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macado
Jun 3, 2003

How to keep an idiot busy, Click here.

Bishop posted:

I'm looking into buying a drysuit and I'd like to hear some personal experiences. DUI seems the natural choice because that is by far what I see the most but I'm willing to be sold on any brand. Undergarments work for any brand (as far as I know) so what I'm looking for mainly is leak resistance, buoyancy characteristics, and durability. Also any suit that comes with a p-valve pre installed is a bonus.


I dive a USIA Techniflex which is biliminate suit. Works very well, has good sized pockets and dries quickly. My next suit will probably be a Santi just based on reviews and from what I have seen of these suits. I got this suit used for 500USD and have replaced the seals myself. It's on about ~300 dives and zipper is starting to go. It's a great suit for the price, you can get a brand new custom sized one for around 1300USD. I will probably replace the zipper and keep this as a backup suit when i'm reading to spend the money and buy a brand new one.

DUI is pretty much the standard a lot of people go by; nothing wrong with them. If you have money to blow check out Santi drysuits. Absolutely awesome suits with some great features, good warranty. A lot of them are now utilizing a plastic Ti-Zip zipper as opposed to a traditional YKK brass zipper. The jury is still out on how long they'll last because they've not been used in drysuits for very long but they appear to be much more durable than traditional zippers.

I personally prefer shell-type trilaminate based suits since you can wear whatever undergarments you want and layer for whatever the water temperature will be, plus trilaminate suits are much lighter, easier for travel and dry very quickly and easy to patch. A lot of people like DUI TLS350.

If you're doing a lot of wreck diving where there is a high chance of puncture you may want to look into DUI CF200 which is a crushed neoprene suit. Very rugged, has a little bit of inherent insulation but will require a bit more weight than a TLS350. Takes a big longer for a CF200 to dry and it's heavier for travel.

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Tomberforce
May 30, 2006

Orions Lord posted:

On a other rescue course they inflated my jacket fully and let me sky rocket to the surface.

I had a talk to them after.

Jeebs - yeah when I'm playing dead I always try and keep one hand near my dump valve for this very reason!



On the subject of drysuits - there's a second hand Bare trilam for sale near me for $800 looks in reasonable condition, but the zipper needs some wax - or the alternative is to get a new Hollis fx1000, but that'll be well over twice the price - anyone dived those?

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

macado posted:

If you're doing a lot of wreck diving where there is a high chance of puncture you may want to look into DUI CF200 which is a crushed neoprene suit. Very rugged, has a little bit of inherent insulation but will require a bit more weight than a TLS350. Takes a big longer for a CF200 to dry and it's heavier for travel.
Yeah that's one of my main concerns. I do a lot of wreck overhead and there is a lot of sharp metal. I'm willing to sacrifice a good deal of flexibility for something that will not easilly puncture.

Orions Lord posted:

On a other rescue course they inflated my jacket fully and let me sky rocket to the surface.

I had a talk to them after.
I would have had an absolute conniption over this. Scares me even to read it.

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:

Yeah that's one of my main concerns. I do a lot of wreck overhead and there is a lot of sharp metal. I'm willing to sacrifice a good deal of flexibility for something that will not easilly puncture.
I would have had an absolute conniption over this. Scares me even to read it.

The cf200 is absolutely the toughest drysuit on the market, outside those vulcanized rubber hazmat dive suits. The flexibility loss is noticable compared to a trilam suit like the tls350, but for overhead wrecks theres nothing tougher. If you order a DUI suit, you can have them factory install a halcyon p-valve in the middle, or on the left or right legs.

Here's a list of their demo days where you can dive all their stuff for like 10 bucks. http://www.dui-online.com/demotour_participating_dealers.asp

I had a student panic at 110 feet while i was in my drysuit and i tried to calm him down. When i got close he grabbed onto me and guess what he pulled? My zeagle rangers rip cord, dumping ALL of my weight. I managed to flood my suit at about 60 feet to get to neutral. I then burned 95% of the rest of my tank at that depth then did a standard ascent. I couldn't look at the student in the face after that i was so angry.

And bishop, i might be open to selling my drysuit, as i don't do much cold diving after i moved. Its a medium CF200, red, pockets on each leg and a halcyon p-valve on the right leg. PM me if you're interested.

