Dive report:

 

When did you last climb out of the water laughing into your regulator?  Well, I did on Sunday!  The Scubateers (Rob, Karen, Aaron and Amanda) did an amazing job of looking after us, decorating the boat and the DAM!

 

We had Troy, Steve, Ted, Cheri, Andy and Jim in the Black Dog group and met up with Peter who has been diving at the same sites as us but never really with us, so it was good to dive with him.  It is worth pointing out that the dives we do are not 'technical' or difficult dives and can be completed by anybody from novice to expert, and we always welcome people of any level to join us...that is how you gain experience as a diver. 

 

So, we boarded the boat at 4:30 pm on Sunday and went first to Tech Island for a warm up dive.  The boat was covered in cobwebs and skeletons, and the Scubateers crew were playing spooky music (Rob seems to have a lot of that)!  Aaron was driving and Karen and Amanda were handing out 'bloody cookies' and 'bloody pineapple! 

 

Tech Island is diveable by people of all skill levels.  You can drop down to 100 ft or stay at 30 ft, but the reason for going is the big rock structure underwater, the big shelves and ledges, and the catfish.  You can really feel small under there.  But there are flat areas at 15-20 ft to sit on and do a safety stop, and the wall structure makes navigating to and from the boat very easy.  The water was clear and viz was good.  Right before we jumped off the boat, Troy put on a rubber Roman soldier's helmet....see the pictures of 'Trojan Troy' below.  I also took some shots up from underwater at the boat which turned out well.  We kept to a 30 minute dive so that we would be ready for the dam dive....or the 'DAMMED DIVE' as it should have been known to stay in keeping with the theme of the day!   

 

The sun was well below the horizon when we arrived at the dam, and it is fun to be there when the water is still and the stars are coming out.  Karen, Aaron and Amanda went into the water ahead of our group while we checked lights, attached glow sticks to our tanks, and struggled with the best way to get two large pumpkins down to the dam with us. 'iSteve', the iPhone wizard, checked the web, and it said to gut the pumpkins first so we did that and attached weights.  Jim thought that the whole thing was a dumb idea, but he had just bought himself a new knife and he was warming up to the idea of cutting and chopping! 

 

We all jumped off the boat and were led down the line to the dam by Rob.  It was fun to look around at the bobbing glow sticks and sweeping arcs of dive lights as we descended and made our way along the wall following Rob to the far NW end where the dam runs into the side of the valley. When we got there, we found skeletons hanging on the dam and ghostly figures in the structure and rubble....it was very cool and very funny....see the ghostly pictures below!

 

At this point I was with one group and noticed that the pumpkin carvers were missing.  So I signaled that I was leaving the group and headed back along the top of the dam to another set of lights that I could see ahead of me.  As I approached, all that I could see was a frenzy of cutting, slicing and stabbing.  The water seemed to be full of pumpkin parts......it was almost like they were pumpkin chumming for great white ghosts!  However, Jim and his new knife had made short work of his carving from scratch....Troy and Steve had come down with a plan and a marker pen and were in the process of finishing their creation when I arrived.  I took lots of pictures and video and got practice clearing my mask as I laughed underwater at all the antics and obvious pride in their work!  With that done, we cruised slowly down the wall and gathered the group together to make our safety stop and ascend to the boat. 

 

Up on top the deckof the boat was alive with chatter and laughter...and Rob's gloomy music!  We high-fived, looked at pictures, and shared stories of the dive.  THAT IS WHAT DIVING IS ALL ABOUT!  We had fun in Lake Pleasant!  All you need is a group of friends and a mission!  

 

OUR THANKS to ROB, KAREN, AARON and AMANDA from the SCUBATEERS - you put a lot of effort into the evening.  You did a great job of looking after us, and WE APPRECIATE IT!  Thanks to Troy, Steve, Ted, Cheri, Jim, and Peter for being there and having fun! 

 

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST......we encourage anybody with any level of experience to join us on these dives, even if it it is your first dive after open water certification.  The ONLY way to develop as a diver and get to the point that you stop worrying about the little things and start enjoying the big things is to dive and gain experience.  As for safety, there were three instructors and two divemasters in the water for the dam dive, just having fun but also adding to the safety. So.....GET OUT AND DIVE!!!    

 

Double click on these video Icons for a look at what we were up to!