Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving.

Mark Chase · 25th July 2007, 00:23

Said Simon

And I had to agree. The 5:30am alarm, the traffic jam on the M26, the rush to get kit on the boat, and for what? To sit here, getting soaked, freezing cold, feeling sick in a force five gale paying £55+ gas petrol and a day off work to be told we must dive a banker wreck close in because the weather is s#it.

This is not the plan we should be cutting a wake on cruse out to discover the unknown gold laden Titanic sister ship for this much grief not crashing through slate coloured sea in search of a well trodden (by us) mark.

Simon suggested hanging up the CCR and going on to twin 7’s and doing shore dives on the nice days. I already owned twin 7’s and the sale of my CCR would go some way to paying for the new engine for my RX8 so it sounded a great plan to me.

The call went out that we had 50mins before we were in the water so the reeel effort begun. Stripping off and donning under suits was a monumental effort involving lots of pauses and deep breaths. As I got one leg in my dry suit I seriously considered canning the dive but the thought of sitting on the rocking and rolling boat for two hours waiting for the others to return gave me the strength to carry on.

Suits were on but putting on the CCR without puking up felt as plausible as shagging Kyle on a one night stand any time before Thursday. I turned to Simon and said there was no way I was getting in my unit till group one and two were in the water. This was a major smart move. Even Simon who likes to be suited and booted well early was happy when in the end Trevor, Darren, Dave, Liz and John sat there for 25mins kitted up waiting for slack.

After an eternity of pain the first pair went in and wer3e tasked with tying in the shot. Teem two had the station to deal with and Simon and I finally got into our kit. I can’t tell you what Simon was thinking but I can assure you I was not a happy camper. I felt crap and I felt pressurised by the conditions. I knew I was better off in the water but I knew my brain was not firing on all cylinders.

A blissfully short time passed before we were given the go. I couldn’t even check my hand sets I just injected 02 into my rig till it burped out of the mouthpiece and stood up to go. I knew I was being stupid but I just wanted off the boat NOW. Ill sort it at 6m. I had already decided I was never going to do this again.

We hit the water and there was some frantic splashing about trying to grab the shot in a bit of running tide. I felt sorry for the first two groups in. They must have had a bugger getting down 65m in a current as we were a good 10-15mins later. The 6m bubble check was kind of forgotten / ignored which is very unlike us and we just went for it. It crossed my mind that it’s at times like this that people die but I couldn’t build up enough enthusiasm to worry about it.

Then everything changed. At about 50m I could see the shadow of the wreck. The strobes of the previous divers were twinkling on the up line and a healthy inject of gas into my wing left me hovering above the wreck perfectly weightless. I flicked on my torch but it wasn’t really necessary in the ambient light and Simon who had lost at rock paper scissors, laid the frankly unnecessary guideline.

We set off left away from the china hold, upon which I knew there was a porthole that just needed some teasing free to liberate it to surface. It didn’t mater much I wasn’t that bothered and I was looking forward to once again exploring the mid ships. In our just about to puke state, Simon and I had decided 25mins was enough today but about now I would have been happy to do 40. The wreck was fantastic and I casually bagged a lobster as we ascended over the triple expansion steam engine and glanced down at the twisted con rods below.

A second large lobster was grabbed but he had a soft shell so I let it go. I found some flattish conical disks which I thought might be lamp shades /reflectors but whilst interested I decided not to bag them. As Simon tied off the line I resigned my self to the fact we weren’t going to make the chain locker and the big over pressure valve thing I had found before or the big kitchen pots. Both of which I had said I would bag up next time we were on this wreck.

The trip back to the up line was a little fast but once there Simon decided a little look in the china room was appropriate. I was pleased about this so followed him through the window and had a quick look see. I ignored the platters this time and I already had a gravy boat so I chanced upon a tiny cup which looked interesting so I slipped it into the bag.

Simon had turned and headed back to the shot and I followed but spotted a good sized lobster on the exit. It was quickly grabbed and stuffed in my goody bag.

The ascent was non eventful but I couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful sport this diving lark was and just how much I was looking forward to the next trip. Suddenly I was mortified that I was going to miss tomorrows dive. I just had to sort out my car problems before I go away and in truth I only dived today as I felt it would be the better of the two days. Suddenly the trip out didn’t seem so bad and the crap weather and the non stop rain, black sky and traffic jams on the way home didn’t mater so much.

Diving is great. In fact it’s bloody fantastic and I can’t wait to do it all again next time.

ATB

Mark Chase

decoweenie · 25th July 2007, 05:47

Mark,

Nice writing as usual, I enjoyed reading it and remembered times I felt exactly the same way when the conditions were shite.

BTW, your PO2 is getting better, M8...

LakeLover · 25th July 2007, 06:32

Spot on!

Paul Evans · 25th July 2007, 08:31

Nice one m8

***Decodiver*** · 25th July 2007, 10:18

Quote: (Originally Posted by Mark Chase)

Suits were on but putting on the CCR without puking up felt as plausible as shagging Kyle on a one night stand any time before Thursday.

