A new diver is on the way! The wife and I just found out that we are expecting our first child.

Excited? Check
Terrified? Check!

Oh well, new buddy for me in 12 years or so!  

Hi everyone, sorry I have been so quiet here!

Still in St Louis at the moment, really enjoying it apart from being so far from the ocean. Had the chance to get wet in a few local quarries with a couple dive shops.

Planning a visit to Cozumel for sometime next year so thats what is keeping me going!

Keep well!   

Wow--- how cool is this!?

Rare "PINK DOLPHIN" Photos

This extremely rare and beautiful "pink dolphin" was spotted and photographed by Capt. Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service on June 24th, 2007 during a charter fishing trip on Calcasieu Lake south of Lake Charles, LA.

It appears to be an uncanny freak of nature, an albino dolphin, with reddish eyes and glossy pink skin. It is small in comparison to the others it is traveling with and appears to be a youngster traveling with mama. After spotting the beautiful mammal cruising with a pod of four other dolphins, Rue and his guests Randy and Peyton Smith and Greg and Sam Elias of Monroe, LA idled nearby while watching and photographing the unusual sight for more than an hour.

Our expectations are high that we will see this amazing mammal again as it was in an area frequented by the gentle mammals and one confirmed report has it being spotted at least a month earlier in a nearby location. If it does turn up again, it will be a welcome surprise to our guests.

http://calcasieucharters.com/index.cfm?act=imagegallery.cfm&name=Rare+Pink+Dolphin+Photo+Gallery  more pics of dolphin

   

Ok I'm shopping for dry gloves...

(and just deleted my entire post because a pretty nice guy helped me find the Diving Concepts gloves)..

Anyway- what this entry boiled down to was: shopping for dry gloves.. Hate DUI's prices. Went to Scuba Show.  Got hooked on Diving Concepts gloves.. http://divingconcepts.com/dryglove.htm  Seems that nobody sells them, even online. Major frustration.. Complained online..  Nice guy hooked me up with a store in San Jose who might have them.. Emailed this store, within 30 min they replied...  Called them, ordered my gloves.  They should be here in 2 days.

Then the fun part of trying to get them ON the rings and not ripping them starts when the gloves get here...  :)     

   

Took the new housing/stobe setup out on its first dive this week~  and couldn't have picked a much better day (well for SoCal anyway).. The ocean was FLAT... vis wasn't spectacular, but probably a very decent 15-20ft.... surge was minimal... and the water temps weren't quite as bad as they have been... Snapped random pics, adjusting the strobe (I haven't put the 2nd one on yet)~ trying to figure out what works best.. Somewhere around my 40th pic, my shutter stopped working- which is something that had been mentioned to me by another person who had the same setup... grrrr... Supposedly by adding a little knob to the end of the lever in the housing, it should depress the shutter more than it does now-- and that "should" fix it.  Other than that, no problems at all.. The buttons are easy to use, and the housing with the strobe didn't seem as bulky as it did on my first dive with it.. I love the difference that the strobe made- and I can't wait to see how pics turn out with dual strobes :o)     MDL is giving me problems with uploading but I finally managed to get one pic on here (see below).

   

I certainly do- yuck!! Decided to go back to beach diving over the last couple of weeks~ and I remembered (very quickly) why I don't like it. It wasn't so bad doing the couple of beach dives in Cozumel because you could get out of the water via ladder and there were showers & dunk tanks steps away..  But throwing on a set of doubles in Laguna beach (Shaw's Cove) last weekend was so not fun! lol.. The trek down the stairs was ok..  from the bottom of the stairs to the water was semi-ok (I don't like walking in loose sand)... Getting into the water was ok... Getting fins on was doable..The dive sucked though- no vis, lots of surge- and then.... the exit. Let's just say it wasn't graceful. And I had sand everywhere on my gear...        So, whaddya do now....  Well, go back to your "sandy roots" and beach dive in La Jolla..  But when theres 4ft surf pounding, sets coming in fast, and you're testing out your new camera housing, well sometimes thats not the best time to dive..  Anyway, despite the surf, poor vis, fogged & leaking mask, 51F temps, and buddy separation, my dive wasn't bad.  And my housing didnt leak     (Yes I finally got an Ike housing! A dear friend of mine actually managed to find me TWO of them... one complete w/ strobes. Very big thank you to him for that).  So, next time the camera goes into the housing and we'll see what kind of pics I'll get with the strobes...

