|
I had a great dive yesterday. Also my deepest dive that wasn't a bounce dive in cold water. We were supposed to dive the Baleen which is 170fsw in sand with top deck at 160fsw. We arrived at the site and found there was a massive gill net right next to the mooring so that was quickly ruled out. We dove the Snetind instead. Awesome wreck! It was my first time diving it and I can't wait to go back. Max depth is around 190fsw. I hit 185fsw for a little bit spend the majority of my dive at 170-175fsw. http://www.northernatlanticdive.com/shipwrecks/schooner_barge/schooner_barge.htm Did around ~26 minute bottom time. My total runtime was about 65 minutes. I had a partially flooded drysuit (leak in one of my boots near the seam) but still managed to stay warm on my deco. Bottom temperature was around 42F. Most deco was spent in 56F. I dont have drygloves so my hands were freezing at depth. Trimix is addictive. I can't compare my narcosis because I had never done this dive before but I definitely felt way more focused than on air. I dove it with 21/30 (all I had available) but I would have liked to dive it with 18/45. macado fucked around with this message at 14:41 on Jun 24, 2013 |
#
?
Jun 23, 2013 15:44
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 16:23 |
|
|
Had pretty good dives today. Did my last OW dive and got certed,then did a fun dive putzing around the Quarry with my Instructor. Visibility was around 10ft and water temp was a balmy 74 at 20ft. Both dives lasted around 30 mins though I really need to work on being an air hog. Now to rinse of my gear in a tiny apartment tub...
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2013 23:59
|
|
|
Gindack posted:Had pretty good dives today. Did my last OW dive and got certed,then did a fun dive putzing around the Quarry with my Instructor. Visibility was around 10ft and water temp was a balmy 74 at 20ft. Gongrats on the OW cert. Also, Scott totally posts everyones names/photos on facebook ;p You gonna continue training?
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 02:38
|
|
|
Trivia posted:So boys and girls, I promised pics and by god you will get them. Sorry for the lateness, I'm extremely lazy you see. Gindack posted:Had pretty good dives today. Did my last OW dive and got certed,then did a fun dive putzing around the Quarry with my Instructor. Visibility was around 10ft and water temp was a balmy 74 at 20ft.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 05:30
|
|
|
Trivia posted:So boys and girls, I promised pics and by god you will get them. Sorry for the lateness, I'm extremely lazy you see. The baby white tip takes the cake 
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 06:23
|
|
|
macado posted:Bottom temperature was around 42F. Most deco was spent in 56F. I dont have drygloves so my hands were freezing at depth....
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 06:44
|
|
|
Bishop posted:Oh my god that water temp. I would die. Probably even with a drysuit on. Also without gloves I can only imagine how lovely it was to deal with boltsnaps or other clips on your rig. 2 Words... gently caress THAT poo poo
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 08:03
|
|
|
Crunkjuice posted:Gongrats on the OW cert. Also, Scott totally posts everyones names/photos on facebook ;p You gonna continue training? I am for sure the gooniest individual on that page. But yeah I am going to continue training after I get my buoyancy and air use to respectable levels as well as more dives under my belt. For sure looking at AoW and Nitrox cert, after that I have no idea. Tech diving looks like a fun and interesting way to kill myself. Also is the solo diver course through padi worth a drat? Seems like some charters won't let you go alone unless you have the card.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 14:18
|
|
|
Gindack posted:I am for sure the gooniest individual on that page. But yeah I am going to continue training after I get my buoyancy and air use to respectable levels as well as more dives under my belt. For sure looking at AoW and Nitrox cert, after that I have no idea. Tech diving looks like a fun and interesting way to kill myself. No harm in jumping straight on an AOW course - if you're still getting used to getting neutrally buoyant the AOW is a good way to work through it more with an instructor. Don't even think about tech or solo diving till you've got a heap of recreational experience! No harm reading as much as you want about post open water dive theory though. I would recommend getting a hold of the PADI encyclopaedia, it's a pretty good book and is a very useful reference for every recreational diver
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 14:28
|
|
|
Bishop posted:Oh my god that water temp. I would die. Probably even with a drysuit on. Also without gloves I can only imagine how lovely it was to deal with boltsnaps or other clips on your rig. I dream of doing some deco dives in warmer waters soon but right now I have to use what I have in my backyard. Have two charters planned this weekend. Friday (exploration charter in 150fsw range to look for new wrecks and Saturday diving the Miss Sonya in 160fsw. http://www.northernatlanticdive.com/shipwrecks/Miss_Sonya/Miss_Sonya.htm Thinking of going down to Pompano Beach soon and diving the Hydro Atlantic. Anyone ever dive that?