Kyle is a bloke's name you bender

Now I know spelling is not your strongpoint Mark, but have you been up to some back-scuttling you wrong'un?

Ha ha ha!

Cheers,

Dave Cooper.

Mark Chase · 25th July 2007, 10:30

Quote: (Originally Posted by Decodiver)

Kyle is a bloke's name you bender

Now I know spelling is not your strongpoint Mark, but have you been up to some back-scuttling you wrong'un?

Ha ha ha!

Cheers,

Dave Cooper.

Whoops

Trust me, it was defo Dyslexia and not a Froydian slip

***Decodiver*** · 25th July 2007, 10:57

Quote: (Originally Posted by Mark Chase)

Whoops

Trust me, it was defo Dyslexia and not a Froydian slip

I believe ya, gave me a laugh though.

Cheers,

Dave.

silent running · 26th July 2007, 07:09

Good one Mark, very funny and vivid, thanks very much for the report. I think many of us have been to the land of second thoughts and turned back, though maybe not with such candor and as much humor as yourself. -Andy

Elzbieta · 26th July 2007, 20:22

All I can say is your'e my bitch now!
Tarra Liz x

Mark Chase · 26th July 2007, 22:15

Quote: (Originally Posted by Elzbieta)

All I can say is your'e my bitch now!
Tarra Liz x

Now Now Liz you know Trevor will be jelous, and i feel his need is greater than my own