And hopefully it'll be a boat dive.. hehee

   

Went out last night for a little secret lobster dive, saw the most amazing nudibranch, I wish I'd had ma y camera with me, this thing was huge and very pretty, sort of lavender with lots of frills on it.  Lots of rockfish, a lingcod, a halibut, and six fat lobsters.  3 went about a pound and a half, and the other three were all over 4 pounds!  Oh, I'm eating good in my neighborhood!

Tasty, very tasty!
   

After all of my losing battles with the ladder on the boat, we finally got a new one--- much more conducive to diving!  I've been battered, beaten, and driven to utter exasperation with the previous ladder, so I do NOT miss it  

Anyway, today was the first time using the new one... took the boat over to the Yukon for a couple of dives (which ended up only being 1 dive since the conditions were terrible)..  Nothing particularly exciting to see, but I did get a visit from a massive school of Blacksmith, who seemed to have a seal after them in hopes of getting a meal out of some of them...  Also this was my first solo dive on the Yukon~ which didn't thrill me since I couldn't see much of anything in that nasty pea soup water...

Me & the new ladder... awwwww                (Yah, I know.. mask strap isn't under hood, I had my C4 instead of my can lite, and my MP3 player wire was in my mouth *giggle*    But thank you for pointing those things out)

 

 

   

PBY.  190 ft in Lake Mead~ just recently discovered... And I did my first Trimix dive on it  :)

Joel (Silverstein) was my buddy (and instructor).... The dive went off without a hitch (with a minor bout of pre-dive nerves & some "sea"sickness from the boat rocking in the rough lake).. The descent seemed to take forever- mostly because it was DARK down there and you couldn't see the bottom until you almost hit it... Water was cold, vis was low, but finally we spotted the orange line that ran about 300ft away to the wreck.. Even with trimix, I was still feeling some narcosis down there- most likely because I was cold and my earlier case of nerves. The wreck came out of the gloom and into sight finally... and for a moment I did not move.. When you encounter a "real" wreck for the first time (not an intentional sinking), the reality of it stops you...(and I was hoping I wouldn't see the 2 bodies that have never been discovered).  We moved around the plane slowly, but after 15 min or so, the temperature of the water was beginning to get to me and I moved back to the line to wait for my buddy..  The gas switches went flawlessly on the ascent, and since we both had Mp3 players, the deco time was almost fun  (almost because I was freezing, even with argon)..     My camera's housing wasnt rated or that depth, so I wasn't able to take it down and get pics  :(

But I do get the title of being the 1st female to ever dive the PBY    Here's Steves post on sdtech to prove it:  

Re: PBY Catalina Found in Lake Mead -

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Guess which pink wearing diver did her first mixed gas dive and was the FIRST WOMAN ever to dive the PBY up here in Lake Mead? Nasty day out, very hard conditions, terrible visibility... but she did fine. Congratulations Missy!!!!! Nice job.

 

An article on the PBY:

IN PLANE SIGHT?

