6 Stories Down

Last night or should I say late yesterday I went diving at the Lake Norman Quarry in Mooresville, NC.

I got up to the dive shop around 5:30 PM to rent the thickest wet suit they had. It was a 5mm full body. Then my dive buddy Bruce “Batman” and I drove to the quarry.

The weather was stifling hot in the mid to upper 90’s and clouds had moved into the area.

I started setting up by taking my equipment to the staging area. We hooked up tanks and hoses and starting putting on wet suits. I was wringing wet and very hot. I put on my gloves, hood and Batman zipped me up. Then the tank and BC vest and I headed to the water to cool off. It was no relief. The surface temperature was in the upper 80’s.

We waited for a few other divers to join us and it started raining while we waited.

5 of us descended to about 18 feet when one of the divers motioned to surface. Then he motioned again so we slowly made our way up. I wasn’t sure what was going on because we had a fairly clear plan of where we were going.

The visibility was so poor from low light and temperature drop was so significant that two of the divers opted out of the dive.

The three of us continued on to 71 feet. The water was very cold at 51 degrees and the visibility was poor. I couldn’t make out my dive computer at all except for depth and I monitored my air.

I am learning to be a slow breather which is good.

At our assent around 45 feet we did a decompression stop to help rid our bodies of nitrogen and again at 15 feet. In all the dive was 35 minutes.

When we surfaced the sky was dark and it was pouring down rain. Lightening was cracking nearby. Not being a big fan of random electrical discharges under a tin roof structure I decide to pack up and head home.

As bad as this may sound I found the dive exhilarating. I have a lot to learn.

9 comments:

Rock Chef said...

That is a long way down! A lot to learn but you have achieved so much so quickly. Now you need a water proof camera...

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

Nothing to shoot under there but dim green water. I could barely see my buddy at 8 feet.

TerryC said...

What an awful sounding experience!

I think I'd rather have a root canal.

Another frequent visitor to our island is from VA, but she wouldn't go diving up there.

She's back now and having fun doing lots of night dives.

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

I feel the experience is more like a pilot training in low visibility in a snow storm. It can only make him a better pilot. Struggling to find my bearings, squinting to see gauges and fighting off bone chilling cold all the while getting neutrally buoyant, calmly communicating to other divers and maintaining smooth movements with little air consumption should make me enjoy paradise more. Right now I have 3 high stress dives under my belt from fresh water quarry dives.

TerryC said...

Gosh! I hated abdominal surgery....gee, let me do something equally as painful to keep me appreciating normal life....

It's not like you're going to be doing this for a living...

You're insane! (But I love ya Buddy)

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

No but it is a dangerous sport and I want experience. I didn't hate the dive.

Phfrankie Bondo said...

...didja see any mermaids? didja?...I like a good mermaid...

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

No...just one brim and I had my eye out for The Kracken. Night fall and thunderstorms can bring out quarry monsters you know.

Ken said...

Good attitude, experience earned comes with EVERY dive.