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  1. Valwood1

    First-hand account of down current, with video footage

    Well, dad-as-buddy may have made the mistakes that have been pointed out, and perhaps the problem would not have arisen if dad had been more attentive, but he at least was good enough in the pinch that this is only a near-miss thread. I've tried to stop a too-rapid ascent of another diver (not...
  2. Valwood1

    First-hand account of down current, with video footage

    It's kinda tough to argue dive theory with an instructor who has 10X my number of dives. :) That said: 1. I have no idea whether simply inflating the BCD would have corrected the boy's problem since I wasn't there and do not know the absolute strength of the downcurrent. My downcurrent...
  3. Valwood1

    First-hand account of down current, with video footage

    Scurbyduck and Scurbswife, I'm glad that everyone is okay. And that is the most important thing. As regards the video and downcurrents: First, thanks so much for posting the video. You've done a real service to almost everyone on this board by showing first-hand some of the conditions that...
  4. Valwood1

    Diver lost in Cozumel today

    I did my certification open water dives at Coz with an instructor who had been there many, many times. Before we hit the water, he told our group about downcurrents (not frequent, but possible, he said), and what to do if you were caught in one. In maybe 6 later trips to Coz, I've never had...
  5. Valwood1

    Diver lost in Cozumel today

    The real issue is whether the dive shop takes the time to inquire into a diver's skill level and experience before leaving the dock -- maybe, that inquiry was a pre-arrival form completed by the diver, or maybe it's looking at log books when the diver checks in, or maybe it's talking to the...
  6. Valwood1

    Diver lost in Cozumel today

    Those statements generally are accurate, and reflect experiences at about any dive location when the conditions are good -- or at least, not difficult. But it's a mistake to think -- ever -- that you'll always be in total control of what goes on. And it might be a good idea to imagine what...
  7. Valwood1

    Diver lost in Cozumel today

    I've been in a bad downcurrent (40' to 140' in less time than I like to think); when you're in it, you jolly well do think that the devil is pulling you down.
  8. Valwood1

    Bali Komodo Dive Trip questions!!!

    I think that you'll enjoy Lembongan. I used World Diving and was very pleased, though you're usually doing only two dives per day. The affiliated "resort" has new rooms around a pool a bit away from the beach (maybe, 100 feet or so) -- they had a/c (though the electricity sometimes goes off...
  9. Valwood1

    Watson Murder Case - Discussion

    I did not see a comment from anyone on this following, so.... In the 20/20 interview, Watson said -- twice! -- that he thought that the diving from Spoilsport would be very easy. If one gives him the benefit of the doubt and assumes that he's telling the truth, his statement is further proof...
  10. Valwood1

    Watson Murder Case - Discussion

    Aside from Ayisha's correction on the photo, it would not surprise me at all to learn that a panicked diver did about anything during his/her panic, nor would it surprise me to hear that a panicked diver forgot what happened during the dive, or thought things happened that did not happen. In...
  11. Valwood1

    Watson Murder Case - Discussion

    I vote with McKenzie (post 1641) and Edmonds (post 1643) -- the guy's an idiot, a diving incompetent and a coward who panicked and failed to protect his wife, thereby failing to meet the standards to which all good Southern boys are bound (you have to be a southerner to appreciate this stuff)...
  12. Valwood1

    Watson Murder Case - Discussion

    Post deleted.
  13. Valwood1

    Alor - done my homework, now some important questions

    My trip report for August 2010 is here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/351325-trip-report-alor-august-14-21-2010-a.html In answer to some of the questions that you raised (and some you did not) in the second post: 1. I don't recall any guides other than Thomas, and we were a group...
  14. Valwood1

    Help with Bali/Komodo trip planning

    Echoing prior posts and adding a few things: 1. You're much better off staying in Bali than spending days in LBJ if you want to relax. 2. Note the comments regarding baggage between Indonesian destinations. I've been to Indonesia three times, and had a baggage issue every time because a bag...
  15. Valwood1

    Planning a trip... Komodo, Maumere, Alor- Logistics???

    Echoing others: In August 2010, travel to Alor required a flight from Bali to Kupang, overnight stay in Kupang and then on to Alor the next morning. But on returning from Alor, there was a plane connection, so Alor-Kupang-DPS was in one day. The Alor-to-Kupang airline managed to lose my clothes...
  16. Valwood1

    Bad weekend in Indonesia

    My condolences to the family and friends of the lady who was lost. I've been to Crystal Bay a couple of times, and faced heavy but not terrible current both trips. In Alor, I was caught in a ripping downcurrent that tore me off a wall and sent me from 40' to 144' in less time than I like to...
  17. Valwood1

    Watson Murder Case - Discussion

    The August 2011 issue of "Undercurrent" has an article quoting Dr. Carl Edmonds that says the wife's death has many of the usual signs of a panic-induced dive accident.
  18. Valwood1

    Indonesia trip in Sept

    As everyone said, Bali is clearly your best bet. I've stayed in LabuanBajo while doing land-based diving in Komodo area, and doubt that your wife would enjoy her time there alone while you went diving all day (and that means, perhaps, 8AM to 4PM, since the boat rides to and from the dive sites...
  19. Valwood1

    Bali diving - Lembongan Chalets?

    I know that you can make a reservation through World Divers on the internet, and imagine that there are other internet-based accommodations on Lembongan. World Divers did two dives per day, and I seem to recall that there was a concern with currents in the afternoons. You need to ask the...
  20. Valwood1

    Bali diving - Lembongan Chalets?

    I find that staying on Lembongan is a lot better for diving than staying in Sanur and making a day trip. My trip report from August 2010 about my stay in Lembongan follows. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/350054-lembongan-trip-report.html The downside to staying on Lembongan is that...
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