scuba?

[Archaea]

Steve was a crazy speed skier, who I believe eventually died. He set the record several times going over 120 mph I believe.

Tamara won a gold medal and some others I believe in one of the Winter Olympics.

Steve did drugs or so I'm told. You'd have to in order to do what he did.

[DirtyHippieUTE]

SCUBA is so FREAKING GREAT.

A couple of years ago I got Mrs. Hippie SCUBA lessons for x-mas and she got me fins, snorkel, mask.

We took a trip to St. Maarten this summer before I started law school.

It was quite possibly the most fun I've ever had. Diving in a pool or a lake is ok, it's sort of neat to float around and breathe out of a tank, but diving w/ tropical fish, shipwrecks, etc... IS AWESOME.

I have a whole blog log of my trip. I used to be the kind of guy who couldn't care less about going to an island on vacation. Now I can't wait to go back.

One piece of advice from me... If they try to sell you the whole fins, mask, snorkel, booties, etc... set up, it's not all required. I've got my whole set up and I kind of like it because when I go snorkeling I'm all set and I don't have to rent/borrow anything.

HOWEVER, if you don't feel like getting the full deal, you really should get your own mask and snorkel. Masks are kind of a nightmare if they don't fit. My wife was able to find a really cheap one that fit her like a glove. I had to spend a bit more because I've got a giant melon.

One cool story... On one of our shipwreck dives... I RAN OUT OF AIR. Tell your kids to pay attention, remember to remain calm and learn the emergency procedures. If you're interested I'll get you a link or the text of the blog I wrote about it. I could have died but training and a good buddy stystem made the whole thing really a non-issue and I was able to do the 2nd dive that day.

-m

[Archaea]

including 12 year old.

Cold but cool.

We didn't buy the entire set up, until I can find a deal.

[MikeWaters]

I've never gone scuba, but I can vouch for DHU, when he says be very, very focused on safety.

when one thinks of variouis forms of recreation, scuba is on the list of more dangerous ones.

[DirtyHippieUTE]

Originally Posted by Archaea

We didn't buy the entire set up, until I can find a deal.

If you know where you're going to dive, email them and find out what gear they have on hand. Most will have fins and stuff. You may only need to buy your own mask/snorkel. Go to a SCUBA shop and find a mask that fits you then get on line and see what you can get it for. I can't remember what Mrs. Hippie has but mine is an Akona and I've been happy with it.

Regarding safety: I don't know if you did PADI, SSI or what, but I STRONGLY recommend a refresher dive just before you go. Mrs. Hippie and I did a refresher dive the week before we went.

I honestly believe that attending a refresher course, remembering the safety procedures and emergency rescue procedures just one more time before we went is why I survived running out of air while I was 60' under water.

Even if you don't do a refresher, make sure you go over hand signals and what to do if something goes wrong before you head out. Specifically, make sure you cover how you're going to signal each other if there is a problem. Three bangs on the tank doesn't work unless you have something with which to bang.

[Archaea]

and dive Thursday, so we're fresh enough. Thanks though.

We're looking into advanced courses next.

[DirtyHippieUTE]

Sweet...

Where are you guys going?

[Archaea]

Bora Bora to be exact, but not that such a place would interest most others.

It's a beautiful island with mantarays, sharks and lots of varieties of fish. You see almost two hundred feet under water there.

[DirtyHippieUTE]

Color me jealous... I can't wait to to an isaland and SCUBA again.

You want a weird tip?

This guy I was diving with in St. Maarten brought a box of lemon drops along with him. After we got out of the water he asked me if I wanted one. I couldn't figure out why on earth he would have brought lemon drops until I started sucking on one. It fixed the disgusting salt taste FAST.

[FarrahWaters]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Bora Bora to be exact, but not that such a place would interest most others.

It's a beautiful island with mantarays, sharks and lots of varieties of fish. You see almost two hundred feet under water there.

I remember being in Bora Bora and Moorea with my family years ago, when I was a kid. We only went snorkeling, but the clarity of the water, and the amount and variety of fish were amazing. I remember feeding them frozen peas, which in retrospect, don't know if that was the best idea.

The other thing I remember from that trip was my mom directing us not to look at all the topless women sunbathing on the beach. ops: You gotta love French Polynesia!