing can really describe how it feels to discover you are the subject of a marine life stake out. As I sit there and just stare at the Texas Cicada I wonder what it thinks of me, does it find my nose appetizing? What makes me so interesting? Are they uncomfortable with my intrusion of their world?
Okay back to the real world, we reach the point where we get to start going to the surface, and surprising enough even that isn’t boring. At 15 ft we of course take a 3 min break and it was exactly 3 minutes because I was wearing a really cool computer that counts down to the second. When we actually surface and I take the regulator out of my mouth I just start laughing uncontrollably from shear and utter joy.
Pros of my actions
* Maintained acceptable communication with my buddy
* Maintained a calm thought pattern regardless of nerves
* Planned the dive and dived it
* Used my breathing to help maintain neutral buoyancy
* Had fun
Cons of my actions
* Felt awkward in my position in relation to my buddy
* My forward motion was taxing, must find a better way to reserve energy by letting my fins work for me. Stop fighting the gear.
* Had to actually think about breathing slow , and deep with a full exhale, must dive more and regular so this becomes automatic.
* Remember to inflate the BCD at the surface, there is no reason for me to have to tread water when my gear is fully operational.
Dive 2
After what felt like a surface interval of a lifetime we made our plan again. This time we were going to hit the tunnel of love. At least that was the plan. Although I cleared early and often I still started to feel pain and had to signal to go up a little. I found it much harder to equalize and was a bit perplexed as to the why. I assume its because it was the second dive and my body is not used to this. Although at this point I was no longer in pain I did notice big difference’s in how my ears felt and I was not entirely okay with it. Then again at this point we were at the deepest I had ever been. Since I was not in pain we continued on. At 57 feet I became a bit aware of a new fear, one I had yet to experience in this sport, I could not see the bottom of the lake, I could not see anything to reference my position, I knew up but that was hazy as no longer did I see the glistening sun with its beams riding the waves, instead I saw a light bulb, one that provided very little light in my opinion. Below me was black, I had no idea what was hiding beneath this abyss , and I truly felt a stir of chaotic fear, I am not sure if my expression portrayed this, and my actions were still controlled and not erratic but I do think because of the above combination I sucked my air down entirely to fast. We never made it to the tunnel, we had to turn back. I did however get a great laugh at the toilet, so much so I forgot I was underwater and the regulator fell out of my mouth. Funny enough I lived, all you really have to do is pop it back in your mouth, clear and breathe, Nik was right, my EP’s work.
At one point I was watching the bottom and from no where this honkin big Catfish from the planet Druidia appears and I ended up screaming at the sight, and then of course I ended up laughing at the stupidity that is me. This thing was huge, he definitely is the Top of Lake Travis and he scared me into submission, all I could do was stare in awe at his massive size and to be honest the beauty of him. I felt this spark inside as I sat and watched him slowly swim away, it was a spark of envy, he did not have to surface, he did not to peel out of a stubborn wet suit, James (that’s what I named him) got to live in paradise, he had no restraints in the water, he was not limited by the cost of gear, or training, James lived where I long to be.
At the surface we inflate to let the current float us to the stairs, and as I lay there, on this perfect day watching sailboats , and basking in the glow of two awesome dives I realize that my body may be going home but my soul rests beneath the surface waiting to reunite with me. I had so many beautiful thoughts as I floated away, and the one that got me the most was "okay where do we go next"
Pros of my actions
*Improved in communication with Melissa
*Learned a new way to clear the mask
* Remained in control despite the new fears that evolved.
Cons of my actions
*Oh at this point I am at 6 pages and there are so many things I need to learn and finely tune, all in all I did well for my experience (or lack there of) I felt safe, I felt that I was a decent buddy and that’s enough for today.
04/06/2008
Dive 1
Well today was the day, the day I finally got to dive since training finished in San Marcos. Since before I learned to SCUBA dive I have been unsure exactly how I feel about it. When asked if I like diving my over all response has been "It’s interesting, but I’m not sure". I have always had a high fear of the unknown, and a fear of water. This goes to show SCUBA should not be for me. Most of the water world is a huge unknown. At the back of my mind I know that I know just enough about SCUBA diving to be dangerous. Seriously only 5 dives under my belt so in the grand scheme of this world I know nothing.
I was set to dive with Chris and Melissa, Chris had been there during my training open water dives so I knew at the very least I have a dive master to recover my remains should I die, or have a catfish bite my face off. I had yet to meet Melissa well I hadn’t realized I had, it was nice to see that she was the one who helped me look at gear from a Chicks perspective. From the day I met her she eased a few fears I had that were technically more myth then fact. So speed up to Windy Point Park, Austin Texas… just the park itself is awesome, a bit pricey for my cheap self but the parks amenities warrant the cost. We take the rickshaws down to the picnic benches and I immediately feel the nerves double in size as I watch my surroundings. First off most the more experienced divers have dry suits and I am a wimp with the cold. I had not realized that 60 degree water is no match for 7 mil yet. In my head I was picturing my blue face bobbing up and down next to the buoys and Melissa and Chris having to pry my frozen fingers off my computer. Yes yes yes I am a bit dramatic in my thoughts, and my imagination often gets the best of me in thought only. The good aspect is my ability to realize the drama and exaggeration and put it to the side.
As I am considering gearing up, I hear Chris tell Melissa "its your dive, you and Lisamarie make the plan and I will be there" and then low and behold, Melissa is by my side with a map (and by map I mean a piece of paper with numbers on it and a picture of a shark and turtle) I truly did not understand the map that much at first. Melissa starts going over the first dive plan idea and I was game. We were going to start out and just acclimate to the water temp, and also the newness as I think my fear showed and was possibly dripping out of my ears. We would start out , go see the turtle, a different platform, a shark, then go to 15 and rest for 3 minutes then surface. In hindsight it seemed complicated to me and I was a bit confused on how it was going to all come together. During training you do not have to have such an intensive navigation route so I was thinking that we would not succeed on seeing it all but was hoping. I was reminded to clear early and often and to remain calm. We went over the hand signals to make sure we were on the same wave length and also over buddy breathing techniques since I was using a BCD that had the secondary integrated.
Next thing I know we are walking over to the stairs, Melissa in front and Chris following close behind. I felt trapped, and decided I could not flake out easy because someone was covering my escape route. I grab the railing and by this time convinced myself that I was going to at least survive this dive. It took me three stairs before I felt the water slowly seep into my bootie, ohm not bad at all. So I move faster and exclaim "this isn’t cold at all" and Chris states "give it about 10 seconds" approx 5 seconds later I am stricken with a rush of bone crushing cold and I literally scream out in surprise. Melissa and Chris just laugh it off as if they KNEW this would happen. Lucky for me the cold passes fast and I am quite comfortable and relaxing a bit.
Next thing I know were starting to descend, oh shit I know there are things I am supposed to remember, yes I need to let out air, and uhhhh regulator in my mouth, yup that’s where it goes. Breathe, yes , that’s it I need to breathe. Looking at Melissa I realize I am not sinking, nope I am basically snorkeling with a regulator, not exactly what I am here for, I try for a few seconds to fight down and signal to surface, since we literally had only a inch or so to go we were up fast. I let them know I think that its more my fault and that I do not think I am under weighted. I knew I was not fully expelling the air in my lungs. So we try again and success I start to slowly descend. Using the rail to help me stay in one place. At about 15 feet we rest for a second to give me time to see the fish and the environment I just voluntarily entered. I am stunned, I had seen fish in Aquarena but I had not seen fish this big. The first big catfish I swear was a good 3 feet long and secretly was plotting to take me hostage and bite my face off, but he must have ADHD because he did not even make one attempt on my face nor my life. I felt I did fair on the dive overall, I was a bit unsure if I was staying at a safe distance from Melissa and often felt I was to close or to far. I did well at maintaining communication with her and felt that I was aware of what was needed of me and from me. Granted with time I will tune the skills a bit better but think I have a great foundation. During this first dive we worked a bit on buoyancy, which I am not horrible at but by no means am I respectable at it. Thank goodness I didn’t drag the bottom, I was worried Id be "one of those divers".
When we were at a platform and it was obvious I was comfortable with the surroundings Chris had me practice switching to my secondary, which I am grateful for as its known Id prefer to practice my Eps before they are not for practice. I’m very comfortable with my ability to share air with another diver and hope I can continue to remind myself that it is okay to practice these as often as needed to have them become engrained in this bubble head of mine. Also got to see the turtle, when I reached 1500 psi we had to turn back. How the heck did that happen so fast? How is my dive almost over? As we were turning around I caught sight of the jet ski, dude there is a jet ski chained to the bottom, and funny enough it didn’t seem like a wasted jet ski, as a matter a fact when I surfaced I saw a boat and my thought was "they should chain that to the bottom". Back to the dive, I did not get to explore the jet ski because we were done and heading back. We of course got to see things on the way back but we dived the plan and that means no jet ski for me.
