Diving

Senter Cove Guy · 12-20-2005, 11:22 PM

Even though I've been certified for almost 25 yrs, it's only been the past 3 yrs that I've taken up diving seriously. I'm a cautious diver and try to do most everything by the book. I have never had a decompression problem but did have a few moments of anxiety last summer while on a dive with Grant. We were diving at Diamond Island looking for the "Empty Pockets" wreck. We were in the 55-60 foot depth range and my mask had fogged a bit. I decided to lift my mask from my face to let some water in to clean it and then purge the water by blowing air from my nose. A procedure that I've used many times before. However, this time, my hood was lower than usual on my forehead and when I tried to reseat my mask on my face it was overlapping on the hood and I couldn't clear it. There I was at 60 feet and everything is blurry. STOP, BREATHE, THINK, ACT. After a few seconds all I really had to do was push my hood back a bit, reseat my mask and clear. Ahhhhh, I can see again, but where is Grant? Well...he wasn't very far away and we finished the dive. Alas...we were unsuccessful in finding "Empty Pockets" even though we've both seen it before.

I did the St. Lawrence River wreck diving trip with Dive Winnipesaukee last summer. It was fantastic. In mid-July the river was 72 degrees from top to bottom. The deepest most of us went on the trip was 110 feet. Like Grant, the deepest I've been in Winnipesaukee is about 70 feet. There is a known wreck at about 85 feet off of Ship Island that I'd like to try and find next summer.

I've done approximately 75 dives total:
65 in Winnipesaukee
4 in Dutch Springs Quarry (Bethlehem, PA)
4 in the Caribbean (Grand Cayman & Cozumel)
1 in Long Island Sound
1 in Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park (A quarry in Portland, CT.)

I'm looking forward to possibly doing some diving in the Mediterranean Sea next summer and to going on the St. Lawrence trip again as well.

But, I will confess, I'd really like to newly discover something else in Winnipesaukee.

Misty Blue · 12-21-2005, 07:46 AM

Grant and SCG:

I'm gett'en a see doo scooter for Christmas!

There is a 20# box with my name on it under the tree and I peeked. I guess that makes me naughty!

Wanna play next summer?

Misty Blue.

Winnipesaukee Divers · 12-21-2005, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misty Blue

Grant and SCG:

I'm gett'en a see doo scooter for Christmas!

There is a 20# box with my name on it under the tree and I peeked. I guess that makes me naughty!

Wanna play next summer?

Misty Blue.

I have one of those and 2 Tyger sharks; they're a lot of fun. The battery’s last longer than my air and they pull me along at 2mph (any faster and the water rips your mask off). We use the See Doo to blow silt away while I'm working on moorings (works real good).

Comparing notes with the other divers here:
Over 4000 lifetime dives
Deepest dive 240 ft.
Deepest lake dive 137 ft. (won't be going there again)
Worst diving situation... Wow, there isn't enough time to go into that here but that old saying "That, which dose not kill you, makes you stronger" keeps coming to mind.

Grant · 12-21-2005, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy

Ahhhhh, I can see again, but where is Grant? Well...he wasn't very far away and we finished the dive. Alas...we were unsuccessful in finding "Empty Pockets" even though we've both seen it before.

I swear someone moved the wreck. A few weeks before, there was a nice, convenient Chlorox bottled on a rope tethered to the wreck. Two weeks later, we couldn't find it. But we did see some other interesting junk on that one. Funny thing is that we found that boat no problem diving from shore about three years ago. But in August '05, we just went back and forth and back and forth at 54 feet...no boat. Maybe the eels snatched it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy

I did the St. Lawrence River wreck diving trip with Dive Winnipesaukee last summer. It was fantastic. In mid-July the river was 72 degrees from top to bottom. The deepest most of us went on the trip was 110 feet.

I'm soooooooooooooo going on that trip this year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy

Like Grant, the deepest I've been in Winnipesaukee is about 70 feet. There is a known wreck at about 85 feet off of Ship Island that I'd like to try and find next summer.

And, hopefully, the line that leads down there will still be tied. It was loose this summer, and I re-tied to a rock. But there are a lot of people trolling around there (I found a full downrigger and ball wedged in the rocks at about 50' in July or August), and it would be easy to break. It's not very thick. There's a series of Chlorox bottles (bonus points for two Chlorox bottle references in one post?) that lead down to that wreck from the end of the line from about 50 feet. Let's go!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senter Cove Guy

But, I will confess, I'd really like to newly discover something else in Winnipesaukee.

Sign me up. You have my number.

donnamatrix · 01-11-2006, 12:08 PM

I loved Shadow Divers, both the book and the the television special. Another excellent book, published back in 1996 or 1997 is called Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. It's the true story of the sinking of the Central America side wheeler. In 1857, the Central America, a sidewheel steamer ferrying passengers fresh from the gold rush of California to New York and laden with 21 tons of California gold, encountered a severe storm off the Carolina coast and sank, carrying more than 400 passengers and all her cargo down with her. She then sat for 132 years, 200 miles offshore and almost two miles below the ocean's surface--a depth at which she was assumed to be unrecoverable--until 1989, when a deep-water research vessel sailed into the harbor at Norfolk, Virginia, fat with salvaged gold coins and bullion estimated to be worth one billion dollars. Herndon, Virginia is named after the captain of the Central America. Excellent reading.

I am also a certified NAUI diver.

Grant · 01-11-2006, 12:17 PM

I'm a big advocate of NAUI training. Then again, any training depends on the instructor. But, IMHO, NAUI is the better of the big agencies. My son starts his NAUI training on Monday, so we'll have another Winni Diver on board this summer.

ApS · 01-23-2006, 08:51 PM

I was surprised to read that divers are subject to "tunnel vision" as a result of panic—and the flow of adrenaline.

