NAVIGATION DIVE

                                                     (Authored by aDVANCED DIVER TOM)

IT'S FUNNY HOW THINGS CAN DAWN ON YOU, WELL AFTER THE FACT...

DURING THE FABULOUS "BLUE LAGOON" ENDURANCE TRIAL,

I HAD SEVERAL THINGS HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME, ALL OF WHICH SEEMED DESIGNED TO MAKE SUCCESS REMOTE, IF POSSIBLE AT ALL...

 IT DOESN'T SEEM POSSIBLE THAT ONE CAN HAVE SO MANY THINGS STACK UP AGAINST YOU ALL AT THE SAME TIME, BUT IT DID.

THIS MAY SOUND LIKE I'M MAKING AN EXCUSE FOR FAILING, BUT I ACTUALLY DID SUCCEED, DESPITE ALL THE GREMLINS.

 LET'S SEE NOW:

·        38 DEGREE AIR TEMPERATURE

·       761 DEGREE WATER TEMPERATURE, OK SO THE WATER WAS REALLY 72 DEGREES

·        A 3-MIL SHORTY WET SUIT (EVERYONE ELSE HAD FULL SUITS)

·        NO BOOTIES (HAD TO ENTER ON SILT AND ROCKS-OUCH)

·        MASK FOGGED UP INSTANTLY

·        GOT GRAVEL IN MY FINS (BARE FEET)

·        NO LEAD IN THE PENCIL FOR MY SLATE (HAD TO STAND  THERE AND TRY TO USE LOREN'S, WHICH WAS STILL ATTACHED TO HIS BCD) (BY THIS TIME I WAS SHIVERING SO THAT I COULD BARELY WRITE)

·        HAD LARGE AIR BUBBLE IN COMPASS (THIS REDUCED THE OIL, AND CAUSED IT TO MORE EASILY LOCK-UP)

·        I DIDN'T HAVE THE WEIGHT BELT TIGHTENED SUFFICIENTLY SO IT KEPT SLIPPING DOWN 

·        STARTED THE NAVIGATION RUNS TOO CLOSE TO SHORE (KICKED UP  SILT, BRINGING VISIBILITY TO ZIP)

·        DEUCE KEPT PUSHING DOWN ON MY ARM (THIS CAUSED ME TO "TURN TURTLE" SEVERAL TIMES)

·        AFTER SWITCHING DEUCE TO MY OTHER SIDE, DEFOGGING MASK, REMOVING AND CLEANING OUT FINS, PULLING UP WEIGHTS, RESTARTING THE NAVIGATION RUN, AND HOLDING THE COMPASS TO [+-] 1DEGREE OF LEVEL.......SUCCESS!

 WHAT DAWNED ON ME WAS THE BIT ABOUT "TURNING TURTLE".....

AT THE TIME, I ASSUMED I WAS HEAVY, AND WAS CARRYING TOO MUCH AIR IN THE BC, BUT AFTER STUDYING THE SECTION ON "PEAK PERFORMANCE BUOYANCY" IN THE ADVENTURES IN DIVING MANUAL, I REALIZED, THINKING BACK ON HOW I HAD TO INSTALL THE WEIGHTS IN THE [VELCRO STYLE] BELT, THAT THE WEIGHTS WERE ALL POSITIONED BEHIND MY HIPS (ACROSS MY BACK). THIS WAS NO PROBLEM AS LONG AS MY ROLL-AXIS WAS LEVEL, BUT ANY ROLLING MOTION (LIKE DEUCE PUSHING DOWN ON MY ARM) CAUSED THE NICE "TURNING TURTLE" MANEUVER....

SEE, ONE NEVER STOPS LEARNING THIS STUFF!