Entries this day: Diving_Certification! zzzzz

Diving Certification!

11:02pm JST Monday 16 May 2005

Whoohoooooooo!!!

I am now certified for Open Water Diving! I think that means I can go down to 18 meters, so long as I have a diving buddy and a supervisor type person.

Today Chris and I did three dives, and I was much more effectively able to descend; I used a combination of trying over a longer period of time to equalize, allowing a bit more pain to be 'okay' and just relaxing into the experience.

We got down as far as 10.1 meters I think, and that's where we did the bulk of the little skills, like fin pivot and hovering and mask removal and nose blowing.

That last one was my own little addition during the mask removal. When I went to put the mask back on, I could feel my nose wasn't clear and wouldn't be too happy with mask clearing, so I gave both nostrils a good honk before replacing my mask. Chris seemed pretty impressed, suggesting we add that as a new skill to certification.

We didn't get out to the Nebukawa train station sign (an earthquake sent the train station tumbling from the mountain into the sea, and the sign is still intact (painted each season by the local dive shop owner) and a good diver-tourist trap), but I look forward to doing that with Chris when I get back to Japan after PB.

Chris said the visibility was the best he had ever seen it at this dive site, so I had a really good opportunity to explore. But I forgot to bring my contacts. And I unthinkingly sent my underwater camera case onto PB already (it went from the PB office today). So I couldn't see the good visibility and have no pictures from underwater.

The second to last skill was one of the scariest for me: Emergency Swimming Ascent: while blowing out one breath, go all the way from some meters down to the surface. I blew too quickly at first, and the surface didn't seem to come quickly enough for my breath, so I had to push to keep air coming out. But Chris said I did well and noted that I didn't go up too quickly. I'm glad about that, though at the time it was the opposite of my worries.

Upon reaching the surface I had to inflate my BCD orally.

Then was the last and scariest manuever. Taking off my tank while on the surface. The tanks are really heavy, plus we wear weights in the BCD and I was like, how can I hold it up? What if I drop the vest? I'll lose my regulator, be swimming while wearing a weight belt, etc etc etc..

.. but then Chris showed me how to do it. It's easy! The super heavy tank floats. He rode on his like a horse and it was great.

I wasn't able to ride on my tank, but I floated on it like Jack Dawson before he died (in the version where he was in much warmer water with scuba equipment) until time to put it back on. Chris showed me how to basically "sit down" into the BCD jacket, and made it look really easy.

I was definitely unable to do that, but I got it on with my face (mask and regulator) down in the water and wriggling under the tank and into the jacket like a crab who found a new shell.

Somewhere near the last of the skills was sipping air from a freeflowing regulator. This was easier when I did it the wrong way (face down so the bubbles could knock off my mask) than tilting my head, but I was able to do it.

zzzzz

12:14am JST Tuesday 17 May 2005

Tonight upon arrival home, I hung out with Jim, Jackie, Mark, Jen, Sam out around the table where we chatted, played The Jackie Purdy Game and an unnamed movie game, various linking games of who starred with who in what movies?

Jen told me quite dramatically how she felt about my recent stalker news and I basically agreed but have given it up to the heavens.

Hung out with Jen and Ikumi in the main room for more chatting, mostly listening to Jen's stories of Saipan. Ikumi insisted that I use real milk for the Fruity pudding stuff (and she was definitely right; it works better than soy milk) and we chowed all that (and by we I mean mostly me) and mango pudding and chocolate and then Hitomi came home and I had more chocolate and orange juice.

Now Hitomi and I may talk; she may be asleep. I told her I didn't want to talk earlier; I think that put her off.