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macado posted:No beef with SSI. They seem to have decent instructors except for one person I know. I found some of their training material to be a little unpolished. I hate how they refer to everything as a "Total Dive System." The total dive system is a little funny. I really like the concept of learning at the trainee's own pace. No spending an entire dive trying to get one technique right, move on and come back to it later.
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Sep 17, 2012 16:28
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I just finished my PADI advanced open water at the weekend, with a paltry total of 15 dives under my belt (one up to 75', one night-time, 8 in drysuit, no decompression-mandatory dives although I've always practiced a stop at 15', no dives under obstructed ceilings). I signed up for this dive in "Titan 1 Missile Silo" - http://greenwaterscuba.com/ What do you more experienced divers think? Am I biting off more than I can chew, or will my current experience and high caution levels see me through responsibly? Here's what the guide said: quote:Because I will be diving in an environment of total darkness, I have a primary dive light and a back up dive light in good working condition with fully charged batteries. A glow stick in a visible place is required.
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Sep 17, 2012 19:40
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I don't see the point, really. You're gonna go diving in a giant concrete tube with zero marine life.
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Sep 18, 2012 04:17
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MA-Horus posted:I don't see the point, really. You're gonna go diving in a giant concrete tube with zero marine life. Just think, Water Cannon! Thinkin out loud here.
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Sep 18, 2012 06:25
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Missle silo's are more challenging/technical dives than they are actually fun. They are cold, 0 light, no recreational bottom dives which require you to actually know your poo poo. I've done one, and it was an experience yeah, but by no means was it a fun dive. My enjoyment of the dive was in the travel with my dive group, getting geared up, touring around an abandoned missle silo in full dive gear, and getting to play in my drysuit. The actual dive was not fantastic, and not the easiest dive in the world.
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Sep 18, 2012 07:26
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MA-Horus posted:Must it be PADI? I've found SSI puts out some very good instructors. There is quite simply no reason to become an SSI instructor unless one owns their own dive shop, and does not compete with other dive shops, or the training is free. An SSI instructor can only teach at an assigned SSI location. It's like getting a driver's license that is only good for cars rented from Hertz. Great for Hertz, bad for the driver. Unless the driver owns a Hertz franchise.
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Sep 18, 2012 10:43
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pupdive posted:Not to be confrontational, but the first thing to think about before becoming an instructor is that we really do not need any more instructors who already know everything teaching. We have more than enough of those, and that is the reason why we cannot get octopus's moved to the left side of rental gear, and why we still have tank valves turned back, and why we are still training with snorkels, etc. etc. Because we are tied to the way things used to be, for largely no good reasons other than inertia. Can you explain the Snorkel thing or the valve thing? I already know the Snorkel thing is pretty usefull when you are having to swim out to a dropoff and prevents you from getting a mouthful of salt water.
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Sep 18, 2012 14:59
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pupdive posted:Not to be confrontational, but the first thing to think about before becoming an instructor is that we really do not need any more instructors who already know everything teaching. We have more than enough of those, and that is the reason why we cannot get octopus's moved to the left side of rental gear, and why we still have tank valves turned back, and why we are still training with snorkels, etc. etc. Because we are tied to the way things used to be, for largely no good reasons other than inertia. I've never seen anyone taught to have a tank valve facing towards the rear of their unit (if thats what you are talking about). You teach with snorkels because snorkels are useful in rough water, and you keep octos off the left side because its a big entanglement hazard with your inflator hose and possibly console during an emergency. None of what you said is an actual scuba problem, led alone inhibiting "progress"
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Sep 18, 2012 16:01
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I finished my PADI open water qual this weekend, diving in Long Island Sound. The first day was miserable - visibility of maybe 2 feet, fairly high chop and current (for the sound) meant we were all clinging to the instructor and couldn't really do anything but the required exercises. The second day was much calmer with 3-5 feet visibility so we had a chance to do some swimming around as well and saw a bunch of fish and snails.  Now I'm trying to assemble a set of gear of my own, and man this ain't a cheap hobby.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:53
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Crunkjuice posted:I've never seen anyone taught to have a tank valve facing towards the rear of their unit (if thats what you are talking about). You teach with snorkels because snorkels are useful in rough water, and you keep octos off the left side because its a big entanglement hazard with your inflator hose and possibly console during an emergency. None of what you said is an actual scuba problem, led alone inhibiting "progress" I absolutely agree with all of this. Rough water diving will definitely make you regret leaving that snorkel behind or allowing your hoses to get tangled if they got thrown around. And even if veteran divers end up wanting to dive without a snorkel or move around the layout of their gear, we should not be teaching new divers to use those techniques right off the bat.
