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Thank you so much for all of your supportive responses! I got brave enough to call the shop and express my concerns, and they mirrored exactly what you told me. I'm going to return to lurking the incredible pictures and stories that y'all post.
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Jan 12, 2014 16:51
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This is late, but your AOW consists of two required dives: deep diving and navigation. Then you get to pick three others. I'd recommend PPB and then two that are interesting to you. You could do something brainless like boat or drift diving, but take advantage of it and do a night dive, take the photography dive, etc. Really, this is about expanding your diving, so look at it like that instead of as a test.
let it mellow fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Jan 13, 2014 |
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Jan 13, 2014 03:29
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In case anyone's interested in Sydney diving, here's a short (3m) vid of my dive from the weekend. Check out the weedy sea dragon in the start, as far as I know, it can only be seen in Oz, so  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl9RRVe7I34
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Jan 13, 2014 03:55
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BlueBayou posted:Posting this again: Are you comfortable going to 100 feet in current, with limited visibility diving a wreck with your dive experience? I would spend your time and effort getting more comfortable in the water, especially some deep experience. As for specific dive sites there, i have no idea.
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Jan 13, 2014 21:03
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Crunkjuice posted:Are you comfortable going to 100 feet in current, with limited visibility diving a wreck with your dive experience? I would spend your time and effort getting more comfortable in the water, especially some deep experience. As for specific dive sites there, i have no idea.
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Jan 13, 2014 22:15
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BlueBayou posted:Posting this again: Where in NC would you be diving out of?
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Jan 13, 2014 22:43
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I'm looking for some suggestions for the Great Barrier Reef. My girlfriend has to be in Brisbane for work in early July, so we're thinking of doing some diving somewhere in Australia after that. From the very little research I've done it seems like you've got to do a live-aboard to get to the best locations in the northernmost part of the reef. I'd be especially interested in hearing about non-liveaboard options. I'm not a huge live-aboard fan for a variety of reasons, rustic accomodation with morning and afternoon day trips is my ideal setup. Despite being pretty experienced, my girlfriend has never done anything aside from freshwater diving in Ontario, so she's probably going to have a blast wherever we end up. I'm open to potentially anything, though. I'd love to hear from any thread participants who've had good (or bad, I guess) experiences diving in Australia the last few years.
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Jan 14, 2014 00:56
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Oakland Martini posted:I'm looking for some suggestions for the Great Barrier Reef. My girlfriend has to be in Brisbane for work in early July, so we're thinking of doing some diving somewhere in Australia after that. From the very little research I've done it seems like you've got to do a live-aboard to get to the best locations in the northernmost part of the reef. Just came back from Port Douglas in October, which is about an hour north of cairns international airport. Not sure if you can get to the GBR from Brisbane. We dove off the Poisden and Calypso. (Me and my wife didn't have enough time to do a live aboard) Both were booked through BlueDive, which offers a personal guide on those boats, otherwise you can book straight through the boats and you will end up in a group of divers. We didn't book a private guide for our second day, and got lucky because there weren't that many divers, so the boat assigned guide was basically our own private dive guide. These are not straight dive boats, but rather are dive\snorkeling combinations, which generally isn't that big of a deal. Both of these boats do not overbook their boat, space and exploring the water never felt congested (if you sail by the quicksilver and it's floating barge island you'll be thankful). Both of these boats had some resident expert on that could field questions about sea life, corals, things to look for, where to look for etc. We did not see much, if any bleaching. Some of the coral had been wiped out by a previous season's storm, but I think that is to be expected to some degree. We also caught the time of year that corals were spawning which was a nice treat. Loggerhead turtles, reef sharks, giant clams were some of the sealife we saw that jumps out at me from memory, and of course more corals than I could identify and countless fish. Our experience was very positive on both of these boats. Ed: I fully do not expect my experience would hold a torch to a proper live aboard, but for what we could squeeze into our trip, it was some good diving. xxEightxx fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 01:32
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My wife and I went to Cairns for a week about a year ago. We spent one day diving on a day trip, then a day out at the Daintree forest, then 4 days on a Mike Ball live-aboard. The day diving was OK. The sites weren't bleached but there were about 15 other divers and 10 or so snorkelers. The live-aboard diving, and whole experience really, was incredible. It started out with a low-level (500') flight to Lizard Island where we flew over the reef and saw sharks from the air. The boat itself was very stable, had great food and a great cabin. The diving was awesome (it was my first tropic destination though) and the service was top notch. You basically didn't have to do anything other than eat, rest, and dive up to five times a day (4 day, one night). The crew took care of all your stuff between dives, even filling your water bottle and preparing a new towel. There was a thorough dive briefing for each site, and you could dive on your own or with a guide. I would go there again in a second if I could. It would be worth getting your AOW if you don't have it, as some of the bommies are pretty deep and have other sea-life at 25m than at 10m so it's worthwhile being able to see both.
