Two Years and Progress Continues.

[ArcticDiver]

It has been two years since the trauma and 14 months since the second surgery. Yesterday was time for a progress check and, hopefully, a morale boost. So I decided to try riding my carbon fibre road bike for the first time in the two years. Still lots of drama getting on the bike. Even got a few punctures and scratches from the front gear ring. The bike is short coupled so it is really twitchy. But I managed for a short 17 mile ride through the hills. Today I had an excellent workout with weights that included swinging two 25 pound weights from waist to overhead multiple times and only fell back on the bench once.

I've a 33 mile Club ride mid-month ride. And I've more walking exercises on the agenda.

At this rate I'm thinking I need to be thinking of where to make my first dives. Definitely needs to be warm water. Any suggestions?

[Tom Nic]

Nothing like Bonaire.

We dive in shorts and T-shirts, water 80-84 degrees, minimal weight needed.

Dive where you want, how you want, shore or boat. Go with a Bonaire veteran or have folks on the board point you to easy entry sites.

[fmerkel]

Great that you are making good progress!

Another vote for Bonaire (long way for you though). Pretty easy shore diving with complete control over your dives.

[Matt S.]

Bonaire is incredible.

http://wrongcrowd.com/gallery/bonaire0212

[ArcticDiver]

Yes, Bonaire is a long way. I know how I fare flying down to SEA and then on to DEN. Bonaire not out of the question. But, have to plan so my body doesn't rebel at being told to sit for so long.

Maybe someplace a bit closer?

[fmerkel]

So where do AK divers go for a tropical vacation? It seems a long way to anywhere warm and sunny from there.

Kona, HI isn't bad at all. The shore diving is a bit more challenging but not bad if the surf isn't up. Boats can be good but expensive.
The island itself is WAY more interesting than Bonaire.

[ArcticDiver]

Pre-trauma my favorite dive destinations were Vancouver Island, Oahu, Key Largo, Maui and the lakes and ponds here. Did a little bit of river diving at our place off the road system. Had to watch out though because the water was shallow and once in awhile a jet boat would come roaring by. But, mainly I had the place to myself except on weekends.

Hawaii is easy to get to. About 45min to ANC, a one hour layover and 6 hours to HNL. But the dive shops I dove with are no more. Maui is, Expensive. Key Largo is not as easy to get to as it used to be. Now AS goes into Ft. Lauderdale instead of Miami. Still, a big layover in SEA for rest and direct FLL. With the right dive shop and companions Key Largo could be fun.

Pretty verbose. But it IS brainstorming.

[lavachickie]

Easy breezy diving in the Florida Keys; I recommend Quiescence in Key Largo. Airfare even from here is a bear, though. Maui is certainly closer for you. I highly recommend Extended Horizons in Lahaina. LOVE that crew. :luv:

Congrats on the improvements, and wishes for many more.

[Penopolypants]

Perhaps some places in the Baja? Loreto, La Paz, Cabo Pulmo? Warm, clear water to dive in, and delicious food, cervezas, and tequila on the surface. Relatively inexpensive. Easy access from Seattle, dunno about Alaska.

[Magoi]

I would second Baja. Flights can be broken up. 2.5 hr from Seattle to LA, then less than 2 hr to Loreto after a layover. Boat rides in Loreto are also fairly short. Boat rides in La Paz are about an hour or more. I think flights to La Paz by Alaska have been discontinued. Loreto water will be around 80 in the fall. Cabo Pulmo is a flight to Cabo San Lucas then about an hour and a half by car.

[sitkadiver]

Yup I would focus on West Coast of Mexico or HI. Sound like you have been to HI and know what that's all about.

If you go to Mexico I bet a little research would yield lots of Alaskan ex-pats living there. There are Sitkans who spend 3 - 6 months a year down there.

[Tom Nic]

Question for those of you who have been to Loreto, relevant to OP's situation: Is most of the diving done from Pangas? And don't most of them not have ladders?

If that is the case then getting back in the boat after a dive might be a bit of a challenge for a differently abled diver.

Just one more factor to consider when planning where to spend those hard earned and limited vacation dollars.

We are somewhat spoiled by an abundance of easy entry shore dive sites and charters with wonderful ladders. In other places the difficult to get in and out of sites outnumber the easy ones.

[Magoi]

I have been diving from La Paz, Cabo Pulmo, and Loreto. It is true that you dive from a panga, but the ones in La Paz and Loreto are large pangas. Only Cabo Pulmo had a panga driven from the rear of the boat. All the dive boats I have been on have ladders and were not difficult to use. All boats I've been on also had canopies except for Cabo. The ladders at Cabo Pulmo were short ones, but I was able to get in the boat on a dive with 6 ft waves, and I am an old guy - over 60. Entries are usually back roll over the side, coordinated. They have you take your gear off in the water and they haul it up over the side of the panga. The companies I have been with are Carey in La Paz,and Dolphin in Loreto, and the PADI shop in Cabo Pulmo. I had good experiences with all.

[Tom Nic]

Glad to hear!

[ArcticDiver]

Sorry to be absent for a bit. We were off celebrating our wedding anniversary.

Been to Cozumel. Our entire group, save a kid who only ate chips and drank coke, were sick. Other than that Mexican diving was very good. What y'all propose for Mexico sounds good. Need to get more info on that.

[renoun]

What y'all propose for Mexico sounds good. Need to get more info on that.

If you aren't in Los Cabos Baja won't be like Cozumel and I suspect you will appreciate that. There is a lot of really cool non-diving recreation down there if you are willing to get off the beaten path a bit and explore. I'd suggest building some time in to your trip to go up into the mountains, see some the old missions, look for petroglyphs, and especially to go see the grey whales at their Pacific Coast calving grounds. Most of Baja away from Los Cabos and the Ensenada area is populated by people with a pioneering spirit that would be familiar to an Alaskan. My knowledge is slightly dated but feel free to PM me if you need suggestions.

[ArcticDiver]

Sounds really good. Thanks for all the info. As I get a bit further along I'll pin it down. Right now it seems Baja or Key Largo make the most sense. One would mix in a new adventure and the other would be going back to a familiar place but not doing some of the more extended dives.

I'm headed out the door now for a short ride as a prep for a 33 mile ride on Saturday. It follows the river so is flat but all up grade. Since it is a Ride and not a Race(I don't race) I'd do it, pre-trauma, comfortably in around two hours. Now? We'll see.

[oldsalt]

[quote="ArcticDiver"]Sorry to be absent for a bit. We were off celebrating our wedding anniversary.

quote]

Happy anniversary. Do you think it will last?
-Curt (Not taking these milestones for granted.)

[sitkadiver]

You could always just jump down to Sitka..... It's the Club Med of Southeast !!!

[ArcticDiver]

You could always just jump down to Sitka..... It's the Club Med of Southeast !!!

Pre-trauma Sitka was on my To Do list. But I just wasn't able to put all the pieces and dollars together. I haven't sold my "classic" Diving Concepts suit. So, after my initial forays maybe we can make it happen.

[ArcticDiver]

Sorry to be absent for a bit. We were off celebrating our wedding anniversary.

quote]

Happy anniversary. Do you think it will last?
-Curt (Not taking these milestones for granted.)

Well,it has only been 51 years so the jury is still out.

[ArcticDiver]

Fourteen months after the spine rebuild I can ride a bike! Today's 33 mile ride was a success. Now to finish learning to walk and I'm in business!

In the meantime running down the details of the next step is front and center.

[Emilyrc]

I'm glad for you! Great progress.