couple questions

couple of questions:

1. I bought a console with depth guage, spg and compass. i don't want to have it loose and dangling all the time, and don't want it clipped on because its impossible to read and clipping and unclipping is a hassle. so what is the best solution? a retractor? seems like a good idea, i can pull it out to read it and it retracts in when i'm not using it. are these good? does it matter what brand you get? i want something long enough that i can pull my console out in front of me with ease, i saw some retractors that said they were 12" long, seems like that would be useless for a compass? suggestions for a retractor brand/model or alternative to a retractor would be welcome.

2. i read in my padi book that you're supposed to dry your dustcap off before putting it back on your regulator but this was never taught in my OW or AOW courses and i never saw anyone do it with a towel or with tank air.. whats the deal with that?

3. i read that some dive lights are not to be used out of water and will overheat.. i'm thinking of getting a uk c8 eled and a uk q40 eled, i was hoping to use them for more than just diving, anyone know if they're ok to use on land?

4. when we did a night dive for out aow, we all had these glow sticks on our tanks.. i forgot to ask at the time but are these something that should be standard on night dives or was it just because they would help the instructors find us should our light fail since we didn;t have backups? for those of you who night dive, do you use the glow sticks or tank lights or are they not necessary if you have a backup light?

thanks!

I use a retractor with my computer and underwater it works great. The computer is always retracted and tight to my BC until I pull it out. The problem with it is when the boat is underway, banging through the waves, and my BC is hooked up to a tank, the weight of the computer is enough for the retractor to start releasing and it lets the computer drop down to the floor, where it bounces around. I have to put it in my BC pocket to avoid being damaged.

What I'm saying is that if you buy a retractor, find one that has a stiff spring and is hard to pull out, but of course not too hard to make it unusable.

Regarding drying the dust cap before putting back on your first stage, I use short bursts of air from the tank to clear it. Works great, and just 3-4 bursts will make it bone dry. Of course make sure that you don't blow the water into your first stage.

The glow sticks on the tank isn't just a training device. Dive boats often hand them out as part of the price of the night dive.

BTW, they're apparently not very environment friendly, so some places in the Caribbean won't allow them to be used.

the weight of the computer is enough for the retractor to start releasing and it lets the computer drop down to the floor, where it bounces around.

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These won't do that: http://www.cetaceacorp.com/cgi-bin/...ts_seen=10&category=Retractors&store=products

Any of them with HF(high force) in the number work well. I like the locking one also, you can lock it out at any distance so it keeps your gauges nearby but not fully retracted. Some of them have up to 32" of line, mine does.

do you use the glow sticks or tank lights or are they not necessary if you have a backup light?

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Glow sticks/tank flashers aren't so you can see, it's so the boat crew can locate you.

jibjab:

couple of questions:
1. I bought a console with depth guage, spg and compass. i don't want to have it loose and dangling all the time, and don't want it clipped on because its impossible to read and clipping and unclipping is a hassle. so what is the best solution? a retractor? seems like a good idea, i can pull it out to read it and it retracts in when i'm not using it. are these good? does it matter what brand you get? i want something long enough that i can pull my console out in front of me with ease, i saw some retractors that said they were 12" long, seems like that would be useless for a compass? suggestions for a retractor brand/model or alternative to a retractor would be welcome.

Click to expand...

Any retractor should be good enough.

jibjab:

2. i read in my padi book that you're supposed to dry your dustcap off before putting it back on your regulator but this was never taught in my OW or AOW courses and i never saw anyone do it with a towel or with tank air.. whats the deal with that?

Click to expand...

The idea behind it is to make sure that we are making sure that the internal parts of the regulator 1st dry and clean. If you are PADI-certified, it is being talked about in the course, at least in the video. Anyway, I would suggest you do that.

jibjab:

3. i read that some dive lights are not to be used out of water and will overheat.. i'm thinking of getting a uk c8 eled and a uk q40 eled, i was hoping to use them for more than just diving, anyone know if they're ok to use on land?

Click to expand...

That's true. Most dive lights sold in the market today uses halogen light bulbs and they get pretty hot and thus it is not recommended you have them ON long outside water. But manfacturers are coming out with LED, I am not sure if that would still be the case as LED are works with much lower temperature.

jibjab:

4. when we did a night dive for out aow, we all had these glow sticks on our tanks.. i forgot to ask at the time but are these something that should be standard on night dives or was it just because they would help the instructors find us should our light fail since we didn;t have backups? for those of you who night dive, do you use the glow sticks or tank lights or are they not necessary if you have a backup light?

Click to expand...

They are good way for your buddy or other divers to locate you. It is not a substitution for not having back up lights. I use a flashing strobe during night dives but that is mainly because I am usually the dive leader for group. This way, all the other divers can locate me should they need to get my attention.

Consoles work best with good retractors. If you don't have one, tucking it in a pocket or even just inside your vest works well enough for basic recreational diving. I don't dive a console anymore, but when I was using rental gear with no retractor I would bring the console up from the bottom front of my BC so I could pull it up a little to see and then stick it back down to stay out of the way. Not ideal but it works.

LED based lights are no prob to use out of water, in general. Read the manual for your specific light and it will say. The biggest culprits are HID can lights... they get the hottest and are least likely to be used out of water. The exception is the UK light canon, which works quite happily on land, but it's not a can light either. Both of the lights you mentioned should be fine out of water.

Glow sticks or electronic alternatives are highly recommended for night diving. Often referred to as tank markers, because they allow others to see you, even if your lights are off or covered. Not much use as a backup, but I suppose it's better than nothing if things REALLY hit the fan.

Crack the valve on your tank for a few quick bursts to dry the dust cap, as mentioned above.

Yes, ditto what everyone has said about retractors. Get one that has a strong retractor or a locking retractor. You can see examples of retractors here: http://crazyscuba.com/cat_clipshooksretractors.cfm

We use the locking retractor if we want to pull things out and keep it extended for a long period, or for anything that's really heavy.

Dry your dust cap. We rountinely teach this in our classes. You don't want water in your 1st stage.

You may not want something as big as the C8 eled. That's a lot of weight and it's big. You can find comparable light output in smaller lights, of course sometimes the cost can be a lot more (example Tektite lights).

You need a marker light for the boat, and so your buddy knows where you are. We use either a Glo-toob, Flashing Lazer-stik, yoke light or tank marker light. You need the primary light, backup light, and tank marker light on night dives. You can see examples of them here: http://crazyscuba.com/cat_safety_marker.cfm

The most important thing about night dives is SAFETY. (Or on any dive). You need to be seen by boats and other divers. I've seen a huge number of lights fail on night dives, thus the primary and backup.

Good luck and safe diving!

Britt :fish:
:fish:

One good thing for glow sticks or strobes is to hang them on the bottom of your ascent line for easy finding in the dark (wreck diving or deep diving) this way you have a visual reference on you ascents and on wrecks you can get disorientated easy so you look around and find your way