Getting Into Diving Dry - by Caitlin Hale

Until recently in my diving career my equipment checklist has always been fairly short and simple. But my dive sites have slightly altered these days from the tropical weather and waters of past where neither really affected diving. Now both the water and outside temperature and the weather can be deal breakers for going for a dive. Now weather, unfortunately, I cannot do much about. So if the seas are too high or the wind is too strong, I am a little out of luck. As for the water and outside temperatures, I can do something about that! Just by adding a few things to that checklist and making that change from diving wet to diving dry.  And so add: dry suit (the shop’s hot pink number, you’ll never miss me), thermal undergarments, dry suit hose, hood, gloves, glove liners… the list just about tripled! Now that may seem a bit tedious to some but if you’re like me and would like to be able to dive year round pretty much no matter the water temperature I highly recommend diving dry.

In January of this year I decided to do my first dry suit dive at a local lake to see if I too could take advantage of the better visibility that could be offered by the winter months.  Although the outdoor temperature was very cold, I was fairly comfortable throughout the dive but there were components that I struggled with. It was quite humbling, I thought to myself “wow, that was awesome but I definitely need to work on this!”  I enrolled in the Dry suit specialty course in order to truly maximize my dive when using a dry suit. The course offers the opportunity to gain the knowledge of understanding the physiology and skills to safely don, dive with, doff and store a dry suit.  It also offers the chance to learn dry suit buoyancy skills; dry suit maintenance, storage, and basic repair; and undergarment (fleece or overall-type garments worn under the suit) options. 

My next dry suit dive came in March but this time I was extremely uncomfortable with the cold becoming too extreme for me to complete the dive. It left a lot of questions as to why this had happened.  I am definitely not one to be defeated when it comes to diving, but comfort and warmth are things I will not push the envelope on. I do not wish to become an unsafe diver because I became cold and tired which then affected my making decisions or, an emergency arises and I was forced to deal with it. After consulting with my fellow instructors and my doctor I found some answers/solutions and further understanding of my own body’s physiology. I discovered that being in cold environments I was already predisposed to difficulties as I have Reynaud’s disease (a condition that causes some areas of your body; such as your fingers, toes, the tip of your nose and your ears, to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress.) In order to maintain core temperature, the body will standardly first restrict blood flow to the extremities, which manifests itself as cold hands and feet but in my case I have a much lowered tolerance to cold. This highlighted the issue for the need to get the right insulation for the conditions and the diver. Wherein an advantage to the dry suit lies: you can dive dry with an array of undergarments that range in thickness so a diver can match which undergarment to wear based upon them and the conditions they aspire to dive in. Which I think is neat that a person can customize that part based on water temperature and personal needs/conditions. Taking on board my proneness to cold, I armed myself with a new very thick thinsulate undergarment (the DUI Polartec® PowerStretch Pro® Jumpsuit) and successfully completed my dry suit specialty course this past weekend with complete comfort.

May is PADI’s dry suit specialty month! If you too would like to broaden your diving repertoire, sign up for this specialty! As I said to my instructor upon completion “Someone find me some butter because I am toasty!” (Corny I know!)

UNEXSO Shark Feeder Course 

with Cristina Zenato by Tom Kennedy

 I came to the Bahamas to dive with sharks, and if you want to dive with sharks 

you're going to learn about sharks and there is only one person on the planet to learn

from. That would be Cristina Zenato, who is a pioneer in her field and the world's expert on sharks. Get her talking about sharks and her passion is contagious. She is a member of the Scuba Hall of Fame and runs the diving at Port Lucaya for UNEXSO. To say she is a legend does not give her enough credit. And I get to dive with her!

One thing about Cristina and her program, it does not work for the drama of television. Her methods take the shark's feelings into account.  The connection formed with the wild animals is amazing. Looking into the eyes of a shark you see another living being not a monster as depicted on Shark Week. Public misconceptions on sharks are unbelievable. I am speaking for myself here but Discovery Channel does a great disservice to nature with Shark Week geared to the dramatic. Instead Sharks are a critical part of the ecosystem of our oceans and oceans without sharks are oceans with eco-troubles.

The Shark Dive, the Day Before the Feeding  

To say the anticipation was building would be an understatement. The day before

the Shark Feeder course I go on the UNEXSO Shark Dive with eight others. The sharks
recognize the sound of the boat's engine and can anticipate what is about to occur.
Dinner is getting into the water and so are we. We can see them against the sandy
bottom silently pacing around waiting. They move so smoothly. I count ten. We jump in
and descend. They are all around us, if you ever wanted to see sharks you need to look in any direction and see more then one. I look up and there is one circling above
blocking the exit. At this point the soundtrack in my head kicks in........you know it
well..dah......dount........dah....dount speeding up as a shark swims right at me. All of a
sudden it got very warm and the shark turns at the last minute to miss me. You know the joke why the sharks decide not to eat us, they can't hear the music, but I sure could. I really can not describe the excitement and awe as we watched these magnificent creatures. Overwhelming and Surreal.'The next morning it is going to be Cristina, myself and our videographer with the sharks. That night I get online and make sure my life insurance premiums are current.

