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  1. kafkaland

    Where to start?

    I have been circling around this strange attractor for a while, and really want to make the leap, but I’m not quite sure how to go about it. I’m a technical and cave diver (AN/DP, stage cave), with more of an interest in caves than open water technical dives. I live in Michigan and dive in the...
  2. kafkaland

    BP/Wing for HP119 Doubles?

    I have a pair of HP119 tanks that I have been using for sidemount diving. I'm thinking about converting them into a pair of backmounted doubles, but I have no suitable backplate/wing harness for them. So I'm looking for recommendations. I will be diving in cold water with a drysuit, usually from...
  3. kafkaland

    Cave diving accident in the Mühlbachquellhöhle

    Does anyone know anything about this cave diving accident in Bavaria? I just read this article (in German), but it doesn't have much information, except that a medical emergency is suspectd: Toter nach Tauchunfall in Höhle
  4. kafkaland

    Hose retainers for 8" tanks?

    I dive sidemount with a pair of 8" diameter tanks, and the rubber hose retainers that they sell for the more common 7.25" tanks barely fit, and are a pain when I need to re-stow a hose underwater. Does anyone know of commercially available hose retainers for my tanks, or should I just take some...
  5. kafkaland

    Musk to stand trial in defamation suit by cave rescuer

    A federal court in Los Angeles has ruled that the defamation suit by cave explorer Unsworth against Elon Musk can go forward. Unsworth was a participant in the cave diving rescue of the Thai soccer team last year who criticized Musk's submarine-building operation as a PR stunt, which in turn led...
  6. kafkaland

    Looking for Buddy for Mexico Dec. 14-18

    I will be in Puerto Aventuras Dec. 14-18, and I'm looking for cave diving buddies. I'm full cave, and know my way around, that is, I can find the start of the lines in many of the more popular cenotes. Please PM if you are up for a dive or two during that time.
  7. kafkaland

    Mechanism of CNS oxygen toxicity?

    The recent discussion of hyperbaric oxygen and oxygen toxicity made me realize that I don't really understand how CNS oxygen toxicity works, and a quick search didn't yield any useful results. Perhaps someone can fill me in? First, how does the oxygen get to the brain? The hemoglobin is already...
  8. kafkaland

    USPS Shark Stamps

    The United States Postal Service has issued a beautiful set of stamps with sharks on them. I just got a sheet, and will probably get more. A nice way to raise awareness for these magnificent creatures. USPS.com - Store
  9. kafkaland

    Adding butt dump valve to Halcyon Contour?

    I have two sidemount harnesses, a Halcyon Contour for cold water dry suit steel tank dives, and a Razor for wet suit Al tank kinda dives. What frustrates me a bit with the Halcyon is that it isn't as easy to dump air from the wing. I always feel like I have to break trim somewhat to use the...
  10. kafkaland

    Can light battery died

    I have a UWLD canister light that is about two years old. After not using it for about half a year, it wouldn't work, and wouldn't recharge. It was stored indoors, with about 2/3 of a charge left. Is this normal for a battery pack to die that quickly? And, what can I do to prevent this? I was...
  11. kafkaland

    Planning Cozumel / Aventuras trip

    I'm płanning a trip with a dive buddy, one week to Cozumel and one week to the caves around Puerto Aventuras. I have been quite a few times to the Playa to Tulum area, and are quite familiar with the logistics there, but don't know much about Cozumel. I am thinking about staying at an airbnb...
  12. kafkaland

    Changing AN/DP Instructor

    I recently started my TDI AN/DP course and I'm rather unhappy with my instructor. I did my e-learning, then met the instructor who I didn't know beforehand but who was recommended by a friend, and the course was marred by what I can only describe as very unprofessional behavior, starting with...
  13. kafkaland

    Weird dreams about scuba diving

    I don't dream about diving very often (unless daydreaming at work...) but had recently a very weird and interesting dream that I want to share. Does anyone else have dreams involving diving? In that dream, I wanted to go to a large, beautifully decorated room in the back of a cave. But I just...
  14. kafkaland

    Exercise during dive trip

    At home I enjoy a fairly vigorous exercise regime, typically five times a week of crossfit-like classes. When I went on dive trips in the past, I usually didn't do any workouts while I'm away, and it has always bothered me how hard it is to get back into the groove after a week or two of diving...
  15. kafkaland

    Scuba diving 100 years from now?

    The Washngton Post just ran an article on how artists hundred years ago envisioned we'd live today. And a surprising number of paintings involved scuba diving: we ride giant seahorses as our underwater mounts, fish for seagulls with lures that we let float to the surface, and pull the underwater...
  16. kafkaland

    Sidemount tank rental in San Diego?

    I will be in San Diego on business next week, but would like to squeeze a day of diving wreck alley in. For this I'd like to rent a pair of steel sidemount tanks with nitrox. Does anyone know of any shop there that has such tanks for rent? Thank you!
  17. kafkaland

    Stuck dump valve on Contour

    I had a not so pleasant experience with my Halcyon Contour sidemount rig last week: On initial decent into the Pit cenote, the shoulder dump valve got stuck open. Here is how it happened: the plastic tube that guides the pull cord from the shoulder valve to the front had cracked, and when I...
  18. kafkaland

    AN / DP in sidemount or backmount?

    I recently took up cave diving and did my Intro Cave course in sidemount. While diving at that level is fun, it's also a bit limiting and I'm now thinking about Full Cave. My cave instructor suggested that it's a good idea to do AN / DP first, although it's not absolutely required. Now, I'm...
  19. kafkaland

    Versatile Sidemount Rig?

    I'm getting into sidemount diving, and currently taking the class. Now I'm trying to decide which harness system to buy. Unfortunately, my LDS has only one to try, a DiveRite Nomad XT, which I'm using for the course. And in terms of what to buy, my instructor is not of much help as he has no...
  20. kafkaland

    Sucking straight from the bottle

    I'm currently learning sidemount, and one of the advantages is that you can do pretty much whatever you want with your tanks. Switching first stages underwater, handing off a tank, or even breath directly from the tank valve, sans first stage. The latter I had a hard time believing, so I tried...
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