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Has anyone else enjoyed some good old fashioned free diving lately? I have and I admit that while SCUBA is fun and all, the freedom that you get when you dive without all that equipment is refreshing. Without trying to push, I've reached 20 meters of depth in the sea and almost 30 in the pool. I'm finding myself often excercising my lungs even while I'm in office!
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Aug 25, 2016 22:10
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Cippalippus posted:Has anyone else enjoyed some good old fashioned free diving lately? I have and I admit that while SCUBA is fun and all, the freedom that you get when you dive without all that equipment is refreshing. I've always wondered how you efficiently equalize while free diving. I've tried free diving while snorkeling and it seems like either I lose a ton of time equalizing or don't do it which seems like a terrible idea if you are able to reach 5+ meters. asur fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Aug 26, 2016 |
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Aug 26, 2016 06:59
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Cippalippus posted:Without trying to push, I've reached 20 meters of depth in the sea and almost 30 in the pool. I'm finding myself often excercising my lungs even while I'm in office! 30m deep pool?
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Aug 26, 2016 09:30
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asur posted:I've always wondered how you efficiently equalize while free diving. I've tried free diving while snorkeling and it seems like either I lose a ton of time equalizing or don't do it which seems like a terrible idea if you are able to reach 5+ meters. You need to learn to equalize before you feel the pressure because you can't waste time for that. The frenzel maneuver is the best, even because the valsalva is potentially dangerous. Efficient equalizing isn't just handy like when scuba diving, it becomes essential. pupdive posted:30m deep pool? http://www.y-40.com/en/
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Aug 26, 2016 14:41
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Cippalippus posted:frenzel maneuver I'd always wondered what this was called! I've used this a fair bit when sick and trying to equalize my ears, and just never really considered using it while diving.
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Aug 26, 2016 15:50
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I'm signed up for a liveaboard next year out of Miami, Juliet Sailing and Diving. I'm excited. Have to figure out what thickness wetsuit to order though.
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Aug 26, 2016 16:29
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Icon Of Sin posted:I'd always wondered what this was called! I've used this a fair bit when sick and trying to equalize my ears, and just never really considered using it while diving. I never knew that people used the valsalva maneuver to clear their ears --- in fact I had never even heard of it! Apparently I do the advanced frenzel maneuver according to Wikipedia... it's just what has always come naturally to me. After trying it in my office it seems like the valsalva maneuver requires to much more effort!
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Aug 29, 2016 15:28
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Oakland Martini posted:I never knew that people used the valsalva maneuver to clear their ears --- in fact I had never even heard of it! Apparently I do the advanced frenzel maneuver according to Wikipedia... it's just what has always come naturally to me. After trying it in my office it seems like the valsalva maneuver requires to much more effort! If you can't clear your ears by voluntarily opening the eustachian tubes , you're loving up. 
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Aug 29, 2016 17:01
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So it was a great summer of diving with me and my 10yo son. We got him open water certified at the end of May and between then and this last weekend we logged 11 dives, in Florida (mainly different springs), in the Atlantic off NC ("The Lib"), some local quarries, and we just got back from diving some shallow wrecks in Lake Superior (Munising) over Labor Day weekend. He has the skillz and he is getting better about cold temps. It was 63-66F in Lake Superior, and he was diving a 7mm wetsuit and gloves, he hates wearing the hood so dove without it. I kept my eye on him, his lips didn't turn blue like they did when were were certifying in May in a 52F quarry, so he was good. I seem to have superhuman cold tolerance, I dove it (Lake Superior, not the 52F quarry) in a 3mm suit with no hood or gloves, and felt fine. I think not every kid is ready to dive by the age of 10, but he was, and it was a great summer. Cheers!  The Bermuda.  And here he is sticking his head in the toilet of the wreck of the SS Herman H. Hettler. I'm very proud.  Already planning dives for next spring and summer.... Lake Mead could be fun if we can find anything shallow enough for him.
