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Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
Another fun thing yesterday was I had a situation where my mask was leaking a bit during deco but when I tried to clear it the water was displaced by snot. Good times...

rockcity posted:

I may take you up on that at some point depending on my schedule. I'm pretty busy over the next few months, but if a weekend ends up free I might be willing to make the venture down from Orlando. That or the next time I'm in Miami for work we can do a night dive or something.
Missed this. :getin: PM me with details and we can probably make it happen. I can do a night dive pretty much any day of the week.

Bishop fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Oct 15, 2012

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rockcity
Jan 16, 2004

Bishop posted:

Missed this. :getin: PM me with details and we can probably make it happen. I can do a night dive pretty much any day of the week.

Awesome. I come down maybe once every month or two so I'll let you know when I come down next. I should be down in November some time.

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

Dry suit lesson tomorrow :dance:

Any tips?

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!

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

Dry suit lesson tomorrow :dance:

Any tips?

The biggest thing you're gonna have to get used to is diving in a bubble. I like to sort of lock my knees above me and frog kick when diving my drysuit, that way i minimize the air in my legs and help my buoyancy out. You'll spend most of your time figuring out your buoyancy so just play around with it for a while and you'll find what works for you. Also, unless you have a lovely instructor, or he's teaching you tech diving techniques, do NOT use your BCD for buoyancy control underwater. Use your drysuit only, and use your bcd as flotation on the surface. Trying to manage two different buoyancy systems is not necessary for recreational diving. Only in tec when they have shitloads of weight due to stage tanks does it become necessary.

Be really careful with your seals when putting them on/off. They can stretch a bunch but if you tear em, you're screwed. Getting in and out of the suit is stupid akward the first few times, you'll get used to it.

GO TO THE BATHROOM BEFORE YOU DIVE. I'm assuming you aren't using a p-valve or adult diaper. Having to pee in a drysuit sucks. You can pee in it and wash it out later, but thats just awful.

Drysuits rock man, have fun.

Crunkjuice fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Oct 15, 2012

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

Crunkjuice posted:

The biggest thing you're gonna have to get used to is diving in a bubble. I like to sort of lock my knees above me and frog kick when diving my drysuit, that way i minimize the air in my legs and help my buoyancy out. You'll spend most of your time figuring out your buoyancy so just play around with it for a while and you'll find what works for you. Also, unless you have a lovely instructor, or he's teaching you tech diving techniques, do NOT use your BCD for buoyancy control underwater. Use your drysuit only, and use your bcd as flotation on the surface. Trying to manage two different buoyancy systems is not necessary for recreational diving. Only in tec when they have shitloads of weight due to stage tanks does it become necessary.

Be really careful with your seals when putting them on/off. They can stretch a bunch but if you tear em, you're screwed. Getting in and out of the suit is stupid akward the first few times, you'll get used to it.

GO TO THE BATHROOM BEFORE YOU DIVE. I'm assuming you aren't using a p-valve or adult diaper. Having to pee in a drysuit sucks. You can pee in it and wash it out later, but thats just awful.

Drysuits rock man, have fun.

Cheers dude I actually did open water dry but then I was more concerned with learning to dive. Pretty pumped for this as it would mean regular diving in the uk. As it's BSAC it's costing very little and my friend wants to join too which will get me £180 off a dry suit of my own if the club doesnt bave one that fits :getin:

SgtScruffy
Dec 27, 2003

Babies.


Does anyone have any diving experience in Puerto Rico or Barbados? My parents are planning an annual family trip, and they're choosing between the two - none of us are divers except for me, so they won't base the entire trip on which has better dives, but will either one have at least halfway decent dives?

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

Crunkjuice posted:


GO TO THE BATHROOM BEFORE YOU DIVE. I'm assuming you aren't using a p-valve or adult diaper. Having to pee in a drysuit sucks. You can pee in it and wash it out later, but thats just awful.

I have only had my pvalve dislodge once and marinated in my juices for a further 2 hours. It was pretty horrific cause by that point it was like screw it just WHIZZZZ AWAY!!!