Crunkjuice fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Feb 5, 2013

Aquila
Jan 24, 2003

Crunkjuice posted:

Here's a list of their demo days where you can dive all their stuff for like 10 bucks. http://www.dui-online.com/demotour_participating_dealers.asp

Ooh, Catalina in march, sounds like a good excuse to go out. Anyone else in socal think they might want to check that out?

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

Crunkjuice posted:

I had a student panic at 110 feet while i was in my drysuit and i tried to calm him down. When i got close he grabbed onto me and guess what he pulled? My zeagle rangers rip cord, dumping ALL of my weight. I managed to flood my suit at about 60 feet to get to neutral. I then burned 95% of the rest of my tank at that depth then did a standard ascent. I couldn't look at the student in the face after that i was so angry.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF an uncontroled ascent like that is basically my worst fear. If it happned I would have done the same thing though after getting control over my buoyancy... an absurdly slow ascent that used all of the gas I had on me.

That reminds me of a time I was with an insta buddy that lost it. He was an entry level tech diver and we were doing the Duane wreck. The main deck is around 105. He seemed like an OK diver just while we were talking on the way out. On the descent my low pressure inflator pops off of my wing. Not the end of the world, I'm sinking a bit faster than I'd like but I'm manually adding gas to it as I go down. Once we hit the deck he just started screaming through his reg. At first I thought he was concerned about me (I had a bit of a hard landing so to speak and was on my knees trying to get the low pressure hose back on), but it turns out his mask flooded and he just lost it. I've never grabbed someone so hard in my life. I basically had a death grip on him, got him to clear his mask, and just held onto him with both hands until he started calming down. The dive actually went OK after that but I was real worried this dude was going to bolt. He was pretty shaken up when we got back to the boat though. I guess the good thing is I had not gotten my low pressure hose back on yet so he wasn't taking me with him if he had tried.

Panic is a bitch yall. The moment you feel you are losing control over your panic thumb the dive and channel your inner Buddhist monk until you make it to the surface.

Bishop fucked around with this message at 08:04 on Feb 5, 2013

Orions Lord
May 21, 2012

MA-Horus posted:

I will never dive without a computer again. Makes it SO much easier.

It can make the dive dangerous. You really need to know what the computer is telling you.
Look at this graph.

http://www.ultimatedivelog.com/dive.php?session=&usr_ID=101&div_ID=16199

This is an good example of a stupid dive not knowing poo poo. And it is me.
It's from 2004 so I know better now.

We went deep on a 12l bottle. Cobra dive computer so with integrated air.

The computer calculates how much air you are using on a certain depth and tells you how much time and air you need to do a surface.
With or without deco.

In this case it told me I needed more time and air to surface then I had left.
So there I was at 55m knowing I had to buddy breath myself to the surface making our group of 20 peeps on a live aboard very angry probably!

So we surfaced like scary little monkeys as you see on the graph. I tried to go as fast as possible within the limits.

But then something strange happened. I got air time back and it looked like I could do my deco and poo poo on my own after all.
So what was going on.

The diving computer actual told me I had this amount of time and air left on that certain depth if I stayed there.
But I left so he recalculated it on the newer depths and I got better figures in the end.

mikeycp
Nov 24, 2010

I've changed a lot since I started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself! Okay, Eggman! Bring it on!
So I'm going to Hawaii this summer and am looking to get my Advanced Open Water certification, but the PADI website is confusing me a bit, and it's been a while since I got my Open Water, so it may be that things just changed on me.
Is there now an Adventure Diver level between OW and AOW? Or is that just what you get if you only do 3 of the 5 dives for AOW?

Also, I'm possibly looking to try doing the book work over here in California, and the actual dives in Hawaii. Is this usually cool with dive shops? Or am I better off trying the PADI online learning stuff?

e: While I'm at it, is there any good diving around the Sacramento area? Or is something like Monterey the best/closest place?

mikeycp fucked around with this message at 10:19 on Feb 5, 2013

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:

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF an uncontroled ascent like that is basically my worst fear. If it happned I would have done the same thing though after getting control over my buoyancy... an absurdly slow ascent that used all of the gas I had on me.

Worst part is to get neutral i had to flood it. In 48 degree water. So here i am, pissed off, cold as gently caress, assuming i'm going to die and trying to figure out the fastest way to murder someone before DCI symptoms stop me. Arguably the worst 20 minutes of my life. Luckily my shop was awesome and A) didn't pass the fucker, and B) made him buy all my weights/weight pockets.

totalnewbie
Nov 13, 2005

I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.
I am going to Port Douglas for a week. I have a mask but nothing else. Should I bother buying fins and snorkel? I am not a diver (nor snorkeler - I live in Michigan) so I planned to just rent while I'm down there.

