Your personal evolution in diving, and an etiquette question

[Sam Miller III]

@Seaweed Doc
I began my diving by accident many years ago prior to the bubble machines appearance several years ago I met Pete and migrated to the SCUBA Board

I would respond but I suspect every point of every answer will be contested or met with a comment by a ":diver" who has amassed 25 dives with no experience or knowledge of the subject matter

I would sugget for a typical example that you read "octopus diving T shirt"

So No thinks ...Don't need the hassle

If truly interested PM your telephone number and we can chat- I will call you

SDM

 

[Kharon]

I love this mentality and confidence! I should have noted above: I’m confident and independent, just with my forever dive buddy, my husband. Ha!

You solo divers are a whole other incredible level of independence!

And (at least for myself) a wee bit selfish. With such short times underwater I don't want to continually check a buddy, monitor their air, go where they want to at the speed they want to, etc. Solo, the dive is all mine to do any way I want with no obligations or distractions.

 

[ChuckP]

Stay away from Cozumel and West Palm Beach.

Dive with the right folks in Cozumel at least

 

[The Chairman]

Oh, come on Pete, the majority of divers on a trip like this are not self sufficient or independent. It they were, they would not be complaining about the pace the DM takes

On an SB Invasion or Surge, most are very self sufficient and the guide moves slow enough for most divers.

Stay away from Cozumel and West Palm Beach.

I have dove both many, many times and at my own speed. I have dove in current and there's always a way to beat current.

I can't dive slow on every dive.

Current can be a tool. In the sand? Let the current fly you to the next reef, then find an eddy. It's what the fish do when they're in a current. They hide behind the structure. Think like a fish and find those ambush points where the current eddies down.

 

[Ana]

I said:

"I can't dive slow on every dive." and the Chairman responded

Current can be a tool. In the sand? Let the current fly you to the next reef, then find an eddy. It's what the fish do when they're in a current. They hide behind the structure. Think like a fish and find those ambush points where the current eddies down.

Maybe I should've express myself better.... I could if I have or want to... but like driving 55mph in a highway I "can't" because it would drive me crazy.

Just this Saturday diving on one Pompano reef, there was almost no current. I was in 65-80' by myself and not exactly sure what I wanted to do, first time in a while without lobstering gear, just enjoying the feeling when I spotted a shiny can of BudLite (why is it mostly Bud Lites dammit) so I proceeded to take it to my folded mesh bag, look forward and there's another... son-of-a-bitch started to get pissy, after 15 minutes I had swim quite a bit and filled a 20x30" mesh bag with plastics and cans. After seeing the first can without any planning I started zeroing on anything that didn't belong, didn't need to go snail speed to do that. Upset me at firsts there was so much trash, but felt good to leave the place so much nicer for my husband that was going to dive after me.
Fortunately I also spotted a medium size octopus that kept me entertained for a good 6-7 minutes (zero speed) at the end brought me to his hideout with a recently cleaned cowry shell about 3" long.

So I stayed in place for a while, dove slow, and dove fast on the 64 min. dive. If I was to give one word for that dive it would be a "Good dive"

 

[The Chairman]

That happened to me once... I saw an Ultra bottle, with the cap still on. And another. And another. I found tools, a gaffing hook and so much more. Apparently a boat had capsized the week before. Quite the haul.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Sam,

How did you use them, and what was their primary use? I think that defines what they are more than the technological detail.

If you used them mostly to compensate for changes in bouyancy with depth, then they're a BC, in the opinion of this young, ignorant whippersnapper.

My brother learned to dive in about 1970 using a horsecollar "BC" that was orally inflated. Sounds like what you described. He's 15 years older, so by the time I learned we had power inflators on the horsecollar. The first BC I bought was a "modern" jacket style, but it still accommodated the CO2 cartridge.

Thanks for sharing the history. I enjoy reading it.

I used to wear my dad's old Army Air Corps MaeWest (named after the ample bosom of the actress) diving but never once inflated it. The idea was that if you needed to float at the surface (usually due to a heavy game bag) you could push down (I think) on the top portion of the tube and blow air in. It did have a CO2 cartridge for a quick inflate. Don't know much more.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Scuba Lawyer

Now you are going to have the all the modern members posting that it never happened and if it did it didn't work.
and besides that your father didn't look official while wearing it

Keep up the good work !
SAMiller, III

 

[Akimbo]

@Scuba Lawyer

Now you are going to have the all the modern members posting that it never happened and if it did it didn't work.
and besides that your father didn't look official while wearing it

Keep up the good work !
SAMiller, III

As you know, it worked... but didn't work all that well unless you were meticulous about maintenance. The unanodized pop-metal CO2 cartridge mechanisms weren't intended for repeated salt water immersion. Here's your truly in the early 1960s with a slightly newer version of the Mae West.

I only wore it because it made my parents insisted. Ah, the days before decent 5-finger diving gloves were available.

 

[GM Cole]

I can only relate my experience with the 1970-era inflatable emergency vest. When I took my training back in the early 70's I was taught that the inflatable emergency vest was an essential piece of safety equipment. Our instructor required each of us to purchase one and wear it on our OW checkout dives or he would not sign off on certification.

That said, he impressed upon us just how unreliable these devices were and that we should fully expect that they *would not* work when needed. You were expected to be able to swim yourself out of whatever you'd gotten yourself into but you should wear an inflatable anyway on the off chance that it might work and help you out of a jam.

Typically these were a single layer of rubberized or vinyl-coated cloth (no serviceable inner bladder). Talc was blown in so that the insides would not stick together. Unfortunately, if any water got inside, the talc acted like a cement ensuring that the insides would indeed stick together. As Akombo pointed out, the CO2 inflate valve had a tendency to corrode and stick or just not work. These devices were intended for emergency use only and not for bouyancy compensation.

Upon completing certification and taking a few dives with more experienced divers, my newy certified buddy and I decided to undertake our first dive outing on our own at a local lake frequented by divers. The week before I had just read an article in SkinDiver written by Al Giddings where he described making a dive with a new-fangled device that incorporated an inflation bladder that was integrated into the back pack! He wrote that at the end of the dive he simply inflated the bladder and floated back to the beach on his back. I thought that sounded like a wonderful idea so at the end of the first lake dive with my buddy, I blew a few breaths into my inflatable emergency vest and kicked leisurely back to shore. I was met by a worried group of lake staff asking me what happened and if I could stand by myself and knew what day it was. When I explained that I just wanted to float back easily instead of working for it, they get very upset with my newbie ignorance and explained in very abrupt language that the vest was to be used for emergencies only and that they had nearly called an ambulance when they saw me with the vest inflated out there in the lake.

Greatness is never recognized in its own time.