Turks & Caicos Islands (1999) part 2:

Since the Turks & Caicos Islands are a chain of 28+ individual islands, some inhabited, some not, (total land mass of ~240 sq. mi.) we stayed on Providenciales aka “Provo”, which is the capital and most populous city of the British Territory. This location was also the most easily accessible place to stay. Located 575 miles southeast of Miami, the Turks & Caicos Islands are a British Commonwealth Colony that was first populated by the Lucayan or Arawak Indians.

The diving operation and the crew at Dive Provo (http://www.diveprovo.com/) was just great, they were very laid back, not rushing us, not barking orders at us or talking down at all. It made for a very leisurely first dive. In fact they were all very excited for us and shared our enthusiasm for the beginning of our sport diving career.

My brother and I are growing a bit tired of clinging to the bow rail with enough tenacity to stay put as the boat bounces and pitches across the breakers much like a rag doll. We’ve been watching the yellow mooring buoy on the horizon appear and disappear as the waves tease us with glimpses of our future. It has grown closer and closer to the boat over the last few minutes as Brad and I keep looking at each other and chuckling anxiously (and nervously) as neither of us is sure of what exactly we will experience in the next 30 minutes. We hear the Captain kill the motor as we coast up to the buoy; the dive master (DM) comes to the bow to loop the tie line on the mooring as a soft anchor so we can begin the dive. They weren’t going to start us out on a drift dive, which is certainly for the best.

We suit up in our gear, though no wetsuit for me or brad, only our swim trunks, as the water was nice and warm and felt great…even at 100’ under! Just a little cooler than bathwater! Standing on the stern of the boat with my fins hanging over the edge staring down into the blue was such a harrowing experience! The DM came up behind me and gave me a small shove in a joking way to get me to get off the boat and stop holding up the line of those wanting off the boat that were behind me. I just needed a minute to collect my thoughts before I took the big plunge! Closing my eyes, taking a big breath and holding my mask on my face I jump in and am greeted with that feeling of the instant cold of the water hitting your skin just like you get at the pool. I never like that shiver. That feeling subsides and I pop to the surface to give my OK to the boat captain and then descend with the rest of our group. Getting used to the increased pressure on my ears (due to the weight of the water above my head) was somewhat difficult to get past and when I found out that if you are sick at all or if you drank too much the night before it is much harder to clear/equalize the pressure in your ears. The view once the bubbles flash past the mask reveals another world and the feeling of being above the ‘ground’ like a bird is really second to none. Many of my questions were answered …in the first few seconds…about why so many people love this sport. Watching animal behavior, both between themselves and with you, is very interesting and almost hypnotic at times. I have had to consciously check my air supply when at depth because I just didn’t want to look away from some little fish many a time since this first dive. Swimming leisurely over the reef, it being a few feet under me, as I watch the refracted sunlight hitting the coral and making shadows around the many mini-caves and rock/coral over-hangs where the fish congregate when a predator comes by (or anything large really) was great and very relaxing! Its true that I would later find out that some dives are just physical work, there is nothing relaxing about them, usually due to a strong current, either at the surface and a constant current pushing you from shallow depth to deep depth…ive been in a few of those and they are probably the toughest thing I’ve ever had to handle. It is incredible to feel the energy of the ocean moving against you and to realize that it could be this strong for a long long time….like weeks or more.

So right when I am about to jump in, the captain says “say hi to Elvis when you’re down there”. Turns out that Elvis is the resident Barracuda, clocking in at about 3 feet long with a big mouth of large teeth. I jump in, turn around, look under the boat and there he is, staring right at me. It was awesome! The larger fish, including the Barracuda’s enjoy the shade that the hull of the boat provides as a needed break from the tropical sun. Some may be surprised to know that many fish actually get darker more, vibrant colors as their skin/scales are ‘tanned’ by the sun, much like our skin. Coloration on a young fish will be more light but as they age and their time in the water-refracted, intensified sun light will change their colors. The Cuda like so many other fish, pass water over their gills by opening and closing their mouth all the time so to some people the teeth look really threatening but in reality the animal is just breathing. They are however very attracted to shiny things so you could become a target if you have a necklace or rings on while underwater; and a small Cuda could take your finger off before you even knew it was missing…their teeth are super sharp! But most usually, they are a lot more scared of you than vice versa. Anywho, it was super cool to see Elvis the massive Cuda.

