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re: Scuba Diving - some info and pics
Posted on 9/25/17 at 8:48 pm to FleshEatingSalsa
Posted on 9/25/17 at 8:48 pm to FleshEatingSalsa
You won't notice a difference in breathing resistance for nitrox vs air. A properly tuned and maintained reg will breathe very well for most all decent to good regs.
1
Posted on 9/25/17 at 8:53 pm to slacker00
To this point I've only ever used the worn out rentals so I'm really hoping I notice a difference once I get my own.
Posted on 9/25/17 at 9:58 pm to FleshEatingSalsa
<------- this guy
Certified through SSI all the way up to Dive Con.
My Certs are
OWD
AOWD(Nav, Deep, Night, and Boat)
Nitrox
Stress and Rescue/FA/CPR/02 delivery (3 days)
Dive Master
DIve Guide/Science of Diving
Stress and Rescue (30 days)
Dive Con
Almost a century Diver, but not quite there yet. Might get Instructor cert just to have something to do for fun on weekends. Private lessons and such.
Is it Mermit Springs? Night dives are the best. I have some great GoPro videos from night dives in Largo and Central America.
Btw a tip with the GoPro. Use a Magenta lens for the green water dives. It works better than the red lens.
I have had my BCD for a few years now. I have all my gear. Except for the steel 120 cylinder, I have been searching for it for a few months now.
Mares Hybrid Pro BCD. Weight integrated, and Back inflate. My one issue is lack of useful pockets. It has 3, but one the zipper always breaks, and the others can barely hold my secondary light.
Regulators are Mares Abyss Navy, and the secondary is a Mares Rover.
The computer is a Mares Puk2.
Mask is Mares liquidskin
Fins are Mares Quatros
If you can't tell my preferred Dive shop is a MARES affiliate.
Something I have learned over the years is if you ask a diver what they recommend, then ten out ten they will recommend what they dive with because it's what they are comfortable with diving.
I will always recommend buying from the shop because my shop will replace it for life if something goes wrong or gets worn out. If you want to buy online check, then with your store first. Do this to make sure it's good quality. There are many times you find a great deal that they approve.
I dove with someone from there in WPB at Blue Heron Bridge. He showed me a lot of his videos and mentioned all he did was cold water dives out there.
Nitrox diving is fun with your extended bottom time and less residual nitrogen. For instance, a few friends and I were diving in Jupiter with Jupiter Dive Center not too long ago. Two of my friends were finishing up their Nitrox certification, while my other friend and I were already certified and experienced with Nitrox. We dove on EAN 37, and right after the other two had to surface to avoid no deco limits, we spot a 10-12 ft green moray eel free swimming around the reef. Right as we were about to surface a shark comes darting out from behind the reef and swims right in between my friend and me. So they missed out on two great moments all because they missed the final 15 minutes of the dive.
Great pics.
Certified through SSI all the way up to Dive Con.
My Certs are
OWD
AOWD(Nav, Deep, Night, and Boat)
Nitrox
Stress and Rescue/FA/CPR/02 delivery (3 days)
Dive Master
DIve Guide/Science of Diving
Stress and Rescue (30 days)
Dive Con
Almost a century Diver, but not quite there yet. Might get Instructor cert just to have something to do for fun on weekends. Private lessons and such.
quote:
I'm finishing up my Advanced Open Water cert this weekend in southern Illinois. The site I'll be at has the fuselage from the plane used in the crash scene in US Marshals (Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes). I'll be diving that and a few other wrecks there. Doing my first-night dive too which I'm a little nervous about.
Is it Mermit Springs? Night dives are the best. I have some great GoPro videos from night dives in Largo and Central America.
Btw a tip with the GoPro. Use a Magenta lens for the green water dives. It works better than the red lens.
I have had my BCD for a few years now. I have all my gear. Except for the steel 120 cylinder, I have been searching for it for a few months now.
Mares Hybrid Pro BCD. Weight integrated, and Back inflate. My one issue is lack of useful pockets. It has 3, but one the zipper always breaks, and the others can barely hold my secondary light.