1. Rent or buy?
2. Key features of a snorkel?
3. Key features of fins?

I'm healthy, but shamefully cannot call myself "fit" if that makes a difference for the fins. I hadn't actually thought about those things before so I figure I'd just ask the people I trust most: random strangers on the internet. TIA all.

DeadlyMuffin
Jul 3, 2007


mikeycp posted:

e: While I'm at it, is there any good diving around the Sacramento area? Or is something like Monterey the best/closest place?

Monterey is definitely the best diving nearby.

I dive in Monterey and Carmel semi-regularly. If anyone in the area is looking for sometime to dive with, shoot me a PM.

Aquila
Jan 24, 2003

totalnewbie posted:

I am going to Port Douglas for a week. I have a mask but nothing else. Should I bother buying fins and snorkel? I am not a diver (nor snorkeler - I live in Michigan) so I planned to just rent while I'm down there.

1. Rent or buy?
2. Key features of a snorkel?
3. Key features of fins?

I'm healthy, but shamefully cannot call myself "fit" if that makes a difference for the fins. I hadn't actually thought about those things before so I figure I'd just ask the people I trust most: random strangers on the internet. TIA all.

I was just in Port Douglas and did a little diving, though not as much as I would have liked due to not having finished my cert at the time. I can't really answer your fin and snorkel questions, well, in terms of snorkels just get a cheap one, you'll barely use it. As for diving the GBR out of Port Douglas, I'd recommend a multi day live aboard trip over day tripping. Day trips don't go out as far so you miss some of the best stuff, and they go to busy spots which show more wear from tourists. This is all from the diving mindset, I am not sure how much this applies to snorkeling. If you're only going out there to snorkel then I'd recommend getting certified there instead, it'll be a blast and your certification dives won't be wasted fun. If you need some tips on places to eat in Port Douglas check out the Australia thread, I just posted some there, same goes if you need advice about local attractions (for example, check out the Port Douglas Bird Sanctuary, it's great.)

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!

totalnewbie posted:

I am going to Port Douglas for a week. I have a mask but nothing else. Should I bother buying fins and snorkel? I am not a diver (nor snorkeler - I live in Michigan) so I planned to just rent while I'm down there.

1. Rent or buy?
2. Key features of a snorkel?
3. Key features of fins?

I'm healthy, but shamefully cannot call myself "fit" if that makes a difference for the fins. I hadn't actually thought about those things before so I figure I'd just ask the people I trust most: random strangers on the internet. TIA all.

I'm going to assume you're just going to be snorkeling here. Honestly, if this is a hobby/vacation recreation you want to pursue in the future, you should own your own mask/snorkel/fins. If you are just going for a one off adventure, a rental will be just fine. We could write a LOT of words on equipment, but i'm going to refrain from a massive sperg post since you seem to be on the fence.

1. rent if you aren't sure you want them forever
2. something with a purge valve. Not even that important. Its a goddamn snorkel. Snorkels aren't big pieces of technology.
3. They come in split fins (less propulsion, more comfort) or blade (more propulsion, stiffer, less comfort). Blade is better for diving/snorkeling in current. Also, most models come in open foot/closed foot. Open foot means straps on the back and you wear your own boots/thermal protection to step into the fins. Closed foot fins are very specific to your shoe size, as its like wearing a shoe. Used for warm water/boat diving (no rocky bullshit to step on). I use open foot fins regardless of temp, just so i never have to walk around in bare feet.

Crunkjuice fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Feb 6, 2013

QuarkJets
Sep 8, 2008

totalnewbie posted:

I am going to Port Douglas for a week. I have a mask but nothing else. Should I bother buying fins and snorkel? I am not a diver (nor snorkeler - I live in Michigan) so I planned to just rent while I'm down there.

1. Rent or buy?
2. Key features of a snorkel?
3. Key features of fins?

I'm healthy, but shamefully cannot call myself "fit" if that makes a difference for the fins. I hadn't actually thought about those things before so I figure I'd just ask the people I trust most: random strangers on the internet. TIA all.

1) If you're just going to go to Port Douglas this one time and you're not sure whether you want to make diving/snorkeling a real regular hobby, then just rent. Is your mask pretty good? You could buy some cheap equipment to cover the rest of your bases I suppose, but it's up to you to decide whether you're going to want to spend a bunch of money up front (and then haul the equipment in your luggage).

