Senior Project Practice Presentations

In one word: painful. I was well-prepared and I had a speech in my mind ready to be presented, but juniors are a tough crowd man. Can't say I've rambled so much in my entire life o_o

Guess this just means I need to be a little more comfortable with my project when I present for the judges. A little more practice goes a long way!

Song #6 - Cashier No. 9

With practice presentations tomorrow, I need calming music and this song hits the spot :D

Final pool dive!

Here are some photos from my final pool session last week on April 27th. I've said it before and I'll say it again, diving is not an attractive sport.

Bae caught me swimmin'

Me throwing up gang signs

Ayy lmao feat. Twinkie

Me being uglier than I usually am

Twinkie hay gurl!!!!

Equipment

Every diver needs their own set of gear (or a generous instructor who lets them borrow). When I dove, I rented my gear. During my training I typically used many more pieces, but those seen here are only some of the pieces I used for my pool dives the past weekend:

(From left to right)
Air tank, BC vest, fins, lead weight belt, regulator, and mask & snorkel

The regulator is required to always have two air hoses. In the event that a diver loses their main mouthpiece, there must always be a backup so that they don't run out of air. It is also for situations in which divers need to share air, and two divers can swim together sharing the two mouthpieces. 

The regulator also has a small air valve that attaches to the BC (vest) so that a diver can inflate it and increase buoyancy. Additionally, there's a monitor that gauges water depth and the PSI of pressurized air remaining in the tank.

The weight belt is not always necessary, although it can greatly assist a diver in resisting buoyancy. Lead weights are attached to the belt, and the more weights added, the lower you sink! This belt I used during my pool dives only held about 2lbs of lead, and when I dove in the quarry I used more, though I'm not sure how much.

Visibility underwater is restricted and nowhere near the visibility on land due to factors such as water salinity, sediment particles, etc. Even if you've got great vision, the mask and snorkel are crucial for underwater diving because without it, you can't see!

Divers must clear their masks before they can get in the water, and my instructor's method for doing so threw me off the first time haha. You spit directly onto the glass, rub it around, then rinse it with water. This defogs the glass and ensures clearer vision.

The fins are a vital piece of equipment because they stir up much more water with every kick than our feet do. Underwater navigation with a pair of fins propels a diver far faster and keeps them afloat while treading much more easily. Every time I took off my fins in the water during training it felt liberating because my feet were free, but I suddenly felt like I'd drown because of the weight of my equipment on my back and my sudden lack of suited swimming feet!

Finally, the all-important BC hold the entire set together - literally. It holds the tank like a backpack, attaches to the regulator and inflates or deflates to adjust buoyancy, overlaps the weight belt and wet suit (if the diver is wearing one at that time, which I did not during my pool dives but did during my quarry training), and contains pockets in case a diver finds something underwater and wants to carry it to the surface!

One of my most profound regrets of senior project is that I didn't begin blogging earlier! It was kind of a snap decision to begin diving when I did because I had to beat the intensely cold winter we had, but I hadn't decided on a final product by that point so the blog was just a consideration. I haven't posted much about my own personal dive experiences because it's been so long since I began my training ):

Here's what I remember from when I began:

The language used by experienced divers sounds like a foreign language when you're not familiar with the gear/procedures. I've been involved in this project for several months and I still get confused and lost beyond all reason when my instructor talks a little too fast hahaha (it's terrible I shouldn't be laughing). Once you learn all the equipment and how it's used, it's pretty easy to figure the rest out yourself!

Before you can even think of getting in the water, you have to prep your equipment and make sure it's all there. The primary pieces of the set I used included a mask and snorkel, a lead weight belt, fins, a BC (vest), a regulator (air hose/gauges), and the all-important pressurized air tank.

Me & Twink at Long Lake Diving

During my training around October and November, my gear included several layers to keep warm in the frigid waters. I wore a swim shirt and thermal leggings, a 7mm full wet suit, a 7mm jacket, a hood, gloves, and diving boots in addition to the other necessary gear. 

Observe me and my instructor climbing out of the relatively warm quarry and back into the unforgiving cold October air together.

Once you've dressed for the weather, assembled all your gear, and ensured it's in good condition and ready to be used, you have to wet the BC and attach the regulator to the air tank and open the air valve and check that air is flowing through it. Finally, attach and inflate the BC!

Entry into the water can be done several different ways. My personal favorite is simply easing yourself into the water from the pool/quarry's edge because I am lazy and the tank is heavy haha. 

My instructor made sure to teach me multiple techniques for retrieving my regulator in the case that it ever fell out of my mouth underwater. I didn't know it, but even if you're not breathing any air in, you still have to let out a steady stream of bubbles to keep the balance of gases within your body.

Me and Charlie at Long Lake Diving

One other thing I remember she stressed was to take my time and swim at the pace of the fish. If you observe at their level and swim at their speed, they won't swim away and you can really see them! When you ascend, you absolutely have to take your time. Ascending too quickly relieves the pressure on your lungs so suddenly and they can inflate beyond their capacity, causing all sorts of problems collectively known as the bends. You can see how quickly you're ascending by breathing out and seeing how quickly you're rising relative to the bubbles. If you're coming up faster than the bubbles are, slow down!



I truly enjoyed learning to dive under my instructor's teaching, and I don't think I ever mentioned her name! Twilla (Twink) Miller of Long Lake Scuba Diving taught me much about the sport of diving and I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. Additionally, I couldn't have asked for a more patient, generous, and overall awesome mentor :D

Song #5 - Bob Marley

Nothing says "islander" like Bob does, yo.