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Sep 18, 2012 19:24
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Kaal posted:I absolutely agree with all of this. Rough water diving will definitely make you regret leaving that snorkel behind or allowing your hoses to get tangled if they got thrown around. And even if veteran divers end up wanting to dive without a snorkel or move around the layout of their gear, we should not be teaching new divers to use those techniques right off the bat. Ohh and here is the newest customer in town at Molokai, It is unknown to me or my buddies who dive there frequently. This galapagos decided to rush up to Open Circuit divers and broke to the left once it got about 10ft away. Most of the people in the dive group thought it was very cool but the danger of these bold animals is very real. Here is the big girl that was seen one of the OC guys snapped this photo.    Seems she is more bold and unafraid than this one who if given the chance would attack. This one below is very well known and she is big! I always plant myself in defensive positions when she is around to be able to see her coming so she cannot sneak up on me. Welcome to cage less shark diving in open ocean with shark known to attack people in open water  
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Sep 18, 2012 20:36
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Hi all, Nice picks Slicer. I got my PADI dive certification in 1992, but haven't been diving in years. Just lake dives when I did. My girlfriend wants to get certified, and I wouldn't mind going back through the course as a refresher. I checked with the local shop where I originally took my certification, and they now offer NAUI. Are there any major differences between the two?
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Sep 18, 2012 21:00
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Is this where we post pics of sharks? Also just met a fellow diver that lives real close to me. "Yeah, just finished three weeks of diving in Thailand, it was pretty awesome" "Oh, cool! I've been doing tri-mix diving all summer on great lakes wrecks." Yup. He knows his poo poo much more than my noob rear end.
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Sep 18, 2012 22:13
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MA-Horus posted:Is this where we post pics of sharks? Where was this taken? The shark has little damage on it from mating?
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Sep 18, 2012 22:25
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ljw1004 posted:I signed up for this dive in "Titan 1 Missile Silo" - http://greenwaterscuba.com/ There are several videos on YouTube of people diving in Titan silos. It should give you an idea what you are in for. If you really have an interest in Titan Missile Silos there is a museum in Arizona where you can take a tour of the whole facility. And it's not filled with water.
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Sep 18, 2012 22:28
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So I've just submitted an abstract to present at an upcoming archaeological conference - it just happens to be in Hawaii! I am far more stoked about the diving than I am about the conference! All being well I'll be in Honolulu for a couple of weeks next april - is that a good time for diving over there/ does anyone have any good sites that they recommend?
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Sep 18, 2012 22:46
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A mate of mine is building up to a 200+ metre dive in a cave (Sra Keow) and has asked me if I'm interested in being a support diver. I said no, because I'm not experienced enough. He said that didn't matter, there would be something for me to do even at recreational depths with only a cavern course as extra training I don't have. Unfortunately we haven't had a chance to talk since as he moved across the country to Phuket. Anyway, I've been thinking it over and I'm kind of interested. Has anyone done any diving in support of others? If so, what sort of jobs are involved and what are some things I should be aware of? The guy in question is just a kid - he's an extremely competent 19 year old SSI and TDI instructor and is training with/working for a guy in Phuket who has been to 240m in said cave. My friend hit 100m there a few months ago, and is slowly building his skills and experience to go further. His parents think he's an open water instructor, but at the moment he's taking a CCR full cave course 
Finch! fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 06:55
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Look at what Add Helium did for 200m... They did it recently in a non overhead enviroment.
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Sep 19, 2012 07:24
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SlicerDicer posted:Look at what Add Helium did for 200m... They did it recently in a non overhead enviroment. I had a read on their website but my Internet sucks too hard to watch the video. Interesting that the entire crew were on rebreathers. From memory, the only reason the dive is being planned for a cave is because it's the only place nearby where such depths can be encountered.
