Wreck Class

I write this from San Diego (a whale's vagina), or San Di-Ahh-Go. I am teaching a PADI Wreck Specialty class. If you have talked to me about diving you know I am in it for the wreck diving. The class is going good. Good divers, and good people. 3 of our 4 dives are on the HMCS Yukon. It is a Canadian destroyer sunk as part of San Diego's "wreck ally" artificial reef project. Sometimes artificial reefs do not have all of the mystique as a "real" wreck. But they are still pickin cool and are great for training as many of the hazards have been removed prior to sinking. The pic is of the Yukon before finding its resting place 100 ft below the surface.

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.

Northern Light

Well today is going to conclude my technical training (just formally because with diving and gaining experience the learning never stops). I have completed the course on several dives on the Spiegel Grove and Duane, and now taking a step up. The plan today is to dive the Northern Light. I love diving the artificial reefs (purposefully sunk old ships) but there is something to the mystique about diving a real ship wreck. This wreck is in 190 feet of water and is not marked at the surface (like most dive sites are marked with mooring balls at the surface). It is not dove very often so I am really looking forward to it. I spent the better part of yesterday blending my gas and developing a dive plan (yes all that for 25 minutes actually on the wreck) and now am just praying for decent weather. I will let you all know how it goes, I will probably be either very pumped, or I will be disappointed that the weather didn't let us get there.

Aqua Sports

I have signed a contract with Aqua Sports in Fresno (the only PADI dive center in Fresno) to be their main instructor. I will start in full force the first of June and will have several classes over the summer with trips to Catalina, Monterey, and San Diego (Wreck Alley) all on the schedule. During Jun-Aug I currently have the following classes scheduled with flexible hours (tell all your friends):
Open Water Diver (Beginning Scuba): 5 classes
Advanced Diver: 4 classes
Rescue Diver: 2 classes
Specialties: 4 classes

Check out the class schedules and calendar here.