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M
y husband, Doug, and I were
diving in Cozumel. I was 56
with about 100 lifetime dives,
and he was 61 and a newly
certified diver. Doug has
controlled high blood pressure
and some allergies. I took a refresher course with him
when he took his open-water certification class, and
in it we learned lessons about buddy diving that would
later prove invaluable.
Doug weighed 240 pounds, so as a new diver with
a wetsuit he used more than 20 pounds of weight.
I still struggle with my own buoyancy issues and
uneasiness about currents, and it was overwhelming
at times to be looking out for my buddy, too. We had
a successful week of diving until the last day, when
Doug had difficulty descending. Later I found out he
had removed some weight without communicating the
change to me.
Our group usually descended together, regrouped
on the bottom and then began the dive. Doug and I
always descended within reach of one another. During
our descent on the last day of the trip the current had
begun to separate Doug and me when the divemaster
signaled that everyone should descend on his or her
own. By the time Doug and I regrouped on the sandy
bottom at 70 feet, the rest of the group had already
made their way over to the wall we would be diving
and begun descending on it. We began swimming
toward the top of the wall against a heavy current.
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
SKILLS IN ACTION
62
|
FALL 2016
DO SOMETHING!
EVEN IF YOUR SKILLS
AREN’T PERFECT,
YOU CAN STILL MAKE
A DIFFERENCE.
By Carolyn Dobbins
STEPHEN FRINK