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 14:44
|
|
|
BlueBayou posted:I am going to Cancun in 2 weeks and have been doing all my classroom and pool stuff here in Boston. Then going to do the open water dives in Mexico I must have missed when you said you did your classroom/pool in Boston. What shop did you go through? If you want to lobster or do any shore/boat diving in New England and want a buddy let me know.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 14:58
|
|
|
Tomberforce posted:
Yeah I don't plan on doing tech diving for quite some time, that is definitely a long term goal. Thanks for the book suggestion, any others you recommend?
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 15:06
|
|
|
macado posted:I must have missed when you said you did your classroom/pool in Boston. What shop did you go through? East Coast Divers. Easier to get to than Boston Scuba on the T/bus. I really want to do a lobster dive. Although maybe they are boring. Im out of town till after the 4th but then am free pretty much non-stop (ah the carefree life of a grad student). But yeah, Im down to dive. My uncle lives up in Gloucester, so I'm keen to dive up there sometime
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 15:18
|
|
|
BlueBayou posted:East Coast Divers. Easier to get to than Boston Scuba on the T/bus. Cool. I know new owners (Nick and Alex) of East Coast Divers pretty well. Good guys. I also know a lot of the instructors there. I'm always up in Gloucester. Lobster diving is fun; It's the thrill of the hunt, definitely not boring since the lobsters in New England fight back.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 15:43
|
|
|
Gindack posted:Yeah I don't plan on doing tech diving for quite some time, that is definitely a long term goal. Thanks for the book suggestion, any others you recommend? IANTD Encyclopedia, NOAA diving Manual.. Those two are just AWESOME!! If you want real answers to everything they got it!
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 19:03
|
|
|
Man I don't know what it is or how they do it, I went into the LDS with the intentions of returning my rental gear and maybe picking up a BCD. Walked out with a used Knighthawk w/air2 a new Mk11/C200 Regulator and a new subgear xph computer. Totally blew my budget but I have most of my gear now. Also, how often does IANTD and NOAA update their books and would an older edition at a used bookstore be just as good?
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
I've heard you can take introductory classes that allow you to dive after taking a 3-4 hour introductory course, and that if you then decide to get certified after, the hours spent on this course count towards your final certification in some way. Is there any truth to this?
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 22:09
|
|
|
DarkDwarf posted:I've heard you can take introductory classes that allow you to dive after taking a 3-4 hour introductory course, and that if you then decide to get certified after, the hours spent on this course count towards your final certification in some way. Is there any truth to this? Yeah you can do a Discover Scuba - worth it if you're not sure whether diving's for you, but will be more expensive in the long run. It does count towards your certification in that technically you can skip the first pool dive of the OW course, but we have students do it anyway, because, well why not practise the skills again? It doesn't make it any cheaper, unfortunately. Tomberforce fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Jun 24, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 23:08
|
|
|
Gindack posted:Man I don't know what it is or how they do it, I went into the LDS with the intentions of returning my rental gear and maybe picking up a BCD. Walked out with a used Knighthawk w/air2 a new Mk11/C200 Regulator and a new subgear xph computer. Totally blew my budget but I have most of my gear now. I am unsure physics changes that much and general diving topics? I mean some newer information may be there but the core science is pretty much unchanged.. And the vast topics covered are quite impressive. I have the Fourth Edition Noaa Manual as well as the Tao of Underwater Survival <-- IANTD. 2 of my 50+ books on diving some are extreme like bubble mechanics LOL
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2013 23:27
|
|
|
Though if you've just finished your rec open water the IANTD/bubble mechanics (haha!) stuff may be a little overkill!
