L8 APEX
01-07-2004, 12:03 AM
A few years ago I got into scuba diving pretty heavy. I made over 200 dives my first year in every condition imaginable. From WWII Shark infested German U boats in the North Atlantic, to zero vis search and rescue in creeks. I took many classes during this time and one I remember well is my advanced open water class.
I was partnered up with a Gomer type dude. He couldn't do two things at once. Anyway, our assignment was underwater navigation down at lake Travis a 200' deep lake near Round Rock, TX. The teacher told us to run a square pattern then a triangle pattern etc. I started it off and ran both my patterns 20 kicks on each leg and came back to the same spot. Then it was Gomer's turn:D I observed him and let him do the leading. In basic scuba you are taught to keep a bottom reference (you can see the bottom). We were in 25' of water by the bank with 13' visibility. So he does fine where he can see the bottom on the first leg of the square. Then he turns right into the center of the lake. The bank slopes sharply and we soon loose bottom reference. He keeps going and going and little right then a little left, up and down, the boat motor noises are getting louder and louder. They bouy'd off a diving area but we are now 200' from shore 40' under water in the boat channel:eek2: . It is nothing but green dark merky all around us in about 160' deep water. So now he turns around and gives me the great shoulder shrug pointing at his compass. So we are hoovering in 40' of water to be safe from the boat props. I take over the lead and we kick back to the bank where we pick up bottom reference again and find our way back to the starting point.
When we reached the surface our instructor was about stressed out. She had hollered up to the folks on the hill if they could see our bubbles from the cliff. They said yeah they are about half way across the lake:rll: in open water! I thought it was fun I had it well under control but Gomer was pretty spooked lost in 160' of water. You know you can't surface without risking a prop strike. I guess he just had trouble reading his compass, watching depth, and tank pressure. Thank weekend and class was a lot of fun:tu:
I was partnered up with a Gomer type dude. He couldn't do two things at once. Anyway, our assignment was underwater navigation down at lake Travis a 200' deep lake near Round Rock, TX. The teacher told us to run a square pattern then a triangle pattern etc. I started it off and ran both my patterns 20 kicks on each leg and came back to the same spot. Then it was Gomer's turn:D I observed him and let him do the leading. In basic scuba you are taught to keep a bottom reference (you can see the bottom). We were in 25' of water by the bank with 13' visibility. So he does fine where he can see the bottom on the first leg of the square. Then he turns right into the center of the lake. The bank slopes sharply and we soon loose bottom reference. He keeps going and going and little right then a little left, up and down, the boat motor noises are getting louder and louder. They bouy'd off a diving area but we are now 200' from shore 40' under water in the boat channel:eek2: . It is nothing but green dark merky all around us in about 160' deep water. So now he turns around and gives me the great shoulder shrug pointing at his compass. So we are hoovering in 40' of water to be safe from the boat props. I take over the lead and we kick back to the bank where we pick up bottom reference again and find our way back to the starting point.
When we reached the surface our instructor was about stressed out. She had hollered up to the folks on the hill if they could see our bubbles from the cliff. They said yeah they are about half way across the lake:rll: in open water! I thought it was fun I had it well under control but Gomer was pretty spooked lost in 160' of water. You know you can't surface without risking a prop strike. I guess he just had trouble reading his compass, watching depth, and tank pressure. Thank weekend and class was a lot of fun:tu: