Last week, Dan from Divevets gave me a 12 minute pool course on how to dive in a dry suit, in exchange for a bottle of $25 Scotch.

Let’s see – use your BCD for buoyancy, put air in your dry suit when you feel ball squeeze and come up with your exhaust valve higher than your feet.

That was basically it; he had me turn upside down and recover when all the air went to my feet by turning right side up.

I am now ready for the ocean in a dry suit!

I arrived at Veterans Park in Redondo Beach where I met up with Chipper.

Our mission – to find some lost equipment and test my dry suit abilities without either of us getting killed or hurt.

The surf was picking up, but we are macho…

Lacking large booties that fit over my dry suit socks, I had to improvise with duct tape – MacGyver would be so proud of me!

Chipper and I walked to the shore, high-fiving some kids who wanted to touch some SCUBA divers.

Chipper made it through the pounding surf with no issues.

I made it to chest high water, and tried to put my fins on…

I tried bending my leg, but the water pressure on my dry suit made my leg pretty stiff; I couldn’t bend it enough to put my fin on.

I’m bobbing around in the surf zone, getting slowly pushed back to shore.

I put some air in my dry suit, exhaled and did the most uncomfortable crunch that I’ve even done… I got one fin on and started to kick out.

Just as determined, I put the other fin on.

I was really winded; I caught up to Chipper as the waves were picking up.

We rested before going down.

Taking advise from fellow divers, I put on six additional pounds of weight.

Descending was easy, Chipper was right behind me.

Logged SCUBA Dive #439

Dove With Chipper
Veterans Park, Redondo Beach, California, USA

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 71 feet
Waves: Four foot waves, increasing as the dive progressed
Visibility: Five to maybe 10 feet, at best
Water Temperature: 54 degrees at depth, 65 at the surface
Air Temperature: 74 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 25 minutes or so

I wanted to get to 100 feet, but I screwed up a bit on the navigation, and I was going through air like I haven’t done since I was a newbie.

It is strange feeling the air in my dry suit bubble up and down my body.

We went North, before heading up to 40 feet and back.

As Chipper later said, “The difference between five foot and ten foot visibility at Vets, is that you just get to see more sand.”

We saw crabs, shrimp… same stuff as last dive; I did not bring my camera, as I did not want the distraction.

We did not come across any lost equipment.

I really huffed through my tank; we were heading in and I surfaced in 18 feet of water, mostly due to the surge at the bottom.

The surf pushed us in and I was able to take my fins off fairly easily.

I was walking to shore and right at the sand ledge, a wave knocked me down.

No problem, I’ll just get back up, like I always do… shit, I couldn’t bend my knees wearing that water proof Glad bag to get up.

I started to crawl… man, I fucking couldn’t bend my knees to get up.

Luckily for me, some fellow divers picked my ass up and propped me on my feet. – Photo by PDP

PDP captured my non-macho exit:

Chipper said, “Remember when I told you on the surface when we were coming in, that you are the most macho first time dry suit diver that I know?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I take it back.”

Another successful dive, and this one in a dry suit!

I now know why some of the cold water dive tours want you to have at least 20 dry suit dives – this may take some time getting used to, and they don’t want problems.

We debriefed with beer and sausages and bratwursts; there was a pretty big crowd in the parking lot.

Jimmy The Bagman loaned me a set of doubles to practice with for my September dive trip.

COMING SOON! More dry suit dives!

May 1, 2013

Here I go again, another Chamber Night to benefit the USC Hyperbaric Chamber in Catalina – this time the Divevets had two full tables and a couple of really hot women in attendance.

Professional Debriefer Paul and I took a taxi from the ghetto in Long Beach to the Aquarium, hopefully to prevent a DUI.

We met the group at Bubba Gump’s.

Richard the Brit was nice enough to pick up the tab for everyone – I think he paid in English Pounds.

PDP was so happy to be around hot diver chicks.

Donna The Hot Biker Chick bought $100 worth of raffle tickets to try and score the diving trip to Yap, or something almost as cool.

They packed the tables so tight, fat people had to sit on the outside, near the walls.

The staff dug through the tickets, to see who they wanted to win.

An anonymous, but VERY SMART Divevets Member back packed some Heinekens in.

He was thrown against a wall, and harassed by security, for being a potential terrorist bomber – they searched his back pack, and apparently, they were looking just for bombs, and not the beer that was contained within.

The last time this very smart person went to Chamber Night, they only served Heineken cans – that is why he brought Heineken cans, and not the King of Beers – Budweiser.

Unfortunately, from years past, people got disgusted at the “beeramids” that the Divevets made, so the bar was selling only bottles.

Hanging out with Donna The Hot Biker Chick and Wrinkles was worth the $90 admission for me.

The conversation goes between tables.

After most participants finished their salad, the salad dressing arrived.

Dinner is served! Chicken and mashed potatoes.

Smiles for the camera!

Getting way too much fun, and we’re almost out of the discount beer!

Alcohol fueled arguments ensued between tables.

Divevets get recognized for their contributions – as I remember it was like $50,000.

At the raffle, I was amazed that my name actually got called!

I need doubles and a dry suit, and they had neither.

I hesitated, the MC said, “This is taking too long, what do you want?”

“Uhm” … Something that had “Dry Suit” listed, I took.

It was a Dry Suit inflator system – something that I found out later, I didn’t need for a dry suit, it is completely an option.

Shit, I thought I was getting my dry suit stuff piece by piece!

Yep, we took a Taxi, but I still got a DUI.

$125,393 raised for the Chamber!

After the dinner, we were told we could walk around the Aquarium for an hour.

PDP said, “Feel this, it is really gross.”

“The sign says, ‘Don’t touch,'” I responded.

“Oh, I didn’t see that”

Walking around the Aquarium in the dark really was only good for about ten minutes.

Great event, great people and a great time!

If I ever get bent here, the Chamber will be there for at least another year.

PDP’s video: