Last spring and early summer I got very enthused by the idea of snorkeling and freediving.
I spent way too much time on DB learning everything I could, then got myself equipped, then did a 4 day PFI class. After that things fizzled. I went diving twice with a friend I met at the class. He's a top-notch spearfisherman. Although I had a great time I was a little concerned by the lack of direct monitoring.
Anyway, after that things got busy at home with my two little kids, then I seemed to have a long string of colds and sinus infections courtesy of my daughter's kindergarten class. Finally the bitterly cold Southern California winter rolled inrofl and I got distracted by other things.
The most unpleasant part of diving was that I seemed to always swallow salt water. I know practice will help but the snorkel has a lot to do with it. I tried a J-tube, I tried a cheapie open top with a purge, I tried a (found) baffle top. Hated them all for one reason or other. My ego prevented me from buying the conning-tower like Impulse III. Finally the Riffe Stable was suggested as a good compromise.
I'm going to get back into it. For my 42nd birthday my family bought me the Riffe snorkel and a dive knife. I'm going to have three weeks of time to myself in June/July when my family heads off to the in-laws.
Although I have nothing against spearfishermen, for now I'm going to try to find some dive partners who are interested in the underwater sightseeing aspect with proper safety protocols. I look forward to checking out some of the local marine sanctuaries where fishing isn't allowed.
In summary- Hello (Again)
Jim
I spent way too much time on DB learning everything I could, then got myself equipped, then did a 4 day PFI class. After that things fizzled. I went diving twice with a friend I met at the class. He's a top-notch spearfisherman. Although I had a great time I was a little concerned by the lack of direct monitoring.
Anyway, after that things got busy at home with my two little kids, then I seemed to have a long string of colds and sinus infections courtesy of my daughter's kindergarten class. Finally the bitterly cold Southern California winter rolled inrofl and I got distracted by other things.
The most unpleasant part of diving was that I seemed to always swallow salt water. I know practice will help but the snorkel has a lot to do with it. I tried a J-tube, I tried a cheapie open top with a purge, I tried a (found) baffle top. Hated them all for one reason or other. My ego prevented me from buying the conning-tower like Impulse III. Finally the Riffe Stable was suggested as a good compromise.
I'm going to get back into it. For my 42nd birthday my family bought me the Riffe snorkel and a dive knife. I'm going to have three weeks of time to myself in June/July when my family heads off to the in-laws.
Although I have nothing against spearfishermen, for now I'm going to try to find some dive partners who are interested in the underwater sightseeing aspect with proper safety protocols. I look forward to checking out some of the local marine sanctuaries where fishing isn't allowed.
In summary- Hello (Again)
Jim
