50 dives and counting

I am pleased to announce that I have successfully logged 50 dives. And after this holiday weekend, I should be up to 54 dives... and counting...

Look out, Lee, I'm catching up with you...:-)

Note to self

A diver's log is one of the most important documents a diver can maintain. It not only helps one keep track of their dives and experiences, but it also helps give credibility to your diving history.

Always keep track of your dive log. Keep it up-to-date and maintained. Protect it like you do other important documents in your life.

I just spent the past few hours rewriting my dive log since 2008. What an arduous task. Thank goodness for two things - 1) Lee keeps a very detailed, organized dive log. And since we've done almost all our dives together, I was able to recapture my history. 2) This blog tracked the other experiences I have had while diving.

Note to self: Always know where your dive log is and never lose it again.

Prepping for Dive Season

Thursday night found Lee and me at the WL Stephens pool testing our gear. Testing our scuba gear in the pool before we take it out for a real dive is something Lee taught me and it really makes sense. (Of course Lee has been diving for over 15-years and continues to teach me so much about diving... and other things. :-)

In fact, I can't believe more divers don't do this. Then again, maybe they do and I just don't know about it.

Here's why I think it is important.

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  Gear positioning: I would hate to get out on the ocean for my first dive of the season and try remember where everything is from last season. There's a lot of different pieces of equipment and unless one has been using it year-round, it might take a bit to get reacquainted with the position of key items.

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  Making  sure everything works: Imagine spending time on a long boat ride, gearing up, descending and finding out that your equipment has a malfunction. It would be sad to abort a dive because something didn't work right. Or, worst case scenario, it could even be tragic.

So, thanks to Lee's great insights and the generosity of Sally Robinson, owner of Charleston Scuba for renting us tanks and letting us come during a class, we were able to test our gear in the deep end of the pool while Sally taught new divers skills. (By the way, if you're in Charleston or want to dive here, Charleston Scuba is the only 5-Star PADI here and the best in the state! Be sure to check them out.)

If you're a regular scuba diver and don't check your gear before you go out each season, I recommend you take a moment to invest a few hours one evening with your LDS (Local Dive Shop). You won't regret it. Your first dive will be a success and it could save you a lot of heartache in the long-run.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, this year I discovered that my alternate reg needed to be tightened. It is fixed now and I'm ready to go!

Happy Diving!