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Jan 14, 2014 02:54
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xxEightxx posted:Not sure if you can get to the GBR from Brisbane. I did my AOW on a liveaboard on the GBR off Townsville, but that's probably about as far south as I'd go and still consider it the GBR. You might still catch it at Bundaberg or Rockhampton, but I'm not sure. However, most of my diving is out of Brisbane in Moreton Bay and near Moreton Island. The reef there is actually pretty darn good, and there are plenty of wrecks to do a drift along just nearby.
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Jan 14, 2014 05:08
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Sticking with queensland diving, has anyone done any diving from mission beach? Seems like http://calypsodive.com.au/ are the only people going from there - anyone know anything about them?
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Jan 14, 2014 06:43
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I did a 3-day liveaboard out of Cairns; the cabin was tiny and I had to share it, but no worse than camping. The GBR is a good ways off the coast, so it takes a while to get there; hence why liveaboards are so popular, I suppose. The transfer boat was good sized and I think did 3 dives per trip (may have just been 2, it's been a long time) with the day-trippers, so there are definitely options.
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Jan 14, 2014 12:00
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Good info so far, thread! I appreciate it.
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Jan 14, 2014 19:53
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Crunkjuice posted:Are you comfortable going to 100 feet in current, with limited visibility diving a wreck with your dive experience? I would spend your time and effort getting more comfortable in the water, especially some deep experience. As for specific dive sites there, i have no idea. Thats what I figured. There are a few shallow wreck dives that I'd feel comfortable doing. Won't do any penetration of course. I really need to get back to some warm water sites.
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Jan 14, 2014 20:14
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BlueBayou posted:Thats what I figured.
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Jan 15, 2014 08:59
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Bishop posted:With your number of dives I really would not recommend doing a hot drop or drift dive unless you have a guide because a lot more factors come into play there. Yeah speaking of drift diving without very much experience I did 2 back in September with only 12 dives under my belt. While I gotta say it was pretty, I did not have as much fun as I would've liked and ended up getting stressed that I could not control myself like in normal water. I did my best to get low and hide behind coral heads and still ended up blasting away from the group. I must be a glutton for punishment because I'm going back to Cozumel in Feb without any dives between my previous trip and this one coming up, and to be honest I am quite nervous about it.
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Jan 15, 2014 11:38
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Bishop posted:I don't know any details on the sites you are doing but I'd look into if they have mooring buoys or not. Most popular sites will. In my experience it's much easier to get used to diving wrecks if they have mooring balls because you have a set place to enter and exit, and an easy way to control your ascent and descent. If you aren't planning on taking a peek inside then wrecks like that aren't much different than reefs. With your number of dives I really would not recommend doing a hot drop or drift dive unless you have a guide because a lot more factors come into play there. I did my open water certification dives in Cancun and they were drift dives. But I had a guide and I would definitely get a guide in North Carolina for wreck dives.
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Jan 16, 2014 05:51
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I think I am missing something obvious here, but how can wrist worn dive computers advertise themselves as "Full Function Air/Nitrox Dive Computer" without a wireless or reg connection?
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Jan 17, 2014 20:18
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xxEightxx posted:I think I am missing something obvious here, but how can wrist worn dive computers advertise themselves as "Full Function Air/Nitrox Dive Computer" without a wireless or reg connection? They have a bluetooth sensor that screws into your octo where the dive computer/gauge would normally go. Unless you're thinking of something else?
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Jan 17, 2014 20:48
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Durette posted:They have a bluetooth sensor that screws into your octo where the dive computer/gauge would normally go. Specifically was looking at this: http://www.amazon.com/Mares-Puck-Wrist-Dive-Computer/dp/B00106GVLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389988491&sr=8-2&keywords=dive+computer+wrist No mention of bluetooth, no mention of wireless, but advertises itself as "Full Function Air/Nitrox Dive Computer" There are a few other dive computers im looking at that have similar language. I am first time buyer, so all of this is new to me and not making sense.