Regulators are Mares Abyss Navy, and the secondary is a Mares Rover.
The computer is a Mares Puk2.
Mask is Mares liquidskin
Fins are Mares Quatros
If you can't tell my preferred Dive shop is a MARES affiliate.
Something I have learned over the years is if you ask a diver what they recommend, then ten out ten they will recommend what they dive with because it's what they are comfortable with diving.
I will always recommend buying from the shop because my shop will replace it for life if something goes wrong or gets worn out. If you want to buy online check, then with your store first. Do this to make sure it's good quality. There are many times you find a great deal that they approve.
quote:
Breakwater Cove in Monterey Bay, CA.
I dove with someone from there in WPB at Blue Heron Bridge. He showed me a lot of his videos and mentioned all he did was cold water dives out there.
Nitrox diving is fun with your extended bottom time and less residual nitrogen. For instance, a few friends and I were diving in Jupiter with Jupiter Dive Center not too long ago. Two of my friends were finishing up their Nitrox certification, while my other friend and I were already certified and experienced with Nitrox. We dove on EAN 37, and right after the other two had to surface to avoid no deco limits, we spot a 10-12 ft green moray eel free swimming around the reef. Right as we were about to surface a shark comes darting out from behind the reef and swims right in between my friend and me. So they missed out on two great moments all because they missed the final 15 minutes of the dive.
Great pics.
This post was edited on 9/26/17 at 10:06 am
Posted on 9/26/17 at 6:30 am to FleshEatingSalsa
quote:
Question on the Nitrox. Breathing the normal air, I never feel like I get a good breath. Was down around 80ft yesterday and I didn't struggle but that sensation did worsen just a bit. Is the nitrox mix easier to breathe or is it even noticeable?
Main benefit is less residual nitrogen in your bloodstream so you get longer bottom times and shorter surface intervals. I have done 4-5 dives a day on Nitrox in Bonaire for 5 days straight. lol Some divers say they feel less fatigued on Nitrox but it hasn't been scientifically proven.
Posted on 9/26/17 at 8:40 am to FleshEatingSalsa
I got certified way back in 1991 at A&M with NAUI and I have standard open water cert.
I dabbled in diving from then until 98 or so, but once i got married, I really started diving quite a bit more with my wife and her parents. I primarily focus on the Carribean since it's easy and cheap to get to, and I have been to Cayman, Cozumel, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Jamaica, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, St. Maartin, Florida Keys and a couple of other places I can't remember. Cayman is my Happy Place.
Favorite depth is around 40-50 feet, and the deepest I've been was 120 feet to get a picture of a moray on a coral head. The DM escorted me down there and I stayed for only less than a minute. The deep first dives all seem the same to me once I go further than 60 feet, and the second shallower dives are always my favorite. Night diving I absolutely enjoy provided that the other people don't flash my eyes with their light and ruin my vision. It's my personal belief that a small pen light really is my favorite under those circumstances.
Without looking at my log book, I probably have around 110 dives.
At the beginning of a trip, I generally start with 12 pounds of weight but by the second day I'm down to my standard 6.
BCD wise, I am currently without one and I've been renting one the last couple of times I've gone on a trip. I started out with a Cressi Hardback (it was a long time ago) and then I had a ScubaPro vest variety. As I've aged and become a better diver, I feel like I want a smaller, less constrictive, BC. I am looking at the travel ones, but I worry about their ability to last. Here's an oddity: I still prefer a weight belt to an integrated BCD. It just sits better and feels better to me. I've also gone away from huge fins and I now wear a set of slip on snorkeling fins as they are way more comfortable.
I guess you could say I started out as a gear guy and have turned into a minimalist over the years. The less crap I have the better, IMO.
I dabbled in diving from then until 98 or so, but once i got married, I really started diving quite a bit more with my wife and her parents. I primarily focus on the Carribean since it's easy and cheap to get to, and I have been to Cayman, Cozumel, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Jamaica, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, St. Maartin, Florida Keys and a couple of other places I can't remember. Cayman is my Happy Place.
