Plongee - PADI Open Water Dive Certificate - Final Word

I want to say a special thanks to Lumbadive.  From day one (last year) on Tom's lion fish hunt, Richard and Diane (owners of Lumbadive) have been open, friendly, and accommodating.  In the weeks that followed me getting my dive certificate, we got to know Richard, Diane, Sylvain and Joanne better.  They are a big part of what makes Carriacou such a special place for us.

Richard and me

Sylvain my instructor was terrific.  Carriacou is a great place to learn to dive.  There are so many dive sites with good, healthy reefs.  If any of you readers are thinking of getting your PADI Open Water, I would highly, highly recommend Lumbadive.  Additionally, for those of you that have your PADI and need a refresher or want to take the next step, Lumbadive is the place!

By getting my certificate thru Lumbadive, I earned Diane's mark of accomplishment

I am proud of my accomplishment and excited to see where this new activity takes us.    

Plongee - PADI Open Water Scuba Certificate Continued

View of Tyrrel Bay from Lumbadive

Part two 12-22-15

Our day started with some excitement.  Around 7am a storm blew through.  By the time Tom got the wind instruments turned on it had dropped to 30 knots.  The wind wall that came in had to be up around 35-40 knots.  I looked up and saw a boat moving.  "Those people are leaving in this?"  Wait.....uh oh.  I realized immediately it was an unmanned boat dragging through the anchorage.  I put out an immediate announcement on VHF radio and warned a boat that it was headed for.  That captain jumped to action and was able to motor on his anchor just out of the way of the dragging boat.  Whew!  We along with others in the anchorage were trying to decide what to do.  Usually we go after boats like that.  We have in the past.  However, our dinghy was up and even in the best weather, Nick Nack won't plane.   While we were thinking, a couple of people with stronger ( 4 stroke) outboards went out after the dragging boat.  It was on a mooring and apparently the strong winds dislodged the mooring so it was dragging its mooring.  Anyway....they got it wrangled and a local fishing boat helped them get it anchored in the back of the field.  Whew!  And it's not even 8am!

Plongee x2

At 9am we went to the dive shop.  The dive master had looked over Tom regulator yesterday to fix an issue.  He showed Tom some details.  Good info.  His wife Joanne didn't go with us today.  We headed back to the same spot.  It was of course rougher in the boat and on the surface with the weather kicked up a tad.  While it was a bit stirred up, it was still good on the reef.  Like yesterday, while we were still in the boat Sylvain told me what skills he wanted me to do - same that I learned in the pool.  I told him I was apprehensive about clearing my mask as I struggled a bit with that in the pool.  He told me he had a different way to do it that might help.  He would demo that for me once we submerged.  He also adjusted my weigh belt from yesterday - making it 2 lbs lighter.  It worked.

The three of us descended to the bottom and Tom hang out while I did my skills.  The instructor was patient and assuring.  His way of clearing my mask worked much better.  I completed all my skills and then we spent the rest of the time exploring the reef.  My buoyancy was much better today - thus I was able to stay down and level.  This also meant I didn't need to mess with clearing my ears so much like yesterday.  There were so many fish.  Many times above us.  We saw not one but TWO octopus!!!!!  I saw an octopus finally!!  We saw 3 big lion fish and a baby.  It was good - very good.  So kewl to swim along slowly seeing all the bright colors, weird shaped coral and crazy fish.   Uh-oh.....this could get expensive.  Ha!

TWO octopus

Finally it was time to go up.  I had to demonstrate being out of air and using the instructors air and a buddy surface.  On the surface, I had to do another skill.  It was tough with the waves but I did it and thus passed all the days skills. 

Day four dive site

Okay, I am making this too long.  I know, I know.....Dives three and four were both in different locations.  Again, Sylvain my instructor reviewed with me ahead of time in the boat what we were going to do once in water.  He was calm, clear and reassuring.  The same was true once we were down on the bottom.  I felt completely comfortable with him. 

All four required dives complete - passed!

As with dives one and two, I demonstrated whatever skill he needed me to do and then we spent the rest of the time looking at all the brilliant colored fish, weird looking coral and everything else that makes up this fantastic underwater world.  

