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  1. John C. Ratliff

    Argonaut Kraken exhaust loop flooding issue...?

    Okay, my 2 cents worth...this is only a problem for those using the Kraken and/or those using the VDH Duckbill Eliminator (DBE) insert into the bottom box. We did not have this problem when using a duckbill valve in the USD regulators. The Kraken is set up for only using the mushroom valve...
  2. John C. Ratliff

    Old tank, steel 76?

    I had a steel tank which was just a bit longer than a steel 72. It was a 2475 psi stamped tank, and if my memory is correct, it was an 80 cubic foot tank (but that was a while back, like decades). So check the rated pressure, and if it is 2475, it may be a steel 80. SeaRat
  3. John C. Ratliff

    Question When do we speak of technical diving ?

    Imla above has posted a wonderful set of parameters and an article from the Journal of Applied Physiology about the effects of work of breathing on a diver. I have some results from the U.S. Naval Experimental Diving Unit (Navy EDU) that evaluated the Conshelf XIV for its breathing performance...
  4. John C. Ratliff

    What Are Your "Pro-Tips" for Safety, Redundancy, and Accident Handling

    A lot has been covered in this thread, but I'm going to let you in on a dive secret; dive logs are very valuable. I developed my own, and for a long time I filled them out with handwritten entries, along with diagrams. You can see several examples below, and these allow me to go back in time...
  5. John C. Ratliff

    Snorkeling Advice/Questions

    Depending upon the type of dry snorkel you have, it could be an advantage. Most dry snorkels these days (not the ping-pong ball variety) are designed to still be “dry” when a chop or wave washes temporarily over the snorkel. It will shed water down and out of the tube, or close the tube, in...
  6. John C. Ratliff

    What Are Your "Pro-Tips" for Safety, Redundancy, and Accident Handling

    That first sentence is interesting to me, as sometimes there is no “common sense.” The brain is often tricked, or distracted, and that is why some here say to set the audible alarms on the dive computer. Those reminders are there for a reason. Concerning looking at the computer/SPG, one time...
  7. John C. Ratliff

    "disposable regulators" vs servicing?

    Why are you buying new hoses for your regulator every time it's serviced? I have hoses that are 50+ years old, and still working fine. The new braided hoses probably are the ones being replaced, so replace them with the older style nylon-coated hoses that will last as long as the regulator...
  8. John C. Ratliff

    Dive knives when out with a DM

    I kinda figured that, but a lot of people think the larger knives are for fighting. I wanted to set the record straight. SeaRat
  9. John C. Ratliff

    Dive knives when out with a DM

    Okay, I’m going to debunk a myth about dive knives. A lot of people have seen too much “Sea Hunt.” I can do this as I have been diving over 60 years, and am also a USAF Combat Rescue veteran, a Pararescueman, or PJ, from Vietnam. For water work and parascuba jumps, we did carry a dive knife...
  10. John C. Ratliff

    Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Spain: Other manufacturers

    It was this Mares Concorde that I used in the 1980s, and it was a wonderful fin. I used it on a very long swim, about 15 miles, in the lower Umpqua River. It was called the "Vets Swim for the Needy," with revenues going to a specific gal named Amber Heath. I only know she was suffering from...
  11. John C. Ratliff

    Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Spain: Other manufacturers

    David, there’s something just a bit weird about a foot pocket being “141 cm or thereabouts” in width. That’s one heck of a foot! ;). Even for a foot length, 141 cm (or 55.5 inches) is more than a bit weird; maybe that’s what you were referring to. SeaRat
  12. John C. Ratliff

    Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Spain: Other manufacturers

    I had a very similar pair of long fins, from Mares, I think, in the 1980s, and they were wonderful for finswimming and long snorkeling/scuba swims. SeaRat
  13. John C. Ratliff

    Question Lube for dry gloves

    Actually, I would not anymore recommend talcum powder, as the powder may contain asbestos particles that can harm the lungs. It’s better to use corn starch instead. https://www.asbestos.com/products/talcum-powder/ SeaRat
  14. John C. Ratliff

    Dive knives when out with a DM

    I always wear my dive knife on my right leg. I’ve been doing that for over 60 years now, and it has served me well over the years. It is a BFK, if that’s what you call it now, but when I started out, it was simply the dive knife. It is a tool, with a serrated edge for cutting large rope, a...
  15. John C. Ratliff

    Yet another golf ball diver dead - Naples, Florida

    When I was diving with Virginia Taylor for golf balls in Florida near Orlando, it was 1970. We had not thought about either octopus regulators, or bailout bottles. But, I survived. SeaRat
  16. John C. Ratliff

    Cold water & wet suit

    We used to use corn starch to get into our skin inside suits (open cell inside). SeaRat
  17. John C. Ratliff

    Cold water & wet suit

    Okay, there is a new term for wetsuits, "open cell." Open cell used to mean neoprene that was not "closed cell," in other words, had no buoyancy because it absorbed water as the cells were open to the water. I found out just last year that "open cell," is now a term used to describe what we...
  18. John C. Ratliff

    Question Decreasing the Breathing Reflex....Possible?

    Concerning the heritage, and instinctively holding one’s breath, that only holds for a sudden submergence into deep water if the water is warm. If it is cold, or icy, there is an immediate and instinctive inhalation reflex, which can be life threatening. Okay, you can actually measure my...
  19. John C. Ratliff

    How old do you plan to dive til?

    I'm now 78, and plan to continue diving until I feel I shouldn't...at least until 80. SeaRat
  20. John C. Ratliff

    Drysuit and squeeze question

    Actually, that is not true, as the surface-supplied line is actually a low pressure line used now in hookah diving. This means that it contains pressurized air at somewhere around 120-140 psig. So no, current surface-supplied air cannot have the hazards of hard hat diving. Hard hat diving...
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