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Sep 19, 2012 07:56
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Finch! posted:A mate of mine is building up to a 200+ metre dive in a cave (Sra Keow) and has asked me if I'm interested in being a support diver. I said no, because I'm not experienced enough. He said that didn't matter, there would be something for me to do even at recreational depths with only a cavern course as extra training I don't have. Unfortunately we haven't had a chance to talk since as he moved across the country to Phuket. Jesus, you need to get the hell away from this dude liability wise. My most polite way of saying this? gently caress this rear end in a top hat. Do nothing with him training wise. He's an rear end in a top hat and i give no fucks to his level of training. If he's lying about his training level to anyone, he deserves no diving business.
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Sep 19, 2012 09:11
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Crunkjuice posted:Jesus, you need to get the hell away from this dude liability wise. My most polite way of saying this? gently caress this rear end in a top hat. Do nothing with him training wise. He's an rear end in a top hat and i give no fucks to his level of training. If he's lying about his training level to anyone, he deserves no diving business. Which guy - my friend, or his mentor/instructor/employer? My friend has been a tech diver since he was 15, and is training with and working with an extremely competent instructor trainer who has held - or holds - several records and who writes instructor trainer manuals. He wouldn't risk his reputation as one of the best to support or even employ my friend if he did not think he is capable and competent. Why do you say he's a liability and hint at him being incompetent - or do you mean me, and my lack of training but being asked to help out in some way? If the latter, I agree - hence my reluctance to get involved. Nevertheless I've dived with both guys and I know neither would ask unless they were sure I could be of some use and not a liability. Finch! fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 10:03
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Reel Cleanup Day today! Free dive for the local dive shop to pick up a bunch of beer bottles or whatever.
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Sep 19, 2012 14:15
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Finch! posted:Which guy - my friend, or his mentor/instructor/employer? http://drmike.smugmug.com/Screw-up-stories-1/Articles/Lost-in-a-cave/1777060_c8Qd3n#!i=88459177&k=VMWnG95 Caving is serious business for serious people.
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Sep 19, 2012 15:52
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SlicerDicer posted:http://drmike.smugmug.com/Screw-up-stories-1/Articles/Lost-in-a-cave/1777060_c8Qd3n#!i=88459177&k=VMWnG95 Didn't the good doctor end up getting into a fight with the guy he did this dive with?
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Sep 19, 2012 15:56
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I just finishing watching Dark Tide. Jesus Christ, start to finish these people were the unsafest, most terrible dive operators imaginable. I was rooting for the sharks the whole goddamn time.
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Sep 19, 2012 16:22
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Finch! posted:Which guy - my friend, or his mentor/instructor/employer? The way you worded it it sounded like he wasn't a cave diver and doing stuff way beyond his training level. If he's a certified cave diver, thats another story. Also, tech diver at 15 what the gently caress. He might be one of those prodigies in diving like those kids that sail around the world at 13 or something, but cave diving before your 20's down to 240 meters? To be that young, to have that much cash to go that far into diving (trust fund?), it all just sounds really really fishy and i wouldn't associate myself with it.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:55
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monkeyharness posted:Hi all, Nope. The only difference you might notice is the slightly greater emphasis on 'skin diving', which means using a snorkel. But in the average course you would not really even notice that from the student side.