We also saw, quite unusually, a small reef shark and a sea turtle on that very same dive. The DM would later tell us that he has never seen that much stuff in a single dive ever in his 25 year diving career. What a time we had, but we were told not to think it will always be that way! So many people think a shark will attack them as soon as it sees them, but you are more likely to get struck by lighting twice than attacked by a shark, statistically speaking. All in all a really great first dive and an excellent way to set the stage for our lives in the ocean.

Turks & Caicos Islands (1999):

It was not long at all after our successful certification that our first trip out into the deep blue occurred. I remember Brad and I being incredibly ecstatic and nervous as to how the experience would be. I don’t remember any other time when he and I felt like that around each other, except perhaps when we first started learning to snow ski in Pennsylvania when we were younger. That also was a crazy experience – to look down the mountain and witness the degree of the incline that we would have to ski down to get to the bottom; or to look out straight while standing at the top and to see across the entire valley to the other side. The air was so clear and crisp that we could see the paths through the trees and the homes built on the side of the mountain across that valley. What an incredible thing to experience together. We stood by each other and looked down then looked across then looked at each other and gulped in terror! Of course eventually we got more and more comfortable with skiing after multiple runs on the ‘bunny’ slopes. After a while we got to the point of pointing the skis straight down and flying down the slope in a few seconds, racing each other down the whole time. Great Fun!

So similarly, we would find that the same experience would hold true to Diving, even as we sat chatting together at the hotel poolside the day before our first dive with hundreds of butterflies in our tummy’s. Luckily we had a fairly large group of other dives in our crew, most of whom were quite experienced with SCUBA. This, I think, helped dissuade our nervosa greatly though our nervousness still wasn’t gone by any means! Ok so onto the diving!

If you’ve been to the Caribbean before and are familiar with the weather down there, you likely know the difference between a good day and great day…this was a really great day: the sun was shining so bright and warm as we assembled the gear on the boat, boarded and set off. Brad and I scurried up to the bow (front part of the boat) as the captain sped up, hitting the swells harder & pitching the bow skyward as we were coming out into open water; we had a 15 min ride ahead of us. As the boat climbed up one swell and dropped/freefell (sp?) onto the next one first causing a huge spray back onto us and also causing the boat to drop down faster than us, we felt weightless for a few seconds, right up until our hind-quarters smashed back onto the boat as it started to climb up the next swell. This continues until your bum hurts too much and you adopt a feet on the boat squatting position (with your hands clinging to the bow handrail) which makes it much easier to ride out the trip. Somewhat physically demanding but a load of fun to be had before (and after) the dive!

Soon after leaving the dock and the “slow lane” (where boats must travel slow due to high traffic from the proximity to the port – the first ~300 yards from shore) we see the color of the water start to change to shades of deeper and darker blues. In the slow lane we putter along and when looking over the side the clear water allows you to see all kinds of little fish and even larger marine life as they swim to and fro around the coral heads and sandy expanses that dot the inner coastline. The colors of green mixed with blue and tan are truly breathtaking, similar to what you'd see from a plane but when you are literally on top of the colors it takes on quite another look. {I honestly dont know how anyone could ever chaulk up the constant blending of the varying shades of teals, greens, tans, reds, blues, yellows, turquoise, and many others to something other than an intelligent Creator God.} Back to the story: It’s actually a really great way to quickly get a sense of the type of reef structure and ocean life that you’ll be seeing over the course of your stay on the island. You’d never be able to see that much of the reef so quickly with just a pair of fins! Well I guess you could if you had one of those James Bond personal torpedo propeller things (http://www.travelizmo.com/archives/000425.html).

