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SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE
Yeah I just bought the case with the flat lens already on it. I did not want to deal with putting it on myself.

I havent used it yet myself but I will soon enough.

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Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
I had an interesting wreck penetration yesterday. There was a restriction that was VERY tight. I had to remove some gear, including my stage bottle which I held over my head while pulling myself through the restriction. I got to the other side and re-clipped my stage. The plan was for me to confirm that there was a hallway leading to the engine room beyond this point. This way we could plan a proper penetration for a later date. I swim through about 20 feet and see the hallway. Silty as poo poo but it's there. Mission accomplished. Now time to check my backgas as I head out...

***I and most people use bolt snaps to clip stage bottles. One clips to a chest d-ring, the other to a d-ring on your hip. I also clip my pressure gauge (SPG) to that hip d-ring. After I passed through the restriction, I accidently clipped the bolt snap attached to my stage bottle through the one on my SPG. The bolt snap on the stage bottle went through the SPG snap instead of the d-ring. If you look at the attached picture, imagine a bolt snap jammed into the end of the one on the SPG.***


...When I try and check the tank pressure on my backgas, I can't unclip it. I also can't unclip the stage bottle. Both are jammed. Great, now I can't tell how much gas I have left at 120 feet and I also can't remove the stage bottle, meaning I can't get out. Fantistic! :thumbsup:

I spend about two minutes (felt like 10) trying to unfuck things. You can't see your hip d-ring in this situation so you go by feel. No dice. I'm good at moving slowly and deliberately. Still, I could feel my heart rate going up and thus my gas consumption. This was made worse because I could not check how much gas I had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fja4r7mNmic

I swim back to restriction and consider my options. I can try and cut the line that ties the boltsnap to my stage bottle. I could also come out of my entire rig and drag it behind me. This is where having a 7 foot long hose is great. What I ended up trying first was un-clipping the stage from my chest d ring and trying to tuck it between my legs and squeezing through like that. It worked. Once I got back into open water I managed to get everything fixed and continued diving about 20 more minutes. Welp, that's my story.

SgtScruffy
Dec 27, 2003

Babies.


IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:

If one of the screws is damaged I would say there is a high probability that case is hosed. Even just 60 feet down those little seals get the poo poo squeezed out of them, I dont know If I would trust the side without the screw to hold up. But you can always install and do a dive without the camera inside to find out.

If it is hosed you can get a flat lens+housing for eyeofmine for only $80

http://www.eyeofmine.com/gopro/underwater/


Yes and not only that the skirt needs to be attached to the front, not the sides of the frame. But not all masks are like this. Another good options is a small lanyard you can attach to your mask strap.

I'll probably end up just going down that road. I figured that if I could get the screw out somehow, maybe I could just email GoPro and ask them if they have any spares lying around, or if its a standard-size screw at all :shobon:

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

SgtScruffy posted:

I'll probably end up just going down that road. I figured that if I could get the screw out somehow, maybe I could just email GoPro and ask them if they have any spares lying around, or if its a standard-size screw at all :shobon:

well, when you said "stripped" I assumed that the plastic threads were stripped from the housing. Meaning even if you got the screw out, another screw in its place would simply slip in and not have anything to bite.

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE

This is why I do open water diving without overhead environments or restrictions. And if I do go in something there is plenty of room to get in and out of.

claustrophobia no tanks.

blackguy32
Oct 1, 2005

Say, do you know how to do the walk?
Have you ever been diving in murky water before? That always creeps me out when you look underwater and can only see 5 feet in front of you.

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

blackguy32 posted:

Have you ever been diving in murky water before? That always creeps me out when you look underwater and can only see 5 feet in front of you.

Super low visibility is fun! Most people I know hate the poo poo out of it, especially freedivers. But ive just learned to accept it for what it is. It makes navigating the reefs here an absolute bitch, because there are often 30-40 foot gaps between patches of reef. But I think its kinda cool to just look down and see nothing.

Anyone ever dive in deep water, like 400-600 feet? That is pretty freaky. You can see for a long while in every direction, but its just a glowing blue. Ive done some 30-60ft freedives spearfishing for mahi and its a pretty crazy experience.

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:

Anyone ever dive in deep water, like 400-600 feet? That is pretty freaky. You can see for a long while in every direction, but its just a glowing blue. Ive done some 30-60ft freedives spearfishing for mahi and its a pretty crazy experience.
A good wall dive where you swim over a ledge and all of the sudden there are thousands of feet of water below you is incredible. It really gives you an "astronaut" feeling. Also drift dives or drift decompressions. You gotta be careful checking your depth gauges though because it's easy to ascend/descend a bunch without realizing it because you have no point of reference.

