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let it mellow posted:Same and I moved to south Florida I moved from there in Feb. One of my better decisions 
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Aug 15, 2020 11:35
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Icon Of Sin posted:I moved from there in Feb. One of my better decisions I think the same for my decision
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Aug 19, 2020 04:15
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I'm in Colorado for the rest of the summer now, but earlier this year I was diving. Right off the beach in Venice, FL I found all these fossil shark teeth, by far my best haul: I later went on a charter offshore from Venice and didn't find nearly as much. This was in Blue Grotto near Gainesville, my first 100 ft. dive. We were foolish enough to show up in mid morning, when all of the sediment was pushed up by other divers, making the water look spooky on the way up.  That's 15 dives and counting now!
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Aug 26, 2020 01:14
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When travel opens up more I want to get my AOW somewhere in the Caribbean. I've heard Utila is a good place for this, very cheap, kind of the Koh Samui of the Americas. Any other recommendations?
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Aug 26, 2020 01:19
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:When travel opens up more I want to get my AOW somewhere in the Caribbean. I've heard Utila is a good place for this, very cheap, kind of the Koh Samui of the Americas. Any other recommendations? Why not get the certification locally and when you travel, just go diving?
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Aug 27, 2020 16:03
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Yeah I'd recommend that route. However, if you're dead set on doing the course overseas, I highly recommend going the eLearning route. You can do all the reading, tests, and any quizzes before you get to your destination. The downside is that it's a bit more expensive.
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Aug 27, 2020 16:38
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:When travel opens up more I want to get my AOW somewhere in the Caribbean. I've heard Utila is a good place for this, very cheap, kind of the Koh Samui of the Americas. Any other recommendations? I did rescue in Utila while my wife did what they call “fun dives” - basically non-cert dives. We were both experienced and she had no interest in a rescue cert, so I did my thing and she dove in the AM, but we always ended up meeting together for afternoon fun dives. It was all good, and Utila is definitely unique. 😀
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Aug 29, 2020 04:07
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One year since the Conception fire. https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/09/01/a-year-after-deadly-california-boat-fire-families-sail-out-to-honor-those-lost/
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Sep 3, 2020 07:31
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Has anyone dived in Southern Spain (Costa del Sol) by chance? Any good spots? I'm here for work for a bit and might as well take advantage and put something in my logobook. But it its' surprisingly difficult to find any specific recommendations. It's a huge area and I'll probably be able to only do a couple of dives at best but usually it's like "yeah costa del sol is nice" k thanks.
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Oct 6, 2020 22:20
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I have done diving in costa blanca by Mar Menor and that was good for being in Spain. Cape Palos. Probably to far from you though. Just google diving clubs in the area you are at and they must have a few reefs or fish sanctuaries they can recommend.
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Oct 7, 2020 11:04
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Icon Of Sin posted:I haven't been underwater in over 6 months now Did a quarry dive in NW Ohio a week ago, prolly our last of the year. We're diving wet, so the two skinny guys were ready to call it after a single tank, in the 55 degree water. Sigh. But it was still a good, last dive of the year. Saw cool stuff, everyone was safe, and most peeps around here aren't crazy enough to dive when the air is 48F so we had the entire place to ourselves. For the one guy, it was his first dive post-certification last month. Everyone had fun. I was scheduled to do a Santa dive at my local aquarium in December, but they just cancelled all of those over COVID, even with the limited admission and enforced social distancing. Aside from aquarium cleaning dives over the winter, I'm prolly done til Spring, at least. Sigh again. Ramrod Hotshot posted:
Blue Grotto was the first dive my son did, after he certified. He was 10 and the gear weighed half what he did.
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Nov 21, 2020 19:00
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let it mellow posted:I did rescue in Utila while my wife did what they call “fun dives” - basically non-cert dives. We were both experienced and she had no interest in a rescue cert, so I did my thing and she dove in the AM, but we always ended up meeting together for afternoon fun dives. It was all good, and Utila is definitely unique. 😀 What was the reef like I’m Utila? And how was the island itself? I’ve heard...mixed reports.
