tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17978513091594704572011-12-02T17:54:02.328-05:00Thoughts from an underwater tourist...Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-48809589575932557292011-09-08T22:30:00.000-04:002011-09-08T22:30:33.630-04:00

Check out this amazing footage of a shark being captured and eaten by an octopus. If you turn the sound on after about a minute and 1/2 in you'll hear some amazing facts about what you're watching. Octopus Eats Shark by stevanhogg

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-26440311568522072472011-07-26T18:30:00.000-04:002011-07-26T18:30:28.277-04:00

Check out this video taken locally on Folly Beach. The video shows a baby turtle, one of about 70 loggerheads, that made it safely into the ocean on the west side of Folly Beach. The videographer said it was a 7:30 a.m. hatching, after which the turtles made their way to the ocean in the early morning light.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-28031913104637673842011-07-21T23:51:00.001-04:002011-07-21T23:51:20.943-04:00

Check out my first post on Charleston Scuba's new blog. This post is called "The Diving Addiction."

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-86748582796345431182011-07-05T21:18:00.000-04:002011-07-05T21:18:26.243-04:00

I'm enamored by all the beauty that can be found in the depths of the ocean. This video, shot in the waters surrounding the Soccoro Islands, is mesmerizing. But don't take my word for it; press play and take in the gracefulness of the manta rays and beauty of the white tip reef sharks. Take a quick break and watch this ~four min. video. Hopefully you'll find it as relaxing as I do.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-77181773042642260192011-06-21T23:23:00.003-04:002011-06-21T23:45:09.097-04:00

Saturday I ventured to Murrell's Inlet to dive with Express Watersports. The drive is easy and typically takes about an hour and 1/2 - - if you go the speed limit. (Let's just say on the way back to Charleston I did, but on the way there I made really good time in the early morning hours.) It had been about a year since I'd gone diving with this shop. They are definitely good people and have an

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-25918688391141473222011-06-11T13:37:00.001-04:002011-06-12T17:11:55.705-04:00

In the world of diving, one must always have a Plan B. Why? Because there are many reasons for a dive not to occur. A month ago I was excited to do my first dive of the "season," only to have it called off due to turbulent seas. This weekend my dive was called off because not enough divers had signed on to go. It takes so much gas to dive off the coast of Charleston, you have to have a

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-32131775166639953782011-05-31T21:35:00.026-04:002011-06-03T11:51:48.520-04:00

The water was flat. The Trinity contained nothing but Nitrox tanks and advanced divers. With great anticipation about what would be found on the upcoming wrecks, the divers prepped their gear while Captain Tom expertly drove the boat through the Charleston Harbor out to sea. The latter sounds like the beginning of a fictional story, but it really happened this Memorial Day. In fact, I would have

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-55866956520195237852011-05-29T15:25:00.004-04:002011-06-03T07:36:58.960-04:00

I was fortunate enough to dive the Anchor Wreck again on Saturday with my adopted Charleston Scuba family. This amazing dive site was created when a yet-to-be identified ship sank near Bull's Bay off the coast of Charleston in the mid- to late-1800s. Not much is left of the 300 ft. freighter, thought by some to have carried some type of perishable cargo such as bananas or sugar. Sitting in 105

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-9891202362018254092011-05-15T13:55:00.000-04:002011-05-15T13:55:19.938-04:00

I just love everything about being an underwater tourist.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-31194767346257391452011-05-14T23:28:00.003-04:002011-05-15T08:59:10.308-04:00

A scuba diving parody on Bohemian Rhapsody. Very creative!

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-87011319084599500482011-05-14T23:18:00.002-04:002011-05-14T23:19:30.754-04:00

A crazy take on the Bohemian Rhapsody with some crazy scuba divers and wild lemon and tiger sharks. En-Joy!

