A meme...

So, I found this meme from

Zoe of Girl with One Track Mind, who got it from

Mike of Troubled Diva, who got it from

Cliff of This is This, who got it from

Claire of Moon in the Gutter

<the meme>

1. My uncle once: owned a cock-fighting arena.

2. Never in my life: have I gone to jail.

3. When I was five: I lived in New York City and had a dog named Lucky.

4. High school was: bitter-sweet.

5. I will never forget: Cenote diving in Mexico.

6. Once I met: Natalie Gulbis.

7. There’s this girl I know: who is going to save the world.

8. Once, at a bar: racked up a $400 tab.

9. By noon, I’m usually: ready for a drink.

10. Last night: took Benadryl and fell asleep.

11. If only I had: the guts to take more risks.

12. Next time I go to church: I’ll light a candle for them.

13. What worries me most: is not having enough energy to get back up again.

14. When I turn my head left I see: Snowball.

15. When I turn my head right I see: The Vivster.

16. You know I’m lying when: I smile.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: Reaganomics and leg warmers 

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Petruccio.

19. By this time next year: I'll be on some island in the southern Caribbean.

20. A better name for me would be: daddy.

21. I have a hard time understanding: people.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: be taking it more seriously.

23. You know I like you if: I joke with you.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: Sher.

25. Take my advice, never: drink on an empty stomach, or get naked once you decide to drink on an empty stomach.

26. My ideal breakfast is: fried eggs, sausage and rice

27. A song I love but do not have is:  Mylie Cyrus's "See You Again".  I'm joking...  Sting's "Fields of Gold" from his VH1's Storyteller performance.

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: bring a gun or some bodyguards.

29. Why won’t people: accept one another.

30. If you spend a night at my house: you'd have a good time.

31. I’d stop my wedding for: an Atlanta Braves game.

32. The world could do without: Mylie Cyrus. 

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: lick it's bung hole.

34. My favorite blonde(s) is/are: Marilyn Monroe and Hellga from American Gladiators.

35. Paper clips are more useful than: the French and/or Politicians.  (They both pretty useless in my book.)

36. If I do anything well it’s: probably an accident.

37. I can’t help but: have a good time.

38. I usually cry: when I'm exhausted.

39. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: always do your best.

40. And by the way: I really like gummy bears.

</the meme>

 

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So, you want to be a technical diver? Preface

If you are remotely aware of the sport of SCUBA diving, you are familiar with the image of people stuffed into wet suits, their face hidden behind a regulator/mask and a large amount of weight donned onto their back.

If you are a SCUBA diver, you know there's a love/hate relationship with your wetsuit, the mask is your window into a new world, the regulator provides you the air you need to survive and the hefty burden on your back becomes weightless once you descend into the water.

SCUBA diving is an enjoyable hobby.  It opens up a whole new world to explore and experience.  However just like every other sport, proper training, equipment and mentality is vital to keeping the sport safe for yourself and your dive buddy.

The first step in the world of diving, is an Open Water certification.  This life time certification allows you to dive within the recreational limits set by the World Recreational SCUBA Training Council.

The criteria which defines a Recreational SCUBA Dive (RSD) are as follows:

1. The breathing gas is either compressed air, or an oxygen enriched air breathing mixes of 21-40% oxygen.
2. Diving is always with a buddy, never solo.
3. Diving Depth does not exceed 130 feet.
4. Depth-Time profile does NOT require a mandatory decompression stop.
5. No other specialized training beyond the basic open water is required.

Additionally, there are many speciality certifications designed to enhance a recreational SCUBA diver's experience.  These courses allow divers to gain more knowledge, better prepare them for different underwater environments, as well as encourages them to continue with the sport.  In actuality, these courses actually create better divers, because divers can't improve unless they are constantly practicing the skills that they've learned. 

So, what happens when you want to go to the next level?  What happens when you want to go deeper and/or longer?

It goes with out saying that advancing your dive education requires additional training;  however, additional factors also come into play when a diver wants to exceed the boundaries of  RSD.  These factors include changes or additions in regards to diving equipment, discipline, maturity and a realistic understanding of one's own personal limits. 

There is some debate on what constitutes a Technical Dive.  In general, the following types of dives or situation is universally accepted as a technical dive:

1. Diving within an overhead environment
   1. cave diving
   2. wreck diving
   3. ice diving
2. Diving to depths greater than 130 feet.
3. Mixed gas diving >40% O2 (nitrox) or trimix.
4. Diving with specialized equipment such as a O2 re-breather.
5. Diving a depth-time profile require one or more mandatory decompression stop.

If any of diving scenarios peaks your interest, then maybe Technical diving is for you.   Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to outline all the different aspects of technical diving that I've been running into as I pursue my diving education.  The goal is to share my thoughts concerning the next level of this sport,  as well as simply journalizing my adventure.

Technorati Tags: Technical versus Recreational SCUBA Diving,SCUBA Diving,Technical Diving,Dive Education

Football Season....

Vivian
Originally uploaded by Knight Diver

can't wait... can't wait... can't wait....

Oh this year is going to be good...

Here's a picture of Vivian's first visit to the horseshoe. She loved it.. I can't image how Christian will handle things.

Camp Ocean - Clean and Preserve with SCUBA

This is a project I've been thinking about for awhile. I stumbled across the Members Project website and thought I should take my idea to the next step.
Take a look and if you think it's a good idea, please nominate my project for consideration.

Pictures of you...

A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely. That is why I think a photograph can be kind.

-Albert Einstein

Technorati Tags: Albert Einstein quote,photography,flickr link