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Jan 17, 2014 20:58
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What sort of range does bluetooth have underwater?
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Jan 17, 2014 21:21
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"Full function" is marketing jargon. Were it air or air/nitrox integrated it would say exactly that.
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Jan 17, 2014 22:24
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xxEightxx posted:Specifically was looking at this: Yeah air/nitrox dive computer does not mean air integrated, just that is capable of running both air and nitrox calculations. So basically it's a dive computer with nitrox compatibility! I have one as my backup computer and it's pretty decent!
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Jan 18, 2014 00:09
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Tomberforce posted:Yeah air/nitrox dive computer does not mean air integrated, just that is capable of running both air and nitrox calculations. So basically it's a dive computer with nitrox compatibility! I have one as my backup computer and it's pretty decent! I see, so my guess is that it's probably more for no deco time.
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Jan 18, 2014 00:33
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xxEightxx posted:I see, so my guess is that it's probably more for no deco time. Its literally the same as a regular non integrated dive computer in how it operates. When you use x blend of nitrox, you tell the computer x percentage and it uses that algorithm to calculate your bottom time. The same reason you use a computer versus tables, you have on the fly dive computation of your nitrogen levels based on depth that give you more accurate (and more) bottom time/surface interval information.
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Jan 18, 2014 04:41
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Yeah if you're on nitrox you tell the computer what percentage of oxygen you are using. There's nothing wrong with this type of computer, just make sure you analyze your tank if you are diving any non air gas mixture. A fully integrated computer will also tell you how much gas you have left in the tank, in other words your pressure gauge is mounted on your wrist. Also Mares is a good brand in my experience I have a 15 year old Mares computer that I use for reef diving and such and it's still ticking.
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Jan 18, 2014 09:46
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Hazo posted:Diving masks should be comfortable but mostly watertight. Changes in pressure or imperfect seals from stubble or hair or whatever will result in water inevitably getting into your mask, but one important technique you'll learn in getting certified is how to clear your mask. You tilt your head up and press on the top edge of your mask while exhaling through your nose, which forces water out and clears your vision. I wear contacts and have never had a major problem. Is it not painful getting salt water in the eye with contacts on? Also how do you know how to not rise so quick you get the bends?
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Jan 19, 2014 20:17
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Thrasophius posted:Is it not painful getting salt water in the eye with contacts on? How fast you can rise without bends depends on a number of factors, and is usually planned out before you ever get in the water. Dive computers track this, too, and will also tell you if decompression stops are necessary. The ability to control an ascent is one of the first skills novice divers learn. grover fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Jan 19, 2014 |
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Jan 19, 2014 20:42
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grover posted:Unless your mask gets knocked completely off underwater, you don't get any seawater in your eyes underwater, and just drips from your forehead on the surface. I often dive with contacts (inexpensive disposables), and have yet to lose one. But though while they're extended-wear contacts and under normal circumstances I can leave them in for a week at a time, even the little bit of seawater contamination causes irritation pretty quickly, and I have to take them out and clean them after diving. I don't miss contacts or glasses much underwater, but definitely do on entry/exit on the surface. I actually prefer to wear contacts while diving for better surface visibility. If you're serious enough, you can even get a prescription mask. Thanks for replying. What kind of depths can you go before decompression has to be taken into account?
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Jan 20, 2014 01:04
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Thrasophius posted:Thanks for replying.  The blue rectangles for longer dives are for decompression safety stops at 15' before surfacing. grover fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Jan 20, 2014 |
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Jan 20, 2014 01:18
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One last question about integrated computers, does the gas level monitoring affect anything other than the amount of gas left in your tank? If you program your computer for an air dive, and it has it's own algorithms or whatever to calculate bottom time\no deco time, does the amount of air you have\used get thrown into that equation? If the only thing I gain from having an integrated computer is gas level monitoring, I think I can skip that for now until I get more heavily invested into nitrox etc, type dives, since that info will be tracked on something attached to the reg anyways.