ATB

Mark

25th July 2007, 00:23	#1 (permalink)
Mark Chase RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,817	Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. Said Simon And I had to agree. The 5:30am alarm, the traffic jam on the M26, the rush to get kit on the boat, and for what? To sit here, getting soaked, freezing cold, feeling sick in a force five gale paying £55+ gas petrol and a day off work to be told we must dive a banker wreck close in because the weather is s#it. This is not the plan we should be cutting a wake on cruse out to discover the unknown gold laden Titanic sister ship for this much grief not crashing through slate coloured sea in search of a well trodden (by us) mark. Simon suggested hanging up the CCR and going on to twin 7’s and doing shore dives on the nice days. I already owned twin 7’s and the sale of my CCR would go some way to paying for the new engine for my RX8 so it sounded a great plan to me. The call went out that we had 50mins before we were in the water so the reeel effort begun. Stripping off and donning under suits was a monumental effort involving lots of pauses and deep breaths. As I got one leg in my dry suit I seriously considered canning the dive but the thought of sitting on the rocking and rolling boat for two hours waiting for the others to return gave me the strength to carry on. Suits were on but putting on the CCR without puking up felt as plausible as shagging Kyle on a one night stand any time before Thursday. I turned to Simon and said there was no way I was getting in my unit till group one and two were in the water. This was a major smart move. Even Simon who likes to be suited and booted well early was happy when in the end Trevor, Darren, Dave, Liz and John sat there for 25mins kitted up waiting for slack. After an eternity of pain the first pair went in and wer3e tasked with tying in the shot. Teem two had the station to deal with and Simon and I finally got into our kit. I can’t tell you what Simon was thinking but I can assure you I was not a happy camper. I felt crap and I felt pressurised by the conditions. I knew I was better off in the water but I knew my brain was not firing on all cylinders. A blissfully short time passed before we were given the go. I couldn’t even check my hand sets I just injected 02 into my rig till it burped out of the mouthpiece and stood up to go. I knew I was being stupid but I just wanted off the boat NOW. Ill sort it at 6m. I had already decided I was never going to do this again. We hit the water and there was some frantic splashing about trying to grab the shot in a bit of running tide. I felt sorry for the first two groups in. They must have had a bugger getting down 65m in a current as we were a good 10-15mins later. The 6m bubble check was kind of forgotten / ignored which is very unlike us and we just went for it. It crossed my mind that it’s at times like this that people die but I couldn’t build up enough enthusiasm to worry about it. Then everything changed. At about 50m I could see the shadow of the wreck. The strobes of the previous divers were twinkling on the up line and a healthy inject of gas into my wing left me hovering above the wreck perfectly weightless. I flicked on my torch but it wasn’t really necessary in the ambient light and Simon who had lost at rock paper scissors, laid the frankly unnecessary guideline. We set off left away from the china hold, upon which I knew there was a porthole that just needed some teasing free to liberate it to surface. It didn’t mater much I wasn’t that bothered and I was looking forward to once again exploring the mid ships. In our just about to puke state, Simon and I had decided 25mins was enough today but about now I would have been happy to do 40. The wreck was fantastic and I casually bagged a lobster as we ascended over the triple expansion steam engine and glanced down at the twisted con rods below. A second large lobster was grabbed but he had a soft shell so I let it go. I found some flattish conical disks which I thought might be lamp shades /reflectors but whilst interested I decided not to bag them. As Simon tied off the line I resigned my self to the fact we weren’t going to make the chain locker and the big over pressure valve thing I had found before or the big kitchen pots. Both of which I had said I would bag up next time we were on this wreck. The trip back to the up line was a little fast but once there Simon decided a little look in the china room was appropriate. I was pleased about this so followed him through the window and had a quick look see. I ignored the platters this time and I already had a gravy boat so I chanced upon a tiny cup which looked interesting so I slipped it into the bag. Simon had turned and headed back to the shot and I followed but spotted a good sized lobster on the exit. It was quickly grabbed and stuffed in my goody bag. The ascent was non eventful but I couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful sport this diving lark was and just how much I was looking forward to the next trip. Suddenly I was mortified that I was going to miss tomorrows dive. I just had to sort out my car problems before I go away and in truth I only dived today as I felt it would be the better of the two days. Suddenly the trip out didn’t seem so bad and the crap weather and the non stop rain, black sky and traffic jams on the way home didn’t mater so much. Diving is great. In fact it’s bloody fantastic and I can’t wait to do it all again next time. ATB Mark Chase __________________ See my "Doing It Chasey" video where I'm locked into a padded room, naked, with two ball bearings and within an Hour, I manage to lose one and break the other!!! Kevin Juergensen 16/11/08 [/quote]
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25th July 2007, 05:47	#2 (permalink)
decoweenie Crash Test Dummy Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cairo Posts: 5,487	Re: Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. Mark, Nice writing as usual, I enjoyed reading it and remembered times I felt exactly the same way when the conditions were shite. BTW, your PO2 is getting better, M8... __________________ "...after a while you get bored offering advice to a bull that like to keep butting the fence with its head rather than walking through the open gate..." - Rebreather World PM
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25th July 2007, 06:32	#3 (permalink)
LakeLover New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Northern New York Posts: 71	Re: Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. Spot on!
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25th July 2007, 08:31	#4 (permalink)
Paul Evans Freedom is the Key. Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Megalodon Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: London Posts: 153	Re: Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. Nice one m8 __________________ "To many lies, far to much BS" Anon!.......... will do........ "Any time anyone says, 'there is only one right way to do this' your bullshit meter should be pegged. Its a presumptive statement, made by a person who fears being proved wrong." Bill Gavin.
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25th July 2007, 10:18	#5 (permalink)
*Decodiver* Administrator Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Geneva Posts: 2,190	I really hope you meant Kylie....................... Quote: (Originally Posted by Mark Chase) Suits were on but putting on the CCR without puking up felt as plausible as shagging Kyle on a one night stand any time before Thursday. Kyle is a bloke's name you bender Now I know spelling is not your strongpoint Mark, but have you been up to some back-scuttling you wrong'un? Ha ha ha! Cheers, Dave Cooper. __________________ CCR/OC Trimix Instructor Trainer CCR Training to Mixed Gas in Switzerland, France, UK & Germany on Megalodon/COPIS-Megalodon/KISS/Sport KISS/Ouroboros/rEvo/Inspiration/Evolution/Sentinel www.zerogravitydiving.com Rebreather World Terms & Conditions
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25th July 2007, 10:30	#6 (permalink)
Mark Chase RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,817	Re: I really hope you meant Kylie....................... Quote: (Originally Posted by Decodiver) Kyle is a bloke's name you bender Now I know spelling is not your strongpoint Mark, but have you been up to some back-scuttling you wrong'un? Ha ha ha! Cheers, Dave Cooper. Whoops Trust me, it was defo Dyslexia and not a Froydian slip __________________ See my "Doing It Chasey" video where I'm locked into a padded room, naked, with two ball bearings and within an Hour, I manage to lose one and break the other!!! Kevin Juergensen 16/11/08 [/quote]
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25th July 2007, 10:57	#7 (permalink)
*Decodiver* Administrator Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Geneva Posts: 2,190	Re: I really hope you meant Kylie....................... Quote: (Originally Posted by Mark Chase) Whoops Trust me, it was defo Dyslexia and not a Froydian slip I believe ya, gave me a laugh though. Cheers, Dave. __________________ CCR/OC Trimix Instructor Trainer CCR Training to Mixed Gas in Switzerland, France, UK & Germany on Megalodon/COPIS-Megalodon/KISS/Sport KISS/Ouroboros/rEvo/Inspiration/Evolution/Sentinel www.zerogravitydiving.com Rebreather World Terms & Conditions
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26th July 2007, 07:09	#8 (permalink)
silent running Mature mouth breather Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: U.S.A. Brooklyn, New York Posts: 1,869	Re: Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. Good one Mark, very funny and vivid, thanks very much for the report. I think many of us have been to the land of second thoughts and turned back, though maybe not with such candor and as much humor as yourself. -Andy
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26th July 2007, 20:22	#9 (permalink)
Elzbieta New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Megalodon Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom Posts: 10	Re: Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. All I can say is your'e my bitch now! Tarra Liz x
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26th July 2007, 22:15	#10 (permalink)
Mark Chase RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,817	Re: Delta Diaries: Thats it, I quit deep diving. Quote: (Originally Posted by Elzbieta) All I can say is your'e my bitch now! Tarra Liz x Now Now Liz you know Trevor will be jelous, and i feel his need is greater than my own ATB Mark __________________ See my "Doing It Chasey" video where I'm locked into a padded room, naked, with two ball bearings and within an Hour, I manage to lose one and break the other!!! Kevin Juergensen 16/11/08 [/quote]
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