July 8, 2000: Weeki Wachee, Florida

"Weeki Wachee"

Diving in the land of the Mermaids:

• Directions from Tampa: Weeki Wachee is just south of the intersection of State Road 19 and State Road 50. Weeki Wachee is technically it's own city, but I've seen it referred to as part of Brooksville, as well as part of Spring Hill.
• Conditions on the day of my visit: Sunny initially, some scattered rain here and there; comfortable in the afternoon.
  
  
• Personal Notes: This was a "working" day, making sure everyone got into the water safely, had a good time, and didn't do anything they weren't supposed to. After the first dive, my sister, John, and I did a fun dive; later in the the afternoon, my sister helped Neptune Divers with a "scuba experience," where we guide a non-diver through a sample dive.
  
  During the first dive, one of my sister's students near panicked; her weight belt came off and she came up to us, holding it in her hands. She nearly shot to the surface; it was all my sister could to do hold her down. My sister took her weight belt from her and managed (with a little help from me) to keep the diver under control. She handed the weight belt to me; it took filling my BC all the way up to keep from sinking like a rock. To the other extreme, I almost popped up like a cork when I let go of the belt. I had thought about it in advance though and began dumping the instant I let go though.
  
  We got the belt back on her, though, and my sister did a bit of a quick ascent; she had me guide her other student up at a more reasonable pace.
  
  The diver on the scuba experience did very well; he was the camera man for a commercial the park was filming (a "corporate commercial," the kind they show to stockholders or a board-of-directors).