Request for information not covered in any course

[lowviz]

Saying you were a solo diver is not going to save his butt. But, maybe you were just being sarcastic?

Sarcastic? That is the usual granny line when someone misspeaks and needs a way back. Name a local cap whose ass was/is in a sling.

You should know more than you seem to about local NE (Mid Atlantic) off-shore diving. How many of the last fatalities made it to SB? Alive or dead, the cap will return me to port. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

 

[tursiops]

Sarcastic? That is the usual granny line when someone misspeaks and needs a way back. Name a local cap whose ass was/is in a sling.

You should know more than you seem to about local NE (Mid Atlantic) off-shore diving. How many of the last fatalities made it to SB? Alive or dead, the cap will return me to port. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

Whatever.

 

[lowviz]

Oh, well...

 

[Kharon]

I'd reword #4 to be "If the conditions are worse than what you expected..."
#9. Definitely. 6 cuft is just too small in any sporty situation. 13 is minimal, 19 is beginning to be useful.

I was thinking of different in light of my recent experience. Dive briefing described a reef. To me that means coral, bryozoans, fish, etc. What I found was flat limestone, featureless, with nothing to orient by. Definitely different - but worse as well. I'll change the wording.

Re. #3 - your method is better and I don't have to carry, use, then roll up a cork on a ribbon. Thanks.

Since I mostly average around 25-30 feet and I was over confident, the 6 cf seemed enough. I tried several times and was able to ascend and make a safety stop from 130 feet so thought it fine for most of my dives. Reconsidering that.

 

[tridacna]

I was thinking of different in light of my recent experience. Dive briefing described a reef. To me that means coral, bryozoans, fish, etc. What I found was flat limestone, featureless, with nothing to orient by. Definitely different - but worse as well. I'll change the wording.

Re. #3 - your method is better and I don't have to carry, use, then roll up a cork on a ribbon. Thanks.

Since I mostly average around 25-30 feet and I was over confident, the 6 cf seemed enough. I tried several times and was able to ascend and make a safety stop from 130 feet so thought it fine for most of my dives. Reconsidering that.

How the heck do you see the Bryozoans? Do you take a microscope underwater? I think I see part of the problem here...

 

[KathyV]

I know that this may not have helped @Kharon because he could see where the boat was, and hopefully the boat staff knew where he was, but it appears that they made the questionable decision to let the other divers finish their dives first before going to his assistance.

But a lot of the folks posting in this thread seem very experienced and knowledgeable IMO so I am curious as to what you think about carrying a Personal Locator Beacon on dives? There's lots of threads on SB on this topic so I don't want to rehash it all but I was wondering how commonly are they carried and used? I've looked at some of the different models and systems a few times and I usually just get confused as to the what is the best choice for occasional recreational divers like us. But we are getting older and therefore we are at greater risk than some of you youngsters! So if we are going to keep diving maybe we should consider getting PBLs - what do you think?

 

[lowwall]

Here's what I've come up with so far.

ADDITIONAL GEAR & RULES:
1. Never enter the water if you can’t comfortably do a long surface swim in full gear on snorkel.
...
5. Add a high quality (oral inflate with dump valve) snorkel vest under the harness (redundant buoyancy and adds flotation in front).
6. Carry two big SMB’s – redundancy and added buoyancy.
7. Carry a reel to attach to weights – drop them or wedge them in a cranny to act as an anchor and prevent drifting.

Taking this from a slightly different perspective as a swimmer and former lifeguard. Maybe focus a bit less on equipment and more on the first item on your list, i.e. improving surface swimming skills/comfort. Chop and waves aren't inherently dangerous to a swimmer. Beach swims and body surfing are normal activities. It's only if you aren't comfortable or able to deal with rough water that it can lead to a stress spiral.

To put it another way. What would the response be to a diver who suggested adding multiple pieces of equipment, including non-diving equipment, to deal with an underwater issue?

BTW, I was serious in my suggestion in an earlier post to take off your gear, inflate and rest on top of it and/or use it as a kickboard while you head for the boat. A few inches of height makes a big difference in chop.

 

[Jcp2]

Maybe renting a jacket BC on location when on vacation isn't such a bad idea after all. Plenty of lift, no travel weight to deal with. Just bring the accessories to make it like your own (spool, DSMB, light, whistle, mirror, onto holder, trim pocket).

 

[Mike Walker]

I've only skimmed this so I may be redundant here but...

I use a Hydros and had some very miserable times at the surface until I learned to barely inflate the thing. As my weighting got better I stopped adding air at the surface post-dive altogether on some dives (if the boat was close enough) and then started to realize moving around was much easier in that state. Kind of an accidental discovery, but might be worth playing with what you have - the solution might be counter to your first instinct.

Now, I've also moved 60% my weight into the rear trim pockets and the rest sits on the sides. Despite being rear inflate I can now get to and stay in a relaxed 'recliner' position with head and face comfortably out of the water, fins in a reasonable place to kick backwards and not actively fighting falling over. It's not perfect, but after a few long-ish surface waits I was motivated enough to experiment a bit and I'm happy with the results. The solution was less buoyancy.

(The above is warm water, no neoprene.)

 

[Altamira]

I've only skimmed this so I may be redundant here but...

I use a Hydros and had some very miserable times at the surface until I learned to barely inflate the thing. As my weighting got better I stopped adding air at the surface post-dive altogether on some dives (if the boat was close enough) and then started to realize moving around was much easier in that state. Kind of an accidental discovery, but might be worth playing with what you have - the solution might be counter to your first instinct.

Now, I've also moved 60% my weight into the rear trim pockets and the rest sits on the sides. Despite being rear inflate I can now get to and stay in a relaxed 'recliner' position with head and face comfortably out of the water, fins in a reasonable place to kick backwards and not actively fighting falling over. It's not perfect, but after a few long-ish surface waits I was motivated enough to experiment a bit and I'm happy with the results. The solution was less buoyancy.

(The above is warm water, no neoprene.)

@Mike Walker. I would be curious to know what kind of sea conditions you are talking about, where you can stay in a relaxed recliner position with head and face comfortable out of the water? Like you, I put minimal air in my Zeagle Covert's wing when at the surface, have about 60% of my weight in rear trim pockets, and can easily pretty well maintain the "comfortable" position in seas with 2-3 foot seas. But I have definitely been handed my butt in 4-6 foot seas trying to keep my head/face out of the water, and not getting rolled in the waves. Any good techniques are always welcome.