Actually, this section of a Navy PBY-5A Catalina flying boat (see picture of intact aircraft) has been hidden 190 feet below in the murky waters of Lake Mead for nearly 60 years. Divers are fascinated by its sterling condition since its 1949 crash. The plane rests in two major sections and is parallel to the Boulder Beach section of the Boulder Basin. It has quite a tale to tell. See story below. (Photo: National Park Service)

Missing Plane Discovered
At Lake Mead
BOULDER CITY, NV - The National Park Service (NPS) announced yesterday a submerged PBY Catalina flying boat that crashed 60 years ago in Lake Mead has been located. On October 24, 1949, the Navy PBY-5A Catalina flying boat, converted for civilian use by the Charles Babb Company of Los Angeles, took off from the Boulder City Airport for a test flight. The aircraft was attempting a water landing in the Boulder Basin area of Lake Mead. Unfortunately, the landing gear was still down, causing the plane to flip and burn.
The occupants of the aircraft were pilot Russell Rogers, mechanic Charmen Correa and Clarence Masters, all from Southern California. Boulder City Airport Operator Tom Swift and his associate George Davis were invited to join the group on the test flight. Swift and Masters were thrown clear of the plane; however they never regained consciousness and later died at the hospital. George Davis, the only member of the group that was strapped in his seat, survived the crash but did have a broken leg, cuts and bruises. Rogers and Correa went down with the plane. Body recovery operations were conducted shortly after the crash, but researchers are unable to confirm if the bodies were ever retrieved.
PBY Catalina was the United States Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. PB stands for Patrol Bomber, with Y being Consolidated Aircraft’s manufacturer identification. When used by the military, it could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes and .50 caliber machine guns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. All weaponry was removed from this aircraft when it was converted for civilian use by the Babb Company.

 

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Hi everyone

Sorry I have been so quite lately, but its been a busy few months. Our move to the US is over, we arrived in Charlotte NC on the 17th Jan. Then moved up to St Louis MO for my first contract. 6 month contract here and then hopefully will get transfered somewhere a little closer to the coast!

Haven't dived in over 2 months now, I will miss the diving in South Africa but I am looking forward to the diving in Florida, California, Caribbean  and Mexico!

Thanks for pointing me to the Bonne Terre Mine Missy, looks like it could be a fun dive!

Keep well everyone

   

Geez- its been 2 months since my last entry... BUT-- it's not my fault!  MDL wouldn't let me sign in for some reason    Ok so what happened to all of the smilies here? Ok, so whats been happening over the past few months...  Well.. I took 2 TDI classes (Adv Nitrox & Deco Procedures, and Trimix is slated for a couple months from now- although I have my 1st mix dive coming up this Friday..).  I've done quite a bit of LAKE diving in the past 2 months as well... yes lake diving... as in diving in a LAKE.. *grin*.    No, not Lake Parasite (Perris), but over in Mead and Mohave.. Mead has some wonderful sites that I wasn't aware of (wreck alley, aggregate piles/batch plant, and a couple of plane wrecks- one of which isn't open YET, but I'm chomping at the bit to dive it..).  The PBY plane wreck is a new one and has just been 'opened' to divers by the NPS..  It sits at about 190fsw (cross your fingers for calm winds this Friday *hint hint* )....        The B29 is the one I'm waiting for~ I'm so excited & waiting on the NPS to open it is driving me nuts!        Wreck Alley is set up quite well- the lines are already in place, so all you have to do is follow em.. (I believe you can thank www.lakemeadtechnicaldivers.com  for it, thanks double Steves!) The first boat sits in about 150-160fsw, if you look closely you'll find a frog sitting on it.. The 2nd boat is the Ranger, which sits in about 180- I'd like to spend more time on it, get some pics... I haven't gotten to the other wrecks (yet), but I have a feeling that it's just a matter of time... Lake Mohave was... hmm.... interesting. The dive was the "school bus" wreck but I was SO cold on that dive that I didn't have much interest in seeing it~ my hands were numb by the end of the dive..  I think the temp was 46-47F, which wasn't terribly cold- but I froze my tail off!

