Tanks alot pals.

Confined dives in a large scuba pool for 6 hours today. It was just the Dive Instructor and I, the other guy was being taught by a German speaking Divemaster.  So one on one!  Instead of 5 seperate dives, we stayed in the pool for 3 hours at a time, went over all the drills that PADI requires.  I thought my first breath would be more dramatic but it was above the water and trying out the regulator.  Once under the surface I remembered my previous attempt to breathe underwater...I was maybe 7 years old in Glendale AZ, at the bottom of my parents spa sucking on a cut length of garden hose that surely disrupted my mother's gardening.  It was awkard then and it was awkard today.  After only a minute or so we were already doing the first few skills.  Take the reg out of your mouth and then put it back in, clear it and keep breathing...ok not to wierd...atleast not in 6 feet of water.  The taking off of the mask and replacing it was strange, scary a bit I suppose...especially when we had to swim with eyes closed holding the mask in our hands and the nput it back on and clear it.  The only real trouble I had was trying to keep neutrally bouyant...it was a bit tough to get the right amount of air in my vest to keep me from sinking/floating.. .especially with each breath you go up and down too.

Oh well I did gag once, the last drill was to "freeflow" the regulator which basically means air is shooting out of it nonstop and you are supposed to breath from the side of the streaming bubbles and not chos\ke on the water that wants in....the first time I came bobbing up coughing and gagging...my instructor showed me a trick and voila.  Day one over....next dive Phi Phi island on Friday.  Pics will be next!

SCUBA is awesome....not sure how I made it this far without doing it!  I suppose I owe the urge to do it to my cousin Brian.  Thanks dude.  Oh and Chris and Autumn too!....Their stories of the depths lured me as well.