Anyone here experienced it—and can describe it?

Winnipesaukee Divers · 01-24-2006, 08:58 AM

Can't say that I have ever been bothered by tunnel vision... In my world under the water it is a major sensory deprivation, I can't see much (I'm always in the muck), can't hear anything (hood on and air bubbles rushing by), can't feel anything (always wear heavy gloves and exposure suit) and I'm all consumed on getting the task at hand completed.

Well, Okay, so it not all that bad, I do have some good dives. In fact I take time on every dive to do a little exploring and you're right not much gets by me down there. I'm acutely aware of what's going on around me at all times. A good diver never puts himself in a panic situation; mistakes made down there are very costly. When a situation dose arises, the diver doses the three "R"s, React, Re-gain control and Respond.

12-20-2005, 11:22 PM	#1
Senter Cove Guy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 604 Thanks: 298 Thanked 431 Times in 142 Posts	Knock On Wood Even though I've been certified for almost 25 yrs, it's only been the past 3 yrs that I've taken up diving seriously. I'm a cautious diver and try to do most everything by the book. I have never had a decompression problem but did have a few moments of anxiety last summer while on a dive with Grant. We were diving at Diamond Island looking for the "Empty Pockets" wreck. We were in the 55-60 foot depth range and my mask had fogged a bit. I decided to lift my mask from my face to let some water in to clean it and then purge the water by blowing air from my nose. A procedure that I've used many times before. However, this time, my hood was lower than usual on my forehead and when I tried to reseat my mask on my face it was overlapping on the hood and I couldn't clear it. There I was at 60 feet and everything is blurry. STOP, BREATHE, THINK, ACT. After a few seconds all I really had to do was push my hood back a bit, reseat my mask and clear. Ahhhhh, I can see again, but where is Grant? Well...he wasn't very far away and we finished the dive. Alas...we were unsuccessful in finding "Empty Pockets" even though we've both seen it before. I did the St. Lawrence River wreck diving trip with Dive Winnipesaukee last summer. It was fantastic. In mid-July the river was 72 degrees from top to bottom. The deepest most of us went on the trip was 110 feet. Like Grant, the deepest I've been in Winnipesaukee is about 70 feet. There is a known wreck at about 85 feet off of Ship Island that I'd like to try and find next summer. I've done approximately 75 dives total: 65 in Winnipesaukee 4 in Dutch Springs Quarry (Bethlehem, PA) 4 in the Caribbean (Grand Cayman & Cozumel) 1 in Long Island Sound 1 in Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park (A quarry in Portland, CT.) I'm looking forward to possibly doing some diving in the Mediterranean Sea next summer and to going on the St. Lawrence trip again as well. But, I will confess, I'd really like to newly discover something else in Winnipesaukee. __________________ Lake Winni - The only place I want to be during the summer.

12-21-2005, 07:46 AM	#2
Misty Blue Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 658 Thanks: 121 Thanked 283 Times in 98 Posts	Merry Christmas! Grant and SCG: I'm gett'en a see doo scooter for Christmas! There is a 20# box with my name on it under the tree and I peeked. I guess that makes me naughty! Wanna play next summer? Misty Blue.

01-11-2006, 12:08 PM	#5
donnamatrix Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonboro Posts: 833 Thanks: 24 Thanked 258 Times in 120 Posts	Another good book I loved Shadow Divers, both the book and the the television special. Another excellent book, published back in 1996 or 1997 is called Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. It's the true story of the sinking of the Central America side wheeler. In 1857, the Central America, a sidewheel steamer ferrying passengers fresh from the gold rush of California to New York and laden with 21 tons of California gold, encountered a severe storm off the Carolina coast and sank, carrying more than 400 passengers and all her cargo down with her. She then sat for 132 years, 200 miles offshore and almost two miles below the ocean's surface--a depth at which she was assumed to be unrecoverable--until 1989, when a deep-water research vessel sailed into the harbor at Norfolk, Virginia, fat with salvaged gold coins and bullion estimated to be worth one billion dollars. Herndon, Virginia is named after the captain of the Central America. Excellent reading. I am also a certified NAUI diver.

01-11-2006, 12:17 PM	#6
Grant Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Pennsyltuckey, Tuftonboro, Moultonborough Posts: 1,504 Thanks: 382 Thanked 231 Times in 125 Posts	I'm a big advocate of NAUI training. Then again, any training depends on the instructor. But, IMHO, NAUI is the better of the big agencies. My son starts his NAUI training on Monday, so we'll have another Winni Diver on board this summer. __________________ "When I die, please don't let my wife sell my dive gear for what I told her I paid for it."

01-23-2006, 08:51 PM	#7
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,954 Thanks: 2,229 Thanked 782 Times in 558 Posts	Divers get it too? I was surprised to read that divers are subject to "tunnel vision" as a result of panic—and the flow of adrenaline. Anyone here experienced it—and can describe it?

01-24-2006, 08:58 AM	#8
Winnipesaukee Divers Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Exeter, NH or @ WCYC on weekends Posts: 250 Thanks: 7 Thanked 46 Times in 28 Posts	Tunnel Vision??? Can't say that I have ever been bothered by tunnel vision... In my world under the water it is a major sensory deprivation, I can't see much (I'm always in the muck), can't hear anything (hood on and air bubbles rushing by), can't feel anything (always wear heavy gloves and exposure suit) and I'm all consumed on getting the task at hand completed. Well, Okay, so it not all that bad, I do have some good dives. In fact I take time on every dive to do a little exploring and you're right not much gets by me down there. I'm acutely aware of what's going on around me at all times. A good diver never puts himself in a panic situation; mistakes made down there are very costly. When a situation dose arises, the diver doses the three "R"s, React, Re-gain control and Respond.