Scuba Camp?

What do you guys think about this one? A live aboard scuba camp for teens... interesting!

Check it out here:
http://www.gobroadreach.com/programs/scuba_diving_camps.asp

April Fav Blogs

April was a blast! Here are the five most popular posts from April (as measured in comments). We had fun, hope you did too :)

First of all, you guys loved Jenny's Mo's first official underwater post:
http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/down-line_12.html

Also, "Feeding Frenzy" was a hit with the web crowd:
http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/feeding-frenzy.html

"Feeding Frenzy" was not to be outdone by "TwoTone Tan Lines"
http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/twotone-scuba-tan-lines.html

Both with four comments. Moving into the three comments category, we had the very, very sad event of a shark attack in San Diego. Thanks to the community for helping us honor this gentleman in his untimely death:
http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/suspected-great-white-shart-attack-san.html

We had some fun advice from Jenny Mo and web friends about proper mask clearing. I've not been diving in the ocean yet, so I can only "picture" what you guys are talking about. However, it seems like you all did an amazing job describing what I should do once I get certified! If you missed it, check it out here:
http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/loosen-up.html

We also have one more post that was the most "fun" for us... we love making connections online and we really found some great scuba friends in the midst of my ode to Traci's love of mermaids!
http://twotank.blogspot.com/2008/04/traci-who-loves-you.html

As you can tell, we are all nearing the end of finals, but we are still pretty school focused so the blogging has been hit or miss. Soon after finals, Z and I will be getting certified so that will be fun and funny all at the same time :) We have our fingers crossed that we will be taking an all girls dive trip before the summer is out, but we will keep you posted! Any ideas? We need to go somewhere that is a long weekend away from the US.

If you have a favorite friend on TwoTank you can get the posts by author as follows:

Jenny Mo: http://twotank.blogspot.com/search/label/Jenny%20Mo
Traci: http://twotank.blogspot.com/search/label/Traci
Z (who has been studying A LOT): http://twotank.blogspot.com/search/label/Z
Me (Kari): http://twotank.blogspot.com/search/label/Kari

Hugs and Fishes,
Kari

Three Down - One to Go!

I just finished a final that was so confusing and hard that I cannot describe it other than as my worst school nightmare for three hours in slow-mo. Yeah, honey, THREE hours of nothing but essay - corporate law no less. So, that was the end of my third final. I have one more next week.

After that I will be a free woman! I might paint my face blue :) As a celebration, I am taking the rest of the night off from thinking and going to dinner with some old friends from home. I think there are few things on the planet as wonderful as old friends that know you so well, it's almost hard to keep the conversation going because you already know EVERTHING about each other. I love that. So, hats off to old friends and being (almost) done with finals!

Hugs and fishes,
Kari

P.S. Once I'm done with finals I get to start my SCUBA certification... so excited! I've even started calling / e-mailing local shops for price quotes. Don't worry, I blog all the action :)

Nudist Vacations?

Oh, boy.  Where do I begin?  The New York Times Travel Section has a story this week, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem," exposing the growing trend of nudist travel.  Apparently there are all-nude luxury resorts from Mexico to the Caribbean.  This growth industry  is estimated at $440,000,000 last year.  There's even an all-nude Hawaiian cruise scheduled for 2010.  And - get this - they are referring to a such trip as a "nakation." 

There is absolutely no way I would ever do this.  Yes, I'm modest.  But even more importantly, I really don't want to see other nude people frolicking on a cruise ship or lunching by the pool or playing volleyball / water polo or whatever (like in this photo).  However, I think I've figured out why this is becoming popular.  Who wants to go through all the hassle of bringing luggage to an airport these days?  With the nudist vacation, lost luggage is a thing of the past!  Besides, is being nude for a week really that much more embarrassing than having a full body scan at your local airport security checkpoint?   Probably not, unless you're taking a trip with your parents or your boss.  The main problem I foresee is managing to fit a sufficient amount of sunscreen into those Ziplock bags they make you use now.  Click on the title of the post to read the full article in the NYT.

So today's discussion - would you go / have you ever gone on a "nakation?"

Hugs and fishes,

Jenny Mo

TwoTone: SCUBA Tan Lines

Fellow Blogger Maldives Live commented on the post "Loosen Up," saying that the mask mark is not as bad as the scuba tan. I'm inclined to agree, so I'm posting a photo of what can happen when you leave the bottom half of your wetsuit on and unzip the top half and scrunch it down on the boat ride home! As you can see, top half - fabulous, bronze goddess tan. Bottom half? Dita Von Teese. Note to self: Always take wetsuit completely off after the last dive.

Hugs and fishes,

Jenny Mo

Yo Quiero Scuba Dive

Cruel and unusual or just funny?  You be the judge.  Click on the title of the post for more info.

Hugs and Fishes,

Jenny Mo

Loosen Up!

I tend to wear my mask a little too tight when I'm diving. It always seems like the tighter it is, the more it will keep the water out. However, that's not the case! If it fits correctly, it forms a seal, especially at depth with the pressure. I also tend to clear my mask too often because I always think I'll be able to rid it of those few little drops at the bottom. This, too, is a bad habit and I'm pretty sure that when my mask flooded the last time, I was broken of that bad habit. As you can see from the photo (8 hours after my dive) I still have lines on my face from the mask.

