More Kona

Monday

Went to Place of Refuge in the afternoon with PFI.  I was somewhat useful this time, as two people had trouble equalizing pressure even at a few meters, so I worked with them directly.  Mandy and Kirk said I could also get in a few dives since I would have a small three-person safety rotation with them.  I had plenty of time to do this, but events conspired against me again, as another diver forgot his depth gauge, so I had to lend him mine, and the lens in my mask came loose, causing it to leak and making it hard to do deep dives.  Still a good day.  I think I left my shoes at Place of Refuge yesterday and of course they were gone today, but even I know that's not a big deal (probably got them at Big 5 for $25).

Sunday

In the morning, Bill gave me a ride down to Place of Refuge to join their regular Sunday diving group.  These people are quite serious, and train almost every week, so many of them are over 70m.  I made a somewhat poor decision today.  I started following them out to the deep 75m buoy but lost track of them.  I thought I had an idea where the buoy was, problem visiting it a few years ago, but I was wrong.  So I swam around for a couple of hours looking for them.  I went out way too far, and so it took my a while to get back.  The group was mildly concerned until I showed up.  It wasn't a very much of a poor decision considering this is a sport with a high mortality rate.

As soon as I got lost, I should have swam back to shore too see if I could spot them.  If I had done this I might have been only 30 mins late.  Also, if I wasn't going to be able to see them from shore, I certainly wouldn't have been able to see them bobbing in the ocean.

I had been hoping to start my trip off this day with a 35meter dive as a start.  Oh well, again, another day in paradise.  The two positives are that I got a hell of a workout swimming around (a few miles at least) and I ran into a five-foot reeftip shark.  I was swimming around and I kicked something solid.  I heard something thrash and I saw the shark swimming off.  I don't think they attack people, but they could definitely deliver a nasty bite.

After I came ashore and checked in with the group, I went out with the PFD group doing their first ocean session.  Again their wasn't much for me to do, but it's always fun out there.  I had a spinach salad for dinner, then the butter avocado.  I love avocado but that a little too much.  It weighed almost a pound, albeit with a large pit.

Sat

Performance Freediving started their Intermediate clinic today.  I joined them in the afternoon and did a 4 minute breathhold in the pool with them, along with some rescues.  Their are twelve people in the class for three instructors, which are perfect numbers, so I'm kind of a third wheel.  If there had been an odd number and/or a few too many people in the class, I could have paired up with someone and had more to do.  But I can't complain, it's another day in paradise.