Dive mojo

I managed 2 dives on the weekend, both from a boat on Sunday. After a 5 year hiaitus my main concerns were to do with weight/bouyancy and generally remembering what the hell to do. I wasn't wrong.

On the first dive I managed to descend OK, but then it all went horribly pear-shaped. In a surgey spot I lost a fin (thankfully recovered by a fellow diver), but that got me in a bit of a lather. In a panic I lost orientation and started breathing hard, which sent my balance awry. I twisted so that my head was pointing downwards and feet up, meaning that the small amount of water in my mask completely covered my view. The upshot was that I , well, shot up and wound up on the surface. It was a miserable experience, scary and frustrating, and apparently I was the only person on the dive who failed to spot the dozens of friendly sharks in the vicinity.

I really didn't want to do the second dive. Luckily I forced myself and it worked out so much better. Having had the opportunity to sort my gear out everything went smoothly. I zipped along happily through the underwater gorges in a Luke-Skywalker-attacking-the-Death-Star fashion and we saw some lovely sealife including a couple of giant cuttlefish and several wobbegongs.

It was fantastic and I have officially recovered my scuba mojo.

Incidentally, props to my buddy M and Cameron the divemaster from Prodive Nelson Bay, who were both extremely helpful.