navelgazing.omphaloskeptic.net Journal

Getting There - Aneel's Travelogue

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Wistful for warmer waters Monterey, Monterey, CA, Saturday, 23 April 2011 12:01pm

There's nothing like a dive trip down to Monterey to remind me why I travel long distances to dive in tropical waters.

I got a new dive watch computer and wanted to try it out before using it on the dive boat this summer, and Gina and Frederick were game to go diving with me locally.

I hadn't been in the water in Monterey since my checkout dives almost five years ago, so I'd forgotten how different it is. On my last few tropical trips, I've dived without a wetsuit, but in Monterey, I needed to wear two extra-thick wetsuits, a hood, and gloves, and I was still quite cold. Diving feels very different when you're encased in all of that neoprene. There's a lot less freedom of movement, and the gloves make you quite a bit clumsier.

We ended up only doing one dive, but I did get to test out the various functions of my computer.

I'm definitely looking forward to some more leisurely dives where I can relax and concentrate on seeing things underwater, rather than on all of the gear I'm wearing.