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-13837252056360620472011-05-10T07:48:00.001-04:002011-05-10T07:49:17.266-04:00

Come join a new social group about diving. It's free and a great way to connect with other divers in the Charleston area. If you love the smell of neoprene and can't get enough talking about what you've seen as an underwater tourist, then this group is for you. Simply go to MeetUp and sign up to join the group with a meetup account or by using your Facebook account.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-91830928129352428712011-04-23T11:01:00.000-04:002011-04-23T11:01:37.378-04:00

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-58449754727980952892011-04-10T09:28:00.000-04:002011-04-10T09:28:44.448-04:00

Check out this awesome four and 1/2 minute video that provides a unique look at the sites in the ocean. Among the beauty you'll see a thresher shark, a loggerhead sea turtle and walls of bait fish. And if you stick in there until 3:58 min. you'll see one of the most amazing underwater creatures. In fact, diving with this creature is on my bucket list and I can't wait.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-16105729604510719192011-03-21T20:45:00.000-04:002011-03-21T20:45:53.658-04:00

I've never seen a thresher shark before this video. They are majestic looking with their long tail from which they get their name. I looked up info about them and found this tidbit on wikipedia to be interesting: When hunting schooling fish, thresher sharks are known to "slap" the water, herding and stunning prey.[5] The elongated tail is used to swat smaller fish, stunning them before feeding.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-22262761552829917262011-02-25T19:38:00.000-05:002011-02-25T19:38:54.093-05:00

It is no secret that I'm addicted to diving. In fact, when I have a hard time getting to sleep at night I dream that I'm taking a giant stride off the back of a boat in the ocean. I typically drift off somewhere below the surface as I dream that I'm playing underwater tourist. Now I have one more thing to add to my addictive dreams: scuba shoes for ladies. You read that right, scuba shoes for

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-18172531509628991632011-02-04T16:09:00.000-05:002011-02-04T16:09:34.991-05:00

As scuba divers we've all seen many variations of the pirate signs in dive shops. But this one really made me laugh out loud. I wholeheartedly endorse the sentiment that I found on the website of Pirate Island Divers.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-11589885756299893952011-02-01T15:54:00.002-05:002011-07-05T07:36:48.393-04:00

 I continue to marvel at the amazing underwater videos and photographs made by professional and amateur scuba divers. As I think about the upcoming dive season, I am already planning new approaches I want to take to document my oceanic adventures. One thing I'm particularly interested in is how to stabilize my videos so they flow and are not choppy.For Christmas I received a tripod to stabilize

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-35147265173498390292011-02-01T09:54:00.000-05:002011-02-01T09:54:51.026-05:00

As a budding amateur underwater photographer, I always enjoy looking at the work accomplished by other divers. This underwater photography contest site provides a plethora of beautiful photos to learn from and enjoy. The site states: "Winning here (or even just being placed) is Underwater Photography's most coveted accolade because it says you succeeded in the most competitive environment there

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-60345662574640434652011-01-19T13:15:00.000-05:002011-01-19T13:15:43.286-05:00

My personally-adopted sister and her husband recently moved to Okinawa, Japan and will be there for the next three years. They are both scuba divers and we plan on diving the majestic waters surrounding this beautiful island. Diving with the whale sharks there is one thing on my list that I cannot wait to do. Check it out in this video.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-60554263919930685192010-10-14T21:13:00.001-04:002010-10-15T11:49:16.241-04:00

I have a fascination about the worms that are found in the ocean. The unique ones I've seen don't look like the worms we see here on the earth.Take for instance the Christmas Tree worms in my previous post. You'd never guess that those critters are actually worms. Check out this photo that I found on IslandTimeGallery.com via their Facebook account. I wish I could take credit for it. Maybe one

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-79367303868672945992010-10-11T22:08:00.000-04:002010-10-11T22:08:04.269-04:00

Christmas Tree worms fascinate me. If you approach them too quickly, they disappear in a flash. But don't take my word for it, watch this short video I took at a depth of 85 feet off the coast of Boynton Beach, Florida.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-32041516531808343662010-09-26T21:15:00.003-04:002010-09-27T07:47:12.423-04:00

We went out with Charleston Scuba to dive on the Little Garden Ledges. Surprisingly there were more women divers on the boat than I can remember in quite some time. I enjoyed that fact immensely. The surface was relatively calm with a breeze and light chop. We encountered some rain at one point, but it was refreshing and brief.The Little Garden Ledges were amazing and I wish we'd had more time to

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-83975184861873636172010-09-18T10:29:00.000-04:002010-09-18T10:29:23.025-04:00

It has been a long time since I posted anything here. So without further verbiage, let me post some of my recent diving photos. These were taken off the coast of Boynton Beach, Florida, which is South of West Palm Beach. Me under the sea Moon Jelly Fish Butterfly fish Two Butterfly fish Beautiful Queen Angel Another Queen Angel - see the "crown" on her head? Sea Anenome (this

