Entry: My (partial) Sunday On the Water

More pictures of diving. Again, though, no cool underwater pictures. I don't seem to like diving in places where you can actually see anything. Today's dive was in Lake Murray just outside of Columbia, SC. I was fortunate to be able to go out with some students from the International Diving Institute. There are no shots of me here as I was the one with the camera all day.

Things I learned today:

• Wipe off camera lens after having it in the water. Subsequent surface shots come out kinda blurry if you don't. (Common sense? Yes, I think so!)
• How not to remove a fin from one's foot while still in the water.
• How to turn a dive reel into a giant floating spaghetti monster at 65 feet.

The happy couple relaxing in the back.

Kim looking all authoritative.

A gentleman whose name I can't recall. I thus dub him "BillysDad". Anyway, I snapped this shot of BillysDad at the helm.

This is BillysDad actually posing. Seriously...I'm not kidding.

Jus' hang'n.

Yes. Out double-decker pontoon boat came complete with water slide. What better accessory for a boat dive is there?

Mike hanging out on top.

I feel like total arse for not remember this guy's name. He's the guy who loaned me his spare fins after I lost one of mine. Total life-saver.

Billy and Trace looking for the marker buoy that marks the submerged bridge. BTW, it was never found. <:(

Random islands.

Another random island.

The ladies hanging out in the back.

A shot of my obnoxiously yellow fin in the water. This is to give an idea regarding visibility. Then again, it doesn't help that this picture was taken while I was in the shadow of the boat.

Divers in.

No idea who's in this shot.

Another boat shot.

And another.

Dive 1 complete. Time for surface interval.

Kim, regaling us with stories of past diving glories whilst imparting wisdom from immeasurable experience.

Mike: "Where are the pole dancers?"

"Yes, Mr. camera man? Can I help you?"

Actually not what it looks like, hilariously enough.

"I'm just gonna sit here on my slide and...not slide. By the way, where's the fried chicken?"

"Cap'n Morgan, sir."

In the water again.

Waiting for stragglers.

Shot of the bottom at 20 feet.

Shot of my dive buddy at 20 feet. The murk is actually do to silting, not the water being that nasty.

Ok. Time for some history. Something you should know about Lake Murray and the role it played in the Doolittle Raid.

Remnants of spent munitions found on the bottom. Stood next to air tank for scale.

Her: "Hey, honey. How was your day?"

Him: "Great. Found a WWII bomb in the lake."

Another picture of the bomb.

A portion of a detonator that I found.

Organizing everything after returning from the dives.