On the boat en route to the site, Maria (Sweden) showed Melissa, Tripp & me, the three new volunteers, "needling." We have one needle that has bright twines spooled on something like a pic in the middle. The free end of the twine is knotted, so you are working with 2 threads, like a sewing machine if memory from Home Ec serves right (ancient history). She demonstrated how to "needle" by lashing a pen to the handle of a basket. As I watched, it looked a heck of a lot like a knitting knot! My Dad was always very concerned I was going to take up underwater basket weaving. Close, Dad! Underwater knitting!
Upon reaching depth, Madeleina (Portugal) played tour guide and leading the newbies around to the different experiment stations. Much time has elapsed since that day, so I can't recall everything, but I do remember - she is a FAST swimmer!!! But, we had a lot to do and not a lot of time (oxygen) to do it.
There were metal structures of varying shape, cement structures... A lot of teams working on different tasks. Needling seemed "easiest," so I was glad to be put there. We were led to a metal pyramid structure that already had coral fragments attached to it. Passage of time, however, had loosened and weakened the old twine. We were put to work needling over the old twine.
At this point I had not yet completed my advanced course, and the next class was a day away, so I was allowed to participate despite not being fully skilled up. My buoyancy left a lot to be desired. In Marine Con, for some tasks, anyway, and this was one, you want to be overweighted so you can be still and needle. I am exceptionally buoyant. I must have looked like I was riding a mechanical bull. I even tried bracing my knees under the far ends of the pyramid's corners to hold me down, but for the love of god, I played basketball, was not a cheerleader, and am terrible at yoga. I could not manage that split. Madeleina finally came over and put an extra weight in my BCD's (vest with big air pockets that I inflate/deflate to assist with buoyancy/descension/floating) pocket. That helped. Then, to my delight, I was a needling zen master. My knots were tight and strong, I really enjoyed what I was doing, saving these little fragments from certain death.
Switching gears, I'd like to toot my own horn for a minute. Through my Open Water & Advanced classes and the conservation dives I have done, my peers all keep saying the same thing, & it feels like repeatedly: I'm a natural. (Buoyancy issues aside -which as I dive more, I improve; as I acquire my own equipment so I don't have to use the school's super buoyant shortie, I improve.) Skills testing? Sure! No prob! I can toss my regulators, find them, remove my mask, pit it back on. Swim upside down, handstands, flips. What else you got? I am underwater, and I am relaxed & happy.
Melissa will tell you she struggled a lot in the beginning, & there was one early dive when we had just swam over a sea snake, and her fin fell off - for the 2nd time that day. We were deeper, and she was quite distressed - mostly considering the sea snake. Our Dive Master Alex, a young Woman from North America, went to help. Melissa is signing "UP." Alex, grabbed her by the BCD "lapels," and is shaking her head "no." We were to deep for a direct ascent (going up without a safety stop to prevent decompression sickness). Alex started to work on Melissa's fin. I could see Melissa was still distressed. I gently touched her forearm, and she was shaking. I circled, grabbing her BCD lapels like Alex had (reminding me of an "Airplane!" scene, minus the slapping). She was looking all around but not at me. It tapped the lens of her mask, and did the sign for "I'm watching you!!!!" So we floated and got her breathing zen again, her fin on. It helped that I was a known entity to her, meeting within 24 hours of our arrival here.
On my 1st conservation dive, Tripp & I were buddied. We did our pre-dive , buddy check, and jumped in. I don't know how, but Tripp's tank dropped out of its main strap (there's another backup strap for this reason - backups for EVERYTHING). All the other divers had swum away to the dive site. I heard him say, "Aww, my tank!" and saw him struggle with it. Suited up in my own tank, & a bit away from him, I managed to swim over quickly and while he floated, I reinserted the tank into the strap & secured it. He said that he's someone with about 80 plus dives under his belt, and for a beginner, I reacted perfectly, again, using the words my classmates had often used, "a natural."
I do love this!
No comments:
Post a Comment