Nione
Jun 3, 2006

Welcome to Trophy Island
Rub my tummy
I have a question. I got my SCUBA license (SSI, I believe) when I was 16. I haven't been on a dive in 12 years. I understand that I'm still certified, but I don't have any documentation anymore. My old dive shop was bought out back in 2011. Any suggestions? I'd really like to do a refresher course and maybe expand my license a bit and get back into diving now that I'm an adult who can afford to dive as opposed to a broke college kid.

Also, I no longer have my fins, boots, mask, etc. Any recommendations for good quality stuff online or should I just check out my local shop? I want decent stuff, but I also don't want to spend twice what I should for it and I have no idea what's "good."

Oakland Martini
Feb 14, 2008
Refugee from the great account hijacking of 2008
I'm finishing my PhD this year and thinking about doing a diving trip for two weeks or so in the spring or summer before I start working as a professor since I've been too busy to dive much these past 5 years. I've got a PADI advanced open water cert and I've done somewhere between 200 and 500 dives.* Last big trip was to Fiji in 2008 with my dad (Somosomo strait and Naiqoro passage which were both fantastic), but I've been to lots of places in California, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. I was thinking of either Indonesia (Komodo specifically) or Mozambique. Anyone been to either? Would May-ish or late July be better for Southeast Asia? I'll be in South Korea for a conference in July so I could go from there if that's a good time of year for the region.

*Yeah, big range. Never kept a log. Went on a bunch of week-long liveaboard trips to Catalina Island with my chemistry professor in high school who was an instructor so I have no clue how many dives I've done.

Edit: Been lurking this thread for a while. SlicerDicer, did you ever post the pics/videos you got from leaving your camera off Molokini overnight or whatever it was?

Oakland Martini fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Oct 16, 2012

Snowdens Secret
Dec 29, 2008
Someone got you a obnoxiously racist av.

Crunkjuice posted:

Also, unless you have a lovely instructor, or he's teaching you tech diving techniques, do NOT use your BCD for buoyancy control underwater. Use your drysuit only, and use your bcd as flotation on the surface. Trying to manage two different buoyancy systems is not necessary for recreational diving. Only in tec when they have shitloads of weight due to stage tanks does it become necessary.

I've heard it this way, and I've heard to keep the bare minimum of gas in the suit to counter squeeze / keep your insulating layer from getting squashed, specifically so you don't have to worry about a bubble moving around / getting in the legs or whatever, and to use the buoyancy control device to control buoyancy. Is that the tech way or do you think it's just the wrong way? Is it really that much more of a hassle that way?

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

Snowdens Secret posted:

I've heard it this way, and I've heard to keep the bare minimum of gas in the suit to counter squeeze / keep your insulating layer from getting squashed, specifically so you don't have to worry about a bubble moving around / getting in the legs or whatever, and to use the buoyancy control device to control buoyancy. Is that the tech way or do you think it's just the wrong way? Is it really that much more of a hassle that way?

Yeah I do not use my Drysuit for bouyancy anymore. I use the wing its far easier to trim and you can run with less volume.. less volume = less to keep warm, meaning warmer.. everytime you manipulate that gas you actually add in cold air and make yourself cold again.

Just remember that.

DeadlyMuffin
Jul 3, 2007


Snowdens Secret posted:

I've heard it this way, and I've heard to keep the bare minimum of gas in the suit to counter squeeze / keep your insulating layer from getting squashed, specifically so you don't have to worry about a bubble moving around / getting in the legs or whatever, and to use the buoyancy control device to control buoyancy. Is that the tech way or do you think it's just the wrong way? Is it really that much more of a hassle that way?

If you're properly weighted and not carrying extra tanks then (in my opinion) you should be able to manage buoyancy just fine with the drysuit alone without an unwieldy bubble. If that's the case, why manage two air volumes when you can just manage one?

I'm not a tech diver, but what I have heard is that tech divers don't take the weight of sling/stage/travel gas bottles into account in their weighting since these are things that can and will be handed off. This means that they could easily be overweighted to the point where buoyancy control with the drysuit isn't practical.

SlicerDicer posted:

Yeah I do not use my Drysuit for bouyancy anymore. I use the wing its far easier to trim and you can run with less volume.. less volume = less to keep warm, meaning warmer.. everytime you manipulate that gas you actually add in cold air and make yourself cold again.

Just remember that.