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Sep 8, 2016 04:10
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GORDON posted:in the Atlantic off NC ("The Lib") This wasn't out of Wilmington, was it? I love having a shipwreck < 3 miles offshore, even if the vis likes to turn to garbage fairly often  That ship (the Alexander Ramsey) had a bunch of its lower hull cut off so it could fit under the waves. I've seen a sandtiger there before, along with piles of barracuda and even a bunch of baby octopus hanging out by the hangbar trying to stare down me and my partner 
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Sep 8, 2016 04:22
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Icon Of Sin posted:This wasn't out of Wilmington, was it? I love having a shipwreck < 3 miles offshore, even if the vis likes to turn to garbage fairly often It was indeed! We were going to be in the area so I looked up the local dive charters, and found that one with the shallow dive. I hadn't planned on taking him into the ocean until he was a little bigger, but I saw that peeps certify out there on the Ramsey, and there was a charter available in the exact two day window in which we'd be in town, so I booked it. It was an ok dive, but a great learning experience. We learned how to dive off of a charter boat, that was a first. Rough seas... there was a small craft advisory that day. And we learned that we get very seasick, but we powered through that and got into the water. But there was still a strong wave surge at the top of the wreck 20 feet down, so we dealt with that... but the worse thing was the 5-10 feet of vis. We dealt with it, and it was a little scary when we couldn't find the bow of the ship again where our boat was anchored. We decided to ascend and find it from the surface... and we actually popped up 6 feet away from the boat. Vis was THAT bad. But we saw a barracuda right under the charter boat, that was cool. So now in Lake Superior we got some prescription seasick skin patches, and they worked beautifully, so that fixed the seasick issue.
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Sep 8, 2016 04:39
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Sounds about right, for here in general and that wreck in particular. I've had vis drop to 5ft from 25ft on a night dive there, along with the current picking up and the surge getting indecisive about the direction it wanted to come from. If you're ever down here again and looking for a wreck with a similar depth profile, I'd recommend the Stone tug, the dredge wreck, or the Pocahontas. Those 3 wrecks are ~12 miles out, ~55ft to the bottom, and the vis will be tons better. The dredge was a 1920's-era channel dredge that was getting towed to Morehead City when the tow line broke and it decided to make for the bottom. The coast guard declared it a navigation hazard and dynamited it until they weren't bored anymore/ran out of dynamite pretty shortly after it went down, in the early 1920's. The Stone was a local dredge that got reefed sometime in the 80's, and I'm not entirely sure of the story on the 3rd one (pretty sure it's an artificial reef too).
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Sep 8, 2016 12:08
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Has anyone stayed / dove with Anthony's Key in Roatan? We are going back to Florida and Bonaire first but I like to plan ahead..
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Sep 8, 2016 13:04
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Anyone here use Scopace? I know some will say "Oh I have the scopolamine patch", but I am specifically talking about the pill form of scopace?
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Sep 8, 2016 14:47
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Icon Of Sin posted:Sounds about right, for here in general and that wreck in particular. I've had vis drop to 5ft from 25ft on a night dive there, along with the current picking up and the surge getting indecisive about the direction it wanted to come from. I just realized I had a couple pics online from that dive. Any diver more than 7 or 8 feet away was just a silhouette, and you just couldn't see anything more than 10 feet away. These pics are only about 25 feet down, no filters or post-processing of color or light. The Alexander Ramsey, "The Lib," Wilmington, NC.   Also, for scale, my kid is diving with 63 cubic foot tanks, they are slightly less unwieldy for him. IIRC he was 55" tall and 75 pounds that month.... I keep an eye on his stats for wet suit measurements. I know he's going to go through them fast. Water was 82F, so we had that going for us, at least. GORDON fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Sep 8, 2016 |
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Sep 8, 2016 14:59
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Squashy Nipples posted:Anyway, anyone in here ever buy a custom made Carapace wetsuit? Love it, quality is great, fit is great. It took four weeks, but that's my only complaint. Amazing bang for the buck. One tiny cosmetic blemish on a seam, otherwise build quality is perfect. It's a little bit tight in the shoulders, but I have unusually square shoulders, so the fact that it fits over them at all is a miracle. I don't think I'll ever buy a wetsuit off the rack again.
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Sep 8, 2016 15:03
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lord1234 posted:Anyone here use Scopace? I know some will say "Oh I have the scopolamine patch", but I am specifically talking about the pill form of scopace? Tried it once and got incredible cotton mouth. Went back to meclazine, I'd rather be sleepy.