Favorite depth is around 40-50 feet, and the deepest I've been was 120 feet to get a picture of a moray on a coral head. The DM escorted me down there and I stayed for only less than a minute. The deep first dives all seem the same to me once I go further than 60 feet, and the second shallower dives are always my favorite. Night diving I absolutely enjoy provided that the other people don't flash my eyes with their light and ruin my vision. It's my personal belief that a small pen light really is my favorite under those circumstances.
Without looking at my log book, I probably have around 110 dives.
At the beginning of a trip, I generally start with 12 pounds of weight but by the second day I'm down to my standard 6.
BCD wise, I am currently without one and I've been renting one the last couple of times I've gone on a trip. I started out with a Cressi Hardback (it was a long time ago) and then I had a ScubaPro vest variety. As I've aged and become a better diver, I feel like I want a smaller, less constrictive, BC. I am looking at the travel ones, but I worry about their ability to last. Here's an oddity: I still prefer a weight belt to an integrated BCD. It just sits better and feels better to me. I've also gone away from huge fins and I now wear a set of slip on snorkeling fins as they are way more comfortable.
I guess you could say I started out as a gear guy and have turned into a minimalist over the years. The less crap I have the better, IMO.
This post was edited on 9/26/17 at 8:52 am
Posted on 9/26/17 at 10:16 am to Jobu93
quote:
Favorite depth is around 40-50 feet, and the deepest I've been was 120 feet to get a picture of a moray on a coral head. The DM escorted me down there and I stayed for only less than a minute. The deep first dives all seem the same to me once I go further than 60 feet, and the second shallower dives are always my favorite. Night diving I enjoy provided that the other people don't flash my eyes with their light and ruin my vision. It's my personal belief that a small pen light really is my favorite under those circumstances.
We were night diving with Quiescience in Largo and had been diving all day (5 dives total) and were finishing up with a wreck where we were expecting to see a lot of turtles. We saw them and then some. Towards about midway through the dive we see another dive boat pull up. Well, out jumps a guy that thinks he is James Cameron. His camera equipment and lights lit up the entire vicinity. All the fish and turtles swam the other direction except for this one parrot fish that he cornered and proceeded to blind.
quote:
BCD wise, I am currently without one and I've been renting one the last couple of times I've gone on a trip. I started out with a Cressi Hardback (it was a long time ago) and then I had a ScubaPro vest variety. As I've aged and become a better diver, I feel like I want a smaller, less constrictive, BC. I am looking at the travel ones, but I worry about their ability to last. Here's an oddity: I still prefer a weight belt to an integrated BCD. It just sits better and feels better to me. I've also gone away from huge fins and I now wear a set of slip on snorkeling fins as they are way more comfortable.
If you buy equipment, then your BCD is the first piece you need after mask, fins, snorkel, and boots. I prefer back inflate, and weight integrated. Generally, I don't need weight if I am in a 3m wetsuit or less. If I go passed 3m I need 4-6#. If you are worried about your equipment wearing out then I recommend asking your dive shop what they recommend. They might give you a sales pitch, but bring up your worry of the BCD wearing out. Generally, they will then tell you about their guarantee. Most dive shops understand gear wears out over time or can get snagged. So see if you can find a shop with limited or lifetime warranties.
Posted on 9/26/17 at 3:43 pm to hoppinnissan
quote:
Main benefit is less residual nitrogen in your bloodstream so you get longer bottom times and shorter surface intervals. I have done 4-5 dives a day on Nitrox in Bonaire for 5 days straight. lol Some divers say they feel less fatigued on Nitrox but it hasn't been scientifically proven.
Thanks for the info.
ETA: I watched the Bonaire 2013 video. Amazing stuff. Can't wait to watch the others. What settings do you usually go with on your GoPro? What filter? Thanks!
This post was edited on 9/26/17 at 3:45 pm
Posted on 9/26/17 at 3:53 pm to memphisplaya
quote:Dude! We could have gone diving together if I had known.
memphisplaya
quote:
Is it Mermit Springs?
Mermet Springs, but yes, that's the place. Finished up so I'm now AOW. I'm going to get Rescue Diver cert sometime this winter/spring. Looking forward to more warm water stuff so I don't have to carry so much weight and wear so much neoprene.
