Scuba Diving

[Troy]

16 hour flight, now in Singapore. Really nice airport. You have to have a license for spearguns here, so had to do a little finagling with the airlines so I never brought them through customs.

All sorted though. Jakarta up next followed by Padang.

[GORDON]

BTW had my first underwater navigation class. Lots of.compass and counting kicks, after you determine how many kicks it takes to go 100 yards, and how fast. He said most people take 2.5 minutes to do the distance. I did it in 1 minute 15 seconds. He said I couldn't maintain that pace. I said because of my lap swimming, that was nothing and could maintain it all day.



But I hit all my marks pretty.well. it gets harder in the next class, tomorrow.

[GORDON]

The other guy in my class screwed the pooch. He has to try class one again and he is no longer with me as I advance.

[Troy]

Collection of pictures from the trip. I didn't take any of these, but I thought they were good-uns. The drone shots are particularly spectacular.

The boat


Surf boats on a line-up


Inshore reef


Best diving spot


Best spearfishing haul

[Leisher]

Did you eat all the fishies?

[TheCatt]

Your wife looks different.

[Troy]

Source of the post Did you eat all the fishies?

We ate most of our catches between the 10 guests and 6 crew. I snagged a trophy red-mouth grouper at some point I wanted to eat - but never saw it on the table. I think the crew took it home to their families or sold it - in their defense they had victualed two weeks worth of "american food" which needed to get eaten.

[GORDON]

I would have taken the cost out of their tip.

[Leisher]

It does seem like stealing if you caught a valuable fish, didn't get to eat it and didn't leave with it.

[Troy]

Eh, it's tough enough to prepare food for 10 people at the same time in a galley the size of a small closet without one person wanting to eat their own special meal. Our vegans, gluten-frees and lactose intolerants were already giving them enough trouble. If I had shot 3 of them I might have been mad.

They also wouldn't serve us reef fish unless it had been frozen overnight and fully cooked. We met a offshore fishing boat on its way into port one day and did a sushi night. I trust the locals on that front.

[Leisher]

This is apparently at the bottom of Lake Mead.

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[GORDON]

There's a Jason in some lake/quarry in... MN or WI. Looks pretty cool.

Here it is.

https://www.scubadiving.com/jason-vorhe ... tatue-lake

[TheCatt]

Gordon visits Florida again

[GORDON]

Just made hotel reservations... for his Christmas present, I'm taking my son scuba diving in the Georgia Aquarium, on December 23.

With the Whale Sharks.

https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/experience/explore/programs-activities/animal-interactions/journey-with-gentle-giants/dive-with-whale-sharks

[TheCatt]

That's pretty cool!

[Leisher]

Very cool.

[GORDON]

I'm not allowed to take in a camera, so hopefully the ex gets lots from outside the tank.

[GORDON]

Between 5 and 6 today, think about me communing with whale sharks.

[TheCatt]

Source of the post Between 5 and 6 today, think about me communing with whale sharks.

I did t think that was legal?

Well, it is Georgia

[GORDON]

I think I already made a joke, "I hope a shark doesn't rip my wetsuit and then the hog flops out and then the whale sharks are like all intimidated by the size."