usvi-on-line
Trip Report 4/28-5/6 Day 4
Trip Report 4/28-5/6 Day 4
Day 4-Diving and Rain
So we woke up early after another good night's sleep. The itching from mosquito bites had really started and I found that using rubbing alcohol on the bites was the only thing that allowed me to cope with them. Today was to be the day for J and I to go diving with Colette. I had booked a discover dive, because my husband is certified, but hadn't been in awhile and I'd had the equipment on in the pool before, but that was it. We woke to another morning of sunshine, I didn't want to eat anything before we went so my parents decided they would drive us so each of the other couple's could have a vehicle for the morning. They had thought they'd drop us off and then eat breakfast at Donkey Diner. FYI, they are closed on Tuesdays... didn't notice that before. So, we met with Colette in Skinny Legs parking lot and she had another couple in the vehicle with her. Then we followed her to I think it was Haulover, my mind is blanking for some reason. I was a little nervous because I had one ear that was stopped up and I couldn't clear it for anything and my sinuses were really bad. I'd been sick the week before, but had pretty much recovered. I took a Sudafed to hopefully make things work right. We all headed to the beach in the hot sun to begin our teaching. We got all the equipment lined out and there were about fifty details thrown my way at once. I'm a fast learner, but it was a little scary to think of everything to remember.
About that time the wind started blowing and clouds gathered. Colette said we should head for the car and we all crammed in her little SUV with our bags trying to stay dry. We played kill the mosquito while we sat in her car and talked. Finally the rain died down and we headed to the beach. She decided we'd been taught enough. The other husband was certified and the wife was doing this as her open water dive. Needless to say I was the novice. Due to the wind and the rain there were actual waves coming into shore and grabbing all the gear and trying to get over the rocks into the water was not fun. Then, the waves really caused me to lose my balance. Everyone was fighting them and Colette was trying to help everyone and it was a little crazy. We finally got all our gear on. I had told her about my sinus problems so she knew if my ears couldn't clear then I'd have to stay shallow. She wanted the girl and I to hold hands and go under with her to practice breathing. She wanted us to inhale for a count of three and exhale for five. Being a clinical therapist, I have a great deal of experience practicing breathing exercises and I could inhale for three, but needed to exhale for much longer than that. I was trying to do what she asked, but I couldn't draw any air in because my lungs were already still full. I finally told her I had to stop trying to count to breathe and that I knew I could keep my breathing slow, but I couldn't count. She relented and I think I exhaled for a count of twenty. I felt much better after that. Also because of the rain and us being in there fighting the waves the sand was completely stirred up so we'd go under and I couldn't see anything and it felt claustrophobic. I was ready at this point to sit on the beach and forget it. I was frustrated and felt like I was holding everyone else back. We finally headed out and she took me down to about three feet. That went ok, but I couldn't get the ear to clear. We went back to the surface and she had everyone else go down. I was finally able to feel fine at this point because the water was more clear and I was hanging out by myself for a bit. I snorkel all the time and have no fear of the water so I was really confused why it was being so stressful to me. Once I could relax by myself for a minute I felt much better. I stayed on the surface and they all went down deeper. She then came back up to say she wanted to go further out and she'd need to be closer to the other group so I couldn't stay at the top and I would need to swim back. I asked if I could try one more time to get my ear to clear and she agreed. She took me down and did all the skills testing with me and I passed and we were off. I could go down around 10 foot, but no deeper or I felt pressure. We went on like this for quite awhile and it was very cool. There wasn't a ton of stuff to see, but some of the coral was very pretty and there were a few fish. We'd gone at that depth for some time when I started having shooting pains in my sinuses. It got really bad and I couldn't ignore it anymore. We went to the top and she said I'd have to swim in. I think she was stressed about sending me in so far by myself, but she had to stay with the other group. I had no doubt of my ability to swim in, but I felt so bad that she was stressed out. I just started swimming and got about ½ way there when I looked over and right there was the biggest Jelly Fish I'd ever seen in my life. I almost panicked because it seemed like we were going to collide. It was gorgeous, but scary. I just stayed still and it went on away from me and life was good and I could be excited that I'd seen one. I finally made it to shore and the water was still hitting the shore pretty hard. I attempted taking my gear off which was tricky, but got it done. Crawled over the rocks and sat there. It was an experience that I'm glad I did, but I was exhausted and it was stressful. Had we been at Maho on a bright sunny day and my sinuses hadn't been screwed up I guarantee it would've been a totally different first experience. My husband who loves diving said that was the worst diving experience he'd ever had and he was proud that I made it through my first experience in such bad conditions. Just want to be clear that it wasn't bad because of Colette, but because of the conditions of the weather, the water etc. She said the water was about the roughest it ever gets. I also think the impending storm is what caused my sinuses to act up so badly because the next day they were better again. I would definitely like to dive again on a better day!