The Pacific hasn't been very cooperative over the last 2 months~ we've been getting hit by storm after storm and I think the frustration level in the dive community is getting high. Now, that doesn't mean that I haven't been diving *grin*... Several dives to the Yukon, Ruby, P38, and even a couple of beach dives (yeah, as in I put my stuff on at the car and WALK into the ocean... ugh).. lol..   Uh huh, I've gotten spoiled..  I have acquired my first  wreck "artifacts" recently- I won't say from where, as I will no doubt get chastised for it.. But I'm pleased ...   Speaking of wrecks & artifacts, I went to the DSD banquet and met John Chatterton and Richie Kohler (pics are on my MySpace page-  http://www.myspace.com/_missy_p  ...  Oh, as long as you're there, check out my pic of my  2 backplates- haha-- purple one matches my purple drysuit, pink plate matches pink drysuit.. now THATS coordination!  Fortunately for me theres a dive shop that has a  flair for matching stuff like that (and yep, its a tech dive shop, lol)... 

Ok thats all for now.. It's late and I have to finish packing for Vegas (read up a couple of paragraphs to the "hint hint" & you'll know why).  Remember, wish calm wind thoughts for Friday!            ~*M*~ 

   

We went over Friday evening, it was a little dreary all day Friday, so we were a little iffy about the prospect of a nice day for the clean up.  Boy, I've never been more glad I can't predict the weather, Saturday dawned spectacular!  Got in at Step Beach, found a couple of plates for free food at Antonio's, and the usual junk.  A half of a motorcycle tire, bottles, golf balls, etc.  One diver found a Rolex, (yes, a REAL one!), a sleeping bag came up, fishing gear, pretty much the usual suspects, with some neat stuff here and there.
You can see the snow capped mountains from the beach in Avalon.  Great weather!
Me, Dragon, and Amanda

Me and my junk.

After the dive, we had the awards ceramony, gave away $27,000 worth of prizes.  Hey, a good dive, good food, good times!
Giving away swag!

Mmmmmmm, oysters!

Make sure your hair looks good!

Yes, I'm singing kareoke.  Viva Las Vegas!
A great weekend, if you missed it, you missed out!
   

Gotta look for a dive boat, right?  Found a few that showed some promise, and ran into  Jack.
Me, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Adam.  The Dale jr. boat is neat, but not the best for diving.

This was my favorite.
Nice, stable, room for four comfortably, six cozily.  Just right.  And of course, it wouldnt be a show without the "Wonder Polish" booth, and the beef jerky guy.  My car is now shiney, and I have eaten a lot of pepper jerky this week!  Now, if I can just invent something cool, or win big on a **** show, I'll buy the boat, as well! 

Dive Safe,

TJ
   

Well, what can I say?  I've had a pretty good run of bad luck.  Most of my gear went up in the fire, and I've not been able to get wet, since!  I borrowed some gear to go on a shark dive, and one shark showed up, he ran as soon as we hit the water.  I replaced my wetsuit, was going to go to Catalina this weekend, it poured rain, with big seas.  So, I'm going to the boat show, instead. I did manage to replace my camera, so I will post up some boat show shots when I get back this evening.  And I am doing the Avalon harbor clean up dive at the end of the month, so I'll have some shots from that, as well.   'My Diving Life', (like the way I worked that in there? ;)  seems to be getting back under way!    

The new year must be started off with a dive, regardless of conditions, so off we went to my favorite dive site~ the P38. Why is it my favorite?  First, it's not a commonly dived wreck (the coordinates are not freely given to people). Second, its a beautiful site- the plane is fairly intact & the amount of life on it is amazing. Third, I have a fondness for things that have a history behind them.  I have many dives on the 38, and have loved each one...