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Jan 20, 2014 23:15
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xxEightxx posted:One last question about integrated computers, does the gas level monitoring affect anything other than the amount of gas left in your tank? If you program your computer for an air dive, and it has it's own algorithms or whatever to calculate bottom time\no deco time, does the amount of air you have\used get thrown into that equation? If the only thing I gain from having an integrated computer is gas level monitoring, I think I can skip that for now until I get more heavily invested into nitrox etc, type dives, since that info will be tracked on something attached to the reg anyways. No. The computer doesn't know any physiological factors of your body to take into consideration the amount of air consumed. It would be cool if it could, but your weight/height/hydration/sex/sobriety/anxiousness ALL play factors (to name but a few). Every body is different. All the air integration does is digitally read the pressure of your tank. You could put andre they giant and bridget the midget with galileos and they'd get the same deco time for an identical dive profile. Crunkjuice fucked around with this message at 08:30 on Jan 21, 2014 |
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Jan 21, 2014 08:28
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Thrasophius posted:Thanks for replying. Once when I was crazy about math and diving I made this excel sheet showing the deco ceiling. According to Bulhman. http://www.duikenonline.com/Buhlmann02.xls
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Jan 21, 2014 10:24
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xxEightxx posted:One last question about integrated computers, does the gas level monitoring affect anything other than the amount of gas left in your tank? If you program your computer for an air dive, and it has it's own algorithms or whatever to calculate bottom time\no deco time, does the amount of air you have\used get thrown into that equation? If the only thing I gain from having an integrated computer is gas level monitoring, I think I can skip that for now until I get more heavily invested into nitrox etc, type dives, since that info will be tracked on something attached to the reg anyways. Many integrated computer will tell you how much time you need to surface and how much air time you have left at the depth you are at. Sometimes the computer will tell you you need 15min to surface including all the stops etc. But it also tells you for example you have 10minutes air left. But you need to be aware that the computer tells you you have this 10min left on that certain depth you are at that moment. So if you decent you actual get air time back because you are at shallower depth and consume less air per minute. I had this once at depth and almost freaked out thinking I did not have enough air left to surface.
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Jan 21, 2014 10:32
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Crunkjuice posted:No. The computer doesn't know any physiological factors of your body to take into consideration the amount of air consumed. It would be cool if it could, but your weight/height/hydration/sex/sobriety/anxiousness ALL play factors (to name but a few). Every body is different. All the air integration does is digitally read the pressure of your tank. Many computers have an function for personal settings that will calculate with more safety factors. Most computers maybe all will calculate your air use at that very second/minute and use this value.
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Jan 21, 2014 10:39
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Any advice on buying a dive mask with prescription lenses? I used to have certification like 20 years ago. My equipment is old, and it was cheap to begin with. Now that I can afford nicer stuff I'd like to buy a mask. I'm not planning on doing any SCUBA, but I'm going on vacation and want to do some snorkeling.
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Jan 21, 2014 19:58
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xxEightxx posted:One last question about integrated computers, does the gas level monitoring affect anything other than the amount of gas left in your tank? If you program your computer for an air dive, and it has it's own algorithms or whatever to calculate bottom time\no deco time, does the amount of air you have\used get thrown into that equation? If the only thing I gain from having an integrated computer is gas level monitoring, I think I can skip that for now until I get more heavily invested into nitrox etc, type dives, since that info will be tracked on something attached to the reg anyways. I agree that you can skip that - many divers use a decent air/nitrox computer just fine. These do not have a 1st stage transmitter as it only calculates your dive profile in real time based on your depth and time underwater. Most computers brands within the same price range will have similiar functions and features. I reco you pick one based on its algorithm if you don't care for how it looks. I'm a fan of Aeris and Oceanic since they use more liberal algorithms than most other brands (suunto, uwatec, mares, sherwood, tusa...). e: Squashy Nipples posted:Any advice on buying a dive mask with prescription lenses? Bangkero fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Jan 21, 2014 |
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Jan 21, 2014 20:05
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Bangkero posted:
Yeah, those look nice!! Sphere Cyl. Axis R -2.000 -1.250 180 L -1.750 -0.750 175
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Jan 21, 2014 22:13
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Hey, anyone ever done diving in Bermuda? A local dive shop is organizing a trip on a week-long liveaboard (Blackbeard's) and it seems like a hell of a deal. What's the diving like?
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Jan 22, 2014 07:15
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Squashy Nipples posted:Yeah, those look nice!! Hyrdo Optix is also what my optometrist recommended as well. If you wear contacts you may be able to get away with just wearing them while in your mask (what I do for diving). Also you may want to go into your LDS and see if they think the insertable lenses will work for your prescription levels, may save you a few bucks.
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Jan 22, 2014 09:49
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