My parents picked us up, we paid Colette and we decided to go home and get cleaned up. My parents had driven on down to Vie's beach while we were diving. She was open and they had her garlic chicken which they raved about! They enjoyed a nice time on her beach until the storm came and then they'd been sitting in the car ever since. I felt bad about that! We got cleaned up and had snacks on the deck. This was to be our sunset cruise night on the Calypso. We headed into town and did a little shopping before showing up outside Margarita Phil's to meet Sheree. She came down and said she'd been trying to call us all day. The rest of the sail had cancelled and since she didn't have a correct credit card (whoever wrote it down mixed up two numbers) she didn't want to call in the Captain because she was afraid we'd not show due to the rain. She apologized profusely and said we'd go on the following night no matter what. We said, no problem and got everything straightened out and shopped some more. Then, we decided on Café Roma for dinner. YUM! That's about all I can say. I had a penne pasta, J had a shrimp manicotti, others ordered spaghetti Bolognese, lasagna and pizza. The portions were huge and well worth the money. We all enjoyed dinner very much!! By the time we were done eating we were all ready to head home and go to bed. We were all hoping for sunny skies for the next day and very worried that we'd entered another storm trend. Thankfully we were wrong!
So we woke up early after another good night's sleep. The itching from mosquito bites had really started and I found that using rubbing alcohol on the bites was the only thing that allowed me to cope with them. Today was to be the day for J and I to go diving with Colette. I had booked a discover dive, because my husband is certified, but hadn't been in awhile and I'd had the equipment on in the pool before, but that was it. We woke to another morning of sunshine, I didn't want to eat anything before we went so my parents decided they would drive us so each of the other couple's could have a vehicle for the morning. They had thought they'd drop us off and then eat breakfast at Donkey Diner. FYI, they are closed on Tuesdays... didn't notice that before. So, we met with Colette in Skinny Legs parking lot and she had another couple in the vehicle with her. Then we followed her to I think it was Haulover, my mind is blanking for some reason. I was a little nervous because I had one ear that was stopped up and I couldn't clear it for anything and my sinuses were really bad. I'd been sick the week before, but had pretty much recovered. I took a Sudafed to hopefully make things work right. We all headed to the beach in the hot sun to begin our teaching. We got all the equipment lined out and there were about fifty details thrown my way at once. I'm a fast learner, but it was a little scary to think of everything to remember.
About that time the wind started blowing and clouds gathered. Colette said we should head for the car and we all crammed in her little SUV with our bags trying to stay dry. We played kill the mosquito while we sat in her car and talked. Finally the rain died down and we headed to the beach. She decided we'd been taught enough. The other husband was certified and the wife was doing this as her open water dive. Needless to say I was the novice. Due to the wind and the rain there were actual waves coming into shore and grabbing all the gear and trying to get over the rocks into the water was not fun. Then, the waves really caused me to lose my balance. Everyone was fighting them and Colette was trying to help everyone and it was a little crazy. We finally got all our gear on. I had told her about my sinus problems so she knew if my ears couldn't clear then I'd have to stay shallow. She wanted the girl and I to hold hands and go under with her to practice breathing. She wanted us to inhale for a count of three and exhale for five. Being a clinical therapist, I have a great deal of experience practicing breathing exercises and I could inhale for three, but needed to exhale for much longer than that. I was trying to do what she asked, but I couldn't draw any air in because my lungs were already still full. I finally told her I had to stop trying to count to breathe and that I knew I could keep my breathing slow, but I couldn't count. She relented and I think I exhaled for a count of twenty. I felt much better after that. Also because of the rain and us being in there fighting the waves the sand was completely stirred up so we'd go under and I couldn't see anything and it felt claustrophobic. I was ready at this point to sit on the beach and forget it. I was frustrated and felt like I was holding everyone else back. We finally headed out and she took me down to about three feet. That went ok, but I couldn't get the ear to clear. We went back to the surface and she had everyone else go down. I was finally able to feel fine at this point because the water was more clear and I was hanging out by myself for a bit. I snorkel all the time and have no fear of the water so I was really confused why it was being so stressful to me. Once I could relax by myself for a minute I felt much better. I stayed on the surface and they all went down deeper. She then came back up to say she wanted to go further out and she'd need to be closer to the other group so I couldn't stay at the top and I would need to swim back. I asked if I could try one more time to get my ear to clear and she agreed. She took me down and did all the skills testing with me and I passed and we were off. I could go down around 10 foot, but no deeper or I felt pressure. We went on like this for quite awhile and it was very cool. There wasn't a ton of stuff to see, but some of the coral was very pretty and there were a few fish. We'd gone at that depth for some time when I started having shooting pains in my sinuses. It got really bad and I couldn't ignore it anymore. We went to the top and she said I'd have to swim in. I think she was stressed about sending me in so far by myself, but she had to stay with the other group. I had no doubt of my ability to swim in, but I felt so bad that she was stressed out. I just started swimming and got about ½ way there when I looked over and right there was the biggest Jelly Fish I'd ever seen in my life. I almost panicked because it seemed like we were going to collide. It was gorgeous, but scary. I just stayed still and it went on away from me and life was good and I could be excited that I'd seen one. I finally made it to shore and the water was still hitting the shore pretty hard. I attempted taking my gear off which was tricky, but got it done. Crawled over the rocks and sat there. It was an experience that I'm glad I did, but I was exhausted and it was stressful. Had we been at Maho on a bright sunny day and my sinuses hadn't been screwed up I guarantee it would've been a totally different first experience. My husband who loves diving said that was the worst diving experience he'd ever had and he was proud that I made it through my first experience in such bad conditions. Just want to be clear that it wasn't bad because of Colette, but because of the conditions of the weather, the water etc. She said the water was about the roughest it ever gets. I also think the impending storm is what caused my sinuses to act up so badly because the next day they were better again. I would definitely like to dive again on a better day!