The Morning of the Shark Feeding

Getting dressed is a throwback to Middle Ages. A full chain mail suit over your

wetsuit. I felt like a knight going to battle. Where is Camelot!? Using the ten thousand
dollar Neptunic shark-suit, it is perfected with duct tape (yes duct tape) and rubber
bands, which help to hold the chain mail in place against gravity. Pretty hard avoiding
the harsh truth at this point I am about to get into the water with the express purpose of
feeding sharks.

I have no trouble dropping to the bottom with the twenty pound suit and an additional

ten pounds of weight. Walking on the bottom is like walking on the moon. Gravity was
strange, it feels surreal. By the second dive the walking was fun. You have to move in
super slow motion to make it work right. You can not force full speed underwater, it is a
waste of energy. So the exaggerated slow motion walk (Steve Austin style) worked
perfectly and the sharks responded to the difference in my demeanor. We get into place and the sharks have been waiting rather impatiently.

The Feeding

"He who controls the food controls the sharks", Cristina's voice is going in my head.

Throughout the feeding I am slowly walking backwards, standing tall and confident, not
showing any fear that could cost me a limb. We have a dozen sharks swimming and circling. As the sharks circle and pass you, you chose one as it approaches and when it is three feet away, you fully extend your arm similar to a handshake and rub the head of the shark. They seem to enjoy being touched.

I would pet a few sharks and then reach into the feeder tube and pinch my thumb into the head of a mackerel and choose a shark as it approaches, I pull the fish out and stick the tail of the fish on the nose of the shark. The shark lifts his head up and opens his mouth, from this angle I have full visibility of the sharks jaws, he grabs the fish. The first few times I

released the fish right away, which caused the shark to snap at it, also if I released too soon the grouper, who was always near by watching, would dart in so fast, he was a flash of black, and get the fish before the shark. After gaining enough faith i would not lose my hand, the shark turns and heads right at me, the perfect candidate for feeding, I whip the fish out, hit the shark on the nose with it. He lifts his head and grabs the fish, I hang on, he pulls the fish from my hand as he swims by. The power in the pulling of the fish is amazing. You can feel the raw strength of the animal as he passes. To experience this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Towards the end of the dive we increased the rate of the feeding and with it the intensity of the sharks increased to the point of mayhem. Remember, control the food and you control the sharks. My heart rate increased dramatically. They were bumping, pushing, squeezing, none of the steady circling like before. That's when I wasn't fast enough, the shark clamps on my hand, and for a split second, terror, but then he realizes it is not a fish and the chain mail does it's job and the shark releases. After a few more successful feedings we are out of fish and time to end one of the best experiences of my life.

The Aftermath

The opportunity to interact with sharks has created an incredible sense of profound

understanding of the species. They are not what I thought. I would be more in harms

way holding a steak with six pit bulls standing around then holding twenty mackerels on me to feed to a dozen sharks.

A better analogy would be ten labradoodles trying to get a treat from you. Nudging, jumping and pushing to get your attention. The one Nurse shark (all the others were reef sharks) that showed up (10-12 feet) stayed low to the ground and would nudge up to your feet, then to your knees and then your chest literally begging for a treat. It gave the feeling of a friendly dog wanting a treat. Unbelievable if you ask me, Surreal for sure.

Went into the water with ten fingers and toes, and I returned with all intact. To those of you who read this and are intrigued, go ahead and do it. Schedule a visit and dive with UNEXSO, Cristina, and the sharks while you still have the chance. Special thanks to Merial Currer, who along with Jeff, owners of Patroit Scuba in Northern Virginia planned and made this trip possible. Also to my dive partners, who without their encouragement and help none of this was possible, Jose & Jennifer, JP & Lynda, Lisa, Jeff and Brian.

Additional thanks to the incredible staff of UNEXSO, who made every dive a pleasure, especially Kelly, Jarvis, Scott, & Steve. My wonderful wife Wanda, who happily accompanies me everywhere we go. Last but definitely not least, Cristina Zenato, one of the greatest divers of our time.

www.PatriotScuba.com

www.CristinaZenato.com
www.UNEXSO.com
www.PelicanBayHotel.com

TRUK LAGOON, MICRONESIA - One Seat Left!

