Diving

It looks like they're going to dive for the CTD after all. I don't like the idea, but fortunately it won't be me doing it.

I've been a recreationally-certified diver forever (PADI), but the institute won't allow me to dive for them until I complete a scientific diver certification through a research diving agency. As far as I can tell it's not that much beyond recreational certification (which is a prerequisite) as far as the material covered, though the physical standards are quite a bit tougher. For one thing I have to pay for a very thorough $400 dive physical out of my own pocket.

So I'm not really looking forward to getting that, especially since a lot of the diving we do for the job is not exactly fun -- retrieving an instrument off the bottom of some muddy estuary in February in 55-degree water, wearing a drysuit, for example. It will potentially make my own research projects go more quickly, though, if I can do my own diving. On the other hand, I'll probably spend a lot of time diving for other people's projects.

I do want to take advantage of the recreational wreck diving here, since this is such a fantastic area for it. I really need a refresher course first, since it's been a long time and most of those dives are pretty deep. I may also decide to work toward becoming a SCUBA instructor.