This would be my father's first time back under in three years and just like my brother, I looked very much forward to getting in with him. Now began the hard part, the gear up! For someone who hasn't been diving for a while, this can be quite a challenge and for my dad......it was! My brother and I "walked" him through the process of setting up his reg, tank and BCD, and it was next time for the wetsuit "wrestle". With some strain and effort and a lot of help from my brother, he was finally suited up and ready to enter the water and of course I took pictures!
As they walked in, I stayed back to finish my own gear up. I was knee deep in the water when they yelled that my dad had forgotten his mask. Back I went. With mask in hand, I trudged back in once again now thigh deep. They yelled again! This time they'd realized that they did not have his weight belt! I laughed and once more headed back to my brother's truck. This time with weight belt firmly in hand, I headed back out towards them. I was waist deep when I was informed that my dad didn't have his hood! I headed back to the truck for the third time. Having grabbed the hood, I stopped at the water's edge. Before heading further in, this time I asked if they were missing anything now? They weren't and after a few laughs we were together and ready to submerge. Sometimes diving is quite a workout!
After a buoyancy check at the surface and a few weight adjustments with my dad, he and I dropped while my brother finished his gear assembly. I wanted to make sure that my dad was comfortable in his gear and that it worked properly in very shallow water before the three of us continued. After doing so, my brother met us again and we kicked out about a couple hundred feet to our drop point. Visibility was very low so my brother brought up the rear while I led with my dad staying between us. We eventually came to an instructor platform and hung around there for several minutes. My brother decided to stand on his head on the platform and in doing so, his j-valve became stuck in the chain link that makes up the platform. He was stuck! I watched briefly as he worked to free himself. I knew that he was in no danger and that if he was alone, he could safely get out of the situation which he now found himself in. Because I was there, I helped pull the chain link off of his valve and shortly, away the three of us went following a navigation line to a very special site!
As we slowly ascended, the excitement mounted and I pointed upward! We followed the chain, finally popping our heads above the water. It was then that we showed him! The giant phallus bobbed gently on the surface, a buoy painted to look like a penis! That's right! In Kingman wash there is a huge floating penis....and now you know! By the way my father almost bumped his head on the bottom of said large floating penis buoy on our way back up! All in all, this was a very good day and dive and pater familius did very well throughout! I really hope it's not another three years before his next dive!
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