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Sep 8, 2016 17:50
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GORDON posted:I just realized I had a couple pics online from that dive. Any diver more than 7 or 8 feet away was just a silhouette, and you just couldn't see anything more than 10 feet away. These pics are only about 25 feet down, no filters or post-processing of color or light. I'm building a video log of our local wrecks, that's one of the ones I've gotten to so far. Here's a link to my dive on the Ramsey: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBcbqz_FRKtgsZJxdHHh8cd0vfWmGwsyW May as well throw up a link to my video from the Hyde while I'm at it. Skip to video 2, about 40 sec in for an encounter with a sand tiger  Vis was low that day, I've heard that vis at the Hyde is normally around 60 ft. I still saw like 8 sand tigers over both my dives, so if the vis was any better you'd probably see the Hyde just crawling with them  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBcbqz_FRKtj2CuNGEuZZywriXZiLog6Z I'm scheduled for charters to the Hyde, Markham, Alton Lennon and 23 mile ledge before the season ends, so hopefully I can start getting a bit more complete (I started a bit late in the season  )Camera used: GoPro Hero 3, with a magenta filter.
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Sep 8, 2016 17:59
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Icon Of Sin posted:I'm building a video log of our local wrecks, that's one of the ones I've gotten to so far. I've recorded every dive as well, and I put a highlight of each one on youtube for family to look at... but I am not brave enough to post my personal youtube channel on something awful dot com, heh. My Faux Pro only cost $42, but records in 1080P and is a pretty much like magic. It's been on 16 dives and hasn't broken yet, much to my surprise. Looks like $46, now. https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-Waterproof-Action-Batteries-Accessories/dp/B00PF9MTJ6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8 I don't believe I can put a filter on it, though. I am envious of your Ramsey pics. I wish we could have had that kind of vis. edit - I just showed my kid your Ramsey vids where you have 25ish feet of vis, and can actually get a sense that you're in a wreck, and he said, "I didn't even know it looked like that." We could just see close bulkheads and sometimes a beam over your head. GORDON fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Sep 8, 2016 |
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Sep 8, 2016 19:40
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Ever wondered what a nuclear missile silo would look like when flooded? Ever wanted to dive in one of those? Here's someone that did!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS45uvOvgic Near Royal City, WA
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Sep 8, 2016 23:09
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I'm mildly confused that we've been taking random long weekend dive trips to all of the Keys for years and just found Looe Key last weekend but.... Holy poo poo, do that. The Adoplhus Busch isn't the spiegal or vandy of course, but it's great and there is easy penetration. Looe Key reef is also probably the healthiest and cleanest reef we've seen in the Keys, plus it's ridiculously shallow so your air lasts forever. E: without checking my computer I think the deepest I went on the reef was 28 or 29 feet. diving the wreck was maybe 110' outside and 80' for going through the holds. Seriously check this out. let it mellow fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Sep 10, 2016 |
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Sep 10, 2016 04:42
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Did my aow and some fun dives in the cenotes near Tulum, Mexico this summer. Absolutely incredible places and all so varied and eery. Just arrived back in the UK after 3 months in the Americas and now I have no money and am suffering from a sort of mental decompression sickness. Decided that when I have the time and funds I'm going to take a trip to the continent to do some more diving. Anyone got any recommendations of relatively inexpensive places to dive? I'm imagining Easter Europe must have some pretty hidden gems. Also if anyone is ever in Tulum and looking for a dive shop, I can highly recommend Tulum Scuba. Cheap even for the area and great people.
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Sep 10, 2016 10:26
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I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier: has anyone done the Liberty Wreck on Bali? Any recommendations on who should take my money. The guy who recommended it was on a $600 a day charter that I simply can't afford. I've just finished my OW certification, so I am a total rookie.
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Sep 10, 2016 14:18
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I did it. It's a 3 hour car ride from Denpasar (Bali) airport. The only dive in the area is the Liberty Wreck. It's a very easy dive, starting in about 10 feet of water (it's a shore dive). The coast is very pebbly so bring hard soled dive boots. There isn't much to do in Tulamben, honestly. I went with Tulamben Divers, which also has rooms for rent. They were very nice and I don't have anything bad to say about the operation. They were within walking distance to the wreck, and also a stone's throw from a resort with a restaurant. The wreck itself is in pretty bad shape. Being so shallow it is constantly bombarded by wind and wave, so it's really hard to make out its shape. You can do some neat night dives there though, and just the other day they sighted a sunfish at the wreck. If you're in Indonesia, I wholly recommend you go to Komodo National Park instead. It's another 1.5 hour flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo. The diving is excellent and you are almost guaranteed to see mantas. There are some really amazing coral gardens there too.