My objection to a lot of the DIR type stuff is the idea that there is one correct way to dive. There isn't. Try both and see what works for you.

DeadlyMuffin fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Oct 17, 2012

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

Dry suit was cool guys. Pool wasn't exactly deep but felt I did well with my boyancy control seeing as I haven't dived since February. Definitely going to take a while to get used to adjusting the autodump valve but its kinda neat rolling forward slightly to let a smidge of air into your legs to make frog kicks more comfortable. The club is very cool and the guy that was teaching me is lending me his old suit so I can dive properly this weekend, can't wait.

Paul MaudDib
May 3, 2006

TEAM NVIDIA:
FORUM POLICE
I took my certification dives in a drysuit on Christmas Eve in Michigan :getin:

I haven't drysuit dived in years but I'm pretty sure I just kept a bare minimum of air in the drysuit so I wasn't getting squeezed. If you put a lot of air in there it'll work into the legs and you'll need to roll and vent it back out.

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

Proper dive tomorrow so we will see how it goes. If this means diving regularly i think it's probably time i start investing in some kit. Will probably go undersuit->drysuit->computer (thinking an oceanic geo 2 as i want ZHL-16)

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

Diving today was awesome. Only in a lake but vis was great as there weren't many people about so we could see all the neat stuff the owners have sunk. My boyancy was pretty good i think but had two issues. One was at the beginning of the first dive and was just a matter of not making sure to purge the air when ascending slightly, only went from 10m->5m while sorting myself out but still annoying and the other was on the second when the dump valve decided to stop working unless i pressed it which caused real problems including one feet first ascent which i managed to abort. Was using drysuit for buoyancy but now going going to use the BCD as there you have redundant means of getting air out. As an aside didn't equalise my mask properly and now have two rather red patches around my eyes :negative:

macado
Jun 3, 2003

How to keep an idiot busy, Click here.
Just finished posting another scallop diving video from Columbus Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAFJioNkQsM

If anything, it shows how boring scallop dives are :-)

Looking at the new GoPro Hero 3 for improved low light performance which would be nice for New England diving and especially in wrecks/caves.

I'm also in the drysuit camp of only using your suit to avoid squeeze. I keep as little air as possible in my suit to avoid an unmanageable bubble. Like SlicerDicer said, anytime you add gas to your suit your body has to re-warm that gas.


Not sure if you guys saw this on scubaboard but there is a DIY effort/group buy to make a universal goodman handle for most dive lights. It looks like it would work great for some backup lights. I have nothing to do with the sale of manufacture of this but I just thought it was a cool project.

http://www.indiegogo.com/gooddris?a=1652533

QuarkJets
Sep 8, 2008

I moved to Maui a few months ago, and I went spear fishing with borrowed gear for the first time two weeks ago, mostly new guys and two experts that we knew. It was pure badass for the entire 8 hours or so that we were out there, and now I want to buy some free diving gear

What's probably the best route for buying gear, just walk into any dive shop or are some places just better? Should I buy any gear online? Is there any gear or gear manufacturer that I should avoid?

Some websites advertise "sports skins" that are supposed to be really thin (1mm or less) wetsuits that are just for UV protection but also provide aerodynamic advantages. If I got one of those instead of a wetsuit, would I get cold during a deep dive in Hawaii?

rockcity
Jan 16, 2004

QuarkJets posted:

Some websites advertise "sports skins" that are supposed to be really thin (1mm or less) wetsuits that are just for UV protection but also provide aerodynamic advantages. If I got one of those instead of a wetsuit, would I get cold during a deep dive in Hawaii?

No one can answer this but you. Everyone's comfort range in the water is so broad that no one can really guess. Hell, SlicerDicer dives a dry suit in Hawaii. On dive boats in FL I regularly see people wearing nothing more than board shorts and a t-shirt standing next to someone in a full 5mm suit with a core warmer and hood.

SuitcasePimp
Feb 27, 2005

QuarkJets posted:

I moved to Maui a few months ago, and I went spear fishing with borrowed gear for the first time two weeks ago, mostly new guys and two experts that we knew. It was pure badass for the entire 8 hours or so that we were out there, and now I want to buy some free diving gear

What's probably the best route for buying gear, just walk into any dive shop or are some places just better? Should I buy any gear online? Is there any gear or gear manufacturer that I should avoid?