After a few minutes of boating in the deep water the dolphins arrived, riding the wake that the bow creates. This, needless to say, is always a huge treat. Usually, pods consist of between 15 and 35 individuals and they will swim and play together as well as hunt as a team, many times using bubbles to trap schools of fish in small, tightly packed groups and to drive them to the surface where they can be much more easily eaten. When the dolphins ride the bow wake it is so easy to see all the detail of their coloration and any spots or scars they may have from fights with sharks, killer whales or other dolphins. The high degree of clarity of the pristine water down there makes it so easy to see the dolphins jockey from below for the best position in the wake. It is always so cool to witness how these animals move and relate to each other, how their hierarchy works (the bigger the animal, the more important it is in the group). The higher in the wake, the easier it is to ‘swim’ – basically the water displaced by the boat is pushed forward and makes it so that the dolphin doesn’t have to put forth near as much effort to swim through the water. Its nuts to see the smaller ’teenager’ dolphin enjoying the ride and playing together, then to have the older dolphins catch up with the boat (travelling at 20+ knots!) and push aside the younger, slightly weaker dolphins without a second thought. I think its also interesting to note that the younger ones move immediately – solely because the older offer high levels of protection from predators that could easily harm them or the pod as a whole.

I swear I will get to the actual first dive next time!

Certification (quarry dive finale):

The final test-dive we had to complete/endure was a ‘real’ dive in deep water in a rock quarry in northern VA. The rock quarry had not been used in many years and had been long -filled in with water; therefore many dive agencies used this place to certify divers without having to head to the Chesapeake Bay or further out to the Atlanta, perhaps to Ocean City or somewhere similar.

I said ‘endure’ in the preceding paragraph because this experience was my first of many with something called a Thermocline, which is a certain depth where the water temperature drops quickly by 5 or more degrees within a few feet or even a single foot. Another term for this phenomenon is called Water Stratification. I found in this quarry that the thermocline occurred at about 15 feet. The activities we were to be tested on by our instructors were placed between 10 and 30 feet down; the cold dark quarry bottom being around 65 feet. This meant that we would need to go from the warmer water to the colder and vice versa. Soon after my giant stride into the water I found that I was to become a water temp wimp within the diving world. Personally, my preference is to remain in the cold water or the warm, and not go back and forth – if I go back and forth I feel like I am just being teased by the temperate water; like it is laughing at me or something! ARGH!

The instructor requested that we circle up and descend together to about 15 feet and achieve neutral buoyancy* there after which he wanted us to again remove our mask and reg and replace them properly after re-clearing them for regular use. While at 15 feet, I can feel my lower half (at 20’) getting colder and colder from the temp change but luckily my tasks don’t require anything of my lower half except the occasional fin kick. After this, we drop down further into the chilly depths (it’s amazing how dark the water gets in a quarry, even at only 25 feet down, even at mid-day) for the remaining tests. We see as we descend that there is a hula-hoop attached to a chain that drops down into the abyss. The hoop is not moving and we are signaled to swim over to it and demonstrate neutral buoyancy for 5 minutes. We were told that if our tank hits the upper side of the hoop we have to do the test over. No pressure folks! Luckily everyone passed but it was really amazing for me to see how much I had to control my breathing to maintain the necessary depth. What a great skill to learn! I would find application of it very often in my future diving in the ocean.

There were some other tests of note, but I don’t remember all the in’s and out’s of them from so long ago (it has been 10 whole years since my certification!!!) Amazing how time flies!


*Neutral Buoyancy, occurs when the diver doesn’t sink or float while at depth. More specifically, his/her body & gear weight equal the amount of air held in his/her BC. When this balance is achieved the diver will rise slightly when a breath is inhaled and sink slightly when that breath is exhaled. Any real upward or downward movement becomes an intentional act of the diver. Neutral buoyancy is a great skill to learn as it becomes invaluable on drift dives, for example: as the diver is carried along the bottom by the tidal current, he/she need only to inhale slightly to rise over an upcoming rock or coral outcropping (exhaling after passing over the structure to return to the optimal depth); doing this saves fin kicks, therefore decreasing the amount of air used during the dive (moving your muscles uses air) which increases bottom time.