For those of you who may be new to diving, here's a bit of mask clearing 101. Why would you ever clear a mask? You might want to deliberately get some water in your mask, or "flood" it, when you're on a dive if you happen to fog up. Or, you may get some water in your mask accidentally and want to get rid of it. Here's how: All you have to do is look up to the surface, take a breath through your regulator, and blow out through your nose as you gently push the top of the mask, tilting it and lifting the seal from the bottom away from your face. The air from your nose completely clears it. The most important thing is to make sure you're looking to the surface at all times so that water doesn't fill it back up as you're clearing it. This is one of the things you'll learn in your certification course, and you should definitely always take a certification course before you dive.

Hugs and fishes,
Jenny Mo

Divers Have Been Rescued

As we posted two days ago, 8 divers were missing in Taiwan. Psychosolodiver (http://psychosolodiver.com/) commented about the rescue today and gave us a link - the 8 missing divers in Taiwan have been rescued after 40 hours! This is such wonderful news, and an answer to our prayers. Click on the title of this post to read the full story from The China Post.

Hugs and fishes,

Jenny Mo

Northern California Diving for Abalone

So there seems to be more to do in Silicon Valley than just conquer the tech world and tour vineyards. It's ABALONE season! I don't exactly know what this means, but if you click on the link above, it will take you to a story in the Mercury News (Silicon Valley's Daily Planet) that will more than adequately inform you of all things abalone.

Apparently, these things are a delicacy. There are a lot of restrictions like - you can't use scuba gear! You have to just free dive (that's diver speak for just holding your breath and going to the bottom until you need to come up for air - I don't see the point, but I guess these Abalone people are into it). And get this! Standard visibility is just 5-6 feet! So basically, you can't see anything, you have no tank or reg or any way to breathe, and temperatures can be in the upper 40s! (That's Fahrenheit - 4 degrees Celsius!) You also need particular gear (including a mollusk scraper) and a sport fishing license. You're only allowed 3 per day or 24 per year, and there's a black market for these little sea critters of up to $100 per abalone. It's also pretty risky because they have to rescue about 50 people per season.

Has anyone ever done this who wants to weigh in? I love diving, but I'm not going through this for shellfish. Also, their numbers are dwindling. Here's a pretty good report on the ecological issues regarding abaolone:

www.werc.usgs.gov/ coastal/abalone.html

Thanks to that website (U.S. Gov) for the photo as well! Very educational. Also, thanks to my marine biology professor in college because I still remember that mollusks have radial symmetry (and I think they're gastropods, too!).

Hugs and fishes,
Jenny Mo

Shorty

One final exam down, one to go.  Kari, Traci, and I all took the same exam today, and what a beast!  So to take our minds off of it, I'm including a photo of me in a shorty wet suit.  I have to say, it's not the most attractive look.  There's something sleek and catlike about the full wetsuit.  The shorty wetsuit looks more like you're a superhero with a bad dry cleaner.  However, O'Neill wetsuits are the best ones I've tried.  They fit well, and they hold up year after year. I have two wetsuits and they're both O'Neill - I have a 5 mil full suit and this 3 mil shorty.  I don't have a drysuit yet.

The good thing about the shorty is that it's a lot easier to get in and out of.  It's also light and a little more comfortable.  I just don't feel quite as spectacular in it though.  How many wetsuits do you own?  Any favorites?  And lastly - would you ever wear a rental wetsuit?  I wouldn't! Not after I learned that people don't always bother to use the "head" on a dive boat.  

Hugs and fishes,

Jenny Mo

8 Divers Missing in China

Eight vacationers went missing on a SCUBA trip to the popular dive destination on the coastal tip of Taiwan at Chihsingyen (Seven Star Rock).  Six men and two women were last seen around noon two days ago, and search and rescue teams have been unable to find them.  Strong currents may have swept them further out to sea.  Click on the title of this post to read the full story.

Thoughts, hopes, and prayers for a safe return. 

Jenny Mo

Countries That Have Visited (thanks for the love)

Thus far, we've met new friends and rad divers who've stopped by TwoTank from the following countries (in order of most hits): USA, Canada, Russian Federation, Guam, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Finland, Argentina, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Northern Marina Islands, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and France. WOW! It's been fun "chatting" with you online and admiring your scuba shots. The next best thing would be to have you show us the best dive sites in all those amazing places. That's the beauty of the web - we can live the adventure with each other! Keep diving, shooting (pictures), and sharing :)

Procrastination Station

Ladies & Gentleman,

Do you have rituals? Activities which are performed every day/week/month at a certain hour regardless of time/weather/responsibilities?

Every Sunday, I enter the lives of others by viewing secrets here: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
I think it makes me a better person. It is also reassuring that I alone do not harbor mean thoughts. I have sent in several secrets but none, thus far, have been published on the web, booooooooo. The secrets change every week, so I save the ones that I think are particularly sad or touching...my favorites are posted here!

In less than 15 hours, I will be taking a Community Property exam & yet I just took 20 minutes to peruse the anonymous secrets of people I will never meet. Welcome to my procrastination station. Happy studying,
traci