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Nov 22, 2020 03:58
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:What was the reef like I’m Utila? And how was the island itself? I’ve heard...mixed reports. I saw three seahorses together when we were “fun diving” after I finished one of the rescue tests. No pictures unfortunately since I didn’t have my camera then because it was a very dive. My wife and I went looking for them a couple days later but couldn’t find them. Fun diving is a term I only heard there but was used for non course diving, it’s kinda cool. Reefs were good, mostly shallow, maxed at maybe 60 or 70 feet? It’s been a long time since I was there, so take all this with a grain of salt. Anyway, no wall diving there but a lot of varied coral. It was really nice and there were a lot of shallow reefs with life so a ton to see. The island is a tougher explanation. We flew from Roatan instead of doing the mainland ferry, since it’s significantly faster to fly. But our dive gear came on the next puddle jumper since 6 people plus dive gear wasn’t doable. I still recommend flying - once you look at the ferry route and schedule , you’ll understand. It’s a small island and has some cool stuff, but you are going to know for sure that you’re not in a big tourist area. There was a place that had stained glass everywhere that was a bar / restaurant - Google tells me it’s maybe a hotel now, but I’m. It entirely sure so I’m not linking to it because I don’t want to give bad advice. Short answer: great diving, not a big tourist location, rent a house instead of a hotel / hostel as it’s all walkable and not expensive E: the best food we had there was at a place called the Fu King Wok, if it’s still there
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Dec 6, 2020 04:58
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Belated Io Saturnalia from Bonaire, I hope everyone is keeping healthy physically and mentally while the global shitshow rolls on. The situation here has improved a little: tourism is still very much down but the assistance provided to people and companies by the Dutch government has been nothing short of amazing, speaking as an American. People out of work continued to receive 80% of their salary and companies were not allowed to lay people off if they took the assistance package (which they all did), the utilities and internet were partially subsidized, and everyone remained civil. It could have gone very differently and I'm grateful for how well it was handled by all players even though I still get mad at all the tourists right off the plane milling around the grocery store with no mask. For a few months in early summer when all flights stopped and there were 0 COVID cases it was like being on extended vacation except without restaurants. We had a spike up to about 70 cases and things REALLY shut down, but now things are mostly open and we have 3-5 known active cases ATM. Its still fairly rare to see other divers underwater but we are now open to tourists from the Netherlands (with PCR test) and intrepid Americans that come via Curacao or Aruba (with PCR test). They keep bumping out the date for US flights, currently holding at Jan 15 but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets pushed out again considering the state of things there. Hang in there, and do whatever it takes to stay safe so everyone can get back under the sea when this is all over. 
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Dec 28, 2020 02:51
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SuitcasePimp posted:Belated Io Saturnalia from Bonaire I don’t know if I told our tale but we were on the last flight out when Bonaire locked us down. We have cancelled two returns trips and are not likely to make the February trip. I hope you are enjoying the diving.
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Dec 28, 2020 04:32
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Ropes4u posted:I don’t know if I told our tale but we were on the last flight out when Bonaire locked us down. We have cancelled two returns trips and are not likely to make the February trip. Man I'm glad you made it out... I know. a few who were on the fence about whether to leave or not and they got stuck. One incredibly lucky person then later had the option of leaving on a sail mega yacht or a private charter jet after befriending 2 different groups of stuck rich people. She declined both thinking things would improve and wasn't able to leave until May when Aruba started allowing flights from the US. I don't think Feb. is looking good for Americans, or maybe even Dutch by then. When NL went to code red a few weeks ago Curacao stopped flights from arriving, so the airlines just sent the people here. People seem to have forgotten there's a pandemic on so we went from 3 active cases a week ago to 29 today. After New Years events I wouldn't be surprised if it really takes off here  The diving has been good, we had a pretty bad bleaching event over the past couple of months but it seems to be improving somewhat as the water temps cool down.
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Jan 2, 2021 03:40
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Cozumel is good diving. I learned while traveling abroad in southeast asia. Friends have learned while in Mexico. PADI discover scuba courses are pretty fun for a vacation activity. Have a listen: https://sptfy.com/sineapple
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Jan 3, 2021 09:44
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Does anybody here have a dry glove setup they would recommend? My partner and I have been using the SI Tech glove lock system on a friend's recommendation, but all 3 of us have been getting leaks and have had to deal with stuck-on gloves at some point.
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Jan 4, 2021 06:24
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I use Kubo and, apart from the very first time I used them, haven't had a leak. I got the system attracted to the suit when I bought it so can't comment if you're using the detachable style one but the ring system itself is good. It's a basic o ring only thing so no weird locks or twisting. Only tip (and this might solve your problems with your set up) is to make sure to grease the o rings prior to use each time. A light coating, wiping most of it off so the glove doesn't pop off. That was the solution to my leak the first time and also helps avoid it getting stuck when taking it off after.
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Jan 4, 2021 06:54
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Electoral Surgery posted:Does anybody here have a dry glove setup they would recommend? My partner and I have been using the SI Tech glove lock system on a friend's recommendation, but all 3 of us have been getting leaks and have had to deal with stuck-on gloves at some point. Are you talking about the Antares? Unfortunately leaks are pretty common with those. My personal favorite ring system is Kubi. I’ve never had a leak, they’re simple to don/doff, and swapping out gloves is stupid easy.
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Jan 4, 2021 22:20
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KUBI rings are the best!
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Jan 4, 2021 22:57
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Electoral Surgery posted:Does anybody here have a dry glove setup they would recommend? My partner and I have been using the SI Tech glove lock system on a friend's recommendation, but all 3 of us have been getting leaks and have had to deal with stuck-on gloves at some point. I glue chemical gloves to dui drysuit zip seals. Works well, but they're fixed to the suit. No hard rings though, which is nice.
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Jan 5, 2021 01:36
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Cool, this thread is back. I just bought a 5 mil wetsuit to dive the Blue Heron bridge a few days before Christmas and it was nice to not be cold. I was also surprised at the weight increase I needed to go from 3 to 5.
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Jan 9, 2021 04:31
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So I do a few warm water dives a year when I'm somewhere tropical, but even then I usually only dive like 2-3 times a week because there's so much other stuff I want to do. I have nice mask, boots and fins, and I'm thinking of getting a 3mil jacket and some swim socks. I sorta just want to leave my boots and fins behind and just travel with my mask, jacket and swim socks. Is that crazy?
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Jan 14, 2021 00:15
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let it mellow posted:Cool, this thread is back. I just bought a 5 mil wetsuit to dive the Blue Heron bridge a few days before Christmas and it was nice to not be cold. I was also surprised at the weight increase I needed to go from 3 to 5. That is no joke especially for a new suit. I hate the buoyancy swing but drat is it nice to not freeze your rear end off. How was the BHB? I have been seeing some awesome stuff showing up in some of the Facebook groups.
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Jan 14, 2021 02:05
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:So I do a few warm water dives a year when I'm somewhere tropical, but even then I usually only dive like 2-3 times a week because there's so much other stuff I want to do. By jacket do you mean BCD? If you're carrying a BCD then fins / boots wouldn't be THAT much more obnoxious (though I'd buy a collapsible hand trolley were I you). If you want to use your own gear as much as possible but keep your travel kit light, then mask / snorkel / rash guard / computer / maaaaybe regs would be ideal.
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Jan 14, 2021 05:33
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Trivia posted:By jacket do you mean BCD? If you're carrying a BCD then fins / boots wouldn't be THAT much more obnoxious (though I'd buy a collapsible hand trolley were I you). If you want to use your own gear as much as possible but keep your travel kit light, then mask / snorkel / rash guard / computer / maaaaybe regs would be ideal. Nah I was looking at getting a wetsuit jacket/rashguard, I don't think I'm at the point where I need my own BCD. I almost never check a bag, especially if I'm going somewhere warm. My thinking is "what can I throw in a carryon that will make diving more comfortable?" And right now I'm thinking a wetsuit jacket and diving socks would be a good middle ground.
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Jan 14, 2021 17:06
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:I almost never check a bag, especially if I'm going somewhere warm. My wife I didn't either until we started diving, and now:  .  I bring 4 pairs of underwear, 4 t-shirts, and an extra pair of shorts for clothes, so this is 95% gear/camera stuff. It sucked at first to drag bags around but you get used it.
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Jan 14, 2021 17:39
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:Nah I was looking at getting a wetsuit jacket/rashguard, I don't think I'm at the point where I need my own BCD. I almost never check a bag, especially if I'm going somewhere warm. My thinking is "what can I throw in a carryon that will make diving more comfortable?" And right now I'm thinking a wetsuit jacket and diving socks would be a good middle ground. Yeah that's great. Traveling with full gear sucksssssss (but is ultimately worth it). I'd add your own computer (maybe a cheap Suunto?) to your list. Rashguard is great because you can use it anytime you're in the water, and it also reduces the amount of sunblock entering the water. If you dive often and want to keep things light, a dive torch is GREAT. They're a bit expensive though (but then again, what isn't?).
