[QUOTE=STi Tuned]Yeah sounds like there's at least 4 of us, a mate & I would be up for a day trip out to Rotto. Maybe December if a you fellas are keen, I don't mind calling around a few places to see if they'll look after us.

Hey Chris.. Count me in!! (and a diving buddy) It just depends on the the roster at work..

If you guys have a forby head to Wedge Island. Its about an hours drive on a track from Lancelin or half hour trek along a tough beach track at the right time of the day. The island is about a km or two swim from the shore and theres a big sand bar in the middle. I've never scuba'd (just snorkeled) out there and there is some awesome reef out there. Heaps of different fish and coral that kinda thing. Good crayfishing as well, chance to bag a couple. Our buggy club camps there every easter. Great spot so leave as you found it and iur kids might be able to enjoy it.
-Wato

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Ever stop to think...and forget to start again...

To quote Homer Simpson "Beer, the cause of and the solution of all our problems"

WRX - Stealth Spec - So stealth i cant even see it

I got my PADI Open Water Cert when I was at school (about 10 years ago) and would be interested in getting back into the water so to speak. Would it be worth doing a refresher course or just get straight back into it?

Hey Ace I was in the exact same situation as you. Did my course in Nautical studies in year 12 about 10 ago. Never had any buddies to dive with so never gave it much thought. Now a few of my friends & nearly everyone I work with dives.

I just called padi for a new card & didn't bother with the refresher, I figured it was like riding a bike. It wasn't until I was kitted up ready to head into the water that I thought that might not have been the best idea. I'd recommend starting with an easy dive like off the rocco shore. We pretty much just let out the air & crawled along the bottom till we were 15 meters. We also did a few off point perron where you’re only down 8meters at the most. So we haven’t had to mess with decompression stops much yet.

A refresher after 10yrs would definitely be handy & a little safer, but not as if they won’t hire you the gear. When I was on the dive training boat over in Thailand I was peeking over the shoulder of a few trainees. They were going thru stuff like weight belt recovery & how to stop a blowing regulator. I’d forgotten all of that shit… so hopefully I don’t drop my weight belt any time soon.


Now that I’ve racked a few more up I want to do my advanced, maybe up exmouth. Which will hopefully fill me in on everything else I've forgotten.

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Ho's gotta eat too

If you havent gone diving in quite a while, I would VERY HIGHLY recommend a refresher course. Last thing you want is to do something unintentionally and get the bends, believe me, Ive had it, and it is very unpleasent, and something I never want to experience again.

Yeh i'd seriously recomend a refresher course. Its very easy to get into trouble underwater and i think my life is worth more than $300...

I havent been for a dive for a while now (no buddies, no boat and couldnt afford decent gear for a while there) but i think its something that should be done once a year for everyone. Divers tend to get into bad habits and as the saying goes, "There are old divers and bold divers. But there are no old bold divers"

What were the bends like? I wouldnt imagine it would be very nice. I take it you werent deliberately trying to beat the bubbles One of my dive instructors told me a story of a bloke suffering nitrogen narcosis (sp?) who tried to do that!

actually, in my case, after going through with me what I did, looking at my dive computer, speaking to the dive master and my dive buddy, apparently I didnt do anything wrong. I was just very unfortunate, doctor put me getting it down to dehydration & exhaustion (I only got 2 hrs sleep the night before)
I was lucky and only got a mild case of it, very unpleasent regardless.

Anyways, when I came up I felt fine, got home felt fine. felt fine all night, woke up the next morning, ankle felt worse than if i had broken it, it was excruciating and it was swollen (never had a pain worse before or since), had limited sensation on the skin of my foot and I couldnt move it, I presumed I hurt it on the way back in, as there was a bit of a swell and it was a rough ride on the boat, went the hospital anyways, they sent me to the freo Hyperbaric ward, the docs there diagnosed the bends. By this stage I couldnt move my knee properly and I was getting pins & needles in my thigh, never mind the pain in my ankle.
So, 4.5 hrs in the small glass chamber the first day
2.5hrs on the 2nd & 3rd days.
then an order by the doctor to avoid diving for 6 months.

My dives were nothing special (2 dives)
Dive 1
Max Depth - 17.3m
Average Depth - 16.1m
Dive Time - 37minutes
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Surface Time - 3.2hrs
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Dive 2
Max Depth - 14.2m
Average Depth 12.2m
Dive Time 31minutes

I should mention that I did all the Decon stops and ascended at the same rate as my buddy, he didnt show any symptoms, also, my dive computer indicated I was ascending at a safe rate.
Just gotta love my luck

Wow... that’s a story, can't say it sounds too pleasant at all & you’re right those dives sound very conservative.

I've always just followed the dive computer but your story has me thinking. Think I'll thow a few extra minutes in my deco stops from now on. When diving with the instructor we stopped for 3 mins at about 8-9 mtrs after a 35 minute dive at 15 metres.

Good on ya tho for wanting to get straight back in the water after some serious pain.

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Ho's gotta eat too

Yeah, no one could fault my dives, doctor says it was probably exhaustion and dehydration.....Ill be drinking plenty of water next time, and not drinking alcoholic drinks the night before.

hehe diving is my all time favourite sport, would take more than that incident to keep me out the water.

Wetsuits.

Im getting back into the snorkeling/freediving and want to dive Perth most of the year and Albany in summer/Shoulder seasons.

I'm thinking a steamer of 3mm thickness? Are two piece ones the go these days?

The prices I have seen vary ALOT. From 80$ to 500$. I had a West suit long john and it has done me extremely well, 10yrs of body bording and snorkeling...I get the feeling though that your Bilalbong/quicksilver etc are geared for the cooler/surf scene and might not really be best for me...

Do I fork out 300-350ish for a good two piece of is it just not needed?

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K.E.R.S!!!1