Sounds like you feel about Mares how I feel about Cressi. I got their Big Eyes Evolution mask about 3 years ago and loved it so much I just stuck with them as much as possible.
For real, next summer if you want to plan a weekend trip to Mermet with me, we could do some wreck diving. They also have some paddlefish, which are pretty cool to see swimming by.
Posted on 9/26/17 at 3:55 pm to Jobu93
quote:
At the beginning of a trip, I generally start with 12 pounds of weight but by the second day I'm down to my standard 6.
Dang. With a 2.5mm shorty? I'm 6'0" and 185 and in warm water I still need about 10 pounds but I'm sure that will improve over time.
You ever get nervous on the night dives? I did fine with my first this past weekend, but it was in a quarry and I knew there was nothing scary lurking in the deep.
Posted on 9/26/17 at 8:59 pm to FleshEatingSalsa
I dive war CARRIBEAN wters. I wear a rash guard and a swim suit and that's it.
Night dives don't bother me... I kind of like closing my eyes and spinning on both axis so I get disoriented. Then I just follow the bubbles so I know which way is up.
plus the coral looks amazing.
Night dives don't bother me... I kind of like closing my eyes and spinning on both axis so I get disoriented. Then I just follow the bubbles so I know which way is up.
plus the coral looks amazing.
Posted on 9/26/17 at 9:48 pm to FleshEatingSalsa
quote:
For real, next summer if you want to plan a weekend trip to Mermet with me, we could do some wreck diving. They also have some paddlefish, which are pretty cool to see swimming by.
Been wanting to check Mermet out. My dive shop takes trips there all the time.
I'd definitely be down. Pun intended.
Taking a few OPW students out to Pelham, AL starting the end of next month. As a Dive Con we have to assist the instructors. By that I mean we mostly herd the polliwogs and carry tanks.
Have to accumulate hours assisting before can go for that instructor cert. Plus I can't complain about the free diving and hotels even if it's only freshwater.
You should come check out Pelham's quarry if you come down for the LSU/Alabama game. I think it is called Blue Water Park now. I will be there that weekend, and will likely make the short drive to Tuscaloosa to watch another 21 pt loss to Alabama.
In 2019 I am booked to go to Truk and Palau. A whole bunch of Wreck dives, crashed WWII planes, and barrages all from WWII era, and not to mention Jellyfish Lake.The month isn't set yet, but I reserved my spot.
This post was edited on 9/26/17 at 9:52 pm
Posted on 9/26/17 at 10:15 pm to memphisplaya
Truk is a must for me. So jealous. Please take pics and post!
This post was edited on 9/27/17 at 11:40 am
Posted on 9/26/17 at 10:32 pm to memphisplaya
quote:
I think it is called Blue Water Park now.
My high school junior class did a skip day in late May that year and we all went to Blue Water. Just swam and played sand volleyball all day. I got burned to a crisp.
Posted on 9/27/17 at 2:03 pm to FleshEatingSalsa
quote:
I watched the Bonaire 2013 video. Amazing stuff. Can't wait to watch the others. What settings do you usually go with on your GoPro? What filter? Thanks
My newer videos are shorter and filmed better. lol
I used an older GoPro Hero 2 for the longest at 720 I think. I have a newer GoPro 4 now and shoot in 1080p and use a SRP red filter and I also have two lights mounted on a homemade camera tray. I really feel like the SRP filters do a better job than the Backflip and Polar lenses that are cheaper.
Posted on 9/28/17 at 4:33 am to hoppinnissan
We had our honeymoon at Anthony's Key. Loved that place with the exception of the sand fleas there. Would love to go back there again.
Great video!
Great video!
Posted on 9/28/17 at 5:02 am to hoppinnissan
can you post a pic of the rig for the home made camera tray? I too have the GoPro Hero4.
Posted on 9/28/17 at 9:49 am to Jobu93
I will try to get a pic for you. It's just made from PVC conduit. It works really well and well for stable video because you use two hands and sort of "drive it" like a steering wheel. As long as you have good buoyancy anyways.
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