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-47442780587047796722010-06-21T22:12:00.000-04:002010-06-21T22:12:26.866-04:00

After our trip to Boynton Beach, Lee and I decided to do some black water diving. This type of diving occurs in the Cooper River up by Goose Creek and Cypress Gardens, which is about 45 minutes north of where I live in Mt. Pleasant. And it's called black water diving because there zero visibility for the most part. The water is brackish, meaning a combination of salt and fresh water. At this

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-34578545478695393792010-06-14T21:18:00.011-04:002010-06-14T21:36:15.624-04:00

Lee and I kicked off our dive season with a bang. Early on May 28, we packed the rental car with our dive gear and listened to XM's Laugh USA on and off during the 10-hour drive to Boynton Beach, Florida. (Boynton is just past West Palm Beach off the Atlantic Ocean.) With four dives ahead of us, stopping in local dive stores like Diver's Direct made our adventure come alive. (If you're not a

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-56435529427774289642010-05-29T10:24:00.002-04:002010-05-29T10:24:16.507-04:00

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...:-)

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-52237288894195230252010-05-29T10:22:00.000-04:002010-05-29T10:22:13.636-04:00

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.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-27525098523772333592010-05-16T18:58:00.015-04:002010-05-16T19:45:49.323-04:00

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

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-70790850725626675132009-06-15T17:50:00.002-04:002009-06-15T17:50:24.868-04:00

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."I saw this quote and loved it. But I think I'll need to modify it to read: "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to scuba dive in the rain."A huge rainstorm came about while we were diving the Cooper on Saturday. It was an amazing sound to hear as we were 14 ft.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-9428874575059887052009-06-14T20:01:00.000-04:002009-06-14T20:01:36.622-04:00

Here are some photos from this weekend. More posts to follow...

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-41067587999702379972009-06-14T19:19:00.004-04:002009-06-14T19:32:52.015-04:00

Black water diving is an adventure. It is enjoyed by those of us who love the sport of diving and the quest of finding underwater fossils and historic artifacts.Yesterday I experienced my second round of black water diving along the banks of the Cooper River in a section called the French Quarter. Each of the three times I entered the brackish water, I found myself immediately immersed in varying

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-11338709447007603642009-06-11T20:03:00.000-04:002009-06-11T20:03:34.377-04:00

Well folks, my diving addiction continues. Yes, I guess I could now be affectionately called a frog lady. LOL It seems like the advent of "dive season" (meaning when the water is warm enough to dive without a dry suit) changes my life so much that my calendar is built around two things - work and my next dive. It's a good thing Lee likes to dive or he'd never see me on the weekends! :-)Since I

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-19648886997552918542009-05-25T15:59:00.001-04:002009-05-25T16:00:19.660-04:00

Here are some photos of what I saw while drift diving in Jupiter. It was beautiful. This is just a sampling of photos. More can be found on my Facebook page. 

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-21423654953611356852009-05-25T12:16:00.001-04:002009-05-25T14:09:54.842-04:00

My significant other, Lee, and I just returned from drift diving in the waters off Jupiter, Florida. Lee is a Master Diver with over 200 dives under his belt. In his entire diving career he has never had a major incident underwater... until yesterday. Upon descent, his BCD inflator hose gave way. He heard a pop as he tried to discharge the air from his BC. He sensed that something was wrong but

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-40472702894350978762009-05-25T12:13:00.002-04:002009-05-25T12:13:44.931-04:00

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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-42339034403449255192009-05-25T12:13:00.000-04:002009-05-25T12:13:09.196-04:00

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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-89625991515016163942009-05-25T12:12:00.000-04:002009-05-25T12:12:12.789-04:00

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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-19232077690404206622009-05-25T12:11:00.000-04:002009-05-25T12:11:34.291-04:00

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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-42329037148882158942009-02-08T12:35:00.047-05:002009-02-08T13:18:04.504-05:00

Yesterday Lee and I stopped by Charleston Scuba as we were in route to walk on the beach. We didn't have any purpose except to say hello to our friends at Charleston Scuba, talk about anything related to diving and how we're jonesing to get back in the water... and of course, we were there to smell the neoprene.There is nothing quite like the smell of dive gear. Of course, if you're a non-diver

