New freediver in Austin, TX

[ifiv716]

Hi,
I live in Austin, Texas a few minutes from Barton Springs pool. I would like to start working on some free diving excercises. I am a complete beginner. I swim regularly and am certified in scuba, but past just messing around I have zero experience. I'm not really looking for a teacher or anything as much as somebody to work with on improving and to have around to keep an eye on each other.

If you are interested or know of anyone in the area, send them my way.
-Melissa

 

[sinkweight]

Hey Melissa,

I regularly go down to Austin, and in fact have a couple of pictures of Barton Springs in my picture gallery - starring yours fatty...um...I mean yours truly. I might be going down there again this weekend. Although I don't have much training to offer, I might be able to keep an eye on you while you submerge.

I planned on going to Lake Travis to see the scuba park there and scare some of the divers there at depth, heh-heh

I know there are some other freedivers that make it to different spots here in Texas...but as far as Austinites go, the only one I can think of is freediving's dear, world record winning Tanya Streeter.

I'm not really sure if any of the Texas tank-lungs here in Deeperblue.net are women, as they might be a bit more comforting as companionship.

 

[frankdr]

Hey,

I'm also a beginner in the Fort Worth, Tx area. I spend most of my underwater time on scuba, but would like to do more freediving if I could find someone else interested. I don't know if I'll be in Austin anytime soon, but I do try to visit Clear Springs in Terrell whenever I can.

Regards,
Frank

 

[Aquagenic]

Lucky us,
I was just searching online for a good buddy. Currently, I live in Georgetown Tx, which, as you know, is a stones throw from Austin. I am a lifeguard at the Berry Creek country club, and a newbie freediver myself. I started last year as something to do during our breaks and slow days. Though I haven't really been keeping up with it over the winter months.

Just so you know a little about me, I am a born again Christian and that permiates every area of my life. I am nineteen years old and will be a Junior in college by the end of next semester. At which time I will be going to TSU to complete a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with a possible Dance Minor. (yeah I know, they don't exactly go together, but what can I say, I'm an eclectic person). I will only be in Georgetown for the summer, as my family lives in San Antonio, and I am only here to work.

Though Barton springs is not right around the corner it sure beats the heck out of Dallas and Ft Worth. Anyway, drop me a line in my PM and we will have to get together. I will be checking this forum regularly, I was a regular last year. Look forward to hear from you. Till later...

~James

 

[sinkweight]

Yay! More Texans!

Picksmither, Have you tried the Clear Springs Scuba Park dive park in Terrell?...only about 45-50 minutes from Dallas. It's considerably deeper than Barton Springs, although I do love that crisp, cold water on my skin. Maybe a good weekend stopping point if anything brings you to Dallas. If you enjoy camping out, you can do so there.

 

[dallasdiver]

I dove Clear Springs yesterday afternoon and it was fairly sparse out there for a holiday. There was about 15 other divers there after 1:00 pm. Water temp at surface was 76 degrees and the usual thermoclines below. I even captured a 12"painted turtle that tried to out dive me. He dived in from shore and hauled down to about 20' with me following then made a turn and headed straight up where a grabbed him about 10' down. I gave him the once over and let him go. A little too warm for my 5 mil now, even at depth. I finally just started diving without my hood on and also flooded my suit several times to cool off. It seemed that when I removed it and hit the cooler thermoclines it brought on the dive reflex much better. The dives became easy almost instantly when I removed my hood.

 

[sinkweight]

Well fancy that!

Ha ha ha...I was coming back from Golden, TX...near Grand Saline. I drove past that Exxon you turn left at and stopped for a second to see how much change I could scrounge up after I treated myself to a DairyQueen chocolate dip cone. I barely came up with 20$ with mostly quarters, ha ha ha. I had turned around to drive to the springs, but then it started sprinkling again and getting really overcast. I really wanted to go diving yesterday. Anyhow, I decided that if I made it out there, it'd start raining again. I still haven't got my Sporasub suit in yet, so I wasn't sure how cold the water would've been with the rain and overcast this weekend. We would've seen eachother there.

