[Rhodes22-list] Ugly Forcast

Herb Parsons hparsons at parsonsys.com
Thu Oct 20 10:57:25 EDT 2005


Rob,

My suggestion, forget the snorkeling, and go scuba diving. First, I'll say why, then I'll give more info about being able to scuba dive.

=====
Why

Ease - A lot of people think they'll enjoy the benefits of scuba by snorkeling, and believe it will be "easier". In reality, it's harder to snorkel than to scuba dive. First, even though your body isn't far into the water, it's still under water, which means you have to "fight" water pressure to inhale. Scuba air is slightly pressurized (when you breathe it), so it is much easier to inhale scuba. Also, when snorkeling, if you see something deeper, you have to hold your breath, fight to get down to whatever it is, and "take it all in" as much as possible while holding your breath, then clear the snorkel when you get to the surface. With scuba, you see something nearby, you leisurely look at it, then move on. When you snorkel, you "swim" to stay afloat, when you dive, you don't stay afloat and you use your lungs and equipment to control your depth instead of your arms and legs.

Enjoyment - It's next to impossible to describe the freedom and "involvement" you feel when you scuba. When you snorkel, it's more like being a "visitor" to the depths, when you dive, you really feel a part of it. You usually can interact with the aquatic wildlife (usually when you go lower while snorkeling, most of the fish scatter), and the leisurely aspect means you get to take more of it in.

Experience - OK, this one is reaching a little, but probably only just a little. When you come back and tell people you went "snorkeling", you'll get a "so what?" type response. When you tell them you went diving, they'll be more interested. Or at least, they'll pretend to be more interested.

=====
How

I know you're probably thinking "Yeah, but I don't dive". Maybe you can. Please note ahead of time, I'm an advocate of people being fully certified scuba divers (I've been a PADI certified diver since 1979), and I am not advocating "resort courses" lieu of full certification. That said, I do believe resort courses have their place.

Resort courses are short "mini-courses" on scuba diving given by hotels, local charter companies, and sometimes individuals. They usually last 30 minutes to an hour, and typically allow the "student" to dive with a divemaster in a pre-defined area up to a depth of (roughly) 30 feet. When I was last saw pricing (about 2 years ago) in the Caribbean, a resort course cost about $60, they and they provided all the equipment except mask fins and snorkel (in other words, your snorkel gear).

These resort classes are typically non-transferable. In other words, they're only good for the place in which you got them, other locations typically won't honor such a class to allow you to rent equipment or sign on for other dives. Plus, they're not in-depth and are definitely not a replacement for a real NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) or PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) course. However, they are great introductory courses to give you feel for scuba diving, and help you decide if you want to invest $200 - $500 for a full course.

=====

As a side note, I think scuba is a great add-on skill for a sailor. I've found being able to dive my boat to do minor repairs has come in handy several times. When we decide to head out cruising, I definitely plan on taking our gear along with us.

Herb Parsons

S/V O'Jure
  1976 O'Day 25
  Lake Grapevine, N TX

S/V Reve de Papa
  1971 Coronado 35
  Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast

>>> rlowe at vt.edu 10/20/2005 9:21:06 AM >>>
Wally,
No diving, but we are taking our snorkeling gear.  Any suggestions on what
to do on Cayman Brac? That's where we are staying. - rob

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wally Buck" <tnrhodey at hotmail.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 8:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ugly Forcast


> Rob,
>
> Do you SCUBA dive? I have vacationed at Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. The
> diving was awesome!
>
> Wally
>
>
> >From: "Rob Lowe" <rlowe at vt.edu>
> >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ugly Forcast
> >Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 13:47:51 -0400
> >
> >I'm hoping it misses the Caymans, we have vacation plans for there in
> >December. - rob
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: <R22RumRunner at aol.com>
> >To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 1:09 PM
> >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ugly Forcast
> >
> >
> > >
> > > In a message dated 10/19/2005 12:22:36 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> > > ekroposki at charter.net writes:
> > >
> > > http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/gmex-ir4-loop.html 
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Damn, I hope it misses Cancun.
> > >
> > > Rummy
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 
> >
> >__________________________________________________
> >Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 

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