No, not a mug shot but my PADI ID card pic

I demonstrated all the skills in the four required open water dives and thus completed my PADI Open Water.  Woo Hoo!! 

 

Plongee - PADI Open Water Scuba Certificate for Sabrina

Part One 12-21-15
FYI - Plongee is dive in French and WAY more fun to say than dive.  "Plongee, plongee, plongee."  Seriously, try it.

I am finishing my scuba certificate is week.  I did a classroom stuff online this summer.  We didn't have internet at the Ham Shack (the house where we lived) so I went to our local grocery store in KC and used their internet.  Five chapters with little quizzes and final quiz at the end of each chapter plus a big final took me about 11-12 hours spread out over 5 days.  I passed 100%.

Then I did the four pool dives (confined water) with KC Dive Shop.  I borrowed a mask and fins from a friend in KC since my stuff was in the boat.  Thank you Kimberly!  The shop had the rest.  The first class was so so, but the rest of the classes got better as I got used to it.  I passed all the skills for the confined water portion and a final test.  Thank you to KC Dive Shop and my instructor Roger Mose.

This morning was the first of my 4 open water dives with a shop here in Carriacou - Lumbadive.  Tom went lion fish hunting with this shop last season and then after the hunt, Lumbadive owners (Richard and Diane) invited us to dinner at their house, grilling up the lion fish -yum.  They are a nice French Canadian couple that have owned the shop for several years.  I liked them so that is how I decided to finish up my scuba here.  In KC, you have to go to Beaver Lake - cold and low visibility......NO thank you.

Me after diving

I purchased a new full length wet suit (3mm) in Miami from Divers Direct right before we flew back home to sv Honey Ryder.  Purple and black!!!  Equipment is expensive in KC and limited choice.  The same is true in the Caribbean.  I also got a wet suit top (2mm) to use when I snorkel or clean the bottom of the boat.  Divers Direct is a big mega shop in FL so prices and selection are much better.   I decided not to get equipment beyond that because I want to see 1.)  How much I like scuba and 2.)  How much we go diving.  Equipment is expensive and takes up space on our boat.  All the dive shops have gear for divers to rent.  Lumbadive has nice stuff.  Tom has full dive gear including tank aboard so we can use that if we need to get under the boat to do work.  He had to twice last season.    

Me and my instructor Sylvain

We went to the shop at 9am.  I had to take a small quiz.  I had already taken it before but it was a good fresher.  Then my instructor - Sylvain talked with me just a bit about what we were going to do.  He had me set up my gear, showing me a few tricks he finds helpful.  The captain of the boat (Travis) loaded everything - woo hoo....no carrying heavy tanks and such.  Off we went.  It was a quick 10 min ride to the south mouth of this bay.  We suited up and the instructor talked with me some more.  Tom was buddied up with the instructors wife, Joanne. She had a really nice underwater camera and took pics and video.

Super Plongee Tom

I lucked out as Lumbadive didn't have any other students so basically I had private instruction the whole time.  In KC there were ten of us trying to get used to the equipment and feel of scuba aka flopping around in the pool, like drunken seals.

We got into the water and he checked my weighs and buoyancy.  We followed a rope down to the seabed about 30 -35 feet down.  It was a small reef but very kewl.  We spent an hour swimming around it looking at all the kewl stuff.  We saw several spotted eels and one very small green eel.  We saw 2 tiny, tiny lobsters and a big lion fish (12" long). Tom and his partner saw an octopus.  I didn't see it.  I want so badly to see an octopus.  Of course tons and tons of colorful reef fish.  It was great because we weren't in a hurry like you are when you are snorkeling and you dive down for a quick look on a big breath.

Plongee pair - I was happy, it was just bright out

I did struggle a bit with my buoyancy - staying level and thus down.  That is natural for most people at first or so I am told. Because I was going up and down some, I also had to clear my ears more and thus had a few issues towards the end with that.  Overall ok.  The instructor said I did fine and that all of at is quite normal on the first dive.  He said I reacted well and didn't panic.
Tomorrow is dive two.  We will go back to the same reef but this time I will have to do skills I learned in the pool.  Oh boy.  Fingers crossed I can remember and do them.