Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Northern Light (wasn't shining)

Well the first thing you learn in the technical diving class is that the number 1 mission is to return from the dive alive and unharmed, everything else is secondary. Our second mission was to descend below 185ft, and do a blue water deco (this is when you blow a lift bag with a reel and then slowly ascend up the line so the boat can spot you). It is a little eerie because all you see is blue, beneath you, above you, and to all sides, nothing but blue water. You could be sinking or floating to the top, and you might not know it (hence all the training). The third objective of this dive was to dive the Northern Light. The first two were accomplished, but the latter was not. We went to the GPS coordinates where the wreck is and found it on the bottom finder. We threw a line down with a grapple (big hook) to mark it. When we were about to jump in the grapple came loose and started floating away. So the captain drove us upcurrent and dropped us, by the time we got to the bottom the current had taken us well off the wreck. It was no where in sight. We sway around for about 10 min (in pretty good current). Then I blew my lift bag with the reel and started to ascend. I switched to 50% oxygen at 70ft and then to 100% at 20 ft. Out total dive time was 55 minutes. It was great practice and training, but the Northern Light will have to be another time and another day.


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