The 27th Annual NCUPS Beach Photo Competition was today and I competed for the third time, but it was my first time competing in the digital category and my first time since 2004. I managed to get Honorable Mentions in the three main catergories: Macro, Wide Angle, and Portrait, as well as a 1st Place in the Humorous category.

After two dives at South Monastery, we headed to the Breakwater to be closer to Backscatter for image submission. Suffice to say, that last dive would have been better spent at the pub. I was rushed for time, and the visibility was a wee-bit on the poopy side. The worst of all was my lack of conditioning.

After two strenuous dives at a steep Monastery Beach with long surface swims, my left leg finally gave out on the swim back in at the Breakwater. Upon surfacing, my left quadricep started cramping. I bent my knee to try and stretch and suddenly my left hamstring starts cramping. What followed was several minutes of groaning while I alternated bending and straightening my leg...to no avail. For some reason I blamed the cramping due to the style of kicking required on the surface. Since I didn't cramp up underwater, I thought to myself, I might as well drop back down and take my chances. Instead, with camera in left hand and my left leg a solid mass of knotting muscle, I clawed at the sand with my free hand and kicked with my one good leg. I did not get far. I swallowed my pride, resurfaced, and got towed back in.