Certification (cont):

I’ve been told my more than a few people that Scuba is a sport for crazy people and diving/swimming with sharks or pretty much any animal that has the ability to kill you at any moment is insane. Perhaps that is the case and I could be clinically committed to a straitjacket in a padded room for the remainder of my days...but that room would have to be pretty large and your supply of jackets would most likely be exhausted sooner than later from the numbers of fellow crazies who consider ocean diving one of their first loves. Also, I was surprised to find out that major problems can be experienced in a pool just as they could in the wilds of the ocean. Such a comment brings me to today’s story and what looks to be my second to last post pertaining to the certification process we went through: shall I begin?

As I said earlier, the training was divided half & half between the classroom and the pool, so it wouldn’t be tough to determine that the pool probably encompassed the greater level of danger when compared to the classroom. That is, unless you consider accidentally poking yourself with a pencil or the embarrassment that comes from answering a question incorrectly in public to be a debilitating situation from which to recover from…and if you do, you will probably want to work through those issues before attempting tackle something akin to diving with all the variously toothed creatures great and small who call the ocean home.

After the swimming (10-15 laps) and treading water (for 10 min.) tests have been completed we are asked to don our gear and report to the bottom of the deep end of the pool (15 or 20 deep I believe) for some additional testing which all prospective divers are required to complete. These tasks include removing various items of gear (mask, regulator*, BC**), manipulating them underwater and putting the ensemble back together properly. To accomplish this we all gather in a circle at the bottom on our knees so we can watch each other and learn from example of the dive master and each other.

Down we go and everything is going well with my gear for now. On the bottom I am watching the other people I don’t know in our group complete the mask portion of the test: taking their mask off, put in back on & clear the water out of it so they can see again. After each one is done the DM points to the next person to give them a chance. My heart is beating a bit faster as my turn is coming quickly. The issue with this test is, for many, the big change in going from a dry face to a wet face and not having any air available around your nose. When you breathe in thru your nose while diving, the mask, which has a small amount of air in it, will suck tighter to your face from the vacuum you create by lessening the amount of air in the mask until you exhale a bit from your nose, thus equalizing the pressure again. So when your mask first comes off (whether you take if off in training or another diver’s fin kick in front of you pulls it off accidentally) the water hits your previously dry face which some find cold & uncomfortable and you realize that you have to concentrate and breathe only through your mouth/regulator. This may not seem like a big deal to non-divers but once you are in an environment where there is just a single source of air available from your regulator you realize how much you do breathe through your nose, even if it’s just a little bit. That little bit of water you would breathe in would cause you to start to cough and wheeze which is an activity to be avoided, both in a 20’ foot swimming pool or out on a 75’ reef. I get through my turn of this challenge well and watch my bro and parents also complete it with flying colors. This is such a great experience do go through together with them! Next we take our regulator out of our mouth and put it back in and clear the water out of it for the same precautionary reasons as the mask drill. Lastly, we succeed in taking off the BC, the vest which holds the tank and regulator in place so the devices can be properly utilized as the diver has need, over our head placing the tank length-wise on the bottom facing up so the equipment and connections can be checked or fixed without making the diver change position too drastically. My BC goes back on and I buckle it snug again and look at the DM next to me to signal I am ok when I go to take another breath but find no air available from the tank. I try again but it seems the tank has just said ‘no air for you!’ like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld or something. I didn’t even have time to look at my computer as my brain started to race from the lack of available oxygen. I was beginning to feel like Arnold in Total Recall when he got thrown out onto the surface of Mars. Without thinking I grabbed the regulator out of the DM’s mouth and pulled it to myself and breathed out of it with much enthusiasm. After two breaths I went to return the reg to the DM but I saw that he has calmly retreated to his second stage unit to breathe from. I offered it back to him but he signaled for me to continue using it while he grabbed by BC shoulder strap and started to ascend to the surface with me to resolve my issue at the surface. Quite the unforeseen circumstance for newbie Brent! I surely didn’t see all that on the horizon!