My parents picked us up, we paid Colette and we decided to go home and get cleaned up. My parents had driven on down to Vie's beach while we were diving. She was open and they had her garlic chicken which they raved about! They enjoyed a nice time on her beach until the storm came and then they'd been sitting in the car ever since. I felt bad about that! We got cleaned up and had snacks on the deck. This was to be our sunset cruise night on the Calypso. We headed into town and did a little shopping before showing up outside Margarita Phil's to meet Sheree. She came down and said she'd been trying to call us all day. The rest of the sail had cancelled and since she didn't have a correct credit card (whoever wrote it down mixed up two numbers) she didn't want to call in the Captain because she was afraid we'd not show due to the rain. She apologized profusely and said we'd go on the following night no matter what. We said, no problem and got everything straightened out and shopped some more. Then, we decided on Café Roma for dinner. YUM! That's about all I can say. I had a penne pasta, J had a shrimp manicotti, others ordered spaghetti Bolognese, lasagna and pizza. The portions were huge and well worth the money. We all enjoyed dinner very much!! By the time we were done eating we were all ready to head home and go to bed. We were all hoping for sunny skies for the next day and very worried that we'd entered another storm trend. Thankfully we were wrong!
I know just what you mean about the ear and sinuses. That is exactly what keeps me on the top of the water with a snorkel in my mouth. Quite an adventure, tho I must say! At least you got to experience scuba....sort of.
Keep it up. Enjoying the report! Have you got pix some where on the web?
-Bert
Keep it up. Enjoying the report! Have you got pix some where on the web?
-Bert
The liver is evil, it must be punished!
So sorry about your dive experience. I have had bad dives like that and it is so frustrating! I actually got my open water one certification year ago in November in Gloucester MA a few days after a huge noreaster and it was horrible. We descended and the water was so stirred up you could not even see your hand in front of your face! And did I mention that the water was 58 degrees? It's dives like that that make you wonder why you are even bothering. I hope you have a better dive in the future, it is a wonderful experience when everything goes right.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
-
Bill in Va
- Posts: 442
- Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:56 pm
- Location: Lake Gaston, Va
Sorry about the dive
Hi there. Sorry about the weather deal on your dive. Do hope you give it another chance.I have done the shore dive there and it was a nice one. Thanks for the reports...God bless..Bill
.gif){kind=small}
Nic,
I just completed my certification on Sunday in a Virginia quarry. The water was 42 degrees. I had real problems with my ears....couldn't equalize, then I got water in my right ear. The frigid water up against my ear drum gave me severe vertigo. The following 3 dives were 100% better due to my new best friend, Afrin Nasal Spray. I was told to put droplets in my EARS prior to the dive. Worked like a charm. I will never dive without it again! I'm looking forward to warm, clear water. Visibility was less than 5 feet in the quarry.
Jamestown
I just completed my certification on Sunday in a Virginia quarry. The water was 42 degrees. I had real problems with my ears....couldn't equalize, then I got water in my right ear. The frigid water up against my ear drum gave me severe vertigo. The following 3 dives were 100% better due to my new best friend, Afrin Nasal Spray. I was told to put droplets in my EARS prior to the dive. Worked like a charm. I will never dive without it again! I'm looking forward to warm, clear water. Visibility was less than 5 feet in the quarry.
Jamestown
Nic,
My ENT who is also an advid diver suggested to my husband & I that we take one Claritin-D (12 hour) before leaving to head out to a dive site and also said to us Afrin nasal spray just before entering the water. He said that with the combination you will never have a problem clearing your ears.
My ENT who is also an advid diver suggested to my husband & I that we take one Claritin-D (12 hour) before leaving to head out to a dive site and also said to us Afrin nasal spray just before entering the water. He said that with the combination you will never have a problem clearing your ears.