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Sep 20, 2012 11:13
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TLG James posted:Can you explain the Snorkel thing or the valve thing? A snorkel is a far less useful than a regulator since it can only be used in one postion (face down, slightly forward) and at one depth (surface). A regulator never gets water in it on the surface, can be used in any orientation, and at any depth. Since the air consumed at the surface is much less than air consumed at depth, the idea that using a snorkel 'saves air' is more a back rationalization of why we are forced by tradition to use snorkels than it is an actual evaluation of appropriate gear choices. Swimming on the back with scuba is a more efficient way to kick and it lifts the head well clear of the water. It keeps the diver more situationally aware of boat traffic and other surface obstacles, as well as the actual heading. It puts the heavy tank in the water, instead of over the diver. The usual rationales for requiring snorkels also fall down when one realizes that the very divers who are likely to be stuck at the surface for extended periods (tech divers) almost never wear snorkels because they are a functionless entanglement hazard for most of the dive, and their potential usefulness is just not enough reason to even consider one for most tech divers. The 'valve thing': http://scuba.about.com/od/divemedicinesafety/a/Open-Tank-Valves-Fully.htm pupdive fucked around with this message at 11:50 on Sep 20, 2012 |
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Sep 20, 2012 11:29
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Crunkjuice posted:you keep octos off the left side because its a big entanglement hazard with your inflator hose and possibly console during an emergency. None of what you said is an actual scuba problem, led alone inhibiting "progress" So interfering with the inflator hose is a problem, but interfering with your primary gas supply hose is not? That sounds like one the typical back rationalizations given to explain why thing are rather than an actual attempt to think through gear choices, and setups. I have run a left mounted octo for many years, and never once have I had it interfere with anything but unthought out preconceptions of how to set up gear. In fact having only the primary to the right has made my gear my easier to deal with on many levels, including running a long hose, or an underarm hose. Please put your octopus on the left side and run through some out of air drills with a buddy. Many who try it once change their setup, once they realize that routing the hose so that an OOA (out of air) diver is not fighting a kinked hose to breathe is a good thing. (Of course some people don't give a drat about their OOA buddy and that's fine too. Only silly people run out of air anyway, I guess.) It's why BSAC has made left mounted octos standard, and why Japanese have made it a de facto standard. Because approaching gear setup without preconceived notions leads to better ideas about gear setup. Strange to think that Japanese are more open minded about gear setups than Americans, but there it is. OOA gas sharing either matters, in which the octopus should be on the left for the OOA diver's benefit (or it should be a left running hose, or an Oceanic Omega/Poseidon type), or the octopus is just something we pay lip service too, and we can mount it on the right because it does not matter that is gets pulled out of the OOA divers mouth in an actual gas sharing situation.
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Sep 20, 2012 11:49
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The valve thing isn't a problem if you do a proper pre-dive check. You inhale a few breaths, and you check the purge on your regulator and blast some air through it while watching the air gauge. You will 100% notice if there is a problem. That guy claims 1 in 50. I've taught hundreds of students and i've never seen it once. I also teach instead of doing one slow long breath, take 3-4 sharp inhales. That way if there's a problem, each breath is strong enough to move the needle and you can tell. Also, people may or may not be using tanks from decades ago. Some tanks from the 70's are still good, most from the 80's are. Even if technology has increased, there are older tanks being used constantly which i wouldn't necessarily trust all the way open. Progress with octo's you say? Don't loving use one is my answer. Use an integrated alternate air source and eliminate a hose all together!! Its better than any octo setup (regardless of what side you think is better), and in an emergency, you give the out of air diver a known working (your primary) regulator. But if you are using an octopus, the octo doesn't interfere with your primary air source at all. You hook it it under your arm, and have it clipped off. Your primary hose should be of appropriate length to go directly from the tank to your mouth without excess slack. There is nothing on your right side to get entangled with. This is assuming the diver has the octo properly attached to his gear and isn't just letting it dangle around like a retard. This doesn't have to be a dick measuring contest about who's the better diver, but in my thousand plus dives, a few hundred of those teaching students, and the 3 rescues i've been apart of, i've never seen an incident with a tangled octopus. Your snorkel argument is also poo poo. Divers likely to be stuck at the surface for a while? Divers who get caught in a current, get lost and separated, or who are injured somehow, or are in classes. Snorkels are emergency safety gear, and I teach it as such. I also tell my students to get a roll up snorkel and stow that bitch in a pocket, so it isn't a problem and they have it if they need it! I'm required by PADI to have a snorkel while teaching, not wear it on my head. I always tell my students i have a roll up one in my pocket. Problem solved.
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Sep 20, 2012 16:43
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       Got a vid here too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcsMPjhMSeI If anyone can point out how to improve my dive videos i'd appreciate some advice, especially in terms of camera settings and keeping steady physically. It's on a cheap Panasonic lumix FT4 (waterproof to 12m outside of a housing) but im pretty happy with what ive been getting taking it on casual shore dives here in Sydney where there's plenty of cool places to dive without going more that 15m. As far as the shoddy editing goes i've i should just say that i've used Final Cut a fair bit before, but since i own a PC nowadays i've just knocked these videos together quickly using windows live movie maker, and i cant be bothered ATM trying to get the best out of that program. When I get adobe premiere up and running i'll be alright as far as editing goes. TANZENTURTLE fucked around with this message at 08:19 on Sep 24, 2012 |
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Sep 24, 2012 08:00
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I love that Eel pic. The other day I was diving and I saw this ugly rear end fish swim right at my head, then turn 90 degrees and settle on some rocks, and I realized it was a stone fish. Oh, I made the top 8 for the PADI debris contest. Vote for my entry if you guys like it. Not sure if any other goons entered or not. You need a facebook account obviously. https://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/contests/286700/voteable_entries/57703481
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Sep 24, 2012 14:42
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That contest makes me wish my camera battery didn't die right before missing the chance at an awesome photo. A buddy of mine found a rod and reel on a wreck, with the fish still attached! (we cut him free). That wasn't really the funny or cool part though. Just a bit down we also found a lawn chair. So we tried to get a photo of him sitting in the lawn chair holding the rod out, but my battery died right as we got to the chair. I was pretty bummed.