Some websites advertise "sports skins" that are supposed to be really thin (1mm or less) wetsuits that are just for UV protection but also provide aerodynamic advantages. If I got one of those instead of a wetsuit, would I get cold during a deep dive in Hawaii?

I dove in Kauai a few months ago and was pretty cold by the end of the second dive in a 3/2. They were renting 5mm full suits which my wife used and she was cold as well but she was probably cold in the womb. You might want to check out lavacore and sharkskin suits, I have heard that they are awesome in terms of warmth with no buoyancy and you can layer them with a neoprene suit for extra warmth if you need it.

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

Its started. Saw a deal too good to pass up and I'm now the owner of a set of Poseidon jet streams. My wallet is going to take a hell of a beating.

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

macado posted:

Not sure if you guys saw this on scubaboard but there is a DIY effort/group buy to make a universal goodman handle for most dive lights. It looks like it would work great for some backup lights. I have nothing to do with the sale of manufacture of this but I just thought it was a cool project.

http://www.indiegogo.com/gooddris?a=1652533
It's a cool idea and would work with both my backups but if I had one of those I would want it stow it unless i needed it. Part of the appeal of my backups is that they are tucked away almost under my armpit and won't get snagged on anything. Having that handle on them seems like it would make them a lot bulkier, etc.

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

Its started. Saw a deal too good to pass up and I'm now the owner of a set of Poseidon jet streams. My wallet is going to take a hell of a beating.
There's worse ways to go bankrupt than by being addicted to dive gear.

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!
I've made a few ghetto rigs out of some 1 inch nylon webbing and some zip ties. A stitched one to go around my hand, and another small stitched ring around that. Then i can just zip tie my light down two or 3 times through that second loop and boom, ghetto as poo poo hand mount for pretty much any sized light. I'm sure if i spent any time on it i could make a a little beefier/more secure, but it im only really teaching/recreational diving so it doesn't need to be super tough/overbuilt.

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

QuarkJets posted:

I moved to Maui a few months ago, and I went spear fishing with borrowed gear for the first time two weeks ago, mostly new guys and two experts that we knew. It was pure badass for the entire 8 hours or so that we were out there, and now I want to buy some free diving gear

What's probably the best route for buying gear, just walk into any dive shop or are some places just better? Should I buy any gear online? Is there any gear or gear manufacturer that I should avoid?

Some websites advertise "sports skins" that are supposed to be really thin (1mm or less) wetsuits that are just for UV protection but also provide aerodynamic advantages. If I got one of those instead of a wetsuit, would I get cold during a deep dive in Hawaii?

Dont go to a dive shop expecting good help. Most dive shops are clueless about freediving and spearfishing and will sell you a huge mask, a purge snorkel, and scuba fins without batting an eye. If you cant find a local knowledgeable spearfishing/freediving shop the best thing to do is research online and buy at a dive shop or online if possible.

Here is the 411 on buying important free-diving gear in my opinion:

Mask: #1) It should be a low volume "freediving" mask. As you dive you have to equalize your mask to prevent face squeeze, the bigger the mask the more air you have to pump into it at depth. #2) The mask should fit your face correctly. Different masks fit different faces so with masks brand doesn't matter nearly as much as fit and inner volume. Omer,Cressi, Riffe, Mares etc are all good, what you pick should be based on fit.

Snorkel: You want a simple J snorkel without a purge that fits in your mouth well. Purges leak and suck. My fav is the cressi california.

Fins: You need long blade closed heel freediving fins. The cheapest route is plastic Cressi Gara ld3000's at 100$. The most expensive route is carbon fiber fins at $400-500. Fiberglass is somewhere in the middle. Fins give a freediver/spearfishermen the most bang for the buck. Carbon is a worth every penny.

The important things about fins are #1 the foot pocket should fit very well. Different companies footpockets tend to fit different feet. Omer footpockets tend to work for wider feet and higher insteps while cressi footpockets seem to be skinny. So go with the pocket or fin that feels the best on your foot. #2 The blade should be a nice medium/soft stiffness (unless you are huge and or a pro cyclist or something). The blade should be soft enough to kick around with all day but have enough backbone to get you down. Too often people go for a stiffer blade thinking they need it for the power but more power comes at a terrible ankle crushing price.