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-76327924358327404832009-02-08T12:30:00.009-05:002009-02-08T12:34:39.521-05:00

As suspected, it is an involved process to become a volunteer diver. But the perks are worth it. Swimming with fish, feeding them, prepping their food, educating visitors and much more. There is much to share about this new aspect of diving...Next stop is to get a physical from the "Scuba" doctor here. I'll keep you posted

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-40282118428881676022009-01-29T22:33:00.031-05:002009-01-29T22:48:12.614-05:00

Well, we've been waiting since around October and the day is finally here. Saturday morning will find Lee and I sitting through the Charleston Aquarium's Volunteer Orientation class. The goal is for this to lead to a new "career" as a volunteer diver. If we pass all the check out exams - both written and in the water - we'll be allowed to volunteer dive in the aquarium two days a month.Here is a

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-90399296375616423592009-01-25T19:26:00.000-05:002009-01-25T19:28:47.734-05:00

Check out this video I just found of a diver finding a megalodon tooth. Guess it will take practice, just like honing the skill of taking good pictures underwater. What a shame that this will require lots of diving... bummer...LOL

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-63056147580779872002009-01-25T19:01:00.001-05:002009-01-25T19:17:43.751-05:00

Lee and I went to the fossil show yesterday. It was absolutely fascinating. You know, I've studied fossils in school and taught kids about them when I used to teach. I've even made a point of visiting museums to see fossil exhibits across the nation. But I've never seen personal collections like this. It was exciting and interesting to talk to people about their finds. And it made me anxious to

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-38727809018457749392009-01-09T11:09:00.001-05:002009-01-09T11:26:10.166-05:00

I've set a personal goal to complete my Advanced Open Water (AOW) certification before the end of the month. As a voracious reader, this means that I've officially put myself on restrictions from reading anything other than my AOW instruction book.I only have to study through around 400 pages that cover knowledge development for the two required components - the Deep and Underwater Navigation

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-82334171555269721612009-01-08T12:53:00.001-05:002009-01-08T13:57:59.227-05:00

We turned a corner this morning in three ways: 1)his swelling is noticeably going down 2)his coloring is improving ever so slightly from deep, purple-red to a little bit of pink and 3)most importantly he asked for an ice cube.Now I know that asking for an ice cube sounds strange to most. But prior to the surgery, Angus would ask me for an ice cube anytime he heard me open the freezer.I spoke to

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-58875137741488266212009-01-05T13:27:00.000-05:002009-01-05T13:32:06.180-05:00

We went to the vet this morning. He said Angus' swelling from the surgery is rare but has been known to occur. (His scrotum is filled with blood and about the size of a medium grapefruit now.) He told me it should go away in about a week. The doctor said that if this doesn't go away in a week, we'll have to drain it. He sent us home with a ton of meds - antibiotics and pain - and said to keep him

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-26709501067959728742009-01-04T19:02:00.001-05:002009-01-04T19:07:33.191-05:00

It would have been nice to know about the long journey Angus and I were going to embark upon when he came home from his surgery on Wednesday afternoon. Since his return home we've been experiencing swelling and moaning-mania. I feel so sorry for this big guy. It's Sunday p.m. and the swelling hasn't gone down. Needless to say, I'll be calling the doctor - AGAIN - tomorrow morning.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-76882399797751079042008-12-31T11:44:00.002-05:002008-12-31T11:45:20.196-05:00

I just heard from the doctor and Angus came through the surgery well. I'll pick him up this afternoon.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-13318191330041279492008-12-31T09:44:00.002-05:002008-12-31T10:10:52.210-05:00

On a non-scuba related topic, many of you know that my "son" is a 175 lb. Great Dane named Angus. As I write this my baby is having surgery. He has benign prostatic hyperplasia; which is a benign tumor in his prostate. If left "untreated" the tumor most likely would turn cancerous.To treat this, his "manhood" is being removed. Over time the lack of testosterone in his system will dissipate the

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-44683220533092744422008-12-30T15:39:00.000-05:002008-12-30T15:47:01.945-05:00

I didn't understand it early this summer when Lee told me I'd have a hard time dealing with the "off-season" of diving. Now that I'm in the midst of this suffocating time where we cannot dive the ocean blue, I know exactly what he meant.I've been going through extreme withdrawal. Every night since my last dive in October, I dream about diving. Don't misunderstand, I dream about other things, too.

