You are simply delicious. I need to read back a few pages, but have been stuck on this one for awhile.
That is a great pic! I am envious of the flat stomach 
Are you not back yet? Come on, want to hear about weekend (jumping up and down)!
Greg - I have my moments 
Joe - such a way with words. I bet you write love letters to your womenz.
KM - Bah guns are overated. I bet you have some good wheels on ya.
Cal - blushin thank you!
Peaches - I 2nd your Spandex for all motion.
Alex - I like how you think.
LilP - I’m hoping to catch up to you by the time I’m 65 
G - It’s a good time for me. Perhaps not 100% lifting, but finding balance between many passions.
Kimba- lol!
Ronda - I am sucking that gut in like a hoover, pulling the abs back tight. I don’t walk around like that all day. I’m too lazy.
MT - got back from my trip last night around 8pm. By the time I had unpacked, rinsed my gear and showered I was ready for bed.
Following post is just a write up of my dive adventure this past weekend.
I just want to start out by saying that in some ways my lifting and the compound has probably saved my ass. This was my first Canadian dive outside of a quarry. It was not what I expected and I definitely needed to find “my happy place”, when I’d start to panic due to low visibility I’d just mantra “happy place” and focus on little pretty things like the shells, bubbles or the green color of the water when the light hit it. Kind of like when the PR’s just aren’t happening and you remind yourself that there was a reason beyond PR’s that got you to the gym in the first place…
1st Dive Daryaw 90 feet
There was a lot of current. We had to drag our asses along anchored lines and chains. Halfway through the dive I start searching for air like a mad woman. Panic attack, my first impulse is to shoot for surface. Negative Captain. I’m 2nd in line after the Instructor so I know no one is going anywhere until I move. I take a minute to stare at the seashells, focus on slowing my heart rate and breath slow. Instructor turns around sees that I am not well, grabs my pressure gage and notices the needle flying all over the place with every breath. He opens my tank full way and finally I can breath. Somehow I had made it into the water, fighting current for 15-20 minutes with a half opened tank. At this point I managed to calm down and finished the dive as planned.
*lesson learned: always check pressure gage for flying needle before entering water.
2nd Dive Muscallonge 90 feet.
I was still very shaky from my last mistake and uncertain about my skills at this point. My confidence went from uncertain to inexistent. We dove down after surface interval. I wasn’t keeping track of my heart rate and breathing, probably hyperventilating. Visibility was not ideal, currents again but not too bad. Issue at this point was that my glasses fogged up. Now this is normally not an issue; goggle clearing is part of the basics you learn when diving.
Problem was I was so stressed I hadn’t realized they had fogged and thought this was the expected visibility. I was freaking out and pissed. This is like the equivalent of driving in a storm and forgetting to turn your wipers on. I could barely see the fins of the buddy team in front of me. I couldn’t make out any details. The thought popped in my head that perhaps I may be following the wrong people (fear escalating!). The Master Diver who tailed our group totally saved my butt. With some nudging and his flashlight he showed me the path to take.
Finally the group settled down on a seashell mound, protected from the current. At this point we were supposed to answer a simple math equation. The thought popped in my head that I could barely see anyone let alone his stupid math problem. And that’s when the fog lifted from my brain. Resting on the bottom, seeing everyone gathered and safe made the panic subside and at this point it dawned on me to fucking clear my glasses. I answered the equation (answer was 12, I said 13). And we finished the dive as planned.
At the surface instructor asked why had the group separated? Meaning why was I not following the line? I sheepishly answered my glassed fogged and I couldn’t see anything. A little shocked: "All you needed to do was clear your glasses??
“I know that, for some reason down there I hadn’t realized it.” And that was the scariest thing ever. My brain had focused on the fear so much that I wasn’t rationalizing. My guess was this situation was brought on by a mix of nerves and nitrogen narcosis.
*Lesson learned if something seems so damn improbable, then it probably isn’t. Stop panicking and find a solution.
3rd Dive Gaskin 65 feet.
At this point I was ready to call it a day. I was a dangerous diver, a bad buddy and should basically keep to snorkeling. There was no way I was diving again. However the last dive of the day was 65 feet with no current and reasonably good visibility. I knew I could do that. I’ve got 20 dives under my belt, I could do that. I also knew in my heart that if I chose not to do it, then I’d probably never dive again.
So I went, and finally enjoyed myself, finally saw a wreck and knew I had some basic skills. I was so freaked out on my 2 previous dives that the wrecks were simply a wooden structure out of the corner of my eye. My main focus was to stay with the group. During the third dive I actually saw the broken vessel covered with mussels and the fish that hid there. I enjoyed myself and remembered that this was why I loved the sport.
4th Dive Lillie Parsons 65 feet
5th Dive Lillie Parsons + 15 minute drift at 110 feet
We were supposed to do 3 dives on Sunday but the weather was bad so we only did two. We dove the Lillie Parsons which has a wonderful little current to drift along as you watch the wreck go by. It was actually fun (finally!). During surface interval the instructor briefed us for the 2nd dive. We were to dive back down the Lillie Parsons at 65 feet at then drift along a wall at 110 feet for 10-15 minutes. After yesterday?s dives my brain went on automatic fear alert.