There's also nothing stopping you from renting different sets of equipment and buying something later. You'll have a better idea of whether you want to do this kind of stuff long-term, and if you do buy then you'll be better informed.

2) Some people like purge valves, some people don't. It's a matter of personal preference. I hate them, personally, and would rather just go with a simple J-tube. With rentals you could try both before settling on one or the other

Bishop
Aug 15, 2000

totalnewbie posted:

I am going to Port Douglas for a week. I have a mask but nothing else. Should I bother buying fins and snorkel? I am not a diver (nor snorkeler - I live in Michigan) so I planned to just rent while I'm down there.

1. Rent or buy?
2. Key features of a snorkel?
3. Key features of fins?

I'm healthy, but shamefully cannot call myself "fit" if that makes a difference for the fins. I hadn't actually thought about those things before so I figure I'd just ask the people I trust most: random strangers on the internet. TIA all.
I agree with everyone else. I think you'll be fine. You don't have to be A marathon runner hopped up on EPO and deer antler spray to safely snorkel. Renting Will work. If you really enjoy it, you can come back later and decide on what gear you would like to purchase. Either way have a good time :)

Orions Lord posted:

It can make the dive dangerous. You really need to know what the computer is telling you.
Yeah I've encountered a few divers that just follow what their computer is telling them even when doing deco. This is what I was talking about earlier in this thread when I mentioned the benifits of having a basic understanding of deco theory. If you're going deeper than 20 feet, It's good to have an intuition of what your no deco limits are.


I love my big rear end Shearwater Predator and trust it, but I could probably tell if it was giving me something completely wrong. If I'm doing a deco dive I'll also always have a backup plan in my wetnotes in case my computer shits itself. My backup bottom timer (a uwatec 330m) is pretty much invincible so I'm confident it would hold up if my primary failed. Really for any type of diving, when in doubt just ascend slow and burn through more gas than you were planning on. By slow I mean 10 feet per minute max... which if you try it is real slow. There's no hurry unless you are still ongassing, which won't be happening 99% of the time when you are less than 30 feet deep.

Crunkjuice posted:

So here i am, pissed off, cold as gently caress, assuming i'm going to die and trying to figure out the fastest way to murder someone before DCI symptoms stop me.
:lol: Sorry... the whole story scares the poo poo out of me but this is just a great mental image.

Bishop fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Feb 6, 2013

totalnewbie
Nov 13, 2005

I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.
Thanks for the input, all. Another thing I just thought of: I have actually been snorkeling once before, in Okinawa. The reef came right up to the shore, basically. But I guess Port Douglas is not like that? Just a regular beach and a boat ride if I want to see some coral?

Aquila
Jan 24, 2003

totalnewbie posted:

Thanks for the input, all. Another thing I just thought of: I have actually been snorkeling once before, in Okinawa. The reef came right up to the shore, basically. But I guess Port Douglas is not like that? Just a regular beach and a boat ride if I want to see some coral?

If by regular beach you mean crocodile and deadly jellyfish infested then yes.

e: alligator vs. crocodile, why is this so confusing to me.

totalnewbie
Nov 13, 2005

I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.
Australia is harsh :(

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

Bishop posted:

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF an uncontroled ascent like that is basically my worst fear. If it happned I would have done the same thing though after getting control over my buoyancy... an absurdly slow ascent that used all of the gas I had on me.

That reminds me of a time I was with an insta buddy that lost it. He was an entry level tech diver and we were doing the Duane wreck. The main deck is around 105. He seemed like an OK diver just while we were talking on the way out. On the descent my low pressure inflator pops off of my wing. Not the end of the world, I'm sinking a bit faster than I'd like but I'm manually adding gas to it as I go down. Once we hit the deck he just started screaming through his reg. At first I thought he was concerned about me (I had a bit of a hard landing so to speak and was on my knees trying to get the low pressure hose back on), but it turns out his mask flooded and he just lost it. I've never grabbed someone so hard in my life. I basically had a death grip on him, got him to clear his mask, and just held onto him with both hands until he started calming down. The dive actually went OK after that but I was real worried this dude was going to bolt. He was pretty shaken up when we got back to the boat though. I guess the good thing is I had not gotten my low pressure hose back on yet so he wasn't taking me with him if he had tried.

