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| Kissing creatures of the deep |
It is nearly impossible to blow out birthday candles underwater, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't attempt it. Shelly attempted underwater candles and more, as she spent her birthday weekend diving near the bottom of a Pennsylvania lake. She not only dove, but she demonstrated essential SCUBA skills like clearing her mask after it filled with water, helping an "out-of-air" buddy get safely to the surface, navigating under a murky lake using only a compass, and achieving the oft-illusive neutral bouyancy. In the end, she and her husband emerged as certified SCUBA divers just three weeks before they land on their new island home in the Indian Ocean. We had four extended dives over two days in a quarry turned lake near York, PA. While visibility wasn't great, it was just right for learning essential skills at this new sport. We spent much of our time 20 feet deep on a mid-water platform demonstrating all we had learned in a swimming pool over the last month. Then, we went to the COLD water at 55 feet to see a submerged cement mixer, and to feel the frigid temps against our exposed cheeks and chins. While we do not anticipate those temperatures in Mauritius, it is good to get training under more adverse conditions.
In her educational career, Shelly often waxed poetic of the benefits of teaching people to be "life-long learners". If you watch what she did this weekend, you know she believes it! Happy birthday, Shelly!
Hi, I know someone in the 160th so I've been reading all the blogs. I read this post and had to share - I took my scuba diving qualifying dives in a quarry in Pennsylvania in 1970, and I'm thinking this has to be the same quarry - very limited visibility. The only difference is that I did it in December and it was really, really cold but needed to get the dives out of the way for a trip to Key West. Congratulations on getting qualified - a great activity for where you are going.
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