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-13071219776303972312008-11-02T08:29:00.003-05:002008-11-02T09:54:43.159-05:00

Yesterday Lee and I visited the South Carolina Aquarium in downtown Charleston. In addition to enjoying all the sites and scenes of the aquarium, we checked out the volunteer program. We learned that the next volunteer training class is Jan. 31. After we complete the initial class and pass some tests, we'll be able to be volunteer divers. Duties include preparing food for dives; helping to feed

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-86668422712298560942008-10-17T06:26:00.001-04:002008-10-17T06:37:26.040-04:00

I haven't been on a dive for several weeks now and I'm "jonesing" to go down deep, get wet and practice taking photos of fish. So, I thought I'd post a photo I took underwater when we were diving off Jupiter to remind myself of diving. (It's me at about 80 feet underwater.) :-) Unless you're a diver with a passion for exploring the underwater world, you probably don't understand the drive to dive

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-78731156687549313172008-10-07T21:42:00.001-04:002008-10-07T21:55:19.879-04:00

The photos in the previous post are great. Lee took them with his new underwater 35mm camera and strobe. While my photos, taken with a digital and no strobe, well... let's just say they are a work in progress. Once I get more practice and a strobe (someday) I'm sure they will have more definition and clarity like his photos. Here take a look...

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-82566483861197708952008-10-07T21:06:00.008-04:002008-10-11T12:55:20.125-04:00

This weekend, Lee and I went to Jupiter, Florida to do some drift diving. These dives were amazing and superseded my expectations by far. I must admit that at first I was skeptical about jumping into the ocean without a line to descend and ascend by. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found after I jumped in behind the leader who held the buoy. I looked down into the blue, tranquil water and

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-57172164456006768262008-09-16T13:03:00.005-04:002008-09-21T11:16:53.844-04:00

Last I checked, the Atlantic Ocean was a huge body of water. In fact, according to Wikipedia, it is the second largest ocean covering approximately one-fifth of the earth's surface. So one would think with this amount of space, boats could easily share the Atlantic.Unfortunately, this past Saturday, this was not the case for one fisherman as he proceeded to tell us off and demand we leave the

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-54435607234144324862008-09-16T11:00:00.003-04:002008-09-16T15:12:12.795-04:00

As most divers know, we are encouraged to dive with a buddy for safety reasons. Although solo divers are not uncommon among the super advanced. Personally, I like having a dive buddy so I can share the experience. In addition, diving with a buddy ensures there is someone nearby should I need help getting untangled from fishing wire caught on my tank or to help put my weight belt back on that fell

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-13758702101269529582008-09-15T09:43:00.006-04:002008-09-23T19:36:23.818-04:00

It's the morning after a weekend of diving with Charleston Scuba; four dives in total. And my mind is swimming with thoughts of things to write about... I think I'm going to have to do separate little vignettes. The topics include: Three is not for me - How diving in a team of three is difficult Confrontational fisherman - An inconsiderate fisherman encounter The narc "game" - Demonstrating

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-20099784101995571812008-09-13T19:47:00.001-04:002008-09-15T21:19:32.582-04:00

Today I dove with Charleston Scuba again. (Yea! I love this dive shop and all the people who work there.) The water was so flat and the weather gorgeous. It was one of the best days I've seen off the Charleston coast. (Course, I've not seen as many as the veteran divers have seen. But they were all amazed, too.)With Tom as our captain, we took The Trinity out about 27 miles off the coast. Our

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-46723261157095751852008-09-12T16:51:00.001-04:002008-09-12T16:53:44.500-04:00

Well, this weekend I have four dives planned. It's the only time I'll get to dive for the rest of the month, so I'm packing 'em in now.I'll write more later...

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-12704331432993413162008-09-09T20:42:00.000-04:002008-09-09T21:26:13.148-04:00

My new PADI c-card (certification card) arrived yesterday. It's so "official" looking as it is similar to a credit card or a driver's license. And my picture is on the back with all my certification info.I feel like Steve Martin in "The Jerk" when he said "The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!...I'm in print! Things are going to start happening to me now."