Panic is a bitch yall. The moment you feel you are losing control over your panic thumb the dive and channel your inner Buddhist monk until you make it to the surface.

Yeah NOPE.. And people think I am crazy for diving alone.. I have no intent of diving with random buddies like that and just having one poo poo themself underwater and drag my rear end :(

Guaranteed I would kick away from somebody like that and let them bolt sorry.. I am not going to die for anybody the game changes when you have PPO2 crash If they grab me they can kill me and they can survive. Drag me to surface I pass out drop dsv out of mouth and then I am now 100% negative and going to bottom dead. So yeah NOPE you panic I am getting the hell away from you sorry thats the cruel world I face.


mikeycp posted:

So I'm going to Hawaii this summer and am looking to get my Advanced Open Water certification, but the PADI website is confusing me a bit, and it's been a while since I got my Open Water, so it may be that things just changed on me.
Is there now an Adventure Diver level between OW and AOW? Or is that just what you get if you only do 3 of the 5 dives for AOW?

Also, I'm possibly looking to try doing the book work over here in California, and the actual dives in Hawaii. Is this usually cool with dive shops? Or am I better off trying the PADI online learning stuff?

e: While I'm at it, is there any good diving around the Sacramento area? Or is something like Monterey the best/closest place?

Where you going in Hawaii I could likely advise some good people :)


Crunkjuice posted:

Worst part is to get neutral i had to flood it. In 48 degree water. So here i am, pissed off, cold as gently caress, assuming i'm going to die and trying to figure out the fastest way to murder someone before DCI symptoms stop me. Arguably the worst 20 minutes of my life. Luckily my shop was awesome and A) didn't pass the fucker, and B) made him buy all my weights/weight pockets.

LOL the DCI murder thing made me laugh.. And yeah thats crazy man sorry to hear of your 20 mins of horror.


Now for some calming essence to calm the STORM..




https://vimeo.com/58995936

mikeycp
Nov 24, 2010

I've changed a lot since I started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself! Okay, Eggman! Bring it on!

SlicerDicer posted:

Where you going in Hawaii I could likely advise some good people :)

We're going to be centered around Kaanapali, Maui.

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

mikeycp posted:

We're going to be centered around Kaanapali, Maui.

I would say go with Lahaina Divers or Extended Horzons just depends on what you are looking for. Both are very capable, I really like the guys at Extended Horizons but I dive with Lahaina Divers.

mikeycp
Nov 24, 2010

I've changed a lot since I started hanging with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself! Okay, Eggman! Bring it on!

SlicerDicer posted:

I would say go with Lahaina Divers or Extended Horzons just depends on what you are looking for. Both are very capable, I really like the guys at Extended Horizons but I dive with Lahaina Divers.

Cool! I'll write those names down and check 'em out. Thanks a ton!

e:Oh wow. Lahaina Divers has exactly what I'm looking for for AOW certification.

mikeycp fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Feb 6, 2013

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!
So an instructor buddy had an old scuba tank that he got filled recently. When he got home and was loading his truck, he saw some surface cracks on the tank. He didn't want to dive with it, and left it in his garage. We went out hunting last weekend and decided to decommission the tank in style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14dW2wUQBQE

QuarkJets
Sep 8, 2008

SlicerDicer posted:

Yeah NOPE.. And people think I am crazy for diving alone.. I have no intent of diving with random buddies like that and just having one poo poo themself underwater and drag my rear end :(

Okay, but even so, it's still pretty crazy to dive alone (IMO, as a newbie)

Orions Lord
May 21, 2012

QuarkJets posted:

Okay, but even so, it's still pretty crazy to dive alone (IMO, as a newbie)

Depends what kind of dive it is.

There is a lot of heavy discussion about diving alone. Divers with camera's sometimes like to dive alone.

I helped out on an IANTD solo diving course. To see all the redundancy is really ridicules.

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE

mikeycp posted:

Cool! I'll write those names down and check 'em out. Thanks a ton!

e:Oh wow. Lahaina Divers has exactly what I'm looking for for AOW certification.

Lemme know maybe when you will be there? You can in private if you want I might be able to be at the shop you can at least say hi to the crazy bastard that posts all those photos LOL


QuarkJets posted:

Okay, but even so, it's still pretty crazy to dive alone (IMO, as a newbie)

I carry enough crap to make people question my sanity. Ohh and I shoot video :)

Orions Lord posted:

Depends what kind of dive it is.

