Thursday, September 25, 2008

In need of a new SCUBA goal.

I'm now on the hunt for a new SCUBA goal. 

Slowly but surely, over the past several years, I've been continuing my own personal dive education.  During this time, I've helped many individuals attain their open water and up certification.  Over the past three years, I think I've been Divemaster or was an Assistant Instructor for over 150 divers. 

Some people may think this would get old, but I don't.  I believe it's vital to review basic open water skills until it becomes natural. 

[[One of the many important skill I like to harp on with any student is buoyancy control.  It truly does make for a good dive experience as well as allows for better air consumption and environmental conservation.  The thing is with this skill is it only come with diving experience.  So, you new divers, get out there, get wet and blow some bubbles. Anyway, I digress.  ]]

I guess what I was trying to say is that by basically being an SCUBA Instructor's apprentice, I get more of a chance to work on the basics and prepare myself for more difficult dives.

Until recently one of my personal SCUBA goals *was* to visit the Andrea Doria, a wreck site known as the "Mount Everest" of Scuba Diving. 

For those of you who don't know, the Andrea Doria was an Italian Passenger ship that collided with a freighter and sunk in 1956 off the coast of Nantucket.  For the longest time it was a frequent destination for treasure hunters and historians alike.  However, due to the conditions of the water in which the Andrea Doria finally rests, a number of divers have lost their lives at this site.

From my most recent research of the dive site, the ship has been collapsing more and more on to itself and is deteriorating to the point where diving the wreck is almost pointless and not worth the risk.  Why?  First of all, the minimum depth is now 190' and can go down to the sea floor at 240'.  Add to this the fact that there is a strong current that rips through the area and the heavy sediments can quickly make the dive a zero-visibility dive. 

Sigh...  this just doesn't sound fun.

I could give much more information of the Andrea Doria, but anyone interested could do a search on google or check the wiki on it....  but my point it that if I'm going to do something personally "remarkable", it needs to be worthwhile.

So, if anyone is reading this and has any thoughts, please let me know.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I understand the feeling of seeking a "challenge" in diving. I have single-mindedly pursued technical training beyond my divemaster certification through trimix. I must admit wrecks continue to be my Sirens" Call and the Doria is my ultimate destination. She will probably be gone in 5-10 years, so a visit to the Grande Dame calls.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the feeling that you give with this blog...