However this was a deep dive certification, I had to suck it up. As we started descending I could feel my heart rate bumping up a couple of notches. Once again I tried to find my happy place, slow my breathing and chill. What helped me was the fact that the descent was gradual: 1st the Lillie at 65 feet which I could handle and then slowly to 110. By the time we reached the max depth I was ok. I can’t say I was having a blast but I was enjoying some of it.
Quick notes: I loved the Nitrox. First time diving with it and I felt hardly any excess tiredness from the dives. After the 2 dives on Sunday I drove home for 2.5 hours, unpacked chatted with the hubbie, watched TV for a few minutes then went to bed. On oxygen I would have left the soaking crap in my car overnight and headed straight for shower and bed at the hotel.
Cliff Notes:
- This was not really a pleasure dive weekend but I gained a good amount of valuable experience
- Big cudos to me, I managed to override the panic and surface impulse
- Diving in canadian waters is NOTHING like diving down south and I will need to add a few more dives under those conditions before I really enjoy myself.
Aw yeah I feel for you. The most depth I’ve done is 90 feet. As for checking the gauges, etc, I’m usually out diving every week so it has become 2nd nature, but that’s every single week I am usually out. Did you go through any buddy checks? And the first couple of times I did the snorkel training in freezing water where the viz was so bad I couldn’t even see hand in front of me, not to mention it was pretty wavey, I got a bit panicky myself. so yeah I know that feeling (not to mention I’ve seen jaws too many times, I hate not being able to see if anything is coming).
You are right to focus on breathing, its everything in a situation like that. One of the best and most reliant divers in our club, had an awful time with his training (this was in 1985 mind you). I think going through the bad experiences makes you a better (& safer) diver, and then you’ll be able to empathise and guide someone later when they go through it. I’m glad your Master Diver kept an eye on everyone.
Hmmm, less tired with nitrox, maybe I’ll do that next year. Thanks for the big update too, sounds like you learned loads.
Wow, what a trip. In more ways than one.
I just signed my 14 y/o daughter up for initial dive lesson, in a pool just to see if diving will affect her inner ear imbalance. She wants to be a marine biologist.
Great write-up frenchie! And an even better job working through the difficult parts
gonna do this part before I read the dive writeup-
[stealing n’s log to continue with bg bc its too long to txt]
[quote]bg wrote:
And while we’re talking about changing bodies (this is getting long, sorry mainey). I looked at some of the old old pics you posted back in the day and I can’t get over you then vs. now. I mean I could see the changes the last time I saw you IRL but to compare that to back-in-the-day-Bear is pretty crazy. [/quote]
apparently ive been doin it rite? lately. Carroll asked me a few times this weekend what i’ve been doin differently, saying that i look taller and leaner and skinnier. woa face when i told him ive gained 9lbs. even AJ’s gf asked me whether i was doin 132 or 148 for my meet in dec bc i look so little. calls of bullshit when i said ive been hangin around 175.
so back to the wimmenz who wanna look beastly with clothes on- its a good goal, but it sounds like too much to maintain on an all-the-time basis, without lots of life changes that i just dont think are worth it. [/stealing n’s log]
re- the diving post.
cross application and integrating life experiences is a matter of survival.
ive managed to trick myself into a few PR’s or push through a set by telling myself, “it’s just like last time. it’s just like last time. it’ll feel just like it did last time, and i can do it again.” weird, but it seems to push me and keep me from freaking out.
and molly e always tells me that i learn as much from a fail as i do a win… you wont make those mistakes while diving again, and it happened while you had lots of people around you to help. so really, its good that it happened when it did, where it did.
Keep the PRs coming Frenchie!
And if you want to keep the photos coming, that would be OK too. Absolutely beautiful!
Hi Frenchie -
bynaow~
Frenchie: what an amazing experience you had! I’m in awe of your courage.
How freakin scary!!
you were probably hypoxic and didn’t realize it??
My hubby has to sit in a high pressure chamber and answer funky questions like that. (he’s Air crew, survival guy)
I also learned this:
How are you feeling now??
Good job frenchie!
that sounds like you were in a couple of harry situations down there but managed to keep your cool and work through it. Thats what its all about
any pics of our resident Deep Sea Diva all geared up in your diving ensemble? lol
Had a couple pages to get caught up on…
Photography (including self) looks great!
Looks like you hit rep PR’s on all of the big 3 too? Amazin.
Keep killing it. Diving sounds fun, despite the panic.
Wow, the dive sounded intense. I’m glad you overcame your fear and made it through. For any strong person, finding your limitations can be unnerving. Kudos to you.
MiMsy, funny you should mention hypoxia, I’m doing lectures and training this week and hypoxia is one of them. I get to play with the emergency oxygen & other fun stuff on Sunday. But I doubt she was.
Sounds like it was a learning experience and that you got a lot from it that will help you in later dives.
Great write up Frenchie! I think it’s really cool that you realized what each dive taught you.