My Grand Epiphany... I Guess?

It's come to my attention that my scuba diving blog is hardly about scuba diving... 

While that may defeat the purpose in some eyes, I realize I've simply chosen to post primarily about topics and fields that correlate with diving in the environmental aspect. A good number of my posts are expressions of my concern for the ecosystems and overall well-being of our waterways, as was my research paper. I think that's all a part of becoming a diver. It's a learning stretch, if you will, to become more aware of the environment you're in and to put forth effort towards keeping it preserved.

Keeping that in mind, I will continue to post things that inspire me, but I will also post information regarding diving as well... because that was this blog's original purpose hahaha

Gone Diving

I'm at it again, folks. 

Well, not really.

Since the air's still a little nippy, the water's gonna feel even nippier (even though it technically is warmer in the water than in the air!). Diving in the quarry and finally getting certified isn't really much of an option before any presentations, but today I'm going to the YMCA in Wapakoneta, Ohio and I will be practicing assembling my gear and underwater navigation with a diving class. Should be even more fun the second time around...

Fish-Eye View?

What does a fish see, exactly? While there's no way to know for sure, it can be interesting researching and observing fish's vision.

I won't bore any of you with words and facts because even typing it out was boring, so here's a photo taken by a photographer curious about what lobsters see!

What this guy did was extract the lens of a lobster's eye and place it partially over his camera lens. He focused on a starfish and you can see the difference between what we see and what a lobster sees!

Did You Know: PLASTICS

The #1 thing that grinds my gears is litter. How many times have you seen someone toss a cig out of their window while driving? Or leave a candy wrapper on the sidewalk? Or even just spit their gum out willy-nilly? 

Here's a little something you might not have known about plastics:

1. Plastics are the No. 1 type of trash found by Dive Against Debris volunteers, making up about 66% of the total number of debris found to date.
2. Over 700 entangled or dead marine animals have been reported in the past three years. Plastics are not only harmful substances, they're literally deathtraps.
3. Over 1400 dive surveys that report plastic litter have been submitted from more than 60 countries.

I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT. This world belongs to all of us and it is not your personal waste bin go home and trash your own place if you're okay with doing that to all of us! STOP KILLING THE PLANET WITH YOUR DIRTY HABITS PEOPLE.

Interactive Diving Debris Map

For anybody interested in what lies on the ocean floor, this interactive diving debris map shows a map of many diving sites in various regions of the world and some of the items collected by divers at the sea floor!




I looked at several of the dive sites and noticed a pattern. Most of the items are not artifacts or anything interesting my any means - it is mainly plastic. 

Even in the empty open waters of the Atlantic and Pacific, there's still traces of waste and garbage due to human littering. There's plastic food wrappers in even the least most populated areas! 




This site gives insight to just how much litter humans are responsible for and advice on how we can help clean up after ourselves. We must all do our share to keep our waterways clean; it's a collective effort between all of us!

I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE DON'T BE NASTY

Welp.

Senior year is winding down and that means senior project is coming to a close... but not before practice presentations, the real presentation before the judges, and a whole lot of other stressful factors that must be squared away before I can mentally check out for the year.

During this final month of senior year I'll be diving at least one more time this coming Sunday and blogging like a madman. Hopefully more people will look at my blog so my efforts don't go to waste... Wish me luck frans.

Song #4 - Lord Huron

There is no musical group, perhaps even another song, that describes my love for adventuring and for the world quite like this. Enjoy, folks (:

The Lost Underwater Lion City

China's take on Atlantis is one of the most breathtaking underwater diving sites I've ever stumbled upon. 

Qiandao Lake, an artificial waterway located about 150 km from the city of Hangzhou, China, goes by many names and is often called the Thousand Island Lake. It is also commonly known as the Sunken Lion City, and for good reason.

The two great, ancient cities that make up the underwater site are located at the bottom of Wu Shi Mountain (Five Lion Mountain) and were built around the 2nd and 6th century. In 1959, the region was flooded to establish a hydroelectric power station and food reservoir. In order to flood the area efficiently, countless villages, cities, and residential homes in addition to the two cities were drowned and almost 300,000 people were relocated to make the project a success.

Shockingly, the Chinese government has been nothing but apathetic towards the protection of the underwater ancient civilization, and it remained forgotten until about 2001 when it was rediscovered by divers. It's a phenomenon how well-preserved the city has remained over the past 1300 years.

LOOK HOW COOL THIS PLACE IS GOOD GRIEF >>>

THIS IS AN ENTIRE UNDERWATER CITY AS IN CIVILIZATIONS ONCE POPULATED THESE STRUCTURES AND NOW THEY'RE HIDDEN BENEATH TONS OF WATER

Undiscovered/forgotten relics of the past like these are why I want to dive.

MEET MY MENTOR

Charlie Williams. Ah, what a guy (left).

My mentor, Charlie Williams, is in fact my mom's boyfriend and quite possibly the coolest MOST TOTALLY RADICAL (I know he'd appreciate my saying that) DUDE EVER. The man who sparked my interest in diving is sea-bound once again! His latest dives have been down south in Aruba where he's seen amazing sights. He originally planned to explore a sunken Nazi battle ship but due to flight delays had to make a change of plans and still saw some great sites. Instead, he saw a sunken plane ~200ft long and all kinds of underwater sea life including a seahorse and a sea turtle! Hopefully once I am certified we'll take trips and dive together!

When will I dive again?!

It's so frustrating not being able to dive since the quarry's still iced up... I just want my certification aye