Need a dive buddy for November 22 or 23

Hey all,

I am so excited about my trip to Bremerton/Seattle later this month. I have read about the awesome diving (and six gill sightings) to be done/seen in the Sound. I will be staying with some friends in Bremerton and am bringing all my gear. Only I dive with a wetsuit in CA, so I'll need to rent a drysuit and would like to dive with Nitrox. Can you recommend a good LDS?

Is there anybody who can take a morning or a day to show me around?

There are several good LDS in Seattle. For drysuit rentals you might look up:
Starfish 206-286-6596
Underwater Sports 206-362-3310
5th Dimension

In Tacoma/Federal Way which is closer to Bremerton:
Scuba set 253-661-9299

The water temps should be around 48 degrees. Not sure if that's too cold to do wet...

Most shops will have no problem giving Nitrox fills. If you can't find someone to dive with a very easy way to go is to do a charter. They typically cost $70. for a two dive day. Your best diving will be concentrated around the Tacoma - Seattle corridor. Alki Cove 2 is always fun and convenient. If the tides are right, Day Island Wall just south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge has lots of GPO's and Wolf Eels.

scubalaurel:

Hey all,

I am so excited about my trip to Bremerton/Seattle later this month. I have read about the awesome diving (and six gill sightings) to be done/seen in the Sound. I will be staying with some friends in Bremerton and am bringing all my gear. Only I dive with a wetsuit in CA, so I'll need to rent a drysuit and would like to dive with Nitrox. Can you recommend a good LDS?

Is there anybody who can take a morning or a day to show me around?

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Things to think about ...

- If you have never dived a drysuit, you will need a drysuit orientation before doing so. You may be able to rent a suit without one (not recommended), but it's patently dangerous to head out to open water without at least knowing how to recover from an accidental invert.

- If you want to dive nitrox, you must be nitrox certified. If you haven't already taken a class, I recommend you do so before heading north. It's a fairly easy class that will teach you how to properly plan a nitrox dive, analyze your own nitrox mixture, and understand both the advantages and limitations of diving nitrox.

LDS are not supposed to rent you either a drysuit or nitrox cylinder without proof that you have had the training ... although the only c-card some shops will ask for is one that says Visa or Master Card ... so take your safety into your own hands and make sure you are properly trained to use this gear.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Hey Laurel,
I'll be up there a week before you! Too bad you aren't going up sooner!
Have fun. I'll let you know how cold the water is when I'm done.

Bob, Laurel has all those bases covered. I seen her cards
See you guys next week!
Robert

Robert Phillips:

Hey Laurel,
I'll be up there a week before you! Too bad you aren't going up sooner!
Have fun. I'll let you know how cold the water is when I'm done.

Bob, Laurel has all those bases covered. I seen her cards
See you guys next week!
Robert

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Excellent ... OE2X mentioned some reputable shops where you can rent a drysuit and get nitrox. Another he did not mention is Bubbles Below in Woodinville (http://www.bubblesbelow.com/).

There are some I would also recommend you stay away from ... but will not mention them publicly (as always, this is subject to opinion). If you want that information, PM me and I'll explain my reasons for saying so ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I am scheduled to take those days off right now, and can be a dive buddy if you need one....

Travis

NWGratefulDiver:

Excellent ... OE2X mentioned some reputable shops where you can rent a drysuit and get nitrox. Another he did not mention is Bubbles Below in Woodinville (http://www.bubblesbelow.com/).

There are some I would also recommend you stay away from ... but will not mention them publicly (as always, this is subject to opinion). If you want that information, PM me and I'll explain my reasons for saying so ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

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I would definately appreciate the info, privately...

I have 435 logged dives in the past 4 years or so. Another couple dozen helping with classes. I log them for time, but not for #s, as I only count my fun dives, not the ones I gotta work at....

I've been diving Nitrox for about two years. Maybe 40 or so dives? I don't usually use it off the beach. I only have 30 dives with my drysuit. I save it for REALLY cold dives (<50 F). I've dove in my 7mm in 47F, but I don't appreciate numbness as well as I should, I suppose. I'm thinking drysuit= warmth=longer bottom time. And it's ALL about the bottom time!

Robert, I can't beleive you'll be there before me! I'll be getting to Bremerton on the 17th! You leave the 18th? figures...

Travis, Thanks! I will efinately take you up on your offer.

I'd love to do a two dive boat, but do boats run on weekdays? They rarely do down here. I will be just as happy with a beach dive or two. 'specially as there's NO WAVES to deal with in the sound...much easier than Laguna!

So boys, (are there any hard core gals up there?) anyplace to dive on the bremerton side, or are all the good spots out of Seattle? I've read about the Edmonds U/W Park? Is it cool?

overexposed2X:

There are several good LDS in Seattle...

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OE2X, Thanks for the info. I'll give them a call. Hey, what exactly is it your have overexposed? I hope it's just film...

scubalaurel:

I've read about the Edmonds U/W Park? Is it cool?

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Very much so if you're into seeing lots of fish ... especially large ling cod and cabezon. The park is a marine sanctuary and full of life. It's a shallow dive, and requires a fairly long surface swim to get anywhere. If you're good on air, my recommendation is to swim out about 100 feet beyond the end of the jetty and descend. Follow a northwesterly course (about 325 or so) till you hit a line running west (Jetty Way). Follow that out till you see a pair of large propellors ... there are several interesting objects along the way to inspect ... and take a northerly course along the line with the milk crates (Northern Lights). About a minute into your swim you'll come to a room-sized cement structure ... this is the easternmost of a series of these structures, called Cathedrals. Head west again ... inspecting the Cathedrals. At the northern end of the westernmost Cathedral is a resident octopus. After checking out the octo, take a northwestern heading (300) and in about another minute you'll come to a large wooden boat ... the Triumph ... take your time touring her, she's rather dilapidated, but home to a lot of different marine species. East of the Triumph ... running both north and south ... are a series of smaller boats. The closest one ... Mezmerized ... is now just a collapsed pile of debris. It's also home to one of the park's larger ling cod. When it's time to head in, go east till you hit a north-south running line. That's Northern Lights. You can follow it back to the propellors and head east along Jetty Way to find your way back to the beach. What I like to do is when the line ends, take a 120 heading, which will bring you to the jetty. Follow it on a southerly heading, which will bring you around the end of the jetty and then turn east, toward the beach. There's often some interesting critters hiding amongst the rocks at the end of the jetty, and once you're around the southern side you'll be heading east in to the beach. Straight up the beach from the jetty ... next to the restrooms ... are some fresh water showers, which were still working last week-end (they usually turn them off for the winter).

Have fun ... it's a nice place to do a long, exploring sort of dive ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

scubalaurel:

OE2X, Thanks for the info. I'll give them a call. Hey, what exactly is it your have overexposed? I hope it's just film...

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Truth be told, film is the only thing that gets overexposed and then only when I make a blunder or two. Not even if I looked like Fabio, would you see any of me. Instead I've got a body like an old Winston Churchill - but that's probably more than you want to know...