Seven months have elapsed. A summer has come and gone. Famous people have died and new inventions have appeared. And until now, no sign of any underwater photographs from my 'new' underwater digital camera. Even the superceded model of this camera has now gone out of production. Well, I have now actually produced something, this weekend, with my SaltFree chums, freediving in our favourite quarry. It's a photo of Simon, one of our accomplished 'Angels of the Deep', who keep an eye on us when we are briefly down there.
For two and a half years now, a group of us have been going there month-in month-out, rain or shine. In all that time I have never travelled there without looking forward to the weekend, or left feeling downbeat. We all pitch in and help and encourage each other, meet new targets and achievements, and generally have a good time. This weekend was no exception. Good weather, some new faces, and lots of enthusiasm from everyone. For me it was a last training session too, before heading off to Dahab for the Triple Depth competition.
It was a timely discovery that Free Immersion requires a different approach once you become negatively buoyant. In Constant Weight, you can simply glide down to the plate and use your fins as stabilisers. If you try that with FI ( as I did ), you may well find the weight of your legs pulling you away from the line. It brought me to a full stop twice, and more than an arm's length from the rope, so at 40 metres I aborted the attempt and ascended. The next day I kept my momentum going with long, paused pulls, just to keep in contact with the line. This was far more successful and I made my target depth.
I used to wonder who, apart from my commentators, actually reads my one-dimensional e-scribbling. This little map now gives me a clue.
If this weblog entry hasn't been overly exciting, perhaps the next one will. Or perhaps I'll be able to copy and paste the text from the one I posted after the CIPA competition in May.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Pulling a few ropes
I told myself that Nice would be the last competition this year....so how do I find myself now registered for Lotta Ericson's Triple Depth competition in Dahab?
Well, the Elf and I had some time ago booked a fortnight's holiday in Dahab, for rest, relaxation, and the odd Scuba dive here and there. Perhaps finally get to grips with my old new camera rig. Ah yes, the camera. After several dunkings in the swimming pool and quarry, I came to the conclusion that the Epoque DS150 strobe was no more likely to remain dry inside than a cabin on The Titanic. Also that the DCL-20 Wide-Angle lens had more vignetting than a fly in a pillar box gets. So back it all went to Cameras Underwater. A small triumph for the beleaguered consumer - they took back both the lens and strobe in good faith. The lens was simply not meant to work with the PT-027 housing, and the strobe was a dud. In their place I then bought a beefier strobe - the ES230, with a more substantial battery cover - and a longer strobe arm. Beware to those who make impulse purchases at dive shows, and fail to research beforehand.
So how did the plans for Dahab go pear-shaped? Well they didn't really, it was all a re-evaluation of the options. If you happen to be in town when someone has kindly organised an AIDA freediving competition, it seems rude to decline the offer. ( Especially when one of the disciplines is Free Immersion - a personal favourite, and not often offered as a competitive discipline. ) I was thinking along the lines of doing one day's training, and one discipline only, so 2 days in total. That would leave the Elf to her own devices for a couple of days, unless she could find something like a TDI Trimix course to attend. Strangely enough, these do exist in Dahab, but it looked like this would be a 3 day course. OK, so that would equal one day's training and 2 disciplines. Oh dear, no, the Trimix course is a 5 day affair. That would mean I'd be forced into 1 day's training, 1 rest, and all 3 disciplines. I think that's what they call a done deal. Plus we still get at least half a dozen rec dives on the bubblers.
The Elf doesn't know that I might also be bringing a small camera crew along for the occasion. Let's just keep that one under our neoprene hoods for now.
Well, the Elf and I had some time ago booked a fortnight's holiday in Dahab, for rest, relaxation, and the odd Scuba dive here and there. Perhaps finally get to grips with my old new camera rig. Ah yes, the camera. After several dunkings in the swimming pool and quarry, I came to the conclusion that the Epoque DS150 strobe was no more likely to remain dry inside than a cabin on The Titanic. Also that the DCL-20 Wide-Angle lens had more vignetting than a fly in a pillar box gets. So back it all went to Cameras Underwater. A small triumph for the beleaguered consumer - they took back both the lens and strobe in good faith. The lens was simply not meant to work with the PT-027 housing, and the strobe was a dud. In their place I then bought a beefier strobe - the ES230, with a more substantial battery cover - and a longer strobe arm. Beware to those who make impulse purchases at dive shows, and fail to research beforehand.
So how did the plans for Dahab go pear-shaped? Well they didn't really, it was all a re-evaluation of the options. If you happen to be in town when someone has kindly organised an AIDA freediving competition, it seems rude to decline the offer. ( Especially when one of the disciplines is Free Immersion - a personal favourite, and not often offered as a competitive discipline. ) I was thinking along the lines of doing one day's training, and one discipline only, so 2 days in total. That would leave the Elf to her own devices for a couple of days, unless she could find something like a TDI Trimix course to attend. Strangely enough, these do exist in Dahab, but it looked like this would be a 3 day course. OK, so that would equal one day's training and 2 disciplines. Oh dear, no, the Trimix course is a 5 day affair. That would mean I'd be forced into 1 day's training, 1 rest, and all 3 disciplines. I think that's what they call a done deal. Plus we still get at least half a dozen rec dives on the bubblers.
The Elf doesn't know that I might also be bringing a small camera crew along for the occasion. Let's just keep that one under our neoprene hoods for now.
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