For those certified scuba divers that will (or can) be in the Monterey Bay area on 21-June, I invite you to come diving with me. I’ve arranged some reserved spots on the Beachhopper II dive charter that I’ve dove with before. Brian and Mary Jo (the captain, crew, and bottle washers) are top notch and we had a great time last fall at the first annual pre-OpenWorld scuba event (look for more details on the 2nd annual event later this summer). The boat isn’t huge, but 10 divers is enough for a lot of fun.

The pre-Kaleidoscope dive day is Sunday, 21-June (Father’s Day). The boat will depart the K dock at Monterey Bay harbor at 8am, so load-up is 7:30am. We’ll have a nice morning, drain 2 tanks at some of the best sites you’ll see in northern California (specific sites will be determined that morning by the captain and diver requests), and then motor back to the harbor probably shortly after noon or 1pm. Mary Jo said that she’d also entertain the option of an afternoon 2-tank trip as well, if there is interest (I know I’m interested). Oh, I almost forgot to mention that snacks are provided and they are amazing–made by Mary Jo herself!

The boat costs break down like this:

• $70 for the boat trip (weights are not included)
• plus $20 for two tanks of air ($90 total)
• or $30 for 2 tanks of Nitrox ($100 total)

The charter doesn’t offer gear rental, so we’ll have to pick that up separately. I previously rented from Glenn’s Aquarius 2 which is located pretty close to the harbor and opens at 7am for morning pickup. Their pricing for rental are:

• Weights only: $8
• Wetsuit, hood, gloves: $21
• Full gear (BCD, reg, exposure suit, etc.): $65

We’re less than 1 month away (I just found out I was going to be able to attend last week), so let me know ASAP if you’re interested in diving with us. Once you contact me, I’ll send you the signup instructions. I’m releasing the remaining open seats on 29-May, but there may still be open spots after that, so contact me (comment below, or email) if you’re interested.

As a special treat, Stanley will be joining us for his first scuba dive as well!

That’s right, in June 2009, I will visit Iceland and willfully plunge into the +2 C water that is the clearest body of water in the world. The reasons it is so clear have something to do with the fact that the water is the runoff from melting glaciers, filtered by volcanic rocks, and is very, very cold. It supports no wildlife (another reason it’s so clear/clean). Rumor has it that visibility is over 300 feet–that is something I really do have to see to believe.

The trip is being arranged by my friend Mogens Nørgaard who may very well be completely crazy. If you ever get a chance to meet and engage in conversation with him (a.k.a. “Moans Nogood”), do it. You won’t regret it, guaranteed.

The trip is highlighted on DIVE.is, Iceland’s (probably only) dive shop website. Oh, I forgot to mention that the lake bottom is where two tectonic plates (the North American and Eurasian plates, to be precise) meet up (!), so you’re essentially diving on or in one of the continental divides.

Of course, I’m very excited about this trip and hope that Ice, land can continue to function as their economic issues seem to be a little worse than everyone else’s. In the small world department, I have made contact with an Iceland native that I worked with back at Tandem (acquired by Compaq -> HP) in the late 90s. Hopefully, I can meet up with Leifur while I’m in the country. There are only about 300,000 people in the whole country, so he shouldn’t be *that* hard to find. On the other hand, it is possible that Leifur is like “John” is in the US. We’ll see.

• Searching for and bringing an unresponsive diver to the surface if they’re found on the bottom (you can’t safely just hit the “up button” and have them rocket to the surface)
• Safely assisting a panicked diver (newer divers are especially prone to freaking out the first time they lose their regulator underwater or see a big animal)
• Assisting an unresponsive diver on the surface, including providing rescue breaths for a diver that isn’t breathing

There are safe techniques for all these scenarios and safety of all parties is stressed in the course at every step of the way.

In order to complete this certification, you also have to complete the Emergency First Responder (EFR) course. The EFR course isn’t a CPR class, but instead combines techniques and steps for assessing an injured person (diver or otherwise), using an automated external defibrillator (AED), providing CPR, and providing first aid among other things. So, I’m not a paramedic, but I am much better equipped to assist someone in the event of an emergency.

There was one other thing that is worth mentioning about diving. Many of you will know that I enjoy networking with my friends and peers (those groups intentionally heavily overlap) on technical as well as non-technical topics. The community that I participate in is generally helpful, responsive, and passionate about their respective expertise areas. I continue to find a similar community surrounding scuba diving. The group of people I meet when I dive are always kind, helpful, and concerned about the safety and happiness of those around them. And it isn’t because they’re being paid to–they just are. I have yet to meet an unhappy or gruff diver. If ever there was a time for divers to be less than happy, diving in a 50-degree pond and shivering in a blustery 60-degree day with limited sunlight was the recipe for less-than-happy people. However, I found that everyone was just as happy as they are when the water is 70 degrees and the air is 85. I think they are happy because they want to be there, they want to be diving and doing exactly what they are doing. After all, if you didn’t really enjoy it, why would you subject yourself to those conditions?! Slowly but surely, I’m becoming part of the diving community as well.

Next steps in my certification journey are to complete several specialty certifications this summer including Dry Suit Diver (I mentioned the cold, right?), Search and Recovery, Underwater Navigator, and Wreck Diver. With those specialties complete, I’ll be a Master Scuba Diver, the highest non-professional certification level. As I work on those, I’ll also be starting my Divemaster training and helping out with classes from time to time. I expect the Divemaster certification will take a year or more for me to complete as I don’t have the luxury of diving every weekend, but there’s no rush. In the meantime, if we meet at a conference or chat online, be prepared to talk diving with me–I’m always ready for a good dive story!

Happy Diving!

P.S. I am putting together a group of divers to dive in Monterey Bay, California on the Saturday before OpenWorld (September 20). You don’t have to be attending OOW to join us for a dive, though many probably will be at OOW too. If you’re interested, drop me a line or comment here and I’ll add you to my growing list! If you have advice on a charter or beach that’s good diving in the area, please let me know that too.

If there’s enough interest, I’ll coordinate a group and find a charter that will take us out and a shop that will rent all the gear (if you don’t want to lug your own). If there are enough of us, I’ll even figure out a way to transport us from the SF area down to Monterrey and back. At this point, I haven’t made plans, just seeing how much interest there might be. I’ll figure out costs once I figure out how big the group may be.

If you’re interested, comment on this posting and/or email me directly (dannorris@dannorris.com) and I’ll keep a little list of who’s interested. If you’re not attending OOW, but can make it to Monterrey for a dive, you’re welcome too–I just need a dive buddy and I don’t particularly care if they know anything about Oracle . See you underwater (hopefully)!