I’m going diving next week!!!

Next week is my annual trip to San Diego!! Same fantastic hotel, same great conference, where we get fantastic meals, fun excursions, a banquet, etc. The first day of the conference has workshops, which I have no interest in sitting through. So instead ….

I’M GOING DIVING!!!

I did my research and found a company that runs various dives in the San Diego area. They are actually located near the hotel, so the guy who runs the dives is going to pick me up in the morning, and we’ll go out for a cup of coffee before going to the boat.

I will be diving in the La Jolla/Point Loma area in the kelp beds!

So, to better enjoy this dive, and to hopefully capture some great memories to share, I went back to the dive shop today and purchased some more things!

I bought a digital underwater camera, that is waterproof to 130 feet, and shockproof. I’ve seen photos taken with it, both under water and above, and they look really good! It’s 6 megapixels, and you can attach an external strobe and wide angle lens, although the camera comes with internal strobe and wide angle feature. They had a special, and threw in a 1G memory card too, but I already have memory cards from my regular digital. AND, the guy took an extra $25 off the price.

I also purchased some things that will make my dive experience a bit nicer. (photos below*)

I bought a slate, which attaches to my wrist, and which I can use to write underwater, in case I have anything I need to convey to my dive buddy, and then erase it when I surface to be able to start fresh.

I bought anti-fog gel. Yeah, I can use spit, but the gel works a bit better, and I hate having to spit into my mask!

I bought a “dry pak”, which will keep things like my cell phone or other items dry on the boat. Because anything not in one of these things WILL get wet!

And finally, I bought a quick-release lanyard for the camera. I was going to get a floatation strap, which would have made the camera float to the surface if I accidentally let go of it. But instead I bought the lanyard. It will attach to my BCD, and then when I want to use the camera, I unclip the extension, use the camera (which is still attached to my BCD, but can now move around further away from my body) and then reattach the camera. A benefit of this is that I don’t have to have it strapped to my wrist when not using it, and I can also have my hands free when climbing back up on a boat or onto a dock or whatever.

Then, on top of that …. my friend Sarah … the wonderful friend that she is … is being such a sweetheart and gifting me a dive log book and an extra pair of dive gloves that she has! How sweet is that?!?!?!

THANK YOU SARAH!!! YOU’RE THE BEST!

Plus, she’s been great for information help! I hopefully will be able to take photos half as good as the ones she’s taken and shared with us! But you all will have to be the judge of that, when I post the photos. Heck, I may even download them that afternoon and post them, if my sister brings her laptop again.

Anyway, I’m getting very excited!!! But I think you can tell that!!

* by the way, I didn’t purchase the seal swimming through the kelp. I just included the photo because that’s what I’m hoping to see on my dive!!!!