The first amazing point for me that was really remarkable was when we reached a platform and I notice Melissa and Chris turn to almost a reclining position, so I follow suit and the moment I turn around I notice at the very least 25 fish of various types staring straight at me, as if they are the FBI and I am Jimmy Hoffa. Wow, nothing can really describe how it feels to discover you are the subject of a marine life stake out. As I sit there and just stare at the Texas Cicada I wonder what it thinks of me, does it find my nose appetizing? What makes me so interesting? Are they uncomfortable with my intrusion of their world?
Okay back to the real world, we reach the point where we get to start going to the surface, and surprising enough even that isn’t boring. At 15 ft we of course take a 3 min break and it was exactly 3 minutes because I was wearing a really cool computer that counts down to the second. When we actually surface and I take the regulator out of my mouth I just start laughing uncontrollably from shear and utter joy.
Pros of my actions
* Maintained acceptable communication with my buddy
* Maintained a calm thought pattern regardless of nerves
* Planned the dive and dived it
* Used my breathing to help maintain neutral buoyancy
* Had fun
Cons of my actions
* Felt awkward in my position in relation to my buddy
* My forward motion was taxing, must find a better way to reserve energy by letting my fins work for me. Stop fighting the gear.
* Had to actually think about breathing slow , and deep with a full exhale, must dive more and regular so this becomes automatic.
* Remember to inflate the BCD at the surface, there is no reason for me to have to tread water when my gear is fully operational.
Dive 2
After what felt like a surface interval of a lifetime we made our plan again. This time we were going to hit the tunnel of love. At least that was the plan. Although I cleared early and often I still started to feel pain and had to signal to go up a little. I found it much harder to equalize and was a bit perplexed as to the why. I assume its because it was the second dive and my body is not used to this. Although at this point I was no longer in pain I did notice big difference’s in how my ears felt and I was not entirely okay with it. Then again at this point we were at the deepest I had ever been. Since I was not in pain we continued on. At 57 feet I became a bit aware of a new fear, one I had yet to experience in this sport, I could not see the bottom of the lake, I could not see anything to reference my position, I knew up but that was hazy as no longer did I see the glistening sun with its beams riding the waves, instead I saw a light bulb, one that provided very little light in my opinion. Below me was black, I had no idea what was hiding beneath this abyss , and I truly felt a stir of chaotic fear, I am not sure if my expression portrayed this, and my actions were still controlled and not erratic but I do think because of the above combination I sucked my air down entirely to fast. We never made it to the tunnel, we had to turn back. I did however get a great laugh at the toilet, so much so I forgot I was underwater and the regulator fell out of my mouth. Funny enough I lived, all you really have to do is pop it back in your mouth, clear and breathe, Nik was right, my EP’s work.
At one point I was watching the bottom and from no where this honkin big Catfish from the planet Druidia appears and I ended up screaming at the sight, and then of course I ended up laughing at the stupidity that is me. This thing was huge, he definitely is the Top of Lake Travis and he scared me into submission, all I could do was stare in awe at his massive size and to be honest the beauty of him. I felt this spark inside as I sat and watched him slowly swim away, it was a spark of envy, he did not have to surface, he did not to peel out of a stubborn wet suit, James (that’s what I named him) got to live in paradise, he had no restraints in the water, he was not limited by the cost of gear, or training, James lived where I long to be.
At the surface we inflate to let the current float us to the stairs, and as I lay there, on this perfect day watching sailboats , and basking in the glow of two awesome dives I realize that my body may be going home but my soul rests beneath the surface waiting to reunite with me. I had so many beautiful thoughts as I floated away, and the one that got me the most was "okay where do we go next"
Pros of my actions
*Improved in communication with Melissa
*Learned a new way to clear the mask
* Remained in control despite the new fears that evolved.
Cons of my actions
*Oh at this point I am at 6 pages and there are so many things I need to learn and finely tune, all in all I did well for my experience (or lack there of) I felt safe, I felt that I was a decent buddy and that’s enough for today.
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