Murky water is just kind of boring but I'll take it over no diving at all. Also a nice murky quarry is a great place to practice underwater navigation.

I just remembered that you asked what "wall dives" I had done in South Florida and I can't remember where it was. I did it in 1999 or something. Maybe near Alligator reef. Wherever it was it sucked. No reef or fish life and the drop off was not very steep.

rockcity
Jan 16, 2004

Bishop posted:

A good wall dive where you swim over a ledge and all of the sudden there are thousands of feet of water below you is incredible. It really gives you an "astronaut" feeling. Also drift dives or drift decompressions. You gotta be careful checking your depth gauges though because it's easy to ascend/descend a bunch without realizing it because you have no point of reference.

Murky water is just kind of boring but I'll take it over no diving at all. Also a nice murky quarry is a great place to practice underwater navigation.

I just remembered that you asked what "wall dives" I had done in South Florida and I can't remember where it was. I did it in 1999 or something. Maybe near Alligator reef. Wherever it was it sucked. No reef or fish life and the drop off was not very steep.

I've dove a wall in Jupiter that has an open cavity that you can swim through and pop back out on top. The dive charter I went with just referred to it as "the hole in the wall" not sure if it has a real name. It's down around 140ish feet. It was a pretty cool dive and my first beyond 100 feet as well as my first Nitrox dive. One of the cooler parts of that area is that there is usually a big school of Goliath Grouper that hang out near the entrance. Those things are pretty awesome looking.

Crunkjuice
Apr 4, 2007

That could've gotten in my eye!
*launches teargas at unarmed protestors*

I THINK OAKLAND PD'S USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS JUSTIFIED!

blackguy32 posted:

Have you ever been diving in murky water before? That always creeps me out when you look underwater and can only see 5 feet in front of you.

Out of all my dives logged, 95% of them are in lakes where visibility past your fins is a good day. My first clear water dive in cozumel (100+ foot vis) i was actually really anxious, since i actually got the whole " i'm in a giant loving ocean" feeling. Cresting out over a wall and looking down hundreds of feet i near had a panic attack. After i calmed down it was absolutely surreal and amazing, but gently caress it was scary.

egyptian rat race
Jul 13, 2007

Lowtax Spine Fund 2019
Ultra Carp

blackguy32 posted:

Have you ever been diving in murky water before? That always creeps me out when you look underwater and can only see 5 feet in front of you.

5 feet of visibility would be a great dive for me :smith:

I do underwater inspection (bridges mostly) as part of my job, and end up in <1 ft of vis quite often. Sometimes this is enough, and I can press my face plate/light up against whatever I want to get a look at. In a lot of the locations I work, the water is too silty or muddy and I have to play Helen Keller. I've learned how to feel my way around structures and estimate distances. Catfish scare the hell out of me sometimes, they like to sit in places I need to poke around in. It's not too bad. I'm usually in creeks or bayous, so the pictures in this thread are making me jealous.

A good day for me is when the bridge span is on a lake, with 30+ feet of vis and surface light down past 40 feet.

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE

Diver Dick posted:

5 feet of visibility would be a great dive for me :smith:

I do underwater inspection (bridges mostly) as part of my job, and end up in <1 ft of vis quite often. Sometimes this is enough, and I can press my face plate/light up against whatever I want to get a look at.

Yep finding crap in this is VERY hard too if you only have a basic GPS and using Sonar... I have done it its not fun.. 3 hours to find a 4ft by 4ft block.. This was all to help a friend :)

SlicerDicer fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Mar 18, 2012

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

Diver Dick posted:

5 feet of visibility would be a great dive for me :smith:

I do underwater inspection (bridges mostly) as part of my job, and end up in <1 ft of vis quite often. Sometimes this is enough, and I can press my face plate/light up against whatever I want to get a look at. In a lot of the locations I work, the water is too silty or muddy and I have to play Helen Keller. I've learned how to feel my way around structures and estimate distances.
I'd be curious to know what type of light you use. Also since you say "face plate" I'm assuming your doing hard hat diving? Surface supplied gas or do you carry it with you?

egyptian rat race
Jul 13, 2007

Lowtax Spine Fund 2019
Ultra Carp

Bishop posted:

I'd be curious to know what type of light you use. Also since you say "face plate" I'm assuming your doing hard hat diving? Surface supplied gas or do you carry it with you?