Suit: You need a freediving/spearfishing wetsuit, and a "rashguard suit". As others have said, everyone is different in regards to how cold they get. But hawaii is close to here in FL and seems to be in the "kinda-cold winter to hot summer" range 77-82. Based on that during the winter you will need a 3mm wetsuit, and during the summer you dont need much beyond a bathing suit, but a full body rashguard is a good idea for UV protection.

A freediving wetsuit is different from normal wetsuit in that its "open cell", two piece (top bottom) and has no zippers. Normally wetsuits are made of neoprene lined inside and out with Lycra or Nylon for ruggedness. Open cell suits have no lining on the inside exposing the soft neoprene foam. This makes the suit seal tightly to your body resulting in the same thickness suit being much warmer then a traditional suit. They are also much more flexible then a normal suit. The downside to these suits is you can damage the neoprene inside if you aren't careful getting it on/off. And you cant put them on without some form of lubrication, either water, or water with some un-scented conditioner.

As for skinsuits that provide thermal protection equal to a 3mm suit like "sharkskin". I dont buy it one bit. Maybe a 3mm surfer suit. But not a freediving suit.

Weights/belt: You need a rubber weight belt not a nylon one. Rubber is important because it will prevent the belt from slipping around you in a circle as well as prevent the belt from falling off when your body is compressed at depth. You need enough weight to make yourself neutrally buoyant at your target depth. This will depend on how fat you are and how thick of a wetsuit you are wearing.

Thats the main stuff you need to get started. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Oct 24, 2012

pupdive
Jun 13, 2012

QuarkJets posted:

I moved to Maui a few months ago, and I went spear fishing with borrowed gear for the first time two weeks ago, mostly new guys and two experts that we knew. It was pure badass for the entire 8 hours or so that we were out there, and now I want to buy some free diving gear

What's probably the best route for buying gear, just walk into any dive shop or are some places just better? Should I buy any gear online? Is there any gear or gear manufacturer that I should avoid?

Some websites advertise "sports skins" that are supposed to be really thin (1mm or less) wetsuits that are just for UV protection but also provide aerodynamic advantages. If I got one of those instead of a wetsuit, would I get cold during a deep dive in Hawaii?

As above, don't go into a scuba shop and expect much help.

Maui, and really all the Pacific islands, have free-diving shops that know more about what works than any dive shop.

Disagreeing with the above on the open cell suit. Open cell/skinless suits won't last a season.

Thin wetsuits are not good for free-diving for reasons that will become clear as you do it more.

Also disagreeing about the snorkel. Don't necessarily avoid purge valves, just avoid the typical floppy 'scuba' snorkel that dive shops sell. J snorkels are not necessarily the best bet for Hawaii, because sucking sea water sucks.

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

pupdive posted:

As above, don't go into a scuba shop and expect much help.

Maui, and really all the Pacific islands, have free-diving shops that know more about what works than any dive shop.

Disagreeing with the above on the open cell suit. Open cell/skinless suits won't last a season.

Thin wetsuits are not good for free-diving for reasons that will become clear as you do it more.

Also disagreeing about the snorkel. Don't necessarily avoid purge valves, just avoid the typical floppy 'scuba' snorkel that dive shops sell. J snorkels are not necessarily the best bet for Hawaii, because sucking sea water sucks.


I think you are mistaken on the suit style I am referencing or perhaps the language I used. You are thinking of whats called a "chicle" or smooth skin style wetsuit that is unlined exposed neoprene on the outside and inside. These are very common with professional freedivers due to the bare neoprenes smoothness decreasing drag ever so slightly. But as you said, they wouldnt last very long freediving and spearfishing recreationally.

What I am referring to is an outside lined, inside unlined "open cell" "spearfishing" wetsuit. Its the status quo among spearfishing freedivers.

The inside of these suits are open cell and soft neoprene, but the outside is lined with nylon or lycra and is extremely durable. They are made to dive hard in every day and hold up extremely well, usually better then normal scuba suits due to reinforcement of the knees and elbow areas. With my current suit ive done probably 200+ dives over 3 or so years many of which included scraping around on the bottom in holes while spearfishing or lobstering. It still looks and works like new.