Oh well. Coulda' Shoulda' Woulda'!

Next time, Gadget....Next time.

 

[Aquagenic]

Wow, this thread is really lighting up, that is, compared to how they normall just die off. Question is, where is Melissa?

Truth be told I have not had the chance to do any deep diving yet. Only Static (pb 3:45) and dynamic no fins (pb 50m) in the pool that I work at. I would love to start deep diving that is what originally attracted me to freediving, but I do not have anyone to go with, and I don't want to break the golden rule of freediving. But if I can get together with someone Clear Springs dive park sounds like a premo location. In the mean time I'll have to see if I can get one of my lifeguard buddies to come with me to Georgetown lake. It's about five minutes away with about ten ft visibility. I figure it would be a good starting point.

Anyway, let met know if you guy's are coming to or around town, we will have to see if we can get together. Till Later...

~James

P.S. Sinkweight, your avatar is a new kind of disturbing.

 

[ifiv716]

Hey you two,

Sorry. Been a busy little bee recently and have hardly time to sit down and breath, much less work on not breathing. Anyway, my schedule is pretty crazy but I'm planning on trying to hit up BSP probably 3 nights a week at the 9pm hour... MWTh is the goal, and then saturdays and sunday morning/afternoon -ish.

An option, we could all try to meet up sometime on the weekend since we are at a distance. I wouldn't mind working on SCUBA also, but its lower on my priorities and I've never really done much diving around here.

what you boys think?

 

[Aquagenic]

Hey Guy's,
Sounds good to me, just tell me the time and the place. My work is usually flexible, but the earlier I can know the better. I'm itching to dive.

However, SCUBA is out for me, don't have the equipment or training, but you guy's feel free to meet up for SCUBA without me.

Keep me posted, every time I get a PM I get an e-mail (which I check religiously) so that's a better way to get in contact with me. But I will try to keep checking this thread as well.

Till Later...

~James

P.S. new static Pb, dry 4:05, wet 3:45. I feel like I can do better than that, I'll be trying a wet max static shortly, but we will see how it goes.

 

[sinkweight]

Yeah! sounds good...I'll be in Austin next Friday if all goes right, and I avoid the credit card debt collection for another week, heh-heh-heh.

I'm going to be hangin' with my cousins at night...but a little divin' earlier on in the day is definitely a must. I haven't really been to Lake Travis any...I heard Bob Wentz' park is pretty good....that and I might be able to ogle people from the water over by Hippy Hollow...just kidding of course. well. maybe.

But seriously folks...I'll drop everyone a line before I take the Highway from Hell (I 35) down to party-central.

 

[frankdr]

Dallas,

Yes, I was out on Monday from 8am to about 1pm - I probably passed you leaving I've got a new home construction project that will probably take up all my spare time this summer, but who knows, maybe I'll get a break and do some diving.
I did manage to schedule a trip to the Texas Flower Gardens on June 23. They don't permit freediving from the boat though.

Later,
Frank

-Frank

 

[sinkweight]

They don't permit freediving from the boat though.

HEY! that's racist!...er....dive-ist?

That's crazy, and I'm rather offended. Oh well....I heard the gardens start at a very deep level anyway...the intermediate diver would probably only have about 30 seconds to enjoy the opening of the thing, anyway...or at least that's what I've heard.

I dove Clear Springs last Sunday (5th May) at about 3:00 till 6:00...I know, I know...it probably wasn't worth the hour drive there and back...and the $20 to get in....but when I get Freedivin' Jones.....I get it bad.

I heard this funny good-ol-boy out there during a scuba course say something pretty funny. They were all learning how to do a back-roll entry. Another one of the students tried it from one of the high-docks and splashed in rather oddly. He came up complaining how the water hit his family jewels the wrong way, wincing 'til the pain subsided. This good-ol-boy gave him a tip that I'll never forget...