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Sep 10, 2016 16:07
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Jakabite posted:Anyone got any recommendations of relatively inexpensive places to dive? I'm imagining Easter Europe must have some pretty hidden gems. Where in the UK are you? Cause there is some really great diving without leaving the country and there's a pretty active diving community in the UK (if you're OK with cold water diving). Check for local BSAC clubs and visit a few, they are quite varied and I've definitely gone to some I wouldn't want to hang around too much. But if you like diving seriously try it at home too! If you say where you are i can try to suggest some things. Regarding the continent, Croatia is probably one of the more popular destinations currently because it's cheap and there some beautiful sites. Malta is a classic spot, although the legal issues a couple of years back made people a bit nervous. There's a nature reserve near Barcelona, phone posting so can't check the name right now. I know my club has gone to Marseilles a number of times but my experience there is currently non existent. Cyprus is also very popular but not much in the way of life. The Zenobia is top tier wreck diving though.
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Sep 10, 2016 16:53
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Trivia posted:I did it. It's a 3 hour car ride from Denpasar (Bali) airport. The only dive in the area is the Liberty Wreck. It's a very easy dive, starting in about 10 feet of water (it's a shore dive). The coast is very pebbly so bring hard soled dive boots. Hrm might skip the wreck then. We were planning to go to Komodo! Who did you dive with there? I hear the drift dive with the Rays is excellent but I am not sure it is rookie approved.
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Sep 11, 2016 00:56
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Anyone have any experience with the PADI online Open Water course? Considering knocking that out, since my schedule is completely whack-a-doodle, and doesn't allow me to attend many of the scheduled open water classes. (I've already found a PADI shop that does the pool/ocean portions of the class on days I can attend.)
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Sep 11, 2016 01:17
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Boot and Rally posted:Hrm might skip the wreck then. We were planning to go to Komodo! Who did you dive with there? I hear the drift dive with the Rays is excellent but I am not sure it is rookie approved. I actually did my DM there as well. I was with Blue Marlin divers for my first visit in 2015, and went with Wicked Diving for my DM just last May. Most of the diving is drift diving, except for a few of the sites that are fairly sheltered. You will feel some pretty strong current, which I find to be lots of fun. I wouldn't worry about being a rookie and diving there. There were plenty of ppl that I saw that had very few dives, and for the most part performed adequately. There were also people that got their licenses in the area as well. Most dive centers will cater the dive locations to customers' experience, and if you're lucky they'll also send a DM or DMT to assist. You should definitely go.
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Sep 11, 2016 01:55
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I picked up an iRivier H2o audio recently. This is a 300ft rated mp3 player with underwater headphones. Sorta neat gadget. Long enough cable that I can put it in my drysuit pocket and route the headphones up under my hood. There are two options for mounting, one on your mask strap, and one to just shove it under a hood. I'll admit that having worn under the hood, its not bad, but they put enough pressure on your ears that it causes some pain if you wear them an entire dive. Situational awareness wise, I was able to hear my buddy click his bolt snap and respond to other noises or light motions. Overall pretty happy with it, and I think it helped me lower my SCR down a bit by having music in the background which chilled me out. Over two dives, 123 minutes @ 60ft, with an avg SCR of .48. Too bad this model is discontinued or I'd share the link.
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Sep 11, 2016 02:38
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MrYenko posted:Anyone have any experience with the PADI online Open Water course? We did ours this way, it was fine. It's not super, is fairly repetitive and there's a lot of sales bakes into it. But it's fine, we did it over dinner every night for a week or two. Also - any suggestions for a dive computer for new divers?