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 01:31
|
|
|
Tomberforce posted:Though if you've just finished your rec open water the IANTD/bubble mechanics (haha!) stuff may be a little overkill! I never think the IANTD is overkill but the bubble mechanics yes :P IANTD is great as it talks about diet, medications, breathing techniques and so forth. It also explains relationship of needing to pee when you hit water and the constriction there in and the reason behind all this stuff. Its really explaining alot about diving. Its pretty much like the sport diver manual of 1973 that I have except more modern LOL Every diver being informed of the complications of medications and underwater I think is of utmost importance. Though I was blissfully unaware and have had incidents of complete panic caused by medication (decongestants are bad mmmkay?). Soon as I stopped never happened again?! Its not uncommon either. I will note during panic I kept my poo poo together but it was pretty drat hard.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 03:01
|
|
|
SlicerDicer posted:
How deep were you when this was happening?
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 03:20
|
|
|
Gindack posted:How deep were you when this was happening? Shallow as 60ft or deep as 130? It happened multiple times actually.. as well as really weird things other times where my face felt like it was rippling, bones wobbling it was NOT GOOD... I will say that much  Though Elevated Partial Pressure exposure long term multi hour.. at 1.3 ppo2 can mess ya
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 06:20
|
|
|
Tomberforce posted:Don't even think about tech or solo diving till you've got a heap of recreational experience! No harm reading as much as you want about post open water dive theory though. I would recommend getting a hold of the PADI encyclopaedia, it's a pretty good book and is a very useful reference for every recreational diver I may be basing this upon my own experience too much (my first dive of TDI Intro to Tech was dive 26), but I don't entirely agree with needing a bunch of recreational experience before considering tech diving. The serious tech stuff, sure, but I thoroughly recommend something like TDI Intro to Tech to anybody who has the minimum dives (25), has a rescue diver qualification (although it's not required), and is comfortable/confident in the water. Compared to a PADI or SSI open water or advanced open water diver, it changes the way people dive - people plan differently, behave differently underwater, and make different equipment choices. I think it's a great course to do early on and to use some of the skills recreationally. Intro to Tech is basically just an introduction to the equipment (twin tanks, long hoses, lift bags, reels, whatever) and mindset (dive planning, self sufficiency, equipment management, problem solving, and so on) that other TDI courses build on, but the course in itself teaches divers a great deal. The more serious TDI courses have much more stringent prerequisites, but I think most recreational divers - so long as they are relatively comfortable in the water - could learn a great deal from an introductory tech course, even if they don't go any further down the tech route. I haven't done any tech diving beyond intro (and sidemount, I guess), but continue to use many of the skills and equipment recreationally. Finch! fucked around with this message at 12:09 on Jun 25, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 07:02
|
|
|
Finch! posted:Blar blah blarh Agreed I think that the way they teach to do things is awesome! Had I started over I would have just gone to IANTD for everything from start to fail ;-)
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 07:39
|
|
|
Finch! posted:
So do you guys feel that PADIs tech training is not adequate in training people in tech diving? Or does TDI just do it better? From what I am getting it seems like is that the skills (outside of basics like buoyancy ect.) that will best translate from recreational to tech is going to be self reliance, dive planning/sticking to it, and equipment management/maintenance. Beyond what was taught in OW what good habits should I be forming and reinforcing now to make me a safer diver and make learning tech easier when I do make that transition?