"You've got to tuck low and just let your body fall back. But keep your legs open just enough, so that if you do hit funny....your 'taint takes the brunt of the force."

Ha ha ha ha. I was up on the dock lying in the sun, and I couldn't stop laughing so my meditation was thrown off for quite a while, ha ha ha.

 

[sinkweight]

Do you think I should make some UV resistant stickers for us Texan Freedivers?

check it.

 

[Aquagenic]

LOL, the good ol boy bubble blower gives good advice!

"I dove Clear Springs last Sunday (5th May)"
That wouldn't be the 5th of June would it?

And, because I haven't heard anything, I am guessing that you are not coming down to "part city" tomorrow Sinkweight? Is that right?

Till Later,
James

P.S. The Freediver sticker is awesome I would so buy one. So, when are they going into production???

 

[freecrane]

hey I'm also a new freediver looking for other freedivers in the Austin, San Antonio, or Corpus Christi areas. If you or anyone else is interested in some beginner freediving, holla back.

 

[ifiv716]

Hi. I am definitely interested. The other two guys I was talking to and I seem to have schedule conflicts...or rather I have schedule conflicts. I'm pretty busy these days as I'm in school and working, and the summer school schedule is no fun at all. I do however live all of 10 minutes from Barton Springs Pool in Austin. I work Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights. But if you can ever meet in the evening or late afternoon, let me know. Weekend mornings/days are all right too. Oh and don't know where you are, but I'd be game for a trip or two down to the blue water after school is out.

-Melissa

 

[sinkweight]

but I'd be game for a trip or two down to the blue water after school is out.

I'm going down to Rockport with my family tomorrow. While I'm there, I'm hopefully going to go on my first spearfishing trip in Corpus Christi with donmoore, one of our members down there. The NEXT Friday, I'll be attending the Performance Freediving clinic in Miami with drunkinbda (currently away from DB at the time), Dallasdiver here in Dallas, and a couple of others. It's going to be fun, but I am nervous about F'in up from being so out of practice. But we will definitely be in the off-shore blue the last couple of days. I had hoped to stop back in Austin on the way back...but might have to make a weekend trip out of it instead.

Melissa, where is it that your work? Of course, you don't have to say. Just curious...I'm always buzzin' round Austin the first thing I pull in onto 32nd street from I35.

 

[ifiv716]

I work at Guero's, a restuarant/bar, down on S. Congress. Didn't quite understand when you would be in Austin, but either way around I work (generally anyway) Tuesday, some Thursdays, Friday, and Sunday nights. The schedule is a little crazy right now because so many people are out of town, so it does vary. If I'm not there, leave a note if you want to meet up and head to BSP or something. One of my other coworkers can give me a call.

Feel free to swing in and introduce yourself. Meeting people at my work is actually pretty nice. I have a social job (bartending), so it is never a real problem chitchatting unless we are balls to the walls busy. Generally through the summer we are pretty calm.

Anyway, have a good trip and hopefully I will see you around.
-Melissa

 

[sinkweight]

I go to Guero's all the time...ha ha ha ha...you've probably seen me force-feeding myself fish tacos (good with a little guacamole and pepper). That's cool...I'm going to be there in about two weeks. I'm going down to Rockport, Texas...and on Friday, I'm going to Miami to take the Performance Freediving clinic with Kirk Krack, Martin Stepanek, and Tom Lightfoot. I'll be staying in Austin for a night on the 21st or 22nd, maybe longer if I can get a buddy to go dippin' with. By that time, after the PFI course, I'll be ligit...too ligit to quit....ok, sorry....nobody needs M.C. Hammer stuck in their head. I'll PM you when I get the details the week after next.

I was just thinking about how much better the little glasses they give you with beer are. They make you think you're going slower, but you chug'em more easily, ha ha.

I'll keep my eyes open when I'm there the week after next. That'll flip my cousin out, too. He thinks freedivers only exist on the other side of foreign internet connections. Prove him wrong, Melissa....prove him wrong.