My go-to light is a UK SL-6 LED that I found in a lake years ago. If we are filming, we have a nice surface fed LED that is part of our camera system. Depending on the conditions and client's requirements, I do hard hat diving or buddy diving with the interspiro AGA mask. The hard hat dives include anything below 100ft, contaminated water and penetrations, though we often use surface supplied gear much shallower. With the mask, we dive 80s with a pony bottle. Either way, we have comms to one another and the surface as well as back up air.

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

Diver Dick posted:

My go-to light is a UK SL-6 LED
Don't take this the wrong way because it's more me not knowing poo poo about the type of diving you do, but I'm really surprised that's the light you use. I was assuming you had a 50 watt HID can light or something. Still... if it works it works! plus why be dumb and risk something expensive when a cheap (free in your case) light gets the job done.

egyptian rat race
Jul 13, 2007

Lowtax Spine Fund 2019
Ultra Carp

Bishop posted:

if it works it works! plus why be dumb and risk something expensive when a cheap (free in your case) light gets the job done.

Bingo. I'm a lot less "attached" to my gear than I used to be. I'm using my dive kit 10x more than I used to, and stuff gets destroyed even with normal use. Wetsuits are consumables, as are the coveralls I put over them to extend their life. Gloves and fins wear out more quickly if we're working in salt water with oysters or barnacles. Stuff gets dropped off the boat or the truck, crushed under the team's pelican cases, or lost. I try to strike a balance between quality and cost. Used gear is usually a great deal because it's going to get the poo poo beat out of it anyway.

I still use what I consider quality where it matters. I have a scubapro mk25 for the AGA mask, as well as a backup set (mk25/s600) paired with a Suunto computer for vacation. We service a lot of our hard hats in-house with trained techs, and all our life support gear is inspected and serviced regularly. Which brings me back to the dive light... as you said, it works well for my application. I lust for an OMS rechargeable can light just like anyone who's gotten to play with one, but I'd be pissed if it got swept away in a high flow inspection like my brand new fin last month.

Besides, if its muddy as hell, I can't see no matter what light I'm using :v:

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE

Diver Dick posted:

Gloves and fins wear out more quickly if we're working in salt water with oysters or barnacles. Stuff gets dropped off the boat or the truck, crushed under the team's pelican cases,

I suspect if you were using a rebreather you would be more careful with your gear.

rockcity
Jan 16, 2004

Diver Dick posted:

Besides, if its muddy as hell, I can't see no matter what light I'm using :v:

If I had to guess, using the big powerful can lights might even be worse, much like using high beams vs. fog lights in foggy road conditions anyway, so you might be better off with your found UK light.

egyptian rat race
Jul 13, 2007

Lowtax Spine Fund 2019
Ultra Carp

SlicerDicer posted:

I suspect if you were using a rebreather you would be more careful with your gear.

Don't get me wrong, I don't intentionally destroy things and I don't like spending money replacing broken gear. I do use comparatively expensive equipment. A Kirby Morgan hard hat runs north of $6000 new these days. I can't comment on how I'd treat a five figure rebreather, though. I have no firsthand knowledge of their durability.

e: removed unnecessary stuff... I'm tired and my flight is delayed. I get what you're saying, but you can't really compare a Corvette and a tractor.

I'll try and post some dive photos when I'm back home in a couple weeks.

egyptian rat race fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Mar 20, 2012

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE

Diver Dick posted:

Don't get me wrong, I don't intentionally destroy things and I don't like spending money replacing broken gear. I do use comparatively expensive equipment. A Kirby Morgan hard hat runs north of $6000 new these days. I can't comment on how I'd treat a five figure rebreather, though. I have no firsthand knowledge of their durability.

e: removed unnecessary stuff... I'm tired and my flight is delayed. I get what you're saying, but you can't really compare a Corvette and a tractor.

I'll try and post some dive photos when I'm back home in a couple weeks.

I am going to have a super durable rebreather. This is 3mm plate titanium rebreather case for the inspiration. I am a Schnauzer Fanatic :)

egyptian rat race
Jul 13, 2007

Lowtax Spine Fund 2019
Ultra Carp
Mind blown.

What type of rebreather? Do you do your own maintenance, or get it done through a shop? What are the maintenance intervals like?

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE

Diver Dick posted:

Mind blown.

What type of rebreather? Do you do your own maintenance, or get it done through a shop? What are the maintenance intervals like?

I have a AP Inspiration, I do all my own maintenance as there is really no shop here to do it. Umm intervals? I guess its mainly keeping a eye on everything and checking o-rings and such. Just keeping it all inspected is key and checking for leaks and then addressing issues.

