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Bryan
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Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:10 am

Please welcome our Christmas Featured Diver Barb Heil. Barbs NAVED card did not scan very well so I apologize that I don't have it posted.
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Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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ivan's mermaid
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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:49 pm
Location: Colerain

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:42 am

Good Morning Everyone, and Merry Christmas.

I am honored to share my dive story however; while I guess you can say I am old enough to be a “vintage diver” I am a relative new comer to vintage diving.

I grew up and still live in land locked Cincinnati, Ohio. I don’t think you can say it’s actually land locked since “The Nati” is right on the Ohio River, but I wouldn’t dive there. Oh and then there’s Lake Erie, up on the North Shore, I have fished there but never dove. Anyway….

Our family never went on a vacation to the seashore, and my front yard wasn’t Lake Michigan, but we did have an above ground swimming pool in the back yard.
ImageMy brothers and I spent hours making whirlpools and shallow diving in the 4 feet of water. Holding our noses and swimming in between the rungs of the ladder; pretending we were fishing, but never pretending we were scuba diving.

While I am old enough to have watched Sea Hunt (not the reruns) and even though our family gathered in front of the TV watching the travels of The Calypso I can say again, I never thought about learning to dive. Until that is, I met my (current) boyfriend.

To warm me up to diving Rob took me to Northern Florida where we snorkeled in Ginnie Springs, and down the Itchetuknee River. Image

I spent a whole week in the water; never saw a gator, or a gator warning sign
Image(thanks to Rob and his Amigo Wayne) and I fell in love with the beautiful clear springs.

When we returned, Rob suggested that I participate in a discover scuba class. My daughter and a couple of my other girlfriends came along. Rob spent the entire night with my friend Darlene, comforting her in the shallow end. I think he may have looked over at me once or twice.
Even though he pretty much ignored me, I really had a great time that night, and I started lessons which were a gift from Rob in 2002, at the age of 51. When we signed up for the classes no one mentioned anything about an age limit. I eagerly read my PADI manual, watched the VHS tapes and was ready for the first assignment. Filling out the paperwork that first night of class I found out that you had to have a doctor’s permission or a physical if you were over the age of 45. I was mortified because, even though they allowed me to stay that night, they made me stay in the shallow end while all the younger folks got to go in the deep end.

I finished the class work and I got my Open Water Certification. I chose to do my check out dives in Ginnie Springs, and was happy to be back in those crystal clear waters. I was thinking that I could concentrate more on my diving skills there than in the ocean, and not have to worry about sharks or other creatures. While doing my snorkel/regulator exchange in the run from the Devil’s Eye to the Devil’s Ear a water snake swam through my hairImage////// He’s kinda hard to see on the photo, so I outlined him for you, so much for avoiding scary critters.
I of course purchased modern equipment, and while I knew Rob was collecting old stuff, I had no idea of the depth of his passion. I guess you can say it rubbed off on me. I had been fooling around with diving vintage gear in the springs and local quarries using Rob’s equipment until I purchased my own Phoenix from VDH in 2009.
Because of our association with VDH and all of our friends in the vintage diving community, I’ve been lucky enough to be a cast member at both of the Sea Hunt events in Silver Springs, the beautiful waters of Weeki Wachee,Imagewhere I got to try on a “tail” and also at the Legends of Diving gathering at Unexso. I purchased my own (Klauda) cotton travel harness for the Unexso event, which lead to me becoming a “model” so to speak. You can find me on VDH in the products section modeling Allan’s cotton harnesses.

While I’m not the most hard core, or well versed in the workings of vintage equipment you’ll rarely see me without my vintage oval dacor mask, jet fins and slick skin beaver tail wet suit.

I really, really value my friendship with the VDH folks, and enjoy the forum and our tripsImageI can’t wait to roast more marshmallow “peeps” at the next Sand Dog.
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swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:51 am

Really enjoyed your write up Barb. The pictures were great too. Thank you for posting that!!! I cannot wait to dive with you again.

Jim

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Aileron
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Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:24 am
First Name: Lisa
Location: Stuart, FL

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 12:07 pm

Great write up Barb!!! Yea...Girl Power!!!