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Sep 24, 2012 14:52
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More power of Aloha seen in Video Form, One could say I am in Liquid Aloha. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8qvLLuIEPg  
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Sep 25, 2012 19:06
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I bought this mask today - http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/essentials/masks/products/spectra.aspx I got it with the reflective coating and the guy at the dive shop said that toothpaste is a no no...and to not use any defogger other than spit or baby shampoo. I understand not using toothpaste because it's abrasive, but what about the defogger? Also, I am kinda jealous there, SlicerDicer. I live on Oahu and am stuck snorkeling because I have asthma. Not quite as much aloha...though I did see a white tipped reef shark at Hanauma once.
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Sep 28, 2012 11:15
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In my experience rubbing some toothpaste in with your fingertip then rinsing it works very well as a way to prep your mask before a trip. Also spit in your mask before every dive. I'm bot sure if the toothpaste hurts the mask but it is not something I worry about. I adopt whatever masks people leave in my shed (although I like my primary enough that I will probably replace it with the same model if it goes bad...). Suffice to say I'm not too strict on masks: if they don't leak or fog and you like them, go for it.
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Sep 29, 2012 03:44
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Paco de Suave posted:Also, I am kinda jealous there, SlicerDicer. I live on Oahu and am stuck snorkeling because I have asthma. Not quite as much aloha...though I did see a white tipped reef shark at Hanauma once. I found a dead one in the water near Makapu'u a couple months back. Does that still count?
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Sep 29, 2012 04:37
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Paco de Suave posted:I bought this mask today - http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/essentials/masks/products/spectra.aspx Well I am glad you can see the splendor of the underwater land that exists here. You may see stuff on the TEE VEE but really nothing compares to whats in your own backyard! I can watch documentary of things but knowing whats here just makes me so excited. Speaking of that I am diving again Tomorrow! I hope to have some decent photos for you guys.
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Sep 29, 2012 06:47
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Bishop posted:In my experience rubbing some toothpaste in with your fingertip then rinsing it works very well as a way to prep your mask before a trip. Also spit in your mask before every dive. I'm bot sure if the toothpaste hurts the mask but it is not something I worry about. I adopt whatever masks people leave in my shed (although I like my primary enough that I will probably replace it with the same model if it goes bad...). Suffice to say I'm not too strict on masks: if they don't leak or fog and you like them, go for it. I agree with this in general, but ScubaPro specifically instructs buyers to not use abrasive on the mask because of a "special finish". I have no idea what that new finish might be, but I'd try using the mask a few times before using toothpaste on it. Personally I only used toothpaste on my mask once to thoroughly clean it, and then I rub spit over it and then dunk it in the water before donning it. I've never used defogger, but I don't believe that it is an abrasive. Also, the word around the campfire is that women's spit doesn't work as well as a defogger as men's spit. It's scientifically debatable, though I've always found it to be true.
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Sep 29, 2012 06:54
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I have two gear related questions. First, someone near me is selling a set of HOG regulators for about $250 (local currency). As I do not currently own regs, this might be good. But I've never heard of HOG before this sell ad was posted, so I don't know if they're a shite brand or not. As far as I can tell, they're primarily for tech diving, but the set in question has a yoke adapter. Assuming I take them to a local shop and they check out ok, how are hog regs? Could I hover inverted without sucking in water? Sometimes I need to be upside down. Question #2: Some guy recently recommended that the GoPro series of cameras as a potential upgrade from my Canon Powershot D10. Since my current camera is rated for 10m (and has never gone deeper than 15), and the Gopro's are rated for 60, they look to be a good fit on paper. Has anyone experience with these?
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Oct 5, 2012 17:11
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