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  1. GrumpyOldGuy

    How does moisture enter tanks?

    Poorly maintained compressions, especially in humid air at many warm water dive locations. They may not remove all the moisture and as the the moist air cools it condenses the water to the bottom of the tank. Rental tanks are the worst option because they goo through many more cycles, the can...
  2. GrumpyOldGuy

    passed the big 50

    Congrats to the OP. With a bit of good luck on staying in reasonable shape you can dive for likely all but the last few years of your life. It is easy on the knees and you can pace your self. I have dove with many 80ish folks. Personally once I hit 30 years of diving I came the the conclusion I...
  3. GrumpyOldGuy

    Corrective lenses for scuba mask, lost.

    The same reading magnification you use normally will work underwater, the depth of focus changes but you tend to move the dive computer in or out as needed. Personally, I found cataract surgery (lens replacement) restores distance to 100% and cheap magnifiers then did the job reading above the...
  4. GrumpyOldGuy

    Filling HP Tank

    Buy yourself a tank gauge and be willing to use it at the shop to confirm the fill pressure when you pick up the tank. I know I may sound like an a-hole, but most decent people will top off if you show them an under fill, does not matter the cause. Ditto for an analyzer if you dive Nitrox...
  5. GrumpyOldGuy

    Roll call: Any old NASDS divers out there?

    I am surprised any of the old cards survived, mine crumbled into bits decades ago, I was carrying it around in a baggy for a bit. The training however, stood the test of time, still diving safe 43+ years later.
  6. GrumpyOldGuy

    Do you need a dive flag for shore diving?

    Personally, I start and end the shore dive with a flag, well most of the time anyway. Sometimes (well often) I attach the flag to a rock or some extra lead and wander around in between. No one except another diver is going to track your bubbles. Seriously, there are some places where a flag is...
  7. GrumpyOldGuy

    Deep Diving 108 feet w/ a single AL 80 (Air.) No redundancy.

    Personally I don't go over 100' anymore, just me and knowing my comfort zone. I have done more than 100 on a single 80 and have a very low SAC, its definitely a gray area. If there are cameras, hunting or low vis involved I know I am less than perfect monitoring time / gas and would not. Planned...
  8. GrumpyOldGuy

    Nubble Lighthouse Tragedy.

    The rocks there can be very slippery to climb on at low tide. It would be very possible to slip and hit your head. I know a couple of times my kids would crawl out of the water if it was rough and slippery. The dive site is not all that challenging in terms of currents and such. It is used for...
  9. GrumpyOldGuy

    Tanks, Weights, Aluminum vs Steel

    Just a mention from an experience I had many years ago. If you calculate your weight too light and you find yourself at the end of the dive trying to do a safety low on air, you really don't want to be struggling to stay down. The more air you suck, the lighter you become, the more air you suck...
  10. GrumpyOldGuy

    Is there a "hardest cert/most stringent certifier?"

    My view is GUE is a very rigid diving system. Arguably it may be overkill for a typical rec diver and it requires diving with a small set of GUE divers to work well because it is different. For diving in high risk environments, nothing else comes close. It requires a lot of dedication to stick...
  11. GrumpyOldGuy

    Quiz - Equipment - J-Valve

    My first tanks had J valves, I think I only had to pull it a couple of times. Was actually a good reminder I was being young and stupid, losing track of my air. It was however a low profile error compared to the honking ScubaPro regulators that some other divers were using. Those were screaming...
  12. GrumpyOldGuy

    Recommended weight system for travel BP/W

    I travel with a pocket weight belt. A standard belt is a PITA to thread the weights on. I have several harnesses, but travel implies going as light as possible and they really only become important for me when diving dry with lots of lead. The pocketed weight belt can be loaded with bags or...
  13. GrumpyOldGuy

    Why a mask with black skirt

    I have found black skirts provide a better view in very shallow water where light level is high, which to be honest is not a real issue for me. I find the position of the glass on a low volume mask makes MUCH more impact, providing a wider field of view. This of course has nothing to do with the...
  14. GrumpyOldGuy

    Lesson learned - don't forget to prime the pee valve

    You could say I was pissed off :-)
  15. GrumpyOldGuy

    Open or closed valve on pony bottle?

    Open for a couple of reasons. Immediate access may be needed, unlike a deco bottle which is planned. A more subtle issue is you can mistake the yoke screw with the valve, especially if you are wearing gloves and back mounter or in the dark. If the reg is not pressurized you can remove the reg...
  16. GrumpyOldGuy

    Lesson learned - don't forget to prime the pee valve

    I did a couple of nice dives in my damp suite on the 1st after a year off due to medical issues. Anyway, I forgot to prime the p-valve which lead to some interesting issues. First, when I did need to pee it was fairly hard. Being dense I figured I had a kink and power it out. Never mind I...
  17. GrumpyOldGuy

    Zeagle Ranger issues?

    I had a ranger for about 4 years. Purchase used, sold it for about same price. Absolutely rock solid and reliable. Company also seems to stand behind their product. It was not a good travel rig as it was very bulky and had more lift than I could possibly use. Zeagle has better options if travel...
  18. GrumpyOldGuy

    Selfie sticks - for selfish selfholes?

    I have been traveling the world mostly alone for the last 25 years and I also dive solo. The benefit of my job is I see lots of places on the company tab, but before selfie sticks all I had was pictures of places. Could have been a post card except I am a piss poor photographer. Now on occasion...
  19. GrumpyOldGuy

    Looking for Oahu recommendations

    I also have dived with Kaimana (Scotty) 3 different times. When you have a company with that level of consistent outstanding service and being just plain friendly folks, its real hard to look at the others. They will pick you up, drop you off, work the schedule so you dive new sites every trip...
  20. GrumpyOldGuy

    TSandM -- Lynne Flaherty

    I never had the honor of meeting Lynne, only reading 1000's of her post. It is rare to find people who have such a positive influence on so many people they have never met. I will always treasure her good advice and kind, patient demeanor towards those learning to dive.
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