Underwater Adventures in the Gulf Coast

So it was my first attempt at scuba diving ever, and it took place in the waters of Panama City Beach, FL.  Of course I had to run a few miles just to calm myself down, this happens anytime I am on a trip anywhere, so business as usual.  My brother Ozmin has been hounding me for years to join him on his adventures underwater, and so I heeded to his call. Scuba stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus simply because scuba diving involves using a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (an air tank and 2 stage regulator system) to allow you to breathe air underwater.

I had to go thru what I anticipated being a dull class of learning what I initially thought was as simple as oxygen tanks allowing you to breath under water. My mind wandered until my attention perked when we began discussing atmospheric pressure, and how for every 10 meters of water submersion, your body will experience an additional strain of another atmospheric pressure.  So when under water by 10 meters you have 2 units of atmospheric pressure on your body, most noticeable in your ears and sinus areas, but also in your lungs.  All of which have air in them.  I quickly related the opposite of this to mountaineering, and how thin air acts on the body.  The mix of knowledge enriched the class for me.  The instructor, Todd, was very well informed on scuba diving.  I also checked off on the Nitrox class, which contrary to my initial superficial understanding is more oxygen in the tank, not more nitrogen, the name can be misleading.

This skill set should help me in my adventures to Malaysia this summer when exploring the waters of the Island of Borneo.  Now that I have decompressed from all that pressure, I plan to head off to the Grand Canyon for some running in the snow on the South Rim, down to the Colorado River, and back up to the North Rim snow, only to descend back to the Colorado at Phantom Ranch, send off a few post cards, and then back up to the South Rim for a double crossing attempt.