Then of course there is the 1st and 2nd stage rebuilds but thats standard.

Note: That titanium case is not complete yet its still being blasted to create titanium matte finish.

SlicerDicer fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Mar 20, 2012

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
I've seen people abuse the poo poo out of all kinds of equipment, including rebreathers. I've been guilty of not rinsing my gear between dives on consecutive days. I think with a lot of dive equipment you start to care less for it after that "first scratch" happens. I tend to do better with equipment that I might end up selling.

If you want to get really ~hardcore~ with gear choice and durability, I'll take the Saturation divers over people using consumer grade rebreathers. Commercial diving is a different beast than what most of us do.

Slicer, I do have to give props for that custom housing you're having built, that's some impressive poo poo :)

Even as someone transitioning to closed circuit, the rebreather is not always the right tool for the job and commercial divers choose something else quite often. Manifolded doubles are pretty drat reliable and would be great in a bridge inspection. Surface supplied gas can be an even better option.

Bishop fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Mar 20, 2012

SgtScruffy
Dec 27, 2003

Babies.


IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:

well, when you said "stripped" I assumed that the plastic threads were stripped from the housing. Meaning even if you got the screw out, another screw in its place would simply slip in and not have anything to bite.

Not to my awareness - just the head of the screw itself - that is, it went from a Phillips head to something that sorta resembles a hex-circlish blob :)

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
Aquaseal is the duct tape of diving. If all else fails that may be worth trying. Try and get it in the threads of the screw. I'd take it down without the camera in it as a test though.

I just got done with a bunch of diving so I'm giving everything a detail cleaning. Tooth brush and dish detergent for my masks an computers, new silicone grease for my twist on backup lights.

One thing I use a lot is corrosion block. Ive been using it on boats forever. It does a great job lubricating and of course preventing corrosion. I use it on things like bolt snaps, my backplate, and other metal pieces. Keep it away from your stages or anything else involving breathing gas though.

SgtScruffy
Dec 27, 2003

Babies.


Bishop posted:

Aquaseal is the duct tape of diving. If all else fails that may be worth trying. Try and get it in the threads of the screw. I'd take it down without the camera in it as a test though.

I just got done with a bunch of diving so I'm giving everything a detail cleaning. Tooth brush and dish detergent for my masks an computers, new silicone grease for my twist on backup lights.

One thing I use a lot is corrosion block. Ive been using it on boats forever. It does a great job lubricating and of course preventing corrosion. I use it on things like bolt snaps, my backplate, and other metal pieces. Keep it away from your stages or anything else involving breathing gas though.

I think that, once I get the screw out of there, it should be fine. The issue is that the top is stripped, so I can't get it out. Most things I've seen regarding how to remove a stripped screw involve power tools and lots of pressure, but when dealing with a waterproof plastic camera housing, specifically the thin part with the lens housing, and screws that are like a millimeter tall, that's probably not an option.

http://www.dansmc.com/stuck_bolt9.jpg

This isn't the screws in question obviously, but that's basically my problem in a nutshell.

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

SgtScruffy posted:

I think that, once I get the screw out of there, it should be fine. The issue is that the top is stripped, so I can't get it out. Most things I've seen regarding how to remove a stripped screw involve power tools and lots of pressure, but when dealing with a waterproof plastic camera housing, specifically the thin part with the lens housing, and screws that are like a millimeter tall, that's probably not an option.

http://www.dansmc.com/stuck_bolt9.jpg

This isn't the screws in question obviously, but that's basically my problem in a nutshell.

I get what your issue is now(the head is stripped not the threads). To get that little ittybitty screw out without damaging the plastic ring sounds nearly impossible. If I was in your position I would probably attempt to delicately dremel a slot into the head of the screw. But this would more then likely just mean the end of the plastic ring, which im sure is replaceable, but not readily.

let it mellow
Jun 1, 2000

Dinosaur Gum
Try a torx head screwdriver. I've had luck with delicate stripped heads and that before.

Edit: for diving content, my wife and I are basically recreational divers. We got PADI scuba diver certified in the BVI, finished our open water in Curacao, and then did St Lucia last year. We're doing Turks and Caicos Memorial day week, that's gonna be awesome. I think I am going to start a lot more local diving (Louisville, KY) to increase competency and start moving up the cert ranks, too. I wish we had done this a lot earlier.

let it mellow fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Mar 20, 2012

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
Don't phone post.