When:  August 12-19, 2012

Onboard Truk Odyssey Liveaboard with PATRIOT SCUBA!

PATRIOT Leader: Miko

The wreck diving adventure of a lifetime!

Until 1944, Truk Lagoon, known today as Chuuk, was an immense Japanese Naval base, known as the impregnable “Gibraltar of the Pacific”. Operation Hailstone, a massive American carrier attack in February 1944, put an end to that, sinking over 50 ships and destroying more than 250 airplanes. Let the Imperial Japanese Navy’s misfortune become your good fortune! Join Patriot Scuba for a week of spectacular diving on the Ghost Fleet of the Pacific. If you have any interest in wreck diving (or military history), there is no place on earth like Truk Lagoon. Its warm tropical waters are home to a stunning variety of over 300 types of hard and soft corals, as well as the strange and beautiful animals for which Micronesia is famous. But the real stars of the show are the wrecks. Military cargo ships, destroyers, airplanes and even a submarine lie largely within recreational depths, and best of all, they are full of historical artifacts. From machine gun ammunition and saki bottles to 16 inch shells, torpedoes and tanks, you will see things in Chuuk that any museum would envy.

We will be diving directly from our floating hotel, the 132 foot Truk Odyssey (www.trukodyssey.com), the premier liveaboard operator on the atoll. Trip leader Miko Chavchavadze had the good fortune of spending a week onboard the Odyssey in 2007, and it is a first rate operation. Up to five dives a day can easily be made, and because they are made directly from the Odyssey, you and your buddy may find that you have a 500 foot wreck all to yourselves. This is a rare treat for anyone, but for photographers it is something approaching heaven. To view a gallery of Truk Lagoon photos by the gifted photographer and videographer Mike Gerken, click here.

http://www.evolutionunderwater.com/Portfolio/Truk

Call us at (703) 490-1175 or email diving@patriotscuba.com if you have any questions.

Requirements:

 Advanced Open Water Certification (Deep, Wreck and Underwater Digital Photographer training strongly recommended)

 Nitrox Certification (The house blend is 30%)

Strongly recommended:

 Trip Insurance

 DAN Dive Insurance

Father’s Day Countdown: Jeff Currer – Sharing the Adventure

As an avid diver and a PADI Dive Professional, I am often asked what my favorite dive has been.  Now, I know they are expecting me to respond with some exotic place in the Western Pacific, or Caribbean, or elsewhere.  Often I’ll try to meet their expectations with a Hawaiian dive site or Cozumel…but, while those dives were truly great, they are not the first dives to cross my mind.

Two dives come immediately to mind when I am asked that question and they are telling to me what Diving is all about.  The first dive that comes immediately to mind was at the Living Seas Aquarium at Epcot Center where I dove with my two sons’ together for the first time.  While it is really a cool dive if you get the chance, the ability to share that inspiring experience with my boys together…to play around get photos together…to dive with sharks the first time together…wow,  what a rush!

I think it was the total sharing of the moment, the experience with my boys that made the event memorable.  We were a buddy team…we briefed together…explored together and then shared our excitement afterwards on Land.  It was just us and the world below!

The second sets of dives that come to mind were my wife’s certification dives at St. Thomas.  Again, the sharing experience drove the excitement and made it memorable. The reef was good, not great…the sand and water was absolutely beautiful, but the time together…the experience of watching her “First” Ocean experience…sharing the elation when she completed the certification and those words – “I still have air left, can I go again?” made it one of my best dives ever.

I don’t know if those dives were the most memorable to my wife and my boys, but the most perfect father’s day gift I could imagine would be to share those moments underwater again.

Diving Adventures: Caitlin in the Keys

I have one day left consisting of 4 dives. Right now the morning is scheduled to be exhilarating with two deep dives, one dive being a wreck. In the afternoon it will be two leisurely reef dives. I have discovered that diving in the Florida Keys can satisfy just about all . Every level of diver will find that there is a dive site for them. Furthermore, one has a great opportunity to fulfill a variety of interest dives. If you love wrecks, you have got plenty to choose from old and new, deep and shallow! If wrecks aren’t your thing and your looking to get some great photos of reef life, you will not be lacking here.

