I'm not a big fan of posting on Facebook or any other social media sites. I have always been more of a voyeur reading other peoples life stories and adventures or looking at naked models on twitter. I would occasionally add some pics from a sailing trip with my bud or pics from a catering event, my full time gig. But I never was interested on posting every little detail about my life, political views or my philosophies regarding religion. I guess I'm a part timer. Or a ... when I have timer. But a recent event, that triggered fond memories of my youth, changed my mind on this whole social media/blogging thing.
I have done most of my scuba diving out of my home town in Fort Wayne, Indiana over 25 years ago. Certified at 16 years old I took to it like a duck takes to water. Quickly progressing through the ranks, or certifications, I obtain PADI Divemaster at 18. I was very fortunate to travel during those years and dove in some great locations such as Maui, West Palm Beach Florida, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. As well as...frequent trips to the local rock quarries, where the visibility is shit and there is a thermocline every 15 - 20 feet, and the occasional trip to Lake Michigan which was my first introduction to wreck diving. I remember the local dive shop in Fort Wayne (I believe it doesn't exist anymore or at least I couldn't find an online listing or web presence) promoted a trip every year to dive the U-352 submarine off the coast of North Carolina. Always wanting to go but couldn't afford the time away from school since the trip was always scheduled in September (I was a senior in high school at the time). Well...college came and of course I wanted to major in Marine Biology, we called it the Jacques Cousteau syndrome back then. Ended up a business major, accounting to be exact. And then a career in the restaurant business and rode that train to middle age. What happened to those care free days of living life and a positive outlook on the future. What happened to my adventures under the sea. Time is a bitch....
Fast forward to 2013. It has been 22 years since my last logged dive, if I can find that old log book I would include the date. And I survived 17 years in the restaurant business. This doesn't count the times I took odd jobs, washing dishes or tending bar through college. 17 years of 60 to 80 hour work weeks, no holidays off except Christmas and occasional Thanksgiving. Three doomed relationships, I really know how to pick 'em. And finding the only way I knew how to relax...drinking. I probably make it sound worse than it was but looking back after you have found peace makes it seem like a hell that I would never want to go back to. At least not the way I managed it. The point I'm trying to make is Life can be very distracting and you forget want matters most, sometimes its family sometimes it is what has defined you from an early age. For me I forgot one of the greatest activities that I loved to do.....and of course that is Scuba Diving.
April 18th, 2013. A long time co-worker and friend, whom is often spontaneous and "fly by the seat" kind of guy, said "hey lets go diving today, we can rent some gear and dive radio island"....... It was a beautiful day, the winter season was coming to a break (although average temperature in January is 50 degrees, can't complain too much) and the idea was very tempting. But... I couldn't stop thinking of reasons why we shouldn't go. I don't have any of my old equipment...and this seems a little rushed...and I feel very rusty...and I'm not familiar with the dive site....and on and on. I came up with every opportunity to have an excuse not to go, racing through my mind. But my ever-annoying little buddy, clambering away in my ear got the best of me and I'm glad he did. I went on my first dive in over 22 years at Radio Island, Beaufort NC.
The dive itself compared to any standard was shitty at best. Low visibility (3 feet), heavy current (didn't time the tide correctly), inexperienced (you don't use that muscle you do lose it), unfamiliar dive equipment (old, worn and should be retired soon) and I found myself concerned with my buddy as he is relatively new to the sport. Remember he is the one that convinced me to go, what was I thinking. Too many distractions and not enough confidence. It seemed doomed from the start.
So here we are; just rented equipment from local dive shop, heading out to Radio Island and we get lost..twice...couldn't find the beach access point. We finally arrive and my buddy lets me know (he had his open water certification dives here) " that it is a short walk down the beach to the rock jetty and that will be our entry point. " Now... I have been know to get a pissy attitude when I don't like the environment that I'm in and feel like I have little control. But with full gear on and a 3/4 mile walk down the beach is a little ridiculous. Pissy attitude confirmed! I couldn't wait to get into the water, wetsuit on and it was quite warm that day. Remember, full gear and nearly a mile walk. As we got close I started to cut my angle on the walk to the jetty and entered the water a little premature. I needed to dunk in the 61º water. Anyways, here is my log entry from that dive on 4/18/13:
'clear weather, shore entry, air temp 72º, water temp 61º, strong current, first dive after a long time of inactivity, should have thought this through with more clarity, visibility 3 feet, why did Junior talk me into this, dove 45 minutes at 25 feet, did I mention strong current, and I almost forgot ... rented a shorty wet suit from the dive shop... water temp of 61º '
We were fortunate that the current pushed us back to the beach access point and it was a short walk back to the car. We rejoiced, laughed about our experience and decided that we wanted more. Not sure why after such a miserable dive, but I think something happened to both of us when we were at the bottom being pushed by the current. A sense a relaxation, a need to do this again. It reminded me of a time when I was young man diving in the senselessly cold rock quarries...just vegetating at the bottom, watching the carp swim by.
What this blog is really about:
An experienced diver that finds himself like a duck out of water in this new world that seems familiar to him. A story of a man that is redefining his youth and confidence in a sport that has giving him so much joy in the past and discovering that we are never too old to enjoy the pleasures of our youth.
