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Double Bass Scuba?
- Thread starter Tom Lane
- Start date
There once was a dude from Aruba,
Who purchased a shiny new Tuba,
He ran out of breath,
Got dizzy, near death,
And said "I should just take up Scuba!"
Yer' welcome!
Who purchased a shiny new Tuba,
He ran out of breath,
Got dizzy, near death,
And said "I should just take up Scuba!"
Yer' welcome!
I got certified. Eleven dives thus far and the last one has me hooked. Like swimming in an aquarium. I appreciate the new skills like dealing with emergencies. Any interest?
I took lessons in a lagoon in Mexico and loved it! I decided that I have too many expensive hobbies for my income and never pursued it further. But then I got back into motorcycling and that whole fiscal-discipline thing went out the window.
Really, Tom? Your humor has sunk to new depths.
Also - do you pee in your wetsuit, or is that just a Surfer technique?
Srsly - PLEEZE - No Wetsuit Selfies without a Warning!
My son & I made this short video right after certification.
Make sure to turn up the volume.
docs.google.com
Make sure to turn up the volume.
gilboa_the_movie_gold.mp4
docs.google.com
The joke is that there are two types of divers, those that pee in their wetsuits and those that lie about it. I commented to one old-timer in the locker room the other day that I must be a unicorn because I haven't peed in my wetsuit yet and he said "Me too!" so it's an exaggeration. Some of the other students on one of my dives fessed up though, so it's not uncommon.
I'm struck by how beneficial it is to develop such a new skill. It's definitely athletic and requires you to be in good shape and it's very different than swimming or hiking but has similarities to both. Swimming is about moving while scuba is about minimizing movement. It's closer to flying through the water.
I'm finding it requires practice but is far easier than playing jazz bass.
At 63, I'm the "old guy" in all of my classes but not on the dives and I'm consistently the weakest of the students, but just by a hair. One of my teachers is older than me by a few years.
I think it's a relatively safe activity but there are a few things that can kill you. You're not likely to run out of air but equipment failure can happen but as long as you're near your partner - they call them a dive buddy - or have a redundant air supply, you should be okay. Worst case, you make a sprint for the surface which might get you the bends but you'll likely survive as long as you remember to exhale while you ascend so that you don't explode your lungs.
The most common cause of death is getting yourself trapped in a cave or wreck, getting drunk on nitrogen below 90 feet, or having a seizure from too much oxygen below a certain depth. All things that are easy to avoid.
Deaths are usually a series of misjudgments. One case that my neighbor told me about in the 70s was a very experienced diver was diving with a group around a local oil rig and dropped his flashlight. He sent his buddy up to the surface and went down to retrieve his light. He probably didn't pay attention to how deep he went, got drunk on his nitrogren, panicked and sprinted to the surface while holding his breath and exploded his lungs. You can see the series of mistakes. He shouldn't have separated from his partner, he shouldn't have descended so deep, he shouldn't have ascended so quickly, he shouldn't have held his breath.
One nice benefit that I've learned is that I'm calm in emergencies. I've had a few scares and each time, I reacted calmly and cured the issue quickly.
I'm finding it requires practice but is far easier than playing jazz bass.
At 63, I'm the "old guy" in all of my classes but not on the dives and I'm consistently the weakest of the students, but just by a hair. One of my teachers is older than me by a few years.
I think it's a relatively safe activity but there are a few things that can kill you. You're not likely to run out of air but equipment failure can happen but as long as you're near your partner - they call them a dive buddy - or have a redundant air supply, you should be okay. Worst case, you make a sprint for the surface which might get you the bends but you'll likely survive as long as you remember to exhale while you ascend so that you don't explode your lungs.
The most common cause of death is getting yourself trapped in a cave or wreck, getting drunk on nitrogen below 90 feet, or having a seizure from too much oxygen below a certain depth. All things that are easy to avoid.
Deaths are usually a series of misjudgments. One case that my neighbor told me about in the 70s was a very experienced diver was diving with a group around a local oil rig and dropped his flashlight. He sent his buddy up to the surface and went down to retrieve his light. He probably didn't pay attention to how deep he went, got drunk on his nitrogren, panicked and sprinted to the surface while holding his breath and exploded his lungs. You can see the series of mistakes. He shouldn't have separated from his partner, he shouldn't have descended so deep, he shouldn't have ascended so quickly, he shouldn't have held his breath.
One nice benefit that I've learned is that I'm calm in emergencies. I've had a few scares and each time, I reacted calmly and cured the issue quickly.
Oh, so it's like driving on the 405? I'll continue to stay on dry land to get my Near-Death Thrills.
Thanks, and keep your Oxygen tank supply above 50%, Tom.
Yeah, highway driving is probably a good analogy, or trying to cross a street anywhere in LA. I've been thinking of it like hiking. Relatively safe but you could fall off a cliff or crack your skull or meet a bear. The danger is rare but possible.
I lost 50% of my hearing in my left ear from barometric trauma. I was using a full face mask that created more buoyancy than I was used to and had trouble descending. I went ass over end and finally started to descend when I heard what felt like someone slamming their hand against my ear. I thought it was just water in the ear but that was not the case. The fact my crooked nose made it harder to acclimate to depth didn't help either.
I had my fun while it lasted but since I could no longer read my arm sized dive computer anymore I'll stick to cycling and trying to stay alive on the road.
I had my fun while it lasted but since I could no longer read my arm sized dive computer anymore I'll stick to cycling and trying to stay alive on the road.
Sorry about your hearing. That is a bummer. It's funny though that you're sticking to cycling. I gave up my bike two years ago because I found the roads around LA too dangerous. I've been hit once and had way too many close calls. Ironic that I found scuba safer.I lost 50% of my hearing in my left ear from barometric trauma. I was using a full face mask that created more buoyancy than I was used to and had trouble descending. I went ass over end and finally started to descend when I heard what felt like someone slamming their hand against my ear. I thought it was just water in the ear but that was not the case. The fact my crooked nose made it harder to acclimate to depth didn't help either.
I had my fun while it lasted but since I could no longer read my arm sized dive computer anymore I'll stick to cycling and trying to stay alive on the road.
My son really felt bad about it because he was pushing for us both to start diving. And I've always protected my hearing wearing ear plugs while playing since the mid 90's. Lesson learned and just thankful my issue only resulted in some hearing loss.
I've been a relatively serious cyclist for the last 25 years, logging over 30K to 40K miles in that time. I've had a few close calls but treat every driver, pedestrian, and animal as a potential threat. No more self imposed goals other than making it home safe & sound.
I was just curious if anyone else on the forum was into the sport because I was just getting certified. I scheduled a dive in New Zealand and wanted to be able to enjoy myself rather than be distracted by floundering about without any skill. I've been on eleven dives now and starting to enjoy myself.
Got my certification over 30 years ago, and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, my wife has no interest in SCUBA, nor do any of my friends, so I haven't used it since; a dive buddy is pretty much a safety requirement. I've been forced to settle for snorkeling, which my wife does enjoy. It's not the pastoral experience diving can be, but I enjoy the challenges of trying to extend the time I can stay under and the depths I can reach, and we've seen a lot of very beautiful creatures...turtles, rays, whale sharks, all kinds of colorful reef-dwellers. Still....I do wish the opportunity to pursue SCUBA experiences had been more available.
Just like bass playing, practice is the key. Certification classes give you just enough to get started in mild conditions. Have you been doing your diving out at the Channel Islands?
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