In 5 days I have done 13 morning and afternoon dives and one night dive at sites up and down the Florida Keys. I have loved every second of it. It is a great feeling to look at my dive computer and see 131 feet/40 meters or when I look at it and realize my dive time is nearing an hour and that is the only reason the dive has to come to an end! Some dives have been more challenging because of the dive conditions such as currents but it has been easy to adapt to and in my opinion makes it all the more fun. When I was diving at the more relaxing reef sites I was happily taking my time enjoying the beautiful colors found in reef life down here. As an instructor I could see the potential teaching opportunities in my various dives. Reefs that have depths that would satisfy depth requirements for discover scuba diving students, sandy patches to perform the open water skill performance requirements, or choose a night dive for an adventure dive or part of your night diver specialty and you may see a hawksbill turtle like me! This is just a quick, basic blog reflecting on my Florida Keys diving experience so far. Once this trip is over I will follow up with more in depth blogs about my time down here in the Keys!

Father's Day Countdown - Diving and the Father/Son Relationship

Morgan Ames and his son Morgan:

Fingers intertwined, I clenched his little hand in mine and nestled his right elbow in the crook of my left elbow, and, inhaling a deep breath, we dived beneath the waves with my fins kicking to propel us forward beneath the anchored, floating swim platform until he squeezed my hand to signal it was time to surface and breathe.  That memory of my son Morgan’s first dive -- at age 4 -- the summer of 1980 at Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii is burned indelibly into my memory.  Then,  after ten years of snorkeling and skin diving with me, and observing me scuba diving with friends, he, too, earned his PADI Open Water Diver, and our father-son relationship developed an even deeper bond as dive buddies!  The sequence of PADI courses at our local dive shop gave meaning contextually to his high school chemistry, physics and math courses – those courses that many students often wonder, “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” As the pages of his dive log filled, the discipline associated with the use of pre-dive checklists and diving – Plan Your Dive; then, Dive Your Plan -- reinforced important life skills as he gained additional Advanced OWD, Emergency First Responder/First Aid provider and Rescue Diver certifications.  Retrospectively, I credit diving and his principal team sport of lacrosse, in which he played goalie, with much of his early development as a leader.  His choice to seek a nomination and appointment to the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY), where he was the varsity lacrosse team’s captain and record-setting NCAA goalie, his success as an engineering major in the classroom and his election of a career as a surface warfare officer in the United States Navy all stemmed from his application of mature decision-making, disciplined approach and consistent work effort – all of which were reinforced through scuba diving.  From his early days of diving in northern Virginia quarries, diving and the U.S. Navy have taken him to dive locations many of us have only dreamed of – places like Montauk Point, NY; Virginia Beach, VA; the wrecks of “The graveyard of the Atlantic” off Morehead City, NC; the kelp beds of Monterey/Carmel/Point Lobos, CA; Bora Bora and Fiji; Caribbean islands; the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Crete; Red Sea dive sites; not to mention the world’s largest aquarium at Dubai and Florida’s fresh water springs.  Not only does diving afford me opportunities to gift him dive gear at Christmas and birthdays but also diving together as dive buddies has deepened our father-son relationship, enriched our lives and still gives us something to look forward to whenever we get together.  Over these past 32 years, diving has become one of his several passions as he adapted the adage to be “Plan Your Life; then, Live Your Plan!” These days, my son Morgan is not only a great scuba diver and a respected Navy commander, more importantly, he is an impressive man and a loving husband.  I look forward eagerly to seeing where his career and diving take him, and hope to have the opportunity to share diving with him … and my grandchildren!   Along with the joy of sharing diving with Morgan as my dive buddy, I have learned much from him.  In our case, the pupil has, indeed, outstripped the master!

Mainstreaming Diving

We are probably at the height of the TV series and movie remake period.  Whether writers are out of new, original, good ideas or Retro is just in, you gotta admit, we are into New Spins on old shows.  There have been winners and losers.  Hawaii FIVE O is a winner in my book, even with “DANO” in the new series being from NJ.  The New Charlie’s Angels, not so much.  Funny that my opinions were the exact opposite back in the day.

Diving needs an awesome TV series.  We need another “Mike Nelson” or another “Jacques Cousteau”.  We need Drama and Adventure on the Tube based on Scuba.  These shows are why I always wanted to get into scuba.

Now we have shows like “Into the Drink” and Movies like “Sanctum”, but it’s not the same.  We need drama, adventure and Escape!  We need “Mike Nelson”

Now I am an avid diver, an instructor, a scuba nut!  I’m in, I’m sold!  Why would I “need” a Dive based TV show.  Well, because I’d watch it, talk to my scuba buddies about it, and my non-scuba buddies.  They might just get-it why I love scuba once they are “Sucked in” to the show.

So PADI has dabbled in this area with the Drop Zone series.  Now I love those documentary style Surf meets Scuba shows…actually I’m infatuated with Holly Beck…that is beside the point. But they are not addictive.  We need Mike back.

So, Hollywood, before you remake another SITCOM, bring us Mike Nelson!  (or even Michelle Nelson!)