Deep Water Diving & A Photography Dive April 17, 2006
Posted by Martin in : Thailand , trackbackThe PADI advanced course is 100% practical. There are no classroom lessons - merely short briefings on the boat. I was up and ready early in the morning today and I was kitted out and on the boat by about 8am. I completed my Open Water course last December so it’s been some time since I last donned my wetsuit.
The course comprises of two mandatory dives (Deep water and Peak Performance Buoyancy) plus three elective dives. Most people complete all five dives within 2 days but this is not essential. As three dives are elective and as there are many different choices it is unlikely that the student will stay with the same instructors or with the same fellow students.
I’d have assumed that a deep water dive would have been the most nervewracking but as soon as my head was below water it all came back to me. The purpose of diving to 30 metres as part of the course is to give some experience of nitrox poisoning. As pressure increases below sea level the percentage of nitrogen in ones body increases and gives the effect of drunkedness. The Open-Water qualification permits divers to dive to 18 metres where the nitrogen effect is much less significant.
I guess my brain slowed down a bit but i’d not experienced the sub-aquatic nirvana that I’d expected. Nonetheless it was a great dive and brought back to me all the positive experiences I’d so enjoyed last year.
Shortly after resurfacing we underwent our second dive. Whilst the other people on the course elected to do a ‘Fish Identification’ dive I elected to do a photography dive. Training for this was as concise as “here’s your camera mate, have fun” and it didn’t take me long before I’d become David Attenborough.
The day finished way too fast for me. I was back on dry land by lunchtime and had little do do except wait patiently for my dives the next day.
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