First open water dive of 2010 (in MN)

[rcojr]

I want to make two points

1) On the drysuit buoyancy, if your in shallow water(10 15 20ft) and you come up 2ft the volume of air change and your buoyancy change is a lot more then a 2ft change at deeper depth (40 50 60ft).
I have always found a drysuit easier to control at a deeper depth.
If you try to learn in 10ft of water you are learning in the hardest environment that you will experience.
If your on the Madiera and you have the mooring line to descend and ascend with I wouldn't be afraid of the stern. 40ft at the top and 65ft at the bottom.

2) When you navigate the Madiera the thing to remember is the rock-sand line.
There are a lot of boulders that have fallen from the cliff face and are in the water just below the cliff.
There are large boulders that slope down from the cliff face to the sand at about a 45 degree angle.
If you are on the bow just find where the rocks meet the sand and follow it.
It will take you to the stern, pilot house. smoke stack, midsection wreckage, and the mast. The bow is in 40ft and the mast is in 120ft.
Going out keep the rocks on your left side and coming in keep them on your right side and you won't get lost.
Bob