Posted by kimo on August 05, 2000 at 10:01:43:
In Reply to: wreck penetrable or not???? posted by MHK on August 02, 2000 at 16:07:07:
A few years ago, I found myself hovering just above the bow of the Palawan.
It was my sixth dive after certification, and I was captivated by this immense hulk
of vibrant life-encrusted steel and iron that disappeared into the blue like an unfinished
painting. Vincent VanGogh never saw what I saw that morning. For 10 minutes,
my buddy (also a new diver) and I traveled unescorted over and around the wreck
in awe, but we never went into it. Even in our narcosis, we had a healthy respect for
our own lives and the power of the sea. We surfaced after touching 130 fsw that
day, unquestioned by the crew of the Diveboat. Two hours later, we did it again.
Staging bottles? Backplates? Doubles? Decompression diving?
I knew almost nothing of these things before this trip.
What I too green for the dive? Possibly, but no one on the boat
told me that.
Had Tim or the DM asked about my certification level and experience,
I am sure I would have been denied one of the most amazing experiences
of my life, an experience that convinced me to invest in my own gear and continue
on this journey. I haven't taken any "advanced" classes beyond open water
certification but I am learning all I can to make my dives safer, longer, and
ever more exciting through reading and experience. For me to be barred
from an "easy" glide down to 90 feet to explore the ghostly beauty of the Yukon
from the outside because a stupid senseless diver died on the inside would be
insulting, and though I don't have the advanced certifications or "X" number
of dives, I have enough sense and intelligence to know, as do most
CA divers, when I might just get "in over my head". Sure, the Yukon may
make a great training spot, but its access should not be denied to those who
just want to enjoy an amazing dive to see her beauty.