After reaching the surface with my new best friend I expect to be reprimanded to some degree for ripping his air supply out of his mouth without asking his permission but instead I am greeted with a commendation from him. Hearing his approval I am surprised and perplexed that he is congratulating me but he explains why: when most people have a problem underwater, their first thought is to jet to the surface for safety. In a 20’ deep pool this isn’t a big deal, but acting on that thought while on a medium depth or deep dive will kill you. Why? When air is breathed in from the tank at depth it is pressurized due to the weigh of the water on top of it. This means that a breath taken at 15’ down is actually much more air than a breath taken at 80’ down, could be almost twice the air because of the compression difference. So who cares? Well if you take that breath at 80’ and swim to the surface (because you’re having a gear problem) without exhaling it, the air will expand as you ascend and eventually your single breath will look like multiple breaths in your lungs which will pop or tear because lungs aren’t designed to hold more than the air needed for one breath. This is Boyles Law and disregarding this law will kill you. Check it out on Wikipedia when you have a moment.

So I have no idea if someone, maybe the DM, turned my air off intentionally as a teaching tool or if the tank just wasn’t filled up enough but either way it freaked me out a bit but was a great lesson to me and the whole group about what to do and what not to do when a problem of this type occurs. Luckily for me I had no reason to be embarrassed at all as I handled it the right way by staying at depth and fixing the issue instead of shooting for the surface and possibly getting ‘The Bends’ (you can Wiki that term too, scary stuff!) or a tear in my lung tissue. Another tip I learned from that was to keep my dive computer close and check it often because even when you think things are going ok a problem can pop up without warning.

That is the second scary/exciting/funny story I can think of during the certification process and ill write about the final one next time. That one has to do with my experience during our ‘final exam’ in the rock quarry in northern VA. Oh what fun!



* Reg. is short for regulator, really air regulator; which is the device that attaches to the tanks air nozzle on one end and to the BC inflator tip as well as to the mouthpiece(s) [primary & second stages] on the other end which the diver breathes from. Another term for this device is the ‘Octopus’.
** BC stands for Buoyancy Compensator; it is a vest which houses the tank and can be inflated/deflated using the air in the tank (connected via the regulator) when at depth or the air from your lungs when on the surface.

Intro...About Me

I wanted to start this site to relive some fun and adventurous moments from my past diving career of about 10 years. Until now my dive log excel document on my confuser has been the sole place of stored memories. The notes section in my log is only about two lines which doesnt allow for much detail at all. My hope is to look back, remember, and be able to tell a better story about the experiences I have had. Who knows...some people may even read this other than me! Imagine that.

So I am about to turn 28 years old (Lord willing); I have been living in Alpharetta since the summer of 2004, Alpharetta is north of Atlanta, GA by about 20 or so miles.
I am originally from Maryland, where I grew up in Upper Marlboro which is slightly east of Washington, D.C. and about 45 minutes south of Baltimore.
I went to school in North Carolina at a small school of about 3,000 students called Campbell University. Definitely a country/in the sticks feel to it but certainly full of alot of great people where I made quite a few solid friendships and memories.

I started diving in 1999 after being certified in Annapolis, MD as a NAUI Open Water Scuba Diver under Mike Nieman with Chesapeake Underwater Sports (410) 280 0648.

Such began the 'realization' phase of a deep, long-seeded fascination with the ocean that I had held ever since early childhood. Like most young boys, I knew girls had cooties, school is boring, homework sucks, soccer is life & the more trouble you were in meant the more fun you had. I was also a big fan of spiders, snakes, fire, dinosaurs, sharks, etc. No surprise there, especially if you know me now, you probably know not much has changed since then! Because of my boyhood interest, it seemed like a no-brainer when dad asked my brother and I if we would be interested in obtaining a scuba certification with he and mom. What a great way to spend some real time with each other (slightly more interesting than silently watching tv together during visits home!) and at a time when the kids are getting older and starting to do their own things it is so important to maintain as much of a connection as possible with each other as life/school/job seems to pull the family unit apart some. I feel that this connection has been maintained to date and I am very glad that this is the case.

So I guess my next post will be about the certification process during those sundays in Annapolis. See you then.