Join me for A Dive Trip with SCUBA



There is not typical dive trip because they are all so different. I am comfortable with St Croix Ultimate Blue Water Adventures (SCUBA) and know and trust their staff. The staff is very safe, and I watch for that in a dive crew. I can't say the same about some of the crews I have used here off shore in the Atlantic. 

I made this video to give you a feel for a morning of diving. This is actually a composite from three dives all with SCUBA. 

We have to be at the dock early around 8:15 to gear up and board the boat Reliance. 

Breakfast is imperative.

Once aboard the crew gives us safety instructions and we begin to gear up for the short ride. 10 minutes to a dive site is a long boat ride on St Croix. In North Carolina a typical boat ride to a wreck is 2 hours each way.

Before we go in the dive master will tell us the planned dive profile and limits we should observe like depth and time under.  He will give us a general outline about where we are going and who we should buddy up with. 

I usually hang tight with the dive master because he/she knows these areas. They are trained in safety and emergencies and they know the wildlife and can spot it almost by instinct. 

We jump off the back of the boat and wait until everyone is in the water and comfortable with their equipment. Then the dive master give the signal to descend. You would think this is when the fun begins but I have been having fun the whole time. 

We all gradually drift to our desired depth equalizing our ears all the way down. We are weightless now and begin to slowly move along our planned area.

There are underwater signals for sharks, turtles, lobsters, lion fish, and the the dive master will bang on his tank to get everyone's attention when he/she see something interesting. Heck, I can understand Simeon and Lauren underwater if they yell instructions to me.     

Before I know it, fellow divers start signaling that they are halfway with their air. The dive master acknowledges this and we begin to head back to the boat. The dive master may signal with cradled hands that it is time to head back to the boat.  

Like magic the moor line appears  and we start assuming our slow trip up to 15 feet for a 3 minute safety stop. Our dive computers have the countdown. 

I swear I don't know how they find the boat every time. 

Once we surface we hand off fins and spear guns to the dive master and then board the boat. Now we are going into a world with pounds of tanks and equipment on our back to a rocking boat. The captain will hand us a knotted line to pull ourselves on board.  It is a struggle to pull my body out of the water. 

We sit down and lock down our tanks, take off our masks and smile at the adventure we just experienced. It is typically 45 minutes underwater.

Now we change out gear for the next dive, and drink water and eat pineapple prepared by the captain. Everyone exchanges stories about what they experienced.

After the correct time on top, it is time to gear up and do it again.

When we are done we arrive at the dock about lunch time. All I have to do is rinse my equipment and tip the crew. They handle almost everything and work very hard, before, during and after the dives. 

While I eat lunch, they unload and load gear for the afternoon dives. Usually two morning dives is it for me if Gigi is with me. And a beer tastes mighty good about now.

Enjoy the video. 


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2 comments:

Ken said...

Sounds like a blast!

Maybe with a new cash cow (it's very possible) I could take up a hobby like that, but I'm fairly confident I'll be content with snorkel for now.

My parents tried to get me started diving young, but I hitchhiked west instead and ran into the likes of Phfrankie Bondo.

terri said...

It was good to get some insight into how a dive goes from start to finish. And it's obvious how much you love every minute of it!