Friday, June 13, 2008

A Different Kind of Blue Water

On first glance can you tell what is happening in that picture?








It is a bit strange I admit, but I had a lot of fun doing it. This is me in full scuba gear. We are practicing our scuba skills in a pool. I am doing a handstand on the bottom of the pool.

(cool grouping of words, eh? SCUBA SKILLS - say that ten times real fast - nah I knew you wouldn't)

It may seem strange for a person who loves diving to do things like this. ?Why would you dive in a pool instead of a lake or the ocean?

Well, if you are even slightly worried about being competent in the open water, it is better to have a little refresher before hitting the big blue. Also if you aren't worried, but just want to know that you can react quickly and competently in case of an emergency, then a little pool time doesn't hurt anyone. Scuba is actually considered an "extreme sport", probably because it is pushing the limits of what the human body is designed for.

So before going on big trips or even just at the start of the season it is smart to touch up on your knowledge. Watch the instructional videos again, check out your equipment, maybe even get it checked out or inspected.

Besides you don't have to spend the whole time doing basic skills. You can also to some fun things. We like to juggle golf balls (yup, easier in water) or play Frisbee with a special water Frisbee. We jump through hoops... well... float through hoops which is a bit harder than you might think with a huge tank on your back and lots of hoses sticking out. In general pool time is fun time.

Now that we're all checked out, maybe we should head off to a nice blue water location. Maldives anyone?
Check out more Maldives pictures on Flicker.

5 comments:

G in Berlin said...

Wow, those pictures are great. Do you have a waterproof camera?

Snooker said...

Yeah, we have a "Sea and Sea" low tier camera which is mostly a point and shoot digital that can be placed in a special pressure/water-proof container.

It's really a lot of fun to play with and takes great shots down to about 5 meters. Anything lower than that and the flash simply doesn't have enough power to bring back the colors.

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

My hair stylist just got back from the Maldives. She did a ton of diving while there and said that it was glorious.

Diane Mandy said...

An underwater handstand? Seriously, Snooker. You rock!

Goofball said...

an handstand in scuba gear? now that's something I haven't tried yet.

Next sunday my third open water dive in the Benelux. In an easy pond...in order to practise the skills indeed. I like to take things step by step.