Back From Crystal River.

I didn't swim with any manatees, but I saw some.

The trip was uneventful. Crystal River is not the best diving in the world, but I needed to get back in the water. I hadn't been diving since Cayman Brac back in February. I needed to check out my new mask and make sure all my gear still worked and I knew how to use it.

I was the only crip on the trip. This was originally gonna be a crip trip, but the Shepherd pool was closed all summer for repairs (Actually it was torn out and completely rebuilt) and Bert hadn't recruited any new crips.

Bert is Bert Quist, the owner of Divers@Sea a dive shop in Atlanta. Once a month he holds a discover scuba session at the Shepherd pool for disabled inpatients and crips in the community. Many of these folks sign up for scuba lessons and go on dive trips (like the Cayman Brac trip back in February) sponsored by Shepherd.

Look what I stole from his site:

Bert took that picture of me in Roatan three years ago. We were at a bird sanctuary on Roatan and this was one of the friendliest parrots there. I cannot remember the bird's name, dammit!

Bert is helped by Graham Wilson, another scuba diver, who volunteers his time. Both Bert and Graham are HSA Dive Buddy certified divers, which means that they can dive with disabled people without killing them. Graham goes on these trips, pays his own way, and works his butt off. He and Bert are both super people. Just don't let them know I said this.

All the bloggers who have met me in person, know that I laugh a lot. So do Bert and Graham. Hanging with these guys is a lot of fun. Two of the other divers who usually go on the crip trips are Jeffrey and Charlie. Jeffrey, Charley, Graham, and I all love to gang up on Bert. Jeffrey and Charlie work their butts off helping to get us crips on and off the boat, help us with our gear, and dive with us. I don't think I've ever met a diver I didn't like.

Since no crips signed up, except me, Bert had three students who were doing their open water certification come along. We did two dives in Crystal River on Saturday, and a drift dive in Rainbow River on Sunday. The students passed. Graham and I pretty much dived together and watched the students.

Ate seafood Friday and Saturday night. I'd say it was a pretty dull trip, but being around Bert and Graham is never dull.

Bad news. The next crip trip isn't until next fall. Good news, Bert's wife Dawn is taking a group to Cayman Brac in February. I just may have to go back to the Brac.

Posted by denny at November 6, 2005 10:04 PM