I finally got open water certified for diving. It was a blast, I took a SSI course in the Andaman Islands, specifically on Havelock island.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havelock_Island

In the wiki there is a picture of Elephant Beach, where I did my first SCUBA class in confined water. The first day the class focused on basic skills like clearing the regulator, breating from someone else's secondary air source in case you run out, taking off the mask and replacing it underwater, etc... eventually we got into the more interesting and frequently used skills like making yourself neutrally boyuant, removing and replacing the BCD on the surface and underwater.

I saw a Moray Eel, a stingray, lots of triggerfish, lots of "Nemo's", a sea turtle, and an octapus hiding in some coral.

Havelock island is beautiful and the tourism industry here is at what I consider a perfect point, still in it's infancy, it's not too developed and there are still little resturants around here and there where you can get a cold beer.

That's awesome! I'd love to do some shit like that.

Originally posted by cougar694u
That's awesome! I'd love to do some shit like that.

For real. Me too.

Congrats man! I have been certified for about 10yrs. Its amazing. If your ever in FL, check out Crystal River. I havent been diving in a few years. I blew out an eardrum a few years back and i havent been able to equalize correctly since. Bothers me evertime i think about it. But anyway, thats sweet man!

I heard there's an aircraft carrier in Florida that was recently sunk and specially prepared for wreck diving, I might get a chance to check that out in August of this year.

I'd love to take a wreck diving course, and I really want to get Nitrox certified too. Being able to stay at depth a little longer would be a plus.

I've only been down to 27 meters so far, whereas nitrogen narcosis or "being narced", supposely a trippy feeling happens around 30+ meters while breathing normal air. There was a dive site called South Button island which was absolutely stunningly beautiful. It's located here, too bad Google Maps has dick for resolution at this location.

suck

Originally posted by ner947
I heard there's an aircraft carrier in Florida that was recently sunk and specially prepared for wreck diving, I might get a chance to check that out in August of this year. I'd love to take a wreck diving course, and I really want to get Nitrox certified too. Being able to stay at depth a little longer would be a plus. I've only been down to 27 meters so far, whereas nitrogen narcosis or "being narced", supposely a trippy feeling happens around 30+ meters while breathing normal air. There was a dive site called South Button island which was absolutely stunningly beautiful. It's located here, too bad Google Maps has dick for resolution at this location. suck

lol! Yes, I know it as the martini effect. That’s just a convenient name for it. It has something to do with the mix between the oxygen and nitrogen levels your breathing. I'm pretty sure what happens is the air your breathing from your tank is a precise mix of oxygen and nitrogen. As you reach those pressure levels at those depths, the oxygen molecules are reduced and it throws off the mixture heavily in the favor of nitrogen. So in turn your getting way to much nitrogen to the brain. I'm hazy on the specifics, because it was so long ago that I learned about it. Its more of a drunk/high feeling then trippy. I have felt it slightly at around 115ft. There is a quarry around my area that is specifically for diving. They have airplanes, a helicopter, boats all at different depths. Visibility is amazing in a quarry. Is your mask tinted red? If not, get one. This allows you to see the real colors down there. Its a night and day difference. That aircraft carrier is probably an awesome dive.

Here’s a sad story for you about the martini effect that I tell everyone who dives about. This is a true story. There was a 40 something year old man, diving with his son who was 18 or so. I don’t remember where it was though. They were diving a wreck somewhere around 150-175ft. The son got tangled up in the wreck and couldn’t think straight to free himself. The dad tried everything he could to free him but couldn’t. If it wasn’t so deep, they probably could’ve figured a way to get him loose. But obviously they couldn’t think rationally. They were both running out of air and it was apparent the son was going to die down there. Although the father was not tangled, he stayed by his sons side and they both passed away.

But anyway, I have to stop talking about beautiful dive sites. Its gets me upset that I have F'ed up ears and had to give it up. People who have never dived, have not seen the world the way they should’ve.

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt is an awesome dive site if you're looking for shipwrecks in shallow water. Tons of reef scenery and fish as a bonus.