It was great to meet both you and Rob and Silver Springs and looking forward to meeting up again at Sand Dog!!!

Merry Christmas to you, Rob and Big Bob!!!
The Kids: Royal Mistral, Voit Faux 50 Fathom, Jet Air, PRAM x 2, Snark III Silver, DA, Healthways, DA Non Mag
NAVED #205

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sitkadiver
Master Diver
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First Name: Dave
Location: Sitka, Alaska

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:14 pm

Miss Barb,

From the few dealings I have had with you and Rob and the Scuba Museum I have nothing but positive things to say. You guys are great. I truely hope to meet up with you sometime when I'm in the lower 48.

Now...... A SNAKE IN YOUR HAIR!?!?!?!?! That would end my diving career. And it didn't look like a small snake either.....
I do not believe in taking unnecessary risks, but a life without risk is not worth living. - Charles Lindbergh

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ivan's mermaid
Master Diver
Posts: 165
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:49 pm
Location: Colerain

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:58 pm

Thanx for the kind words. I keep trying to get Rob to go on a trip to Alaska. I was there in 07. Rob was born on Kodiak Island.... I'll keep working on him.

Barb
Image

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antique diver
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First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 4:03 pm

:lol: You must have been seriously dedicated to diving to stick with the class after the snake swam through your hair. There are lot's of guys that would have given it up after that test. :lol:

Thanks for sharing your experiences and photos!
The older I get the better I was.

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Vintagediver
Master Diver
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Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:28 pm
Location: Benzonia, Michigan

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 4:12 pm

Hi Barb, and a Very Merry Christmas to you! I really enjoyed your write up, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you and all of the rest of The VDH gang at Portage again next summer. Terry
The friendship of many has been inspired and created while together we've explored beneath the waves the wonders of God's creation.

NAVED Member #137
Member of The 2016, 2017 Sea Hunt Forever Dive Team

Scuba Cowboy
Master Diver
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Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:25 pm
Location: Yuma, AZ

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:45 pm

Great write-up Barb, good to see you as the featured diver. I too hope to meet you & Rob someday.
Dale Swift

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8dust
Master Diver
Posts: 551
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:39 am
Location: Nashville's North Shore

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:29 pm

Nice write-up Barb!

That's quite a picture of you poolside :o

Hope you guys will come down again soon to TN. Looking forward to a beer with you both in PCB! :D

Fred
Freddo
NAVED member #201

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DaleC
Master Diver
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Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:46 pm
First Name: Dale
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Contact: Website

Re: Barb Heil

Sun Dec 25, 2011 11:50 pm

Nice write up Barb. It's great for us distant divers to learn the background stories of so many posters here. The snake story is great; my wife says I won't have to worry about that in a couple of years though.
And, am I the only one to think you were "smokin" beside that pool?
NAVED #203
#20 International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons

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ivan's mermaid
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Location: Colerain

Re: Barb Heil

Mon Dec 26, 2011 1:47 am

DaleC wrote:Nice write up Barb. It's great for us distant divers to learn the background stories of so many posters here. The snake story is great; my wife says I won't have to worry about that in a couple of years though.
And, am I the only one to think you were "smokin" beside that pool?
Thanx for thinking I was "smokin" back then, oh, you mean smokin a cigarette........ everyone I knew back in 1968 smoked. Everytime Mike Nelson surfaced from a dive adventure I remember him lighting up. Not saying it's a good thing, just something I did... :)
Image

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Herman
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Location: Raleigh NC

Re: Barb Heil

Mon Dec 26, 2011 1:28 pm

Nice write up Barb,it's always a pleasure to dive with you and Rob.

And Dale, she still is smokin.
Herman

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DaleC
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First Name: Dale
Location: Left Coast, Canada
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Re: Barb Heil

Mon Dec 26, 2011 2:34 pm

I didn't even notice the cigarette :wink:
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#20 International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons

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captain
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:32 am
Location: LaPlace, LA

Re: Barb Heil

Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:52 am

I believe Barb has the distinction of being the first female NAVED member. Congratulations.
Captain

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