Scuba at Goat Island

This weekend I went Scuba Diving for the first time

The other times were for my course so they don't really count...

All last week I was jumping around the house like a crazy woman

I just couldn't contain my excitement

Husband decided we would go to Goat Island

Its a marine reserve with a strict ' look but don't touch and especially no taking ' policy

So we arrived, and I started getting kitted up

We were the only ones going in the water at that stage so had quite the audience watching us get ready

Down three flights of stairs to the beach and we were in!

Here's me 

Here's Husband

And of course it wouldn't be right not to do ' the pose '

Here's one of many crayfish we spotted

and a GIANT snapper

this pic reminded me of one of those predator type shots, stalking in the background!

that thing was MASSIVE!

the rules say ' no feeding the fish ' but that Kina was already in the water, we just crushed it open

Husband got a bite on the finger so promptly dropped the Kina

Macho man must pick up rock

and here's me after the dive, SOOOOOOOOOO Happy!!!

but I felt like this on the inside

you would too if you had to carry all the gear and 12kgs of weights in your pockets and having to climb back up the stairs!

What did you do this weekend?



My latest WIP

I've been working on something

Something with waves, I think it kinda fits my new diving hobby

Not that I've been out since my course - I'm going diving tomorrow

Anyway...

Ocean - Waves - Ripples - Crochet Blanket

Acutally, it all started when I made my Granny Stripe Blanket

My husband stole it, said it was 'unfair' that I made one for myself and not him

Well, off I went to buy some more wool and found these bright amazing colours

I don't particularly like the Orange ball

I've never been a fan of Orange coloured things ( except Mandarins - YUM !!! )

So I started on a blanket for Mr Unfair

Here is my WIP

 for those who don't know, this means ' work in progress '

Its not finished so thats all you get to see

It will have a boarder and be as pretty manly as I can possibly make it

I'll probably make another one for husband because after starting this one, I don't think it suits him

What.

A.

Shame.

I shall have to make another blanket, and buy more wool

Such torture!

But I will endure

... and I will buy more delicious wool

Muahahahaha!!!!!!!

I'm a Scuba Diver!

you guessed it

I'M A SCUBA DIVER!!!!

I grew up in a family that spends weeks/months at the beach at a time camping

We were always in/on/around the water

Over the years, I've gotten scared of the ocean, I started not liking the big waves. Then I started hating boats. Then I just avoided the water

Last summer I went for two swims, one of those was snorkling

Two! In three weeks!

So in January ( my summer ) husband asked me to think about doing a Scuba course

My first reaction was '' NO WAY " - I had started giving up on water/the ocean

But I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it

My response was still a big fat " NO "

Then a special came up on the course and I signed up

HUH ???!!!???

I was terrified, but I endured it

I did all the skills in a swimming pool first, which involved

taking the regulator ( the thing you breath out of ) out of my mouth and throwing it over my shoulder behind me, retrieving it, and putting it back in my mouth

I took my mask right off in the pool ( which is 3 meters deep ) putting it back on and clearing the water out 

My worst one was call the CESA - you take a deep breath at 6-9 meters deep, and then blow bubbles out while heading to the surface

You have to learn a lot of underwater signals 

Thumbs up does not mean ' cool ' or ' awesome '

It means ' lets go to the surface '

If you make a circle with your first finger and thumb, that means ' okay '

So enough rambling, here are the pics from my course out in the ocean - where you have to do all the scary skills again but deeper!

Here's me getting ready to go under 

regulator removal

mask removal

one of the main rules of scuba diving is to take a buddy, so that if you get in trouble, there's someone down there with you to help out

He's me and my course buddy, Mike

Here's our group, off way to the right trying not to be in the photo is our instructor

and here's me again but qualified to dive having passed my course!



Hurray!!!