Next weekend I do my first open water dive.  We will be going to the Homestead Resort's famous Crater to do it.  The Crater brings back a lot of memories as I was assigned to guard it during the 2002 Olympics as part of the Utah National Guard (the cross-country skiers where staying at the Homestead and needed security).  I have never been inside the Crater, other than to do the pre-Olympic bomb screenings, and never had a chance to get in the water inside the Crater.  Back when I was about 8, my family stayed at the Homestead for a family reunion, but that was before there was access to the water inside the Crater.  My wife is pretty convinced she doesn't like scuba diving so far, hopefully we'll get her through the course and get her certified. 

For those who don't know anything about the Crater, it looks sort of like a volcano.  It is a natural hot spring that has been bubbling up for like 10,000 years and has built a mineral dome over that time.  The water is about 90 degrees, so it's like Utah's largest bathtub. 

I also decided to certify for Nitrox, or Enriched Air.  This allows you extended bottom time (not going to get into the physics of it).  I really can't wait to get to Cozumel and Grand Cayman in May.  Anyway, I could probably say something about RSL, but right now, scuba to me is more fun than the pain that RSL seems to cause.

        

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion