Favorite Memories of the SB SURGE 2019!

[markmud]

Memories of my Shearwater Computer experiences while Surging in Curacao (part one, Nerd 2 to follow)!

I was fortunate enough to test-dive two dive computers on my Curacao Surge vacation.

The Perdix AI and the Nerd 2.

I was fully aware of the superb quality, capability, and service support for Shearwater dive computers before diving with their computers. Shearwater sets the standard for this industry.

I did not know how well they perform until I checked my computer while u/w. I had to angle the screen as the glair was affecting my ability to see the screen through my mask-mounted magnifying lens. I dropped my computer (secured with a tether--I still have it) and noticed Lynn Partridge diving about 8 feet below me. Her Perdix AI was awesome as I could read her computer from a range of 8 feet without any corrective aides at all. Plain as day. Her numbers were crisp and clear. No glare, and from a range of 8 feet!

I was offered a test-dive with a Perdix AI. I accepted. Here is what I found:

• I did not need to use my mask-mounted magnifying lens to read the Perdix AI!
• All the information that I like to review was on a single screen! I did not have to change from the main screen to a secondary screen for vital dive info (vital to me info)!
• The battery is a diver-friendly switch that does not require a tiny screwdriver and extra spare screws (my present computer uses small screws to secure the hatch that are easy to lose in my workshop and almost impossible to find on a rocking dive boat)!
• While I did not perform a gas switch u/w, Bruce and Lynn walked me through the process. Unlike my present multiple gas computer, switching gases u/w is a snap as action prompts are displayed next to the button that accomplishes that goal. Wow, a dive computer that is Mark-proof ("a man has got to know his limitations" : Bruce P. and Dirty Harry)
• Setting and editing your breathing gases: Again, it is a snap. The Chairman taught me in about 3 seconds (literally). Touch the menu button to get to the "Edit Gas" screen and follow the prompts displayed next to the button that accomplishes the desired goal. Done! Unlike my present computer, which is a PITA to edit the breathing gases for the three gas mixes available.
• The strap system is easy to manipulate and easier to adjust. The fittings have a strap-lock system that locks-in your strap length so it does come lose while diving, but it is easy to adjust at the same time.
• The case looks and feels bullet-proof while being lightweight and comfortable to wear.

Thankfully my current redundant wrist computer has a cracked outer case and a strap system that is failing. I don't have to rationalize purchasing my Perdix AI because I need a replacement. I will buy a Perdix AI with the tank pressure sending unit accessory. Dolphinscuba.com (my LDS and go-to internet dive equipment establishment) has them and will ship them right away.

I will have a true tech quality computer for my recreational dives that I can see without a corrective lens in my mask.

I will forego my frustration while trying to perform a gas switch u/w or while trying to edit my gas mixture while on deck during the SI.

Thanks Bruce and Lynn,

markm

 

[The Chairman]

Thankfully my current redundant wrist computer has a cracked outer case and a strap system that is failing.

This is probably the funniest "excuse" to spend money I've ever heard! I love it! They have done the impossible and made "tech" kinda easy. At least the PDC portion.

 

[markmud]

This is probably the funniest "excuse" to spend money I've ever heard! I love it! They have done the impossible and made "tech" kinda easy. At least the PDC portion.

I am not a RATIONALIZER! I swear to you, I am not!

Ok, maybe once or twice...

markm

 

[The Chairman]

I am not a RATIONALIZER! I swear to you, I am not!

Ok, maybe once or twice...

This must be the humor thread!

 

[Dish]

Mrs Dish and I are still here in Curacao. The place is pretty lonesome without the SB’ers to hang out with. Not as much fun without you all. Nonetheless, fantastic trip!

Dennis and Roxanne always know how to show folks a good time. I’m amazed at what they do for the ScubaBoard members in the planning and execution of these events. Simply two of the most wonderful people I have the pleasure to know.

Ocean Encounters is an outstanding dive operation... well worth seeking out should you come to Curacao. Top notch service. The juggling of rotating crew combinations to ensure we enjoyed a different site each and every dive was remarkable. The individualized print out of our dive history was very welcome, as well. Hopefully, they had as much fun as we did.

Shearwater Research allowed Bruce and Lynn to attend the event, along with several of their computers, which many folks took the advantage to try out... to include me. Really love that Teric. Like everything they have produced, the Teric is well conceived, well thought out, intuitive and Dish-proof. Superior dive computer from a superior company. Thanks for hanging out with us!

While the optional East End dive was pretty spectacular, I think my favorite experience was diving the Car Pile with the June and Chris. Some dives are memorable simply because of those you are diving with. That was a hoot.

Of course, diving, dining and just hanging out with SB folks is always the best memory. We always make new friends at these events and it’s the real reason we like to attend. Thanks to everyone on the SB Surge Curacao crew for making this a great trip!

 

[drrich2]

I plan to do a more extensive report later, but a few thoughts right off.

1.) The diving was better than I expected. Curacao's reefs (that I saw, 10 dives, 10 sites) were on the whole lusher than I anticipated. One site was a bit sparse, I think; a number of them were rather impressive. Not much big stuff (1 Hawksbill, some green sea turtles, 1 eagle ray, a big green moray) but a lot of smaller (lots of squid and other things).

And not a rehash of Bonaire, either. 8 Trips to Bonaire, > 150 dives there, and I don't think I've ever seen a pork fish or gray angelfish diving Bonaire; saw 1or more pork fish on almost every Curacao dive, and at least a few gray angelfish (but not scrawled or white-spotted filefish, which I often saw in Bonaire). Much of the reef I saw in Curacao seemed to slope a bit more steeply. My diving was a small, regionally limited sampling of Curacao's offerings, but still, that was good. I'd say viz. tended maybe 60-80 feet, water temp. lows maybe 78 or so?, current when present usually mild (swam into what I consider moderate current part of one dive only, and when current was known to be present, we tended to convert to a drift dive instead of a 'go & come back' style.

2.) Ocean Encounters did us proud. Our guide Benjamin pointed out a number of things (including the eagle ray) I wouldn't have seen on my own. I appreciate the 100-cf tanks, which helped me hold my own decently without limiting other's dive times. Typical plan was roughly 50 minute dive (not hard to get a few extra minutes), 60 foot/18 meter max (not enforced; you and your buddy want to dive your computers a bit deeper, cool). Sliced oranges between dives, a nice system for keeping track of your water cup to avoid waste.

3.) Denis checked up on us often to make sure we were having a trouble free good time. Other crew members were also helpful and took an interest in seeing things were okay, including the Chairman and especially WarrenZ was helpful to me.

4.) A special thanks to all the crew who were kind to our little 5-year old girl. She had a blast.

5.) Topside is good; walking around Willemstad, a buggy ride tour with Scooby tours right up the road, a visit to the Curacao Sea Aquarium....there's stuff to do, if the ongrounds pools, beach and all-inclusive eating (drinking for some) somehow gets old.

6.) Sunscape was a good place. Staff pleasant, friendly and helpful. Our kid loved the kid's club. We're odd balls; for us the lizards on-grounds were a real positive. Turns out the iguanas like apples and bananas. There were also whip-tail lizards, anoles and geckos. Grounds look nice.

7.) I was surprised at the number of prizes given out. My wife and mother-in-law both won a Stream2Sea pack each, per the tag an Explorer Kit, and we appreciated that! My wife's not diving right now, but she's PADI OW & Nitrox certified with an interest in restarting someday (when our kid is lower maintenance).

Then we flew home to snow. Our family was blessed to be part of the Surge this year. Due to the need to avoid pulling our girl out of school in the future I doubt we'll get to attend another (she's in Kindergarten now; we were doing homework on the plane flight back), but I'm thankful we got to make this one.

Richard.

 

[Chris of the Abyss]

Hello Surge crew! I miss you all already!

Dish
Your post just made my day! That was a great dive. Hopefully the first of many.

Dennis and Roxanne you make the impossible look so easy. I don’t know how you manage to pull everything together for so many people but we really appreciate it. Everything went so smooth, I didn’t even see the pimp hand come out

I absolutely loved diving with Ocean Encounters! Such enthusiasm and love for diving in each one of them set the atmosphere for fun every day. The SB group is a lot to handle and they did it with a smile. Also, though the dive sites were worth repeating we never did and that’s no easy task with such a large group.

Big thanks to Bruce and Lynn from Shearwater for diving with us all week, sponsoring the event, letting us demo their computers and answering all the many questions. The Teric is such a nice streamlined unit, I like the style but I’m sold on the large screen of the Perdix AI.

Lastly, the reefs of Curacao have a level of health and diversity I haven’t seen in the Caribbean. I’m kind of a coral and anemone nerd, so I really enjoyed the top edge of the walls!

To all my new ScubaBoard friends, keep in touch and let’s go dive!

