Bellboy, you've been begging for bottom times, so I'm going to give you some.
Yesterday was the first time I've been diving since November. I don't generally dive in the winter here since the game fish that interest me are absent, and this year we've had a lot of storms and record rainfall that have kept the visibility poor much later than usual. Also, this is the first time I've been diving since I turned 80, so I was worried about how my body would perform. My first dive was 41 seconds, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't worse. My best dives were only 53 seconds, but that was roughly in line with where I left off last season. I'll be delighted if I can hit one minute with a bit more practice. I was pretty cold since temp was 57 degrees F and I should have worn my 7 mm suit instead of my 5mm.
So there you have some numbers. Not very impressive, are they? My dive buddy's longest dive was 1min 18 seconds, but he's only 40. Should I quit since my times are so short? I'm not going to. I never felt the least bit of urgency when I hit the surface since no fish is that important to me. With a little luck I'll get fish with those times. I won't get as many as my buddy will, but this isn't a competition. I'm in it for fun.
About 68 years ago when I started no one knew a thing about blackout. When I surfaced I often was dizzy and seeing stars. I have no idea what my times were since we didn't had dive watches, but I feel lucky that I lived through it. But you have the advantage of all the knowledge that people are offering. I've never done a table in my life. I never hold my breath when I'm not underwater. But on the other hand I'm still alive and enjoying diving and my grandchildren. A lot of people who were "better" divers than I am are dead, including one of my best dive buddies. The hardest thing Ive ever done was call his wife from Mexico and tell her that she was a single mother of four kids. The heaviest carry on luggage I've ever carried was the box with his ashes after I got him cremated in La Paz. Don't put your dive buddies and parents through something like that.
I didn't get any fish yesterday but the visibility was only about 8 feet. With better conditions I think my times will let me get a few fish this year. But I'm not going to dive deeper or longer than is comfortable.
Yesterday was the first time I've been diving since November. I don't generally dive in the winter here since the game fish that interest me are absent, and this year we've had a lot of storms and record rainfall that have kept the visibility poor much later than usual. Also, this is the first time I've been diving since I turned 80, so I was worried about how my body would perform. My first dive was 41 seconds, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't worse. My best dives were only 53 seconds, but that was roughly in line with where I left off last season. I'll be delighted if I can hit one minute with a bit more practice. I was pretty cold since temp was 57 degrees F and I should have worn my 7 mm suit instead of my 5mm.
So there you have some numbers. Not very impressive, are they? My dive buddy's longest dive was 1min 18 seconds, but he's only 40. Should I quit since my times are so short? I'm not going to. I never felt the least bit of urgency when I hit the surface since no fish is that important to me. With a little luck I'll get fish with those times. I won't get as many as my buddy will, but this isn't a competition. I'm in it for fun.
About 68 years ago when I started no one knew a thing about blackout. When I surfaced I often was dizzy and seeing stars. I have no idea what my times were since we didn't had dive watches, but I feel lucky that I lived through it. But you have the advantage of all the knowledge that people are offering. I've never done a table in my life. I never hold my breath when I'm not underwater. But on the other hand I'm still alive and enjoying diving and my grandchildren. A lot of people who were "better" divers than I am are dead, including one of my best dive buddies. The hardest thing Ive ever done was call his wife from Mexico and tell her that she was a single mother of four kids. The heaviest carry on luggage I've ever carried was the box with his ashes after I got him cremated in La Paz. Don't put your dive buddies and parents through something like that.
I didn't get any fish yesterday but the visibility was only about 8 feet. With better conditions I think my times will let me get a few fish this year. But I'm not going to dive deeper or longer than is comfortable.
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