 The ocean wasn't playing nice that day and the boat felt like a toy in a washing machine Got to the site and anchored (which was tricky because there were some major currents & swells going on).. By this time, nobody on the boat was feeling well, me incuded, so I threw on my doubles & jumped into the water- which was COLD! I was using a new mask and although I'd toothpasted & defogged it, well... it just wasn't being cooperative, so I had someone from the boat hand me another one of my masks... Ok, much better. Dropped down the anchor line into thick green murk and upon hitting the bottom, the vis had not improved.. 2-5 ft at best, and the current was blowing.. Needless to say, I never made it to the wreck (it's very small and without good vis, its not easy to find, even w/ good coordinates).. After heading back up the line, I let the current pull me over to the boat and grabbed the ladder.. Took off a fin and tried to toss it onto the boat~ unfortunately I missed and the fin bounced back into the ocean, several feet away Black fins tend to sink but I was able to grab it after several tries.
The ride back was equally unpleasant as the ride over- except that the swells and wind had both picked up.. We did go through a huge pod of dolphins (prolly 80-100- I've never seen SO many!)...
Not a good dive~ but it was a New Years dive regardless.

 

 

   

B-day dives are usually a requirement... however it seems that the ocean had other plans. The water has been rough all weekend, so I stayed high & dry (which was ok because I finally got my Xmas shopping DONE).

Now.. birthdays & diving do go quite well together~ even when you don't need any new gear (what?? I always "need" new gear!).  Anyways, I just celebrated the anniversary of my 29th birthday again- oh wait-- I think I turned 26 this year-- well, irregardless~ the birthday gods were pretty good to me.  Got this little doohickey:

Cute, yet it's awfully heavy so I doubt I'll be wearing it much..  Next was the GPS thing- the one you put in your car with the touchscreen that talks to you as you drive.. ok well, apparently someone who must love me doesn't want me to get lost on the way to divesites.. hehe... So I keep setting the thing in various languages~  now if I visit Italy or China, I'll be able to speak the language (of course I'll only be able to say "turn left in 1 mile" "your destination is 300 ft on the right")...   Next, a dear friend gave me a 5 lb book all about diving (and I'm trying very hard to read it but..)...  Ok there were other presents, but yanno what? I did not get a cake!  Ok so I'm *supposed" to be on a diet... but still.... at least give me a cake with a flavor that I don't like so I wont eat it... lol...    :o)      It was a good birthday... but I wish I could've gone diving....   

   

It's been a while...

I came home from a trip to find this.  My apartment burned up.  Most of my stuff is gone, and my cats, Stealth and Bruce Leigh, did not make it.  This sucks.

The funny thing is, I'll be having a normal conversation, and I'll say something like, "Yeah, that's a great movie, I've got it on DVD....no, I don't."  "I should go mountian biking...nope, I don't have a bike."  Then I'll get to thinking about my cats, and get seriously depressed.  I wonder how long this is going to go on.  My dive buddy set up a website to help me out, it feels a little weird, posting a link to it, but here it is;

 

www.HelpTJOut.com

 

Drop me a line, I can use the company.

   

It's been nearly 2 months since the memorial plaque for Steve Donathon was placed on the Yukon ( http://www.mydivinglife.com/Missy/1948/Wreck+Diving+Weekend.html ) and while I've done dives on the Yukon since then, I haven't been back to the bridge area where the plaque is until this dive. As I descended down the line, I could clearly see the ship when I hit 28 ft- but vertical vis is almost always better than horizontal, so I wasn't expecting 40ft vis down there. When I saw the plaque, I let go of the line and swam over to it~ and suddenly realized that I wasn't alone.. a sleek sea lion buzzed by me..  :)    Vis turned out to be a respectable 30+ft down there, but there was quite a current blowing so I stayed in areas where I was shielded. The first thing I noticed about the plaque was that the lock on the bottom right was rusted out and broken, but it was due to salt water and not being tampered with..

 

 

Next, I noticed the chain is rusting.. (notice the little resident on the bottom corner).

 

 

Next it was time to poke around a little bit, so I dropped in and checked out the toilet, lol..  Pics are of the toilet and bathroom wall (yeah I know its called a "head").  While I was down there, another seal came out of one of the ship's cutouts- doing some penetration diving in search of lunch I guess..  :o)