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Sep 11, 2016 03:03
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Budget depends of course but I've always thought of the Suunto Zoop as pretty much the default computer for a new diver. It's cheap, safe and does everything you would need it to. If you've got more money to spend our other requirements then let us know but if you aren't sure about your needs and want to minimise outlay: Zoop
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Sep 11, 2016 03:32
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MrNemo posted:Budget depends of course but I've always thought of the Suunto Zoop as pretty much the default computer for a new diver. It's cheap, safe and does everything you would need it to. If you've got more money to spend our other requirements then let us know but if you aren't sure about your needs and want to minimise outlay: Zoop Me and the kid are new and that's the exact computers we bought. They got it done all summer. https://www.amazon.com/Suunto-Nitrox-Wrist-Computer-SS015964000/dp/B004060D8Y/ref=sr_1_1
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Sep 11, 2016 04:23
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Anyone use this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017A8RVG0/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_7?colid=39SYIQGCZMUEQ&coliid=I1A1XNZYTX4IZ7&vs=1 I'm recently certified and have no experience with dive computers.
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Sep 11, 2016 04:32
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Zauper posted:We did ours this way, it was fine. It's not super, is fairly repetitive and there's a lot of sales bakes into it. But it's fine, we did it over dinner every night for a week or two. My OW class used Aqualung i300s, so I picked up one of them. I tried the Zoop but I hated the buttons. I couldn't find a shop that sells the Cressi. I read the manuals for the i300, Zoop and Leonardo and they all seem to do the same thing. Might as well pick the one you think looks coolest.
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Sep 11, 2016 04:46
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My Zoop was pretty solid, but it got relegated to backup computer after my brother let me borrow his D6I for the foreseeable future. Turns out that getting married (to someone with 2 kids already) then having another kid puts a massive damper on anything scuba-related My only gripe with the Zoop was being unable to switch back to a normal air mix after having done a nitrox dive where I told it the mix. Even then, I could switch back to "nitrox" with 21% O2 and it would handle it just fine.
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Sep 11, 2016 05:07
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Icon Of Sin posted:My only gripe with the Zoop was being unable to switch back to a normal air mix after having done a nitrox dive where I told it the mix. Even then, I could switch back to "nitrox" with 21% O2 and it would handle it just fine. I had that problem... took it into a dive shop the next day when I was getting tanks filled.... the dude took it, set it back to air, and said that you are unable to change it for X hours after a dive when it was set to Nitrox.
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Sep 11, 2016 07:11
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Zauper posted:Any suggestions for a dive computer for new divers? Here's the problem with most suggestions you get for dive gear: People naturally tend to grow into their equipment or just simply grow fond of it because people invest emotionally in high price purchases of all kinds, so the answer to "What do you recommend?" is most often the answer to "What do you use yourself?" People diving for a living end up either not caring at all about gear (since really, anything works), or having opinions about gear that most people simply can't/don't follow.** Best bet: rent or borrow something and see what you do not like about it. There's always something to not like about gear. If that thing does not bother you, and the price is right, then have at it. ** In this case, the only thing that matters about a computer is whether it is is easy to put on, and leave on. Most people who ruin or lose their computers do so because they do not prioritize this when choosing their computer, and the computer gets put someplace weird in between dives, and gets lost, or gets left on the boat half the time. This is why most people who dive for a living end up with watch style dive computers. Because they learned this the hard way.
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Sep 11, 2016 09:47
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BULLETKISS posted:Anyone use this? I bought the more expensive version of that, the Giotto. Very happy with it. Two minor complaints: -no documentation for the dive log software (several features that I don't understand) -in gauge mode, you can't just leave it on all the time, so it's not useful for swimming/snorkeling Make sure you buy it as a package with the USB dock, or else you'll pay twice as much for it. Before I bought this, I used the typical console computers that come with rental gear, and having it on your wrist is much better.
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Sep 11, 2016 13:48
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pupdive posted:Here's the problem with most suggestions you get for dive gear: People naturally tend to grow into their equipment or just simply grow fond of it because people invest emotionally in high price purchases of all kinds, so the answer to "What do you recommend?" is most often the answer to "What do you use yourself?" Interesting, thanks for this. One of the struggles I have personally is that it's not cheap for an introductory one, but I feel like if it's something I enjoy (and thus would want to be doing more often), I'd wind up wanting to upgrade in a year or so, in which case $200 down the drain kinda sucks. Sounds like maybe I'm better off just renting for a while before I decide.
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Sep 11, 2016 14:30
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The best computer out there is probably a Shearwater, but its definitely overkill for a brand new diver. But its one you won't ever grow out of...
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Sep 11, 2016 15:34
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