500th dive

[wtdrm]

Well if Jean can post it so can I. This past weekend (Sunday) I logged my 499th 500th and 501st dive. I wanted to hold off and do them in Hawaii  this Dec. However I just cant miss a weekend of diving.
My original Cert was in June of 99. That is averaging 6.5 dives per month or 70 dives per season. Not to bad for a landlocked Minnesotan. I wish it were more. I guess I'm going to have to talk to my bosses. After all there is 3 times more water than land. that means we should dive 3 times more than work!!!

Right!!!

[eric myers 2]

Congratulations on you 500th dive! That's really something to be proud of, I just have couple questions if you don't mind my asking.

1) What are your top 5-10 favorite dives of the 500 both locally and away?

I know some of my best memories of dives depend not only on the diving but the usually great weather or who I am diving with or just how perfect something was. What about yours? 


2) What are your plans for your next 500 dives? New exotic locations, new gear configurations, what is in store for you?

What do you thing is the next thing coming for your diving exploits? Any ideas?


Eric Myers
PADI Divemaster

[wtdrm]

Hi Eric. I dont mind sharing a few thoughts. 1st you and I met one day at GUDC. I was the short guy (a little heavy) when you brought your dad's tanks in for some work. I also am a divemaster.
As far as dive sites. I have to say I'm a Crosby guy. I enjoy Lake Superior also, however Crosby for me is good. I really like the atmosphere of the camping and cameraderie (spelling???).

My best trip[ by far was Truk Lagoon. I like shipwrecks. That was really an adventure. Most of the dives were on a dolphin rebreather. Very cool. Most of the other divers were on a CCR. That will probably be my next gear config.

I am the type of person that needs to keep learning. I learn something on almost every dive. I guess I have more than 500 dives. Thats just what I have logged. Meaning that as a divemaster, unless something significant happen on the dive (ow2) I dont log it. I use a Cobra and I just delete that dive from my log.

I guess at some point I will become an instructor. One of the things that hold me back is that then I wont be a divemaster and I really love having that link with students. I suppose I could still have it as an instructor but I would really be dissapointed if I didnt.  Plus there is always the politics. Every store has it. As a DM I have a little more latitude of what I do.

I will give an unabashed plug here for Ron Benson and Chuck Northrop from GUDC. I could not find a better place than GUDC to keep learning about diving. TriMix is in my future and as I said a CCR. Howver I need a paying part time job for that.

My future dive plans and sites are like this. I am 54 years old. Who knows how long I can be an active diver. There are an awful lot of places to go. So I try to not go anyplace twice. Coz is absolutley great. But I been there twice. I can only go on one or two trips a year. There are alot of places to go. My wife Steph is also a DM and we work well together. The downside of that (I cringe to say this) but every trip is times 2. So if you go to Belize for 3K it costs me 6K See what I mean.
 
Well there you have it. It is a long winded answer but it is my passion. To talk about and live diving.
CJ