There is a lot of heavy discussion about diving alone. Divers with camera's sometimes like to dive alone.

I helped out on an IANTD solo diving course. To see all the redundancy is really ridicules.

Truth be told I would rather dive with buddies who I trust than anything thats what it boils down too. And yeah its pretty crazy with redundancy.




I need to get some photos of me in my mk15 LOL

SlicerDicer fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Feb 7, 2013

macado
Jun 3, 2003

How to keep an idiot busy, Click here.

QuarkJets posted:

Okay, but even so, it's still pretty crazy to dive alone (IMO, as a newbie)

A lot of dives in New England end up being inevitably solo dives. It's not exactly looked down upon here, I'd have to say it's the norm depending on who you dive with. If a buddy asks me to stay with them or is nervous then I'll make a better effort to stay with them and discuss procedures.


When you're lobstering and have 5ft visibility it's very hard and wasted effort to keep track of a buddy. Buddies can be a liability. I much prefer to dive solo, my SAC rate is better :-) Most scallop dives are also drift dives where every diver has their own flag and boat will come pick them up.

That being said when I'm doing anything sufficiently difficult, I carry full redundancy either doubles with stage or a HP120 with an AL40 for a stage/pony.

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!

macado posted:

A lot of dives in New England end up being inevitably solo dives. It's not exactly looked down upon here, I'd have to say it's the norm depending on who you dive with. If a buddy asks me to stay with them or is nervous then I'll make a better effort to stay with them and discuss procedures.


When you're lobstering and have 5ft visibility it's very hard and wasted effort to keep track of a buddy. Buddies can be a liability. I much prefer to dive solo, my SAC rate is better :-) Most scallop dives are also drift dives where every diver has their own flag and boat will come pick them up.

That being said when I'm doing anything sufficiently difficult, I carry full redundancy either doubles with stage or a HP120 with an AL40 for a stage/pony.

Do you guys let people with a single air source dive by themselves? When i was in cozumel the DM didn't give a poo poo about buddy's because you could see for miles, but in would think in cold, murky conditions with a current, a buddy would be the most important thing on a dive.

macado
Jun 3, 2003

How to keep an idiot busy, Click here.

Crunkjuice posted:

Do you guys let people with a single air source dive by themselves? When i was in cozumel the DM didn't give a poo poo about buddy's because you could see for miles, but in would think in cold, murky conditions with a current, a buddy would be the most important thing on a dive.

Very true about Cozumel, when visibility exceeds 100ft it's very easy to just stay in the general area where everyone else is. DM may not buddy you up with someone but the expectation is to stay with the group.

For New England it honestly varies by boat/dive operator. The expectation is you know what you're doing and are responsible to make your own decisions. I would say most operators don't care if you're diving a single air source unless the person diving is not known to them or super inexperienced. A lot of regulars just prefer to dive solo and nobody here requires a solo diving cert that i'm aware of.

There are some charters that explicitly state that redundancy is required (due to depth, wreck, currents, etc). Some charters don't let people dive deeper than 130 feet using a single tank configuration and require a pony for dives within 100-130ft range for single tanks. Rebreather divers must carry appropriate bail out, etc.

This is my own opinion but it's really hard to lobster dive and keep track of a buddy. Most times you might have your head in a hole for a couple minutes, your buddy gets bored waiting and moves behind another ledge or rock to look for a lobster. Within minutes you're both out of sight of each other. It's sort of an unwritten rule that if you get separated you continue on diving unless it was agreed upon to stay together or surface if you can't find your buddy for X amount of time. Since a lot of people end up separated anyway, many just start off solo from beginning. Some would argue this is bad buddy practice/awareness issue but I can easily stay with a buddy if that is the agreed on plan but most people don't always practice this.

There are certainly people that solo dive around here without redundant sources of air. I'm one of them; If I know the dive is shallow (very subjective) and I know the site well enough where I won't get lost then I have no hesitation. According to my dive log I have 63 solo dives this year.

Of course I know I can do a CESA from 30-50ft, there is no overhead and I carry multiple cutting devices. I also occasionally dive vintage dive gear maintained by myself which is also a bit of an oddity nowadays in the dive world.

Mr.AARP
Apr 20, 2010

I was born after Kurt Cobain died. Now you feel old.

Made my first night dive last night at Corona del Mar. Its hard to get below 20 feet there, but I still consider it my best dive yet. Just the relaxation of being in the dark allowed me to finally fine tune my buoyancy control.

