Can he do it!

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Ok, last night was my last class for SCUBA certification

Tonight I start my open water trials. In a controled environment (The Navy Pool at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola) for Friday I have to swim a quarter mile without stopping (Son of a B*(&^H!). Then tred water for 10 minutes. Then swim the length of an olympic pool underwater while only coming up for air once (I should do ok at that since back in college at Louisiana Tech I could swim the length and half way back of their olympic size pool in one breath), but I'm fatter and out of shape. We'll see. This all has to be done without fins or any gear. Then I suit up and have to do all kinds of skills tests such as totally removing my regulator, bouyancy compensator, and tank from me while under water and then put it all back on. Pass the simulated mask kick off and regulator pull out, (Basically simulating if someone or something knocks you mask or regulator out while diving. Then I do the buddy out of breath simulation where you have to provide your dive buddy with your spare air (OCTO) and take him to the surface. Then saturday I have to repeat all this on the Pensacola shore line at about 25 feet deep. This will be cool as we do a surf entrance (We go into the water entering via the beach, (Cool), Then Sunday we will do it all a thrid time but at a spring in Florida (Vortex springs, look it up, pretty cool, claimed to be one of the springs called the fountain of youth descovered by Pounce De'leon (spelling) at 55 feet deep. If I do all that to the instructors satisfaction I'm qualified to take the written test Sunday afternoon where they test if you can read Dive tables andf know all the physics with diving and all the do's and don'ts Pass that and Andyconda becomes a certified Diver, WOOHOO!. I'll post Sunday night with the results. This also means I may not be on playing much in the next few days. I'm pumped, I can't wait to try out all my new cool dive gear. By the way. IF no one here knows. The future has hit the dive sceen. Now, they have personal dive computers (I definately bought one, the VEO180) It calculates you bottom time left in real time, instead of having to do dive tables) Basically makes diving possible for idots (I.E. Andy is becoming a certified Diver, WOOHOO!)

[LA_MERC_Drax]

Is whaling legal in Alabama Andy?

[LA_MERC_johncst]

well how did it go

[LA_MERC_goose]

Hey Andy, your ass still alive? Let me know cause I need a new dive partner for the Key Largo dives!

[LA_MERC_johncst]

hold on jaws is spiting him out right now. I was wondering the same thing

[LA_MERC_Diesel]

lol...anything is possible with Andy...

[Wyrm_f00d]

??? what's the word?

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Hell Yeah, White man still got game. I blew it out of the water, literally. I'm now a certified diver. Of my class of 17 people, 2 of us graduated. me and a Naval Air recruit from the N.A.S. in Pensacola. I graduated top of my class, all two of us. I also learned I have the rare ability to be able to descend into the depth without problems. Most people have problems performing the valsalva maneuver but for my open water trial I drop like a rock. I could out do my NAUI instructor. Even coming up (Ascending in no problem at all). I can't go as fast coming up becuase of teh whole Nitrogen coming out of solution in your body if you pop to quick (NO FASTER THAN 30 feet a minute, Rule of thumb don't ascend faster than your bubbles). I had no problems at all and performed at a wellabove average. It was awesome. It's literally another world down there. To date my deepest dive is 55 feet for 45 minutes. I know thats not very deep but I was getting certified. Also for you non divers 130 feet is the max depth your qualified to go as an open water cert diver. SO Lets go diving goose. I'm buying a Hawian Sling.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Congrats man...You will never find me down there unless you are with Search and Rescue and I had a bad fishing trip.

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

Congrats Andy! Whenever I get the time I'm going to get Laura's Uncle to certify me. I told him about you and he informed me that he's an instructor. Goes all the time. But Congradulations on the certification. Why didn't the rest of the people graduate?

And what's a hawaiian sling? Another type of banana hammock? I'd pay to see you wear one of those with all your equipment on!

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

lmao @ hawaiin sling! overshare!!!!!

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Lol, A Hawian Sling is a long spear pole with a large elastic band at the end that you spear fish with by pulling the pole backwards against the resistance of the rubber band and use the elastic force to propell the spear through the water to spear fish. I will be 100 feet down spear fishing grouper and snapper that weigh about 30 pounds. Now that's fishing.

[LA_MERC_goose]

Hey Andy, word of warning - be close to the boat, and don't spear something too big that you can't get it back to the boat in a few seconds. Sharks have a tendency to figure out what you're doing rather quickly and want to take your kills (kinda like BS does in BF2) So, be ready to get your kill and get it back to te boat quick.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

lol Andy will finally attempt to break his long standing fishing curse! Of course, if he can't do it with a spear gun, I guess dynamite is the next step!

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

lol Andy will finally attempt to break his long standing fishing curse! Of course, if he can't do it with a spear gun, I guess dynamite is the next step!

LOL, Yeah Alan I've been trained as to the dangers of spear fishing and the cardinal rule of not keeping your kill near you. They tell me that even if you fire your spear gun or hawian sling and miss the sharks start coming around becuase of the sound the bands make poping in the water (Pavlov's shark, LOL).

And Robby is right. If this doesn't work, it's TNT time. However Robby we've had great success bottom fishing for red snapper. Although all you have to do is drive about 20 miles out into the gulf, find a wreck, drop a line pull it 2 to 3 feet off the bottom and BAM they take the bait. Only thing is those snapper are only 5 to 15 pounds. I want Grande!, there's a 30 to 40 pound Red Snapper with Andyconda written all over it.

[LA_MERC_goose]

Let me know when you're ready for your black water diving. We go to the Cooper River in Charleston, SC to dive for the big arse sharks teeth - visibility going down is BAD but once you're on the bottom with the dive light you're good to go. It's catching the tides at the right time that's a b!tch.