Yesturday’s entry was actually finished just a few minutes ago. Seems that
I’ve had no time the last couple of days, so it’s sat open on the desktop till
I had time. That would be tonight, during my Sunday night run of TV.
I was invited out again this morning (8:30am argh!) and we went up to Porteau
Cove. It wasn’t as nice a day, kinda grey and by the time we started driving
back it was sprinkling. We had a looong swim to the marker, and my
legs were KILLING ME. When we finally got there we pulled ourselves down
about 33 feet to a sunken sailboat and wandered around there. It was
very cool. Visibility “viz” sucked though, we could barely
see 10 feet, and as a novice diver I kept Joker in sight all the time. We saw
a bunch of sea life, including a big cod, which at first I thought was dead,
but then I looked closer and it looked back at me. Looked pretty big, but of
course everything is magnified.
This time I felt a lot better. It was still new, but not completely new. I
knew how things were supposed to feel, and was much more comfortable
controlling my ascent/descent by inflating/deflating the BCD. I am still very
new and spend far more time just being thrilled at being
under the water, breathing and feeling my lips turn numb, than looking around
and seeing all that there is to see.
My only barrier to doing this more is cost. Everything seems like it’s about
$800. BCD and computer anyway. Suits can be from $300 to $2200, tanks
another $100 or $200 or something. I saw fins from $100-$275…. yikes. My
entire climbing rig probably costs about $2000 MAX, probably more on the $1000
side.
I’m not saying that this is going to replace climbing as my favorite sport.
There is a certain freedom in climbing, body wise anyway, that I didn’t feel
diving simply because of the gear. Climbing it’s you in shorts and a t-shirt
with a harness and some gear, and unless you’re diving in mexico or something,
you’re carrying a hell of a lot more than that diving. There is also the
physical part. Climbing you fall far and die, or bang various body parts on
the rock and get hurt. That’s about it. Diving though, there’s drowning (not
fun from what I understand), but also the physiological effects, like the
bends, equalization, nitrogen narcosis (feeling like you’re drunk when you’re
really deep from the nitrogen released into your body).
I do however plan to get my dive ticket ($250-$499ish) so I can be certified
and get the proper training for all of this. Couple of paychecks down the
road though 🙂
All in all, an awsome time. I encourage anyone to try this! Thanks Joker!
Things seen on TV tonight. World records and team of climbers consisting of
a double amputee, a blind guy, and a paralized guy. Sometimes I think they
are just making up world records. Most number of skydivers to go through a
hoop? WTF is that? Back in my day there were real records, like fastest
ascent of a mountain, longest swim, most swords swallowed. Nowadays it seems
like guiness world records are simply designed so that they can put it on TV
and get the gee-wow of the guy who has the world record for the most
stretchable skin.
Things seen last night on TV, a show about Idiot Savants. The thing that got
me was towards the end they talked about how hopefully this will be
“cureable”. Now don’t get me wrong, I feel sorry for people born without the
ability to interact with the rest of the world, and I hope that no savant ever
injures anyone because of their lack of “social skills”… but “cure”? These
people are brilliant! They can memorize zip codes, numbers, dates, calendars,
and what have you. One guy they talked to was asked “if I was born early in
July of 1969, on a wednesday, what day was it?” “You were born on the
2nd”. What happens when an idiot savant says “oh, to get rid of this virus
you just need to arrange these chemicals in this way” and boom, bye bye aids.
What happens when that sort of mind is “cured” by not allowing to ever come
into existance. Now, they say that savaunts may be the result of antibiotics
in certain situations, but they don’t really know. There is a 45 year old
gentleman somewhere however that was born with a brain 30% larger than normal,
told he’d never live past 15, is very good at numbers and whose parents were
recommended that he get a labotomy when he was 9. He’s happy to be around.
I guess that relates to a few things. Genocide of “imperfects”. Manipulation
by genetics for “perfect” babies. I say let nature take it’s course. Now
this doesn’t interfere with my pro-choice stance either, even if it does seem
like it conflicts. Hell, it probably does, but who do I have to justify my
beliefs to? That’s the beauty of beliefs, is they are yours, and yours alone.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it 🙂 I’m going to bed.
Oh, hold on a sec, forgot to wish someone a one day belated birthday to Sonilla. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you!
Happy Birthday!