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 11:29
|
|
|
Gindack posted:So do you guys feel that PADIs tech training is not adequate in training people in tech diving? Or does TDI just do it better? PADI's tech programme is supposed to be terrible. Yeah, I don't disagree at all with Finch that an intro to tech course would benefit recreational diving (especially the mindset/ dive planning stuff) in the early stages, that's all fine, though I would be wary about jumping on a twinset before you're totally comfortable with buoyancy on a single tank. By 'a heap of recreational experience' what I had in mind was similar - 25+ dives, and Rescue, not 200+ dives or anything! My point was more related to just enjoying recreational diving - it has plenty to offer and, having just finished your OW course you've got a shitload of new experiences to enjoy. There's no point thinking about learning to go past your NDL's when you've never got anywhere near them, or wondering what's down at 60 metres when you've never been past 18! It's really great that you're thinking seriously about dive safety and not being complacent about being the safest diver you can be, but use your OW and just go diving at rec depths in safety before worrying about anything beyond. Also do your rescue course! In terms of good habits - practice the skills that you learnt in your OW course in real world dive conditions, not just so you can do them, but so that you can do them instinctively. Sure, you can remove and replace your mask while kneeling in a circle with an instructor next to you - but if you're diving and suddenly an errant fin kick from another diver kicks your mask off, ask yourself honestly how you would react? Also get into the habit of good trim, get properly weighted, horizontal with elevated feet and never have your gauges or occy hanging off and dragging, and never kick up the bottom. Chances are you'll be wearing more weight than you actually need. Looking back at my logbook, I was wearing 18lbs in the pool on my Open water course and it wasn't till my rescue course that I realised that in the pool I didn't actually need any weight at all! Article on trim here: http://scuba.about.com/od/skills/p/Trim-Part-I-What-Is-Proper-Trim-And-Why-Will-It-Improve-Your-Diving.htm Read heaps too (I reckon you'd get more, initially at least, out of the PADI encyclopedia than the IANTD one, and it's considerably cheaper, but hey, go hard on both!) Tomberforce fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Jun 25, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 14:25
|
|
|
Tomberforce posted:PADI's tech programme is supposed to be terrible. One thing to remember is whats in the program are the minimum requirements, and a quality instructor will make sure you get the training you need. How many of us have had instructors that teach extra things because they think they are important? I don't actually know the training requirements of PADI vs DSAT vs TDI etc, but its worth keeping in mind. Then again the quality instructors may not even teach the padi tec course so what do i know.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 16:33
|
|
|
4 more days until i head out to Manado again for a week of diving plus doing my AOW and nitrox certifications. Funny enough i just had a chat with an instructor this evening about doing the TDI Intro to Tech course in the upcoming months and i'm also looking at doing Rescue. So much to do! The only issue with the tech intro is the equipment as i'll probably have to rent the gear although i'd prefer to have my own, i've just put a deposit down on an apartment so i can't be looking at getting a new setup just yet.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 22:24
|
|
|
Tomberforce posted:Yeah you can do a Discover Scuba - worth it if you're not sure whether diving's for you, but will be more expensive in the long run. It does count towards your certification in that technically you can skip the first pool dive of the OW course, but we have students do it anyway, because, well why not practise the skills again? It doesn't make it any cheaper, unfortunately. Will courses that offer this be specifically branded as "Discover Scuba"? E: Or do I need to ask beforehand?
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 22:29
|
|
|
InsomnicIneptitude posted:Will courses that offer this be specifically branded as "Discover Scuba"? http://www.padi.com/scuba/padi-courses/diver-level-courses/view-all-padi-courses/discover-scuba-diving/default.aspx It's that. Most dive shops will run them, and some resorts will run practically nothing but! Though if you can afford it, and have the time - I would skip it and jump straight on an OW course. Crunkjuice posted:One thing to remember is whats in the program are the minimum requirements, and a quality instructor will make sure you get the training you need. How many of us have had instructors that teach extra things because they think they are important? I don't actually know the training requirements of PADI vs DSAT vs TDI etc, but its worth keeping in mind. Yeah absolutely - but from what I've heard from the course director at my shop who teaches both is that it's more that PADI split the tech training into too many phases and charge too much for all of them. Better off doing TDI Adv Nitrox and Deco procedures. I'm not too sure how much the content differs, but no way I'm going PADI for my Tec training. Tomberforce fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Jun 25, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2013 23:43
|
|
|
Just finished four days of diving Sipadan/Mabul/etc. in Malaysian Borneo. Went went Scubajunkie based out of Mabul on the recommendation of Trivia in this thread, which turned out to be a good one. We were only able to get permits for one day at Sipadan, but that was amazing -- 100+ turtles, 75+ sharks, huge schools of barracuda, jacks and bumpheads, plus awesome coral in the shallows where we ended each dive. The other islands we dove at (Mabul, Kapalai and Siamil) were also really fantastic macro-oriented diving. We saw all kinds of things I've always wanted to see -- frogfish, leaf scorpion fish, ghost pipefish, mantis shrimp, etc., and we saw lots of them. I'm now in Korea for business, but I'll have a few highlight pictures in a week or so when I get back.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2013 10:20
|
|
|
drat! Sounds like you had a better time in Sipadan than I did. I saw a lot of turtles, but not so many sharks. The Bumpheads were really cool though. Did you see the barracuda while diving? I wasn't so fortunate, I just managed to see them snorkeling. Ahhh diving, what a fickle mistress.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2013 16:58
|
|
|
Tomberforce posted:
My rebreather course cost what my OW and AOW did :P LOL thats why I said I would do IANTD from start to fail if I did it over.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2013 17:06
|
|
|
macado posted:Thinking of going down to Pompano Beach soon and diving the Hydro Atlantic. Anyone ever dive that?
