Maryly is getting certified to SCUBA dive so she can come along on this year's Channel Island boat dive. I was invited to come along and provide ground support but I didn't think I should barge in on the class by trying to dive with them. So instead of bringing my dive equipment, I brought my river kayak to practice rolling it in Monterey Bay. While Maryly was being checked out on the bottom of the bay I followed the bubbles around on the surface. The visibility was 20 feet so I could roll over upside down in my boat and watch what they were doing 20 feet below me on the bottom. During Maryly's first dive I wore the farmer john from my wetsuit and a paddle jacket to cover my arms. The paddle jacket has neoprene seals on the neck sleeves and waist but it wasn't exactly designed for prolonged exposure to the water. The water pressed the thin material of the jacket against my arms and conducted heat away from me very fast. Despite wearing a hood over my head I got pretty cold by the time the divers came back up.
Maryly has had trouble with one of the exercises that are required: Taking her Buoyancy Compensator (BC) off in the water and putting it back on again. In the pool sessions she wrenched her shoulders trying to put the BC back on and she was still in pain from that. When she told the instructor that she didn't think she could do this exercise he told her that she would not get certified. There is another way of putting on your BC by holding it upside down in front of you, sticking your arms in the holes then flipping it up and over your head. I had Maryly practice this on dry land without the tank attached to her BC. Underwater the tank is pretty close to neutrally buoyant and it should not make a big difference. Maryly practiced with the BC until she could do it with her eyes closed and then told the instructor that she would try it at the appropriate time in the water.
I put my full 7mm wetsuit on with the jacket to stay warm this time and followed the bubbles out in my kayak again. Some other kayakers came by while I was catching my breath and I felt compelled to explain why I was overdressed for normal kayaking. I rolled over and hung for long seconds watching Maryly on the bottom. I saw the instructor point at her and watched her start taking off her BC. I rolled up to catch my breath and when I rolled back over again Maryly already had the BC back on and was attaching the catches. I saw her do a little victory dance when she finished! Now she is certified to go SCUBA diving on our upcoming Channel Islands trip.
