Tubes stuck again

Sam's planning for the saltFree Christmas party was flawless as usual. The venue was warm and convivial, the company even more so, and the food was Welsh cuisine at its best. Secret Santa

did the rounds, and we all had the opportunity to open our first Christmas presents of the

season. Only November too!



Mystery of the weekend was the red rose someone placed under the windscreen wiper on the car. Was it a rose for me, or a gift for my rose? Who knows??



Saturday's diving was mixed. Weather at the NDC was fairly good, and as always, a delight to get back in the cool green water again. I had the first 'top time' and a depth of 50 metres to

reach. A long warm up, with lots of stretching and 3 'pack stretches', plus 3 dry negative

static holds. The water was 11 degrees at the surface, 6 degrees at depth, so I minimised my

in-water preparations to about 15 minutes. Two free immersions ( 10 and 20 metres respectively ). A slight shiver had set in - probably too big a gap since last food intake. I was fully prepared mentally for the depth, but not having a deep dive since August, meant that physically I can't have been. Somewhere around the 25 metre mark, I slowed my finning into a glide, and transferred some lung air into my mouth. I must have taken too long with the transfer ( or not equalised fully just prior ), because the pressure build-up was much greater than it should have been. A forceful attempted equalisation did not work ( for either ear), and the pain onset was rapid, due to my continued sinking. I had to abort at 33 metres. Most disappointing, as this will have been my last quarry dive until well into 2005.



This may well have been a combination problem - I definitely had some sinus congestion, I was

too cold, and my mouthfill was too early. In future , I need to time my eating a bit better.

Also, it's probably better to use the Cressi suit instead of the Elios one in those conditions.

Cressi is better suited (sic) for 40-50 metre dives in colder temperatures, and the Freedown

Elios for warmer dives beyond 50.



I hope I didn't set the tone for the remaining divers, as very few reached their inscribed

depths, and one unexpected samba ( which should never be unexpected! ).



So now it is time to consolidate and look to the future. I am sure some inspiration will be

gained by reading Umberto Pelizzari's interview with Alun George. Also Phillip Colla's

underwater images, that he captures when freediving. Also, I am curious to find out what

happened to Lars and Leilani, who failed to surface for breakfast on Sunday morning....