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Jan 14, 2021 18:11
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I wouldn't bring anything bigger than a rash guard unless you either bring everything or you have a specific reason to do so. Pretty much everywhere will rent you an appropriate style wetsuit for the conditions so I don't see the point of bringing one and they're pretty bulky. I'd say the same for fins except most places rent the non booty type fins and those cut my feet so now I bring my own.
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Jan 14, 2021 19:14
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asur posted:I wouldn't bring anything bigger than a rash guard unless you either bring everything or you have a specific reason to do so. Pretty much everywhere will rent you an appropriate style wetsuit for the conditions so I don't see the point of bringing one and they're pretty bulky. I'd say the same for fins except most places rent the non booty type fins and those cut my feet so now I bring my own. Thanks for the input, I am concerned that a wetsuit jacket would be too bulky to easily pack in a carryon. Maybe I will just buy some scuba socks and save my stimulus for something else https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/sporti...zgaAq8QEALw_wcB
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Jan 14, 2021 22:02
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Plus if your bring your own wetsuit you need to plan around drying time. There are some pretty cheap dive torches you can pick up and modern LED torches can do a good enough job for reasonable visibility diving. Being able to look into nooks and crannies or just getting some of the colours restored ( plus for night diving) so I think that's a reasonable buy. Frogman lenser was a pretty standard recommendation when I was buying but that's a while back now so brands may have moved on. Computer is a really good investment IMO if you're confident you'll keep up diving and you've got the disposable budget. Suunto's are good and pretty standard and can make it easy to get your dive stats. You should always be able to track your own depth and time on a dive and that removes worries that the dive shop might give you gear without a depth gauge or a broken one while ensuring you can track your time.
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Jan 14, 2021 23:21
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SuitcasePimp posted:That is no joke especially for a new suit. I hate the buoyancy swing but drat is it nice to not freeze your rear end off. How was the BHB? I have been seeing some awesome stuff showing up in some of the Facebook groups. It’s good, but it depends on your history. I know it’s supposed to be one of the top shore dives in the world but... I’ve done Bonaire
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Jan 15, 2021 05:13
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Trivia posted:Yeah that's great. Traveling with full gear sucksssssss (but is ultimately worth it). I'd add your own computer (maybe a cheap Suunto?) to your list. Rashguard is great because you can use it anytime you're in the water, and it also reduces the amount of sunblock entering the water. Depends what Suunto. My wife and I both bought Cobras a decade ago and those are ridiculously conservative about deco limits. We ended up with nitrox certs partially because of how finicky the cobras are. On the other hand, they’ve been incredibly reliable
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Jan 15, 2021 05:23
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I just use a Suunto as your basic cheap and easy piece of kit. Anyone who dives regularly should get a better brand.
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Jan 15, 2021 08:13
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Suunto are very conservative but they're well designed and the Zoop is near impossible to beat on price. Scubapro's Aladin is a good alternative that gives a bit more time and I've had an Oceanic Geo 2.0 that, if you want a watch style and potential for more advanced diving in the future, includes gas switching for nitrox mixes. I'd say those three are all in the entry level and it's worth looking at second hand options as well here since plenty of people either start and give up or device to get something shinier later.
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Jan 15, 2021 08:42
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If my Vyper Novo had customizable safety stop depths, it’d be a nearly perfect recreational computer. As it is, the safety stop is at 10ft, and I’d really like it to be at 25 so I’m not getting the poo poo kicked out of me in the waves. Most of the time I just do my stop at 25ft with everyone else, and then ignore the incessant beeping the rest of the way up.
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Jan 15, 2021 23:44
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MrYenko posted:If my Vyper Novo had customizable safety stop depths, it’d be a nearly perfect recreational computer. As it is, the safety stop is at 10ft, and I’d really like it to be at 25 so I’m not getting the poo poo kicked out of me in the waves. Most of the time I just do my stop at 25ft with everyone else, and then ignore the incessant beeping the rest of the way up. The cobras go apeshit with beeping when you disconnect the tank after you’re done with the dive. That’s pretty funny actually.
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Jan 16, 2021 02:32
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I loving hate Instagram, but this is an awesome photo to hang on your wall: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKNCqPBBgP3/?igshid=qh0uxfl4fum8
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Jan 20, 2021 01:55
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let it mellow posted:It’s good, but it depends on your history. I know it’s supposed to be one of the top shore dives in the world but... I’ve done Bonaire I would love to go and poke around for weird stuff... there is a LOT of weird stuff there for whatever reason. You can see a batfish, seahorse, nudis, and manatee on the same dive!
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Jan 20, 2021 02:26
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