Also got the chance to try out my dris 1k shorty with the Goodman glove for the first time. Even my instructors were blown away with how bright it is. :getin:

pupdive
Jun 13, 2012

Bishop posted:

I guess that rule makes sense because mechanical depth guages are as I implied are pretty much impossible to find these days. What really weirds me out are the shops that check your computers after a dive to make sure you did not do deco or penetration.

My wife checks me to see if I did penetration...

I make joke because how could they tell penetration from a dive computer check?

Most operators insist on no deco, which makes for some divers leaving their computers on the hang bar on the way done.

This unfortunately is not a joke.

TLG James posted:

Does anyone have a recommendation or opinion on a dive knife vs just a pair of EMT shears?

Neither.

Get a Trilobite and mount it on your wrist computer strap. Knives are usually what get entangled in fishing line.

http://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/eezycut.shtml

(Note that they don't sell dive knives for safety reasons>)

pupdive fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Feb 11, 2013

pupdive
Jun 13, 2012

Orions Lord posted:

It can make the dive dangerous. You really need to know what the computer is telling you.
Look at this graph.

(A list of a bunch of really silly things a diver did.)

No, divers just need to know their head from the food exit point of their body. Diving a single tank to 55m and expecting a dive computer to do gas management planning is the reason why dive operators really do check to see if divers exceed recreational limits (18m for OW, 30m for experienced, 40m for those with specific deep diver training, and 40m absolute in general.) Thinking the solution to any dive problem is a fast as possible ascent is just one of the many head scratchers in that story, but the bigger one is thinking a dive computer is a gas management tool.

You (at the time of that story) had not the training nor knowledge nor experience to dive past the Open Water depth recommended limit of 18 m/60 feet, much less past the recreational limit of 40m.

We as instructors do in fact spend a fair amount of time talking about the limits when divers get certified for a reason. I can give a list of twenty reasons, but since the story indicated a lack of basic diving common sense, I am not sure what good such a list would do.

It seems like you have gotten somewhere past it, but to think redundancy is only for solo diving makes me think there is still some room for growth in diving common sense.

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE
http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/mike-prickett-paralyzed_68245/ Physics does not care if you are a hero either.

pupdive posted:

No, divers just need to know their head from the food exit point of their body. Diving a single tank to 55m and expecting a dive computer to do gas management planning is the reason why dive operators really do check to see if divers exceed recreational limits (18m for OW, 30m for experienced, 40m for those with specific deep diver training, and 40m absolute in general.) Thinking the solution to any dive problem is a fast as possible ascent is just one of the many head scratchers in that story, but the bigger one is thinking a dive computer is a gas management tool.

You (at the time of that story) had not the training nor knowledge nor experience to dive past the Open Water depth recommended limit of 18 m/60 feet, much less past the recreational limit of 40m.

We as instructors do in fact spend a fair amount of time talking about the limits when divers get certified for a reason. I can give a list of twenty reasons, but since the story indicated a lack of basic diving common sense, I am not sure what good such a list would do.

It seems like you have gotten somewhere past it, but to think redundancy is only for solo diving makes me think there is still some room for growth in diving common sense.

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!
Man, i hate to be that guy, but Mike Prickett had no business going after that crew member. I appreciate he saved the guys life and it's amazing things turned out as well as they did. He saved a mans life at nearly the cost of his own, and thats pretty heroic. I really do hope he walks again. Unfortunately, it goes against every dive protocol in the book, and for good reason. Diving to 220 on a single tank to save someone absolutely created a 2nd victim. Both of those divers should be dead.

Anyone have more specific details about the dive? None of the news articles i can find give anything more than what you posted.

Orions Lord
May 21, 2012

pupdive posted:



It seems like you have gotten somewhere past it, but to think redundancy is only for solo diving makes me think there is still some room for growth in diving common sense.

Diving looks like an forgiving sport. Everyone had his training and warnings etc.

But to go beyond the limits is so easy. And you usual make it to the surface.
The accidents reported are just the tip of the iceberg the real figure is an multiple of an thousand.

I found out myself that actually the diving limits are real limits. You could think there is some kind of safety added. There is but it is very small.

If you have a bad day and you are diving within your limits even then you can go into deco without knowing it.
Having some residue of nitrogen in your body left.

If the world would know everything about diving we maybe are not allowed to dive anymore.