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2013 06:46
|
|
|
BlueBayou posted:Any recommendations for a dive shop to do a guided dive with in Monteray, CA? Sorry for the late response. I just got back from Monterey and did 2 dives with Bamboo Reef. They had a very friendly staff and my dive guide was very cool. As far as Monterey diving goes, man that was a cold freakin' dive. 50°F, in a 7mm wetsuit that liked to unzip during the dive. Besides the cold water and lack luster visibility, it was actually a lot of fun. There is a ton of life down there. I will try to post a couple of pics later (if any came out). Enjoy!
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2013 06:04
|
|
|
Here's an interesting article on the lionfish problem.quote:I got to witness the unfathomable number of lionfish firsthand when I dove with the crew of Discovery Diving, a local scuba shop, to compete in North Carolina’s inaugural lionfish derby. I’ve never seen so many lionfish in my life. I didn’t get more than 20 yards from my starting point before I saw hundreds—literally, hundreds. My spear couldn’t fly fast enough to catch them all. On the last day of the tournament, a six-diver team bagged 167 lionfish from one site in two dives, and they didn’t even make a dent in the population on that wreck site. That is amazing. I haven't seen anything like that in Caribbean, but they are still a common enough sight as is killing them and trying to feed them to eels (which I've heard described (maybe even here??) as a dubious strategy, since all it teaches the eels is that a nice diver will bring a dead lionfish to you for dinner). But the numbers thrown around in this article are mind-boggling, especially with the amount they eat and the impact that has on the reefs they move into. Guess its time to join the hunt next time I go south to dive.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2013 17:50
|
|
|
jackyl posted:Here's an interesting article on the lionfish problem. I know in the far south Caribbean, they're loving everywhere. They went from a somewhat rare sight about 4 years ago, to be in literally every single hole you look in, and at night they're everywhere.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2013 03:07
|
|
|
If you can handle carrying one of those mini spear guns, take one and murder all lionfish on sight. Key Largo has actually done a very good job of fighting the problem, mainly because many dive professionals there do exactly that. I've actually noticed a large decrease in lionfish at many dive sites. Also lionfish are apparently tasty (I'm not a fish guy), and there is even a cookbook for how you can prepare them! One of my diving goals over the next year is to play a larger role in the final solution to the lionfish question. Bishop fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Jul 2, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2013 17:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 16:23 |
|
|
Part of the issue with lionfish is that they can be found at all depths ranging from 1fsw to 500fsw (Other sources even reference 1000fsw too). What people end up doing is only policing a fraction of the dive-able reef. A lot of places have done a great job about spearing lionfish in recreational depths down to 130fsw. It's very hard to do population control when you're only spearing a small percentage of the area where lionfish are commonly seen. It does seem to have helped a lot of places though. Lionfish are also territorial and tend to stay in the same area. If you drop below a lot of the walls 150-200fsw you will often seen tons of lionfish. That being said, I do like spearing them and they taste good but I just don't have any false beliefs that I am actually affecting the population or providing any reasonable control.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2013 17:33
|
|