 

[markmud]

I plan to do a more extensive report later, but a few thoughts right off.

1.) The diving was better than I expected. Curacao's reefs (that I saw, 10 dives, 10 sites) were on the whole lusher than I anticipated. One site was a bit sparse, I think; a number of them were rather impressive. Not much big stuff (1 Hawksbill, some green sea turtles, 1 eagle ray, a big green moray) but a lot of smaller (lots of squid and other things).
View attachment 500283
View attachment 500284
And not a rehash of Bonaire, either. 8 Trips to Bonaire, > 150 dives there, and I don't think I've ever seen a pork fish or gray angelfish diving Bonaire; saw 1or more pork fish on almost every Curacao dive, and at least a few gray angelfish (but not scrawled or white-spotted filefish, which I often saw in Bonaire). Much of the reef I saw in Curacao seemed to slope a bit more steeply. My diving was a small, regionally limited sampling of Curacao's offerings, but still, that was good. I'd say viz. tended maybe 60-80 feet, water temp. lows maybe 78 or so?, current when present usually mild (swam into what I consider moderate current part of one dive only, and when current was known to be present, we tended to convert to a drift dive instead of a 'go & come back' style.

2.) Ocean Encounters did us proud. Our guide Benjamin pointed out a number of things (including the eagle ray) I wouldn't have seen on my own. I appreciate the 100-cf tanks, which helped me hold my own decently without limiting other's dive times. Typical plan was roughly 50 minute dive (not hard to get a few extra minutes), 60 foot/18 meter max (not enforced; you and your buddy want to dive your computers a bit deeper, cool). Sliced oranges between dives, a nice system for keeping track of your water cup to avoid waste.

3.) Denis checked up on us often to make sure we were having a trouble free good time. Other crew members were also helpful and took an interest in seeing things were okay, including the Chairman and especially WarrenZ was helpful to me.

4.) A special thanks to all the crew who were kind to our little 5-year old girl. She had a blast.

5.) Topside is good; walking around Willemstad, a buggy ride tour with Scooby tours right up the road, a visit to the Curacao Sea Aquarium....there's stuff to do, if the ongrounds pools, beach and all-inclusive eating (drinking for some) somehow gets old.

View attachment 500285
View attachment 500286
View attachment 500287

6.) Sunscape was a good place. Staff pleasant, friendly and helpful. Our kid loved the kid's club. We're odd balls; for us the lizards on-grounds were a real positive. Turns out the iguanas like apples and bananas. There were also whip-tail lizards, anoles and geckos. Grounds look nice.

View attachment 500288
View attachment 500289

7.) I was surprised at the number of prizes given out. My wife and mother-in-law both won a Stream2Sea pack each, per the tag an Explorer Kit, and we appreciated that! My wife's not diving right now, but she's PADI OW & Nitrox certified with an interest in restarting someday (when our kid is lower maintenance).

Then we flew home to snow. Our family was blessed to be part of the Surge this year. Due to the need to avoid pulling our girl out of school in the future I doubt we'll get to attend another (she's in Kindergarten now; we were doing homework on the plane flight back), but I'm thankful we got to make this one.

View attachment 500290

Richard.

Hi Richard,

I loved your pictures and enjoyed reading your trip report. +1

markm

 

[tkaelin]

The diving was better than I expected. Curacao's reefs

First, great pics and glad you had a good time. I have to do a Klein Cur and east coast dive as the reports have consistently been positive. If you did not hit the western sites out towards Westpunt and stayed at a small place out that way spending time on some of the small pocket beaches then there is another Cur experience you will have to try

 

[drrich2]

Yes, I'd originally hoped to do this Surge trip as a 'scuba trip disguised as a family vacation' (as my wife calls them), then venture back someday to the rustic west to stay at All West Apartments and dive with Go West, with a focus on shore diving. Unfortunately now that our kid knows what Curacao is, should I declare I'm heading back a week and not taking her, there will be child-wrath to pay.

During the Surge there was an added (reduced vs. usual) cost option for an all-day 2-tank trip to Klein Curacao, and I hear good things. But, as I learned from my mother-in-law, a conversation earlier in the week while I was gone went something like this:

1.) Mother-in-Law: I wonder if Richard signed up for that all day trip?
2.) Wife: He'd better not have.

Since Klein is off the far east coast IIRC, I probably just plain missed it for good. But we got to enjoy other aspects of Curacao, so it's all good.

Richard.