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The wrecks at Bikini Atoll have been bleeding RFO or "bunker" fuel since they sank. Strangely, I have never seen oil on the beaches, and i've been to all of them repeatedly. I guess RFO is light enough to evaporate in tropical temperatures.

Piston regs suck, especially in remote locations in the tropics where they may not get an adequate soaking in fresh water after every use. Get completely sealed diaphragm first stages and don't look back.

"Operating costs". That's a slippery target to nail down. Helps if all your friends are multi-millionaires.

I use pneumatic chisel guns underwater frequently, usually to about 20 foot depth. Generally for paint removal prior to welding, and slag removal after welding. The cheap ones last one or two outings, despite having oil run through them and living in a bucket of diesel between jobs. The...

There is one aspect of this report (among many) that makes no sense. Why did the port captain close the port if other divers were still able to board speedboats and dive locally. This seems to be a feature of third world countries ( Cozumel port closures come to mind), where an over- zealous...

Tech boats you should not expect anyone to touch your gear unless specifically asked. There are too many configurations (center post and one tank closed, breathing down by thirds would be one example) for the deck crew to be familiar with every one. However, i recall one incident where an...

I made a flange and nut for bcd repair on a lathe once. I am not the best machinist, but it seemed more trouble than it was worth. It did work though.

Not my coolest find but just found a pair of WW2 B24 propellers and some random bits while doing survey work in southern Tarawa, Kiribati. No sign of the engines or the rest of the airplane but I was there to work, not explore. My friend who is a WW2 historian says there is no record of a B24...

The dive shops are privatised now? When I worked on base in the mid 90's the deal was unlimited tank rentals for $90 a year. They lost money on me and my dive buddies.

Nothing at all here in the capital, Majuro. Some runways on atolls to the west of us have debris from waves blocking the local airline from landing. Could be weeks before they are re-opened.

Check the temperature by hand of the third stage head. If it is not very hot compared to the 2nd, you may have a seized third stage piston. If it is the same temp as the other heads you may have a failed outlet valve in the third stage head. Overpressure valves can be checked with soapy water...

Not my personal gear. i get emergency call outs to look at things or for things, and am also on a disaster response list, so my gear stays ready to go in a bag. I have rental gear that i will rent, or lend to friends, but not my personal gear.

Why do we do it? Because it works. I have more than 1500 deco dives, most fo them at Bikini Atoll. My work mate, the late great Edward Maddison, and I decided early on that we were going to do an extra 10 minutes on high O2, more if we were hanging with other divers waiting to finish their...

Hell no. Body has to come out of the water to be assessed for vital signs and possible lifesaving aid. Also the BCD could deflate and the body drifts away underwater, never to be found again. No mention of a rope securing the body, but that is standard practice in body recovery.

I have a couple of Kirby Morgan EXO 26 masks that I use for commercial work. I can't say enough good things about them, especially the "rail" across the top for attaching accessories. Such a shame that KM discontinued them, but there are many used ones for sale and parts are available.

I run a little fill station and I am NOT screwing with my auto-shutoff pressure switch for any Tom Dick or Harry who wants a higher fill pressure. I fill to 3300, 5 tanks at a time over 40 minutes and the tanks cool off to around 3100. That seems to be good enough for my customers and I do not...

"If it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is"

One orange for routine marking of drifting or deco divers. One yellow to indicate an immediate emergency. Or "orange OK, yellow YIKES"

Yeah i looked at the Chinese copies when it was time to replace my original Volvo control. Ended up buying a new/ old stock genuine Morse from Ebay for the same price. It's built like a tank and gives me confidence that I will not lose control while operating near divers, docks, other boats...

In 9 seasons of diving at Bikini Atoll, we observed a strong correlation between drinking the night before and getting bent. That is with aggressive tech profiles, but still food for thought.