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-43870994284609843112008-09-08T19:54:00.000-04:002008-09-08T20:27:20.807-04:00

Thanks to my mom and dad, I am the recipient of a congratulations gift for getting my c-card give that is amazing. My very own underwater camera! It arrived today. And I can't wait to get wet and go deep to use it. A great feature is the underwater housing, which allows you to take the camera to up to 180 feet, comes off and you can use the camera on land. You can't beat that!We're going diving

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-30380837682464162132008-09-01T13:00:00.000-04:002008-09-01T12:52:37.401-04:00

It's the morning after Lee and I have completed four more dives and I can truly say I'm extremely hooked on diving. The underwater experiences we had keep running through my head like a video on continuous loop 24/7. It's like my mind, body and spirit cannot get enough of exploring the underwater world so few get to see in person.On Saturday morning, we went down two times on Barracuda Alley;

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-59266616314135314882008-08-29T08:10:00.000-04:002008-08-29T08:37:30.225-04:00

I am enthralled with fish and the creatures that can be encountered underwater. Many things I've seen while diving are beautiful and mysterious. Yet, I want to know more about them. For instance, the first fish I saw on dive #2 was actually a pair of spotfin butterflyfish (see the video below). And on dive #4 I saw an amazing creature which I later learned is called a jackknife fish (shown in the

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-90561033955776216702008-08-26T21:11:00.000-04:002008-08-29T06:38:38.360-04:00

It struck me that many people may not get what has drawn me to this. So here are a few videos I found of others diving that will show you what I'm talking about.Wreck Diving (1:25 in length)Diving in Cancun (3:32 in length)Bali Diving (2:00 in length)Key West (:53 in length)

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-20877734625984521552008-08-26T20:27:00.001-04:002008-08-26T20:40:02.602-04:00

I'm very excited as we will be doing four dives this weekend; two on Barracuda Alley and the other two on the Sherman (for a second time). With a maximum depth of 63 feet, Barracuda Alley is an artificial reef that consists of a 140 foot barge, adorned with concrete piping and steel A-Frames for divers to swim through, and a dive platform for training, all nestled comfortably close to a platoon

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-24659848473881705412008-08-23T09:28:00.001-04:002008-08-26T21:04:31.588-04:00

We had two wonderful dives on the S.S. Sherman (formerly known as the Princess Royal) off the coast of North Myrtle Beach. The Sherman is 52 feet to the bottom. The visibility was 40 feet and the water was warm at around 80 degrees.I dove with Dive Master Cameron Sebastian of Coastal Scuba to complete my O.W. dives 3 and 4. He was an excellent trainer and gave me a tour of the site from bow to

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-31342890809888279172008-08-17T07:28:00.000-04:002008-08-26T20:51:45.630-04:00

Getting ready for a dive is exciting. Today we're traveling to North Myrtle Beach to dive on the S.S. Sherman. We're doing this through Coastal Scuba, an outfit that Lee has used many times over the years. Lee has gone diving on the Sherman before and found some interesting Civil War artifacts.For me, I'll be completing dives three and four. I have three skills to check-out on: putting my mask on

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-13980745685099262602008-08-16T21:45:00.001-04:002008-08-16T21:45:49.566-04:00

Click here to get more mini-SharkBreak widgets - www.SharkBreak.com

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-9397183241961177742008-08-16T20:46:00.000-04:002008-08-19T10:16:39.897-04:00

I took the condensed training course for PADI Open Water through Charleston Scuba. (Basically this was comprised of a Thursday night, Friday night, all day Saturday and all day Sunday.) The classroom training, while good, was intense after working all day.The pool sessions were exciting yet I did feel a bit awkward maneuvering with the gear. My first time in the pool with the regulator was

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-19385929945884648452008-08-16T20:18:00.000-04:002008-08-16T20:19:17.732-04:00

Technorati Profile

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1797851309159470457.post-45649059109747745012008-08-16T19:54:00.000-04:002008-08-16T19:56:12.631-04:00

It’s a fact that seventy-one percent of the earth is covered with water. There is an entire universe underwater that many people never see. For over 25 years I have dreamed of exploring these deep dimensions. The capability to breathe underwater while investigating sea life is alluring. A month ago, I embarked upon the adventure of fulfilling this dream by learning how to become a certified

Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635729049118482811noreply@blogger.com1