Here is the suit I have: http://freedivestore.com/en/wetsuits/67-speardiver-pacific-wetsuit.html There are a number of other brands that make suits in this same style.

Regarding purge valves. A purge valve is absolutely useless if you have used a snorkel more then once. Purgeless snorkels are very easy to clear. A sharp blow expels every drop of water from the top of a non purge snorkel. And it wont keep any more water out then one with a purge. On top of that they can actually be a hazard and often let water in.

The tiny rubber purge diaphragm will eventually fail on you. If this happens during a beach dive or when you are a good distance from your kayak/boat etc you can be in a bit of trouble. If it happens early in the day, your day is shot. This has happened to not only me but a number of friends who got convinced by dive shops a purge was needed. Purge valves blow.

IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Oct 25, 2012

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

QuarkJets posted:

I moved to Maui a few months ago, and I went spear fishing with borrowed gear for the first time two weeks ago, mostly new guys and two experts that we knew. It was pure badass for the entire 8 hours or so that we were out there, and now I want to buy some free diving gear

What's probably the best route for buying gear, just walk into any dive shop or are some places just better? Should I buy any gear online? Is there any gear or gear manufacturer that I should avoid?

Some websites advertise "sports skins" that are supposed to be really thin (1mm or less) wetsuits that are just for UV protection but also provide aerodynamic advantages. If I got one of those instead of a wetsuit, would I get cold during a deep dive in Hawaii?

Maui Sporting Goods, Wailuku for free diving, if your going to do scuba depends what you want. also if you really need help feel free to talk to me. I live in Kula :)

And I am becoming super fond of Lavacore for prevention of cold.

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:

Purge valves blow.
:rimshot:

Really this whole problem would be solved if SCUBA divers just stopped using snorkels like they should.

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

SlicerDicer posted:

Maui Sporting Goods, Wailuku for free diving, if your going to do scuba depends what you want. also if you really need help feel free to talk to me. I live in Kula :)

And I am becoming super fond of Lavacore for prevention of cold.

Do they really work that well? Ive seen a couple different brands of thermal protective rash guards things and thought there was no way in hell that poo poo could keep me warm. This site seems to have some pretty good reviews on it too.

Bishop posted:

:rimshot:

Really this whole problem would be solved if SCUBA divers just stopped using snorkels like they should.

Or if dive shops and companies stopped trying to figure out expensive ways to solve non-existent problems. But it seems the whole supply chain is ready to eat it up including the consumer at the end.

Yes what you need is the atomic magic mask with super coating for $190, this $80 rube goldberg snorkel, these fins with rubber powerband(tm) bungee's.

IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Oct 26, 2012

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000
God damned hurricanes. The storm has moved north of Miami so it looks like I may have a window to go diving sunday. It will be rough seas but whatever.

QuarkJets
Sep 8, 2008

Thanks for all of the help :) The wetsuit stuff was the most confusing since there are so many types, but I feel like I have a much better idea of what I need. Now I've read about open cell suits and they sound awesome. Hey SlicerDicer, do you ever use the Lavacore in warm water or does it get too hot?

I definitely want a simple J-tube snorkel; I've dived with one of these, and I liked it way better than having a purge valve.

I'll probably try to head to Wailuku this weekend and take a look at masks, belts, and fins before I do anything else (thanks SlicerDicer!).

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:

Do they really work that well? Ive seen a couple different brands of thermal protective rash guards things and thought there was no way in hell that poo poo could keep me warm. This site seems to have some pretty good reviews on it too.

YES!!! I dove a 5mil.. ok destroyed 5mil to 1mil.. and lavacore in 58 degree water with 1mil gloves and hood... I managed to pull 120 mins bottom time. I freeze in 72 degree water with 5mil undestroyed. Take that how you want I am the coldest motherfucker in the room and I was able to do it.

I drysuit dive normally thats how cold I get. Note I WAS drat drat drat COLD!!! in 58 degree water but I forced myself through the mental block. Had I not had lavacore it would have been impossible.

