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8/2/2009 9:46:30 PM

10/6/2009 8:58:54 PM

Hopefully getting in my first 2 dives of 2014 tomorrow (easter diving...instead of eggs, I'm gonna hunt lionfish)

4/20/2014 1:49:50 AM

Rough seas that day. Barfed way too much to feel like carrying a spear and Zookeeper.

Weather cancelled yesterday. MAYBE I'll get to go on Fri.

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Does anyone here do any deco diving? I'd like to learn to lightly dabble in it, maybe 150' or so. At most, maybe 175' if that doesn't dramatically up the risk and commitment/gear requirements. The Oriskany is right here at me; I'd like to be able to get to all the superstructure and the flight deck...and maybe the hangars.

6/25/2014 1:22:19 AM

Finally got to shoot some lionfish today. Hands-down the most fun I've ever had diving. I killed 5 of them, and hit about 5 more that didn't stay on the spear tip. I would have gotten a few more, but I hit my air limit and had to come up (I was burning a pretty good bit of air, swimming all over the wreck shooting lionfish).

One of those was a pretty big one that I speared through the head with a trident tip. It never struggled at all; I thought it was an instant kill, but as I drew the spear out after stuffing the fish into the tube, somehow the fish came out with it, came off the spear, and swam away.

5/10/2015 11:03:05 PM

I'm a diver. If anyone wants to meet up in Key Largo, FL area, I'd be game.

I'm not a fan of diving off the coast. Prefer tropical locales

5/11/2015 10:53:55 AM

Diving off the coast can be just as warm and just as pretty as tropical locations, but it takes a bitch of a boat ride to get there. I've never been spear fishing, but I'd like to give it a try.

Best dives for me have been in North Florida springs, or Micronesia. But I still love the coast here!

(Key Largo is nice too, it's just soooo far).

5/11/2015 11:59:26 AM

Yeah, I'm not down for a 2-3 hour boat ride.

Plus the vis is not consistently good. I hear the wrecks are amazing on a good day though.

5/11/2015 1:34:21 PM

Yes, they really are. But, it takes a few weeks after a tropical storm comes through for the bottom to clear up. It's also a lot easier to get blown out. You can make a trip to the coast on a Friday and have a 50/50 chance of actually pulling out of the dock on Saturday morning. Makes it a lot less predictable than Florida diving.

I haven't been in the water since my daughter was born. I'm itching to get back in soon.

5/11/2015 2:04:33 PM

Give me predictability and shore diving.

Bonaire FTW.

5/11/2015 2:41:39 PM

Yeah there is very, very little here that's worth a damn in terms of shore diving.

...but I lived 30 minutes from the marina, so it's no big deal to drive down one morning and get stormed out. Honestly, I love boat rides, but I hate getting seasick, and I can dive locally easily, so I usually don't even book a trip unless it looks like the wx will be good and the seas pretty calm.

5/11/2015 10:47:10 PM

Also, I finally bought my own dive gear a couple of days ago. I mean, I had some stuff before (mask/fins/snorkel, wetsuit, computer, knife), but I went ahead and get my regs (Atomic Z2 and Scubapro Air2), Scubapro Litehawk BC, 10 lbs of soft weight, and a set of gauges (depth and tank px, with a little temp gauge).

All I need now are a couple of tanks. I dove steel tanks the other day and loved them; I think I'm gonna pony up for a pair of my own whenever I manage to find a great deal. Prob get a 100 cf and maybe an 80...or maybe two 100s.

5/11/2015 11:32:45 PM

I have a set of Steel 72s, and I love them. But they may be a bit small for you. If you're looking for something comparable to the AL80s, then steel 80s will do the trick. However, I suggest you try out a 130 first. They are big, but I think would suit you well. Good bottom time. We also have 120s, and they're about the same size as the 130s, but just seem more cumbersome. The hard thing will be finding 130s on sale. They're so in demand that it is even hard to find a pair to buy.

5/12/2015 9:18:41 AM

I'm not a bad air hog, but we have some deep dives around here. Plenty of stuff in the 110-130 range.

Plus, I'm totally hooked on hunting lionfish now, and that burns much more air. I went through a steel 80 inflated to I believe 3600 psi in about 25 minutes at maybe 75' the other day when I was shooting.

I stayed down 35 min (plus safety stop) at 90-102' with a steel 100, not shooting.

5/12/2015 3:55:05 PM

That, and I prob ought to get one really big bottle for some light tech diving. I'd like to get an H-manifold and do some deco diving, so I can do good stuff on the Oriskany (150-175' or so). I'd be good with just one big bottle; I'd stick to the tower at shallower depths if I did 2 dives on it.

5/12/2015 4:00:38 PM

Have you thought about diving doubles?

5/12/2015 5:52:32 PM

Nah, not really. I never intend to be more than 95% normal, recreational-limits open-water.

I just want the gear and training to plan and execute dives just a little deeper, specifically just to go do the Oriskany once or twice per year.

5/12/2015 9:11:47 PM

Congratulations on buying your own equipment. It's a decent chunk of change, but it beats using the rental crap.

I still need to pickup a decent computer.

[Edited on May 13, 2015 at 2:00 PM. Reason : h]

5/13/2015 1:59:32 PM

I love my doubles, but, they're definitely more expensive. I only do recreational dives. But they allow me to not have to switch out tanks on a dive boat mid trip. And get a bit more bottom time. They are also much more stable than a single tank (to me).

I haven't done the Oriskany, but I have heard it's a great site.

^What kind of computer are you looking for? I actually really like the bottom timers, a bit more simple. Just temperature, depth and time. It doesn't do any calculations for you though.

5/13/2015 3:19:53 PM

I have dives a Suunto Gekko for 9-10 years, and it works great. It was entry level 10 years ago when I bought it, too.

5/13/2015 5:49:38 PM

I've used a basic bottom timer. Easy to use and very simple to operate. Got started using those, as the ex's family had a bunch.

I'm looking for a do everything watch type computer that will do a few calculations for you, just to make recording that info a little easier in my log.

Something like an Oceanic OC1 - http://www.leisurepro.com/p-ocnoc1c/oceanic-oc1-dive-computer-with-transmitter. Easy to use and I could possibly wear it all the time.

I currently wear a Citizen Divers everyday - built in basic depth, temp, logging and audible signals.

I've used a former friend's Uwatec Smart Pro, and while that was very nice, the interface was dogshit.



I have the luxury of time to decide now, since my diving has been put on semi-permanent hiatus until further notice.

[Edited on May 15, 2015 at 8:09 AM. Reason : h]

5/15/2015 8:08:52 AM

holla

5/15/2015 10:51:29 AM

I've had my eye on the Scubapro Galileo as well, but it's like wearing a 2x4 on your arm.

http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/instruments/computers/products/galileo-luna.aspx

I have decided that I hate transmitters though. Every person who uses a computer with a transmitter eventually has it fail during their trip. Screw that. I still rely on my Suunto gauges.

I def. would like to dive the Oriskany someday, but not soon!

5/15/2015 11:13:15 AM

I'm the diver you primarily see in the video (with the Zookeeper and polespear)

7/12/2015 12:19:57 AM