[Sportsandrec] [No real] Dive site suggestion for Tom

[Tom Evans]

Kelly,
Thanks
I am an old rescue diver from 25 years ago, never did the fun or warm
weather stuff.
I have found a few dive places and people that seem to be good, but then
transportation getting there is prob as many buses do not go to dive site.
I was looking at accessible in a few ways, good dive partner that
understands vision loss, comfortable with dive skills and a blind guy, plane
that goes to a nice reputable place and hotel pick up, since we don't drive.
Just looking for a brush up, which I can get, but looking more for fun and
easy.
Great idea on the line to be connected to another and never thought of
communication masks.
That is why we have the list
Thanks
Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Sportsandrec [mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Kelly Thornbury
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 9:02 AM
To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] [No real] Dive site suggestion for Tom

Tom, 

My personal thought is that it is less important to find the perfect [warm
water] accessible dive site as it is to find the perfect, accessible dive
partner. I don't know about your vision, but I am completely blind, so I am
very, very selective on who I will get in the water with. 

That being said, I don't know about other certifications, but PADI Open
Water and Advanced Open Water are life-long certs, blindness does not void
them. Any good PADI dive center should honor the certs without an issue. So,
selecting a good center is not really any different from selecting a center
when you were sighted, I'm guessing you know what to look for there. I
usually stick with the "5-star" centers, only because I'm not as confident
working with the less reputable outfits as I once was in my younger and more
cocky years. 

I would suggest some pool time with your partner of choice so you can work
out what signals you want to use. There are some adaptive dive organizations
that have developed a series of blind-related signals, but I didn't find
them to be as intuitive as ones I had already worked out with a recent
partner, and I've forgotten most of them. We (partners and I) work out
signals for asking and giving dive time, depth, air consumption (this is
where it is nice to have a partner who sucks more air than you), and
decompression stops if needed (ok, admittedly, I didn't always go by the
recreational dive tables, another story for another time). 

Another option is for communications masks, but these are darn expensive. I
don't own one, but I've rented them. We used one set, so my partner could
talk to me, and I would rely on hand signals to respond (cuts the costs in
half). It really depends on your vision as to what system of communications
you use. Also, a partner with great buoyancy skills is a bonus. I will
attach a line between the two of us (long enough to give us some room)Then,
I can feel based on the angle of the line how far above or below my partner
I am. We also had an "urgent" line tug signal if I happened to be pulling my
partner out of neutral buoyancy. For me personally, having my partner on my
left was most convenient because the line, which was attached about waist
level, would interfere with hand movements to my BCD control valves, while
my partner could see the line to avoid getting tangled. 

In an emergency ascent, or if for some reason you have to ascend without
your partner, you can hold your hand in the bubble stream above your
respirator to judge if you are ascending slower than your bubbles (ok, I
know this isn't a great indicator, but that's what they taught years and
years ago). Another technique that should be practiced in a pool or other
controlled, "Confined water" conditions. 

Wow, all that and not a single good dive warm water dive location...Ask
around at your local shops. 


On Feb 26, 2013, at 9:03 AM, Tom Evans wrote:

> Good conversation and thinking about getting back into diving if any 
> ideas as to some good warm accessible dive places that people have had 
> good luck with.
> Tom


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