HolyDiver
Oct 3, 2009

by Fistgrrl

DeadlyMuffin posted:

If you're properly weighted and not carrying extra tanks then (in my opinion) you should be able to manage buoyancy just fine with the drysuit alone without an unwieldy bubble. If that's the case, why manage two air volumes when you can just manage one?

I'm not a tech diver, but what I have heard is that tech divers don't take the weight of sling/stage/travel gas bottles into account in their weighting since these are things that can and will be handed off. This means that they could easily be overweighted to the point where buoyancy control with the drysuit isn't practical.


My objection to a lot of the DIR type stuff is the idea that there is one correct way to dive. There isn't. Try both and see what works for you.


I just skip the BCD altogether. I dive a drysuit with a simple backplate to hold my tank. much more streamline in the water. I will never use a BCD again with a drysuit

pian0majic21
Dec 22, 2011

by angerbrat
I've been interested in diving for a while, but I have no clue where to find good equipment that won't drown me. Suggestions?

Loving Africa Chaps
Dec 3, 2007


We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

pian0majic21 posted:

I've been interested in diving for a while, but I have no clue where to find good equipment that won't drown me. Suggestions?

You don't need anything to start diving but a mask and set of fins is always good to have. Learn to dive first then you can think about what you need to purchase first. These days a computer is probably the first thing to get but you can rent those too. Buy used as often as possible as you can get huge discounts vs new.

HolyDiver posted:

I just skip the BCD altogether. I dive a drysuit with a simple backplate to hold my tank. much more streamline in the water. I will never use a BCD again with a drysuit

I'm definitely going to go straight to a backplate. The club has buddy commandos and I feel abit like Michelin man with a big rear end BCD over a dry suit, that and you can normally get a Wing set up cheaper.

pupdive
Jun 13, 2012

IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:

I think you are mistaken on the suit style I am referencing or perhaps the language I used. You are thinking of whats called a "chicle" or smooth skin style wetsuit that is unlined exposed neoprene on the outside and inside. These are very common with professional freedivers due to the bare neoprenes smoothness decreasing drag ever so slightly. But as you said, they wouldnt last very long freediving and spearfishing recreationally.

What I am referring to is an outside lined, inside unlined "open cell" "spearfishing" wetsuit. Its the status quo among spearfishing freedivers.

The inside of these suits are open cell and soft neoprene, but the outside is lined with nylon or lycra and is extremely durable. They are made to dive hard in every day and hold up extremely well, usually better then normal scuba suits due to reinforcement of the knees and elbow areas. With my current suit ive done probably 200+ dives over 3 or so years many of which included scraping around on the bottom in holes while spearfishing or lobstering. It still looks and works like new.

Here is the suit I have: http://freedivestore.com/en/wetsuits/67-speardiver-pacific-wetsuit.html There are a number of other brands that make suits in this same style.

Regarding purge valves. A purge valve is absolutely useless if you have used a snorkel more then once. Purgeless snorkels are very easy to clear. A sharp blow expels every drop of water from the top of a non purge snorkel. And it wont keep any more water out then one with a purge. On top of that they can actually be a hazard and often let water in.

The tiny rubber purge diaphragm will eventually fail on you. If this happens during a beach dive or when you are a good distance from your kayak/boat etc you can be in a bit of trouble. If it happens early in the day, your day is shot. This has happened to not only me but a number of friends who got convinced by dive shops a purge was needed. Purge valves blow.

Nope I got what you said about the suit. But one improperly trimmed toenail/thumbnail and you can cut right through an unlined wetsuit. Lined wetsuits last years. Unlined suits last a season. And they are a bitch to get on.

While purge valves can fail, so can diaphragms on scuba first stages, or exhaust valves on second stages. And yet they seem to last years, surprisingly, even under daily usage in rental.

A purge in a snorkel works. If someone wants to have to continually clear the water out of a snorkel in chop, then they do. But a purge makes most clearing unnecessary in chop. If having to continuously clear a snorkel is part of the fun in free-diving then by all means, get a J-Tube.

Of course if all the free-diving is done in perfectly calm water, then a J-Tube is fine there too, because there is no water get in the top of the snorkel at the surface. But the free-diving in Hawaii is not done in pool like conditions, it is done in waves and chop.

Records sound better than CDs. Round masks with metal clamps are the only way to dive. There are people who think J-Tubes are best. But the 'reasoning' is often the same as the reasoning in the previous examples: "drat kids get off my lawn."

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

HolyDiver posted:

I just skip the BCD altogether. I dive a drysuit with a simple backplate to hold my tank. much more streamline in the water. I will never use a BCD again with a drysuit

Well just remember if you tear a seal you are going to have a very fun time getting to surface.. Also remember that only adding enough to offset squeeze and using wing for the rest is far easier. Just my advice gas in feet sucks.

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!

SlicerDicer posted:

Well just remember if you tear a seal you are going to have a very fun time getting to surface.. Also remember that only adding enough to offset squeeze and using wing for the rest is far easier. Just my advice gas in feet sucks.

I agree with this. That's pretty dangerous to rely on only your drysuit for buoyancy. Backplate and wing is industry standard for tech divers and drysuits. Not diving with a wing/Bcd for comforts sake is dangerous and stupid.

IM FROM THE FUTURE
Dec 4, 2006

pupdive posted:

Nope I got what you said about the suit. But one improperly trimmed toenail/thumbnail and you can cut right through an unlined wetsuit. Lined wetsuits last years. Unlined suits last a season. And they are a bitch to get on.

While purge valves can fail, so can diaphragms on scuba first stages, or exhaust valves on second stages. And yet they seem to last years, surprisingly, even under daily usage in rental.

A purge in a snorkel works. If someone wants to have to continually clear the water out of a snorkel in chop, then they do. But a purge makes most clearing unnecessary in chop. If having to continuously clear a snorkel is part of the fun in free-diving then by all means, get a J-Tube.

Of course if all the free-diving is done in perfectly calm water, then a J-Tube is fine there too, because there is no water get in the top of the snorkel at the surface. But the free-diving in Hawaii is not done in pool like conditions, it is done in waves and chop.

Records sound better than CDs. Round masks with metal clamps are the only way to dive. There are people who think J-Tubes are best. But the 'reasoning' is often the same as the reasoning in the previous examples: "drat kids get off my lawn."

A cheap purge snorkel sold at a dive shop was probably produced in china with no quality control for about $5. Scuba stages I somehow imagine being subject to way more more rigorous quality control both before production and after. Even then, I've had a regulator fail on me. Isnt that why there are two of them? And I carry a spare snorkel in my bag and I've lent it out twice this year during dives to people with failed purge valves.

My experience with purge snorkels is the opposite, in calm seas they seem to always contain a little bit of water you cant get rid of. And in rough seas its the same only more pronounced. Perhaps I've just never ran into the right snorkel, but I've never found a purge snorkel that stays dry for an extended period of time. Instead they seem to be breathable but wet. What brand/model do you recommend?

Anyways, I dont get how relaying direct and indirect anecdotal experiences of a number of purge valve snorkels sucking and failing equates to "drat kids get off my lawn" or "round masks are the best". I didn't buy a J tube in an attempt to over simplify things and keep things vintage. I bought one after 2 purge snorkels failed. And since then ive seen many others suck.

An open cell suit will last one season if you dont spend about 30 seconds a day being cognizant of the inner lining while putting it on. Its really not that hard to avoid cutting the lining. Even if you do knick it, it can easily be repaired with a bit of wetsuit glue. If you are some kind of clumsy person that cant remember to mind your fingernails for a few seconds a day I can see going with a lined suit. But for your average person it will last a long time, and imho the huge benefits in extra warmth comfort and flexibility far outweigh the slightly increased delicateness and difficulty putting it on. Out of the dozens of freedivers I know 95% use open cell suits and they all last years and years.

IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 01:05 on Oct 29, 2012

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Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

SlicerDicer posted:

Well just remember if you tear a seal you are going to have a very fun time getting to surface.. Also remember that only adding enough to offset squeeze and using wing for the rest is far easier. Just my advice gas in feet sucks.

Crunkjuice posted:

I agree with this. That's pretty dangerous to rely on only your drysuit for buoyancy. Backplate and wing is industry standard for tech divers and drysuits. Not diving with a wing/Bcd for comforts sake is dangerous and stupid.
I'm going to pile on with this one... a drysuit should be a redundant source of bouyancy, not a primary.

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