Bishop fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Mar 22, 2012

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
I hope my local dive shop is ready for some business because I need to have ALL of my stages and tanks serviced. Also might buy a new first stage for my deco regs... I had to tear down, clean, and replace an o-ring on it before my trip. It ended up working fine but I'm a bit uneasy with it. If it fails during a dive I lose access to my deco gas.

jackyl posted:

I think I am going to start a lot more local diving (Louisville, KY) to increase competency and start moving up the cert ranks, too. I wish we had done this a lot earlier.
See you at Joe's quarry! I live in Lexington and ZoCrowes is an instructor based out of Louisville. Depending on the water temp I'll be heading up there to do some skills practice myself in the next month or so.

gently caress Louisville go cayuts :)

Edit: drat I go into a dive shop and next thing I know I'm signed up for a divemaster class. Living the dream y'all. I've been wanting to get up to at least DM for a while now because teaching new divers is a lot of fun. I will also volunteer to "die" for every rescue class ever because drat that looks fun.

Crunkjuice
Apr 4, 2007

That could've gotten in my eye!
*launches teargas at unarmed protestors*

I THINK OAKLAND PD'S USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS JUSTIFIED!

Bishop posted:

I will also volunteer to "die" for every rescue class ever because drat that looks fun.

Holy poo poo, being the active panic diver in a rescue scenario is literally my favorite thing about being a Dm. My instructor always tells me if I can get a mask/single fin from a student he'll buy me dinner. Out of 38 classes, I've only missed a free dinner once, and I weigh 150 lbs. The key to it is to pull their reg out first, then Jump on top of them to push them under. Its super easy to wrestle someone that way. Also, its legit because someone in active panic is going to seek air anyway they can, and climbing on top of the closest person will happen.the firs time the student should always fail anand get clowned (safely) to show them that a panic diver is serious business. 2nd go around, I generally let them win and make it seem like they won.

Seriously, Dm'ing for a rescue class is the best.

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found
I've locked in my dive controller (SSI's dive master) course. Three months on Koh Tao from late November. Should be awesome...

Kaal
May 22, 2002

through thousands of posts in D&D over a decade, I now believe I know what I'm talking about. if I post forcefully and confidently, I can convince others that is true. no one sees through my facade.

Crunkjuice posted:

Seriously, Dm'ing for a rescue class is the best.

Haha no loving doubt. Though the (otherwise very experienced) ex-mil DM in my Rescue course made the mistake of choosing me to demonstrate good techniques with an active drowner - not knowing I had done a bunch of that stuff as a lifeguard. :D That poo poo was loving funny.

Gotta keep you DMs on your toes!

Kaal fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Mar 22, 2012

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
My rescue class had a pretty burly cop in it and he er, turned the tables on the instructor during active panic. Problem is we eventually just got plain outnumbered. On the last day there were 2 instructors and 5 DMs all dying at once. Now I know why everybody was so eager to volunteer.

"Inconsolable spouse that jumps into the water fully clothed" was probably my favorite.

Bishop fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Mar 22, 2012

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

East gales to 35 kt. Wind waves 17 ft. Scattered showers.

Its time to DIVE
LOL you guys crack me up. Yeah the panic diver stuff is pretty amazing how fast people just go poo poo bricks.

Azzip
Oct 22, 2006
Something really profound
I think panicked diver is the role everyone universally loves to play. Sometimes ya just want to make loud noises and flail around like a retard. Good times...

Finch! posted:

I've locked in my dive controller (SSI's dive master) course. Three months on Koh Tao from late November. Should be awesome...

You'll love it, I did my DM internship on Koh Tao last summer. I miss that crazy island...

Trivia
Feb 8, 2006

I'm an obtuse man,
so I'll try to be oblique.
I was thinking about taking Rescue Diver at some point. Can anyone give me more of a rundown on exactly wtf you're all talking about and what to expect?

Finch!
Sep 11, 2001

Spatial Awareness?

[ ] Whaleshark

404 Not Found

Azzip posted:

You'll love it, I did my DM internship on Koh Tao last summer. I miss that crazy island...

Who did you do it with? I've spent a lot of time there - probably about six months in total - and I only have one place in mind to do it: Big Blue. I love that place.

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

Trivia posted:

I was thinking about taking Rescue Diver at some point. Can anyone give me more of a rundown on exactly wtf you're all talking about and what to expect?
Crunkjuice wrote a "tips before taking" style post and I wrote a pretty long trip report in the last thread, I'll dig it up when I get home this afternoon.

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ZoCrowes
Nov 17, 2005

by Lowtax
Playing the panicked diver make going out to the quarry on a mucky day worthwhile.

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