An Afternoon of Tank Repair in Pictures

Lessons in tank repair.

At GriGri we mostly use the yoke system aluminum tanks

Tools, o-rings, spare parts and a little grease.

A bad valve and o-ring (left) and their replacements (right).
It took some extra effort to get the old valve off of the cylinder.

We worked with both types of tanks each with slightly different parts.

As this was the first time I had been introduced to tank repair and cleaning, I was shocked to see how a new o-ring and a little bit of grease dramatically improved the functionality of the valve. If you are having a hard time opening your tank, it probably just needs a little cleaning. Also, remember to clean them out between test dates to increase the life of your valve!

A Dive in the Life Video

If any of you are wondering what a typical day in the life of a Bayahibe divemaster is like, check out my dive buddy/house mate Eric's video! 

It's 15 minutes long so if you want to skip to certain parts here are some times:

• 00.00 apartment and walk to GriGri Dive Center
• 04:30 arrive at dive center and prepare our gear on the boat
• 08:00 St. George Wreck at 32 meters
• 11:00 Viva Shallows dive site with a sea horse, rays and other fishes

ENJOY!

What Did You Do With Your Saturday?

Well I am glad you asked! Today I went 41 meters (135 ft) deep and got to go into a wreck. It was awesome! I don't have any pictures from the dive itself, but here are some pre-dive photos. Just another day as a divemaster in the Dominican Republic.

A map of the wreck.

Always bring redundant equipment when diving in an environment with overhead,
especially when you are going deep.

And remember to check and double check all your gear.

Tips for the Newbie Diver

Over the past week I have finally had the chance to assist with a couple Open Water training sessions. Up until this point, I have been experiencing diving for myself and trying to improve my personal skills and knowledge base. Now it is time to share it with others. At this point I am merely an assistant to the instructors where I basically watch and mimic what they do, but I am slowly starting to get a feel for my own style of teaching. 

The first client that I assisted was a teenager from Scotland who, like so many first time divers, had mask problems. Breathing through your mouth underwater is already a huge feat when you are used to breathing through your nose at the surface and holding your breath underwater. Then your instructor is going to put you through the psychological tests of flooding your mask, clearing your mask and swimming a distance without your mask. It is very common for the new diver to panic in this situation. You are outside of your comfort zone and ready to freak out if anything goes wrong. 

When learning how to clear your mask, the instructor is going to have you flood the mask with water by opening the seal at the top. Next you will have to clear the mask by slightly opening the bottom seal and blowing out with your nose. My new diver was panicking after the first step and therefore could not complete the second. It was also more difficult for him because he does not open his eyes underwater, which I believe increased his level of panic when flooding the mask.

Go through a skill step by step

I knew he was comfortable swimming underwater (as long as his eyes were closed), so the problem lies in the “flooding” sensation. Knowing this I had him start without his mask on. We descended, I had him put on the mask, then he cleared it. No problem! With that success under his belt he was ready to try the full skill under water, so we descended again and this time with the mask on. Now he was able to successfully take off, replace and clear his mask underwater. Win!

The only other problem he had was swimming without the mask. While the mask was on, it was easier for him to remember to only breath out of his mouth, but when he took it off he had to hold his nose closed. After he told me this I gave him a simple tip, “Think about a time when your nose was stuffed and you weren’t able to breath through it at all. Now just act like your nose is stuffed.” The first time I dove, this was how I was finally able to descend. He tried it too and voila!

Simple tips for common new diver problems:

1) Act like your nose is stuffed to train your mind to get used to the breathing

2) Whenever you feel panic start to creep in, always remember to 

STOP  BREATHE  THINK  ACT

This this second concept was drilled into me in the Rescue Diver course, but I believe it applies to every problem in diving from equalization problems to gear malfunctions. Besides being adequately trained and prepared for a five, the key to enjoying a dive by overcoming the minor problems or to surviving a dive when there is a more life threatening problem, is to stay calm.

My Experiment Into The Depths

This is me, the diver.

I am living a dream. Most people wouldn't think that living in a small apartment in the tropics without airconditioning, with spotty internet and about three minutes of hot water for each shower is the dream, but it's the beginning of mine.

You see I have wanted to be a diver since I went on my first dive with my mother when I was 16 years old. We signed up for a short excursion on the island of St. Thomas while on a family reunion vacation cruise. Growing up on an island, I have loved the ocean my entire life. It is where I find my peace, for it is where I feel closest to God. The flow of the oceans tides and the currents that keep everything in motion remind me of the flow that I desire with my Savior. So imagine my excitement at the thought of getting to explore the depths of this mysteriously spiritual place.

I remember donning the gear for the first time and trying to hard to stay calm, looking cool, while it took everything in me to not jump up and down with excitement. Our instructor quickly explained the basic functions of the gear, but I must admit that I was too busy freaking out in my mind that I forgot to fully pay attention. This proved to be a problem when we all began to descend and slight panic began to set in. I tried to hard to stay underwater and breath through the regulator, but every impulse in me forced me to hold my breath underwater and swim to the surface for air.

Going Deeper

Embarrassingly enough the instructor ended up holding my hand throughout the first half of the dive, but thank God he did because the life I saw under the surface was breathtakingly beautiful. It was awesome to be able to swim with the fishes and get a closer look at the way they live. Everything was so new and interesting from all of the different colors of fishes to the shapes and movement of the coral where they lived.

I was hooked. Two years later my love for diving was solidified with obtaining my Open Water certification, and from that point on, I wanted to be a diver.

This is we, the NiedDUO

That dream was put on hold for a little while when I was given a chance to go to college and study international business. During my four years at the university, God also placed a love for missions and human development in my heart. I felt drawn to Latin America because I see a tremendous opportunity for the love of Christ to be spread through ministry, business and sustainable living.

Before my last year in college I met Grant, the man of my dreams, in a coffee shop. There we discussed our passions and life directions, and we immediately knew that we had to do this together. He inspires me everyday (even when I am reluctant) to keep moving forward and going deeper.

Looking back on that first dive now, I laugh to think how amazed and satisfied I was after experiencing the "depths" for the first time, for today I understand that I was just barely scratching the surface of what the deep blue had to offer.

I believe this concept is true for all of us. We have just barely scratched the surface of what we are capable of. We have barely descended into the depths of knowing our Creator and flowing with the currents of his plan.

I am currently a divemaster missionary in the Dominican Republic exploring, leading, teaching and learning all I can about the underwater world, the spiritual world and the world of sustainable living that few people ever get to experience.

My life is an experiment into the depth. This blog tells the story.