I'm PADI Open Water Diver Certified!

The title says it all Yep, day 2 of the open water dive training went well despite the continued miserable weather. There was only one dive today, but the skills were the hardest of the 4 open water dives.

We descended to a platform 25 feet deep where we did some basic stuff. Then we moved on to the trickiest task of all -- a full mask removal and replacement while wearing a hood. The hood really complicated things because it made it difficult to get a good seal against your face. So yes I struggled, but I didn't panic and didn't ascend. Instead I kept working at it until my mask was on and cleared. Phew.

The other skill that proved problematic for me was the controlled emergency descent. I blame this screw-up to my misunderstanding the instructions. Having watched the previous person ascend just half way, I thought that's what I had to do too. So I didn't kick too much and was confused when the instructor kept telling me to kick. I imagine that he knows in a real emergency ascent situation I'll be kicking!

After my 4th dive I had the opportunity to do an instructor-free dive with my buddy. Very cool! My main goal for this dive was to test out my Panasonic ZS3 plus underwater camera housing. The housing worked which means I should be all set for my upcoming Belize dives. I was also impressed with the underwater white balance settings along with having the ability to make adjustments to fine tune the appearance.

Here's a shot of me. Oh, and in case you're wondering, that's a Sikorsky helicopter behind me.

It was a great day for me!