scubajay(Offline)

Not really a trip report....just a day where everything came together, and it rocked.

Went to a chilly 6 degree Stoney Cove, and tried a long DIR style mission. My buddies are not GUE trained so I did it for me really. Descended on the Hydrobox (about 33-35M) and broke South for the far wall......ascended to about 20 or so metres, and swam the whole way round from the far wall, to the airplane, under the shop, past the emergency jetty, past the bus stop and over to the exit jetty where I hung around at 3m for 8 mins just to pootle and hover. Not a strictly DIR dive, but i wanted to practice some of the skills and see if I was nearly ready to tackle the re-evalution soon. Fins kicks were smooth and strong in the newly aqcuired turtle fins, feet were warm in the new thermal socks, buoyancy was great thanks to advice from here and elsewhere resulting in me ditching 5kgs. Helicopter turns were good, Gas consumption was best ever. 30-20m for 40 or so mins, and then 20-surface (sloooooow ascent) for 18 minutes and I came up with 50bar on the nose.

I was happy that I did things like heli turns, hovering in empty water with no vis reference, and equipment/buddy checks without deviating more than 10-15cm. Before DIR-F and before practising for ages I would have been up and down like a yo-yo.

Best thing about the dive was a new club buddy with 300+ dives, 15 years experience and a DL with BSAC said i looked "comfortable and confident" and said that I appeared to know what i was doing.............

It's all coming together nicely. Once I have this diving lark nailed, I will crack on with conquering the world.

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We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.



20,000mm Under the Sea

DCC(Offline)

Hiya

Glad it is all coming together for you - have been reading up on some other DIR-F trip reports - I don't feel so bad about ours now!!:D

And, was that you bidding for the Turtle Fins on e-bay last week?

Dianne

scubajay(Offline)

Yes....and I won them. They rule. springstraps are sooooooooooooooo comfy!!


So....where have you been then, and what was the outcome of your dir-f? PM me.....

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We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.



20,000mm Under the Sea

Howard Payne(Offline)

Like you - I seem to be taking quite a lot of pleasure in getting the simple things right at the moment :D Nice report fella

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The Foxturd Chimp