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE
Orion,

I am not sure thats the case...

90% of my dives are deco dives.. I carry proper gasses and plan for what depths I will be going to and how to get out with plenty of gas to spare. This is limits however I am doing it as safely as possible. Having proper understanding of how tissue compartments work why they work the way they do and then.. Proper dive computers.



As this image shows I am 22 mins TTS or total time to surface.. I am for sure in deco obligation.. at 33.5m deep 117mins into dive. I always know when I am going to go into deco and I know how long I plan to do it. This is the difference between Technical and Recreational diving is Recreational you are taught to stay out of Deco so its a mystery device that is not to be used. However I am using it all the time its very common so its not mystery to me.

I hope you know your dive was extremely dangerous and you were lucky to survive given you could have narked out pretty hard. This is why limits were set in the recreational tables of repetitive diving, and all the lot. If you wish to learn more about this I would say go take some technical diving classes if not just to expand your mind on what reality of diving is as it is wonderful what you can really do with mostly safety.


Note: You can do everything right and get bent.. The second you dive the way I do for sure you become a science experiment! And even deep diving to a degree is unknown (25m/80ft+)

Trivia
Feb 8, 2006

I'm an obtuse man,
so I'll try to be oblique.
Better late than never I suppose; here is a report of sorts from my 2012 Malaysia trip to Sipadan Island.

Flew from Tokyo Narita Airport to Singapore, then to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.


From there we flew to Tawau, then took a taxi to Semporna where we stayed with our dive operator Scuba Junkie.



Scuba Junkie has a resort on the nearby island of Mabul. Sipadan is a national marine park that is about 30 minutes away by dive boat, off the continental shelf.

(Not Sipadan actually. This is Sibuan Island)


Sipadan is host to some excellent coral and schools of fish. The nearby Mabul and Kapalai Islands also have some great things to see, such as nudibranchs, cuttlefish, turtles, squid, and sharks.

Jackfish school with shark at Sipidan.


Banded Seasnake. The first seasnake I've ever seen. There was a group of us on this dive, and I was the only one that followed it for a closer look.


Obligatory anemone fish pic. There's a shrimp in there too!


The well-disguised Crocodile Fish. They have some awesome camouflage and finding them becomes something of a game.


As it is with the Scorpion Fish.


Or Frogfish.


The Orangutan Crab. This guy was such a bitch to photo, on account of how small he is.


More nudibranchs.



Shark face.


Bumphead Parrotfish, famous in Sipidan. They're about a meter long and just eat and poo poo (sand).


Photogenic Moray.


Barracuda Point's school of...Barracuda. I took this while snorkeling since I couldn't while diving.


Critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle.


Turtle Rock at Barracuda Point.


And of course, my favorite sleeping turtle pic:


All of these were taken by me using a cheap $200 digicam. I suppose I should get a flash, eh? If anyone wants to see more, I'd be happy to post them.

Trivia fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Feb 16, 2013

SlicerDicer
Oct 31, 2010

PAILOLO CHANNEL

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

Its time to DIVE
Jesus thats a big school of Jacks trivia...

Trivia
Feb 8, 2006

I'm an obtuse man,
so I'll try to be oblique.
They weren't shy either. On my second day there I went right into 'em.



Inside looking out.

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Unimpressed
Feb 13, 2013

totalnewbie posted:

I am going to Port Douglas for a week. I have a mask but nothing else. Should I bother buying fins and snorkel? I am not a diver (nor snorkeler - I live in Michigan) so I planned to just rent while I'm down there.

1. Rent or buy?
2. Key features of a snorkel?
3. Key features of fins?

I'm healthy, but shamefully cannot call myself "fit" if that makes a difference for the fins. I hadn't actually thought about those things before so I figure I'd just ask the people I trust most: random strangers on the internet. TIA all.

Hope it's not too late to help you out. I just got back from a diving holiday diving from Cairns (an hour's drive north of PD). Diving in that area is basically either taking day trips or going on a live-aboard. The difference is that a day trip can't go out as far as the best spots on the outer reef while a live-aboard obviously can. Either are very good mind you, but a live-aboard is the way to go if you've got the cash. I went on a Mike Ball tour and it was the one of the best holidays I've ever had. They give you as much of the equipment as you need, take you to great spots, and give you thorough dive briefings and as far as I know, they even provide dive instruction if you want it.

Either way, you'll have fun, it's a really great part of the world to visit.

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