Posted by JRM on July 02, 2001 at 14:00:39:
In Reply to: psycho alert: josh aka JRM aka VoiceOfReason etc posted by CalAbDiver on July 02, 2001 at 13:10:05:
OK Karl,
I'll answer the pertinent parts of your post. BTW, thank you for reposting that, I feel it is indicative of my writing style.
>>(1) a good wetsuit has pockets on the legs. sounds like you got ripped off.
I see you corrected this to drysuit below. We'll start from there. I believe that very few drysuits come standard with bellows pockets. Most are added aftermarket. At some point in time I'll be adding them, but unfortunately for me money doesn't grow on trees. I'd rather worry about getting some quality training first, since I lack a firm grasp on many diving fundamentals. Personally, considering what I paid, I feel I got a heck of a deal. Ask Kevin about the suit, as he's the one who turned me on to the guy in the first place. I have nothing but good things to say, and for anyone else interested in a really good deal, email me privately and I'll tell you the entire tale.
>>(2) only novice divers frequent Breakwater. grow up and find another place to dive.
Again, here I have to disagree. If you get to the breakwater early enough it's the "ultimate CA beach dive." You can't go wrong with the access and entry. I don't have a huge breadth of diving site experience, but I have dove several different shore dives around the Monterey area (and Monastary too, and lived). For ease and convencience, you just can't beat it. But back to the point, early in the morning, before the crowds arrive, San Carlos is amazing. And we won't even go into the Metridium fields (that's too easy), but I'll stick with the actual breakwater itself. My post description doesn't even come close to describing the life that is there. I'm not really good at fish and invert ID, but it was a good dive. Where else can you find fish, nudis, and an almost certain sea lion experience in such close proximity. (Actually, just about everywhere in Monterey, but nowhere with that ease of access). I must completely disagree with your assessment that the breakwater is for weenies. And, even if I did agree (which I don't), I still feel it was the best place to start diving new equipment in the open water. Would you recommend that I head straight to an advanced site to start using a new drysuit? While I had dove a shell suit a couple of times (stop laughing Kevin, I'll never forget my first drysuit dive), but never the closed cell neoprene. Given that I had no clue as to weighting, I have no problem erring on the side of caution. If you want to call me a wimp because I went to learn my new drysuit at the breakwater, well I'll carry around a sign proclaiming my guilt. I feel no shame in taking it slow. With my skillset, it's more than a good idea. A lot of the more experienced guys and gals would probably have felt comfortable just jumping in anywhere, but alas, I am not yet in their company. I can and will freely admit that I'm not some great diver (yet). I would hope no-one would hold that against me, and if they did, I can really care less. I love the breakwater, and I'll continue to love it. It was my first OW dive site, and I probably will never tire of it. On that point, we must agree to disagree.
(3) stay away from Monastery however. that beach dive site has no bottom, and it might very well gobble a moron like you up. we dont like you nor your histrionic posts. but we would
hate to see you dead in spite of yourself.
I have enjoyed Monastery beach. My advanced "deep" dive was there. I've been back once since. I'll admit, I got smashed (but I didn't get rolled, luckily). And I'm still picking those monsterberries out of my gear. I feel comfortable that my buddy and I could safely dive Monastary, given the right conditions. And that's what it's all about really, comfort level. I prefer to err on the side of caution. I'm touched that you are so concerned about my welfare. But I assure you that, although I am no expert, I can and have safely executed dives at Monastery, and I feel that I can do so in the future. And, since I do like the breakwater, I don't think you have to worry about me pushing a dive there in conditions I don't feel comfortable in. If it's too rough, we'll just head back to San Carlos.
If you're wanting to use the post above to insinuate that I'm not some super diver, well, all you had to do was ask. I freely admit to being a tank breathing newbie. In fact, I can't wait to take the Fundamentals of DIR class in two weeks, because I think it will do wonders for my diving. Just a chance to watch someone like John Walker will be a learning experience.
So let me some up... My drysuit doesn't have pockets yet. I'm a newbie diver who likes the breakwater (early in the morning). I have and probably will again dive Monastary, and I'm touched by your concern. I have no personal issues with you, but please read my post down below. JRM are my initials, and my full legal name is Joshua Ryan Massie. I've been using that moniker since I started here. I guess I could use "DeepThought" which is what I use when I play Quake and other online games, which I garnered from the Douglas Adams novels. I am 27, male, married, and work in the computer field. I have a BS (and then some) in Geology, with an emphasis in field mapping and geophysics. I love to rock climb, and have managed to claw my way up a couple of Yosemite big walls (of which I take great pride). I've been using SCUBA for a little over a year, and freediving since I can remember. I'm transitioning toward DIR, because someday I'd like to do technical diving, and I feel that they represent my best, safest, route (it also makes a lot of sense). If you or anyone has any other questions about me, please feel free to drop me an email. Oh, and I have a rather dull wit that tends toward sarcasm and irreverence.
JRM
-- again, even if you don't want to post your name here, why don't you email it to me. I'll keep it in confidence. This BBS is for entertainment. Please don't feel like I kicked you dog because I disagree with you. How entertaining would this all be if everyone agreed all the time.
-- Oh, and I can neither confirm nor deny any participation by myself in this, or any other forums using any other moniker.