marshallkarp
Contributor
Fort Lauderdale Dive Report
Or
How My Dive Plans Got Away From Me
Elaine and I vacationed in Fort Lauderdale last week. I look forward to the one week a year of warm water diving as opposed to jumping in those cold quarries in northwest Ohio. We arrived on Saturday and I booked my first dive trip reservation with Captain Todd of American Dream II for Monday.
Monday, bright and early, we were off for a 70 foot wreck dive and a shallow reef dive. I had just bought a new underwater video camera, SJCam SJ4000, and wanted to test it out. We got to the wreck and started down with my dive buddies, Tom and Thomas, father and son from Philadelphia, but Steeler fans.
No problem with equalizing my ears as I took it slow on the down line and got to the wreck. The temp was 84 degrees and there was a strong current. Good viz, though. Anyway, I turned on the video camera, it powered up, and shut down. Hmmm. I turned it on again, it powered up, then shut down. Thats odd, the housing is rated for 100 feet and we were only at 70. I have heard of this when housings are pressure rated shallower and the deeper pressure will compress the button mechanism. Heard of it, but never happened to me until now. Oh well, this was a test run.
Back to the current, the dive was strenuous and it was time to ascend, so up the upline we went. About 50 feet, I stopped and turned the camera on and this time it stayed on. Hmmm. Rated to 100 but only stays on at about 50. Later, I was reading the Scubaboard video forum and someone else reported this problem. Really, if I had seen this before, I would not have bought the SJCam SJ4000. The forum poster said he wondered if the pressure was compressing the housing itself. My plan was to use a penny or two as a spacer to see if this would help. As I said, this was later after the dives, though. More about this later.
The second dive was a coral reef drift dive and it was fine, except, we had to make an unexpected surface stop about a half hour into the dive. Upon descending, I had a real problem equalizing my right ear. Very unusual for me. I had to go down, drift up, go down, drift up, but got back down okay. The SJCam worked fine here and, later at home, actual has good quality HD video.
The dive was over, we were on the surface, and the American Dream II was coming to get us when I happened to look down and my camera and selfie stick came loose and were sinking. I had diyed a homemade loop to put a strap through and it worked lose. Not wanting to lose the camera, I went after it, back to the bottom, about 20 feet. I checked my air first because Im not an idiot. Anyway, I had extreme trouble equalizing my right ear. I got down to the bottom, got the camera, started up again, and was wondering, what is going on with my ear?
I wanted to go diving the next day, but my ear just did not feel right. It felt like there was water where there should not be and crackled when I swallowed or yawned. I was not dizzy and there was no pain. My tinnitus seemed more annoying than usual. The main thing was, I could not equalize even in the motel room. Completely locked.
I called Captain Todd to cancel and he is a nice guy as he tried to help me figure out what was going on with the ear. When in South Florida, dive American Dream II. I like these guys. I called DAN and talked with their paramedic, but the conclusion was, better not to dive. If you cant equalize on the surface, you sure cant in the water.
So much for my dive plans of diving all week in 84 degree water. Oh well, my wife and I had a relaxing trip together, probably something I needed anyway. Its been a week and my ear feels better, the tinnitus is back to not noticeable. I havent tried to equalize yet, just giving it time to heal. Things settle down and I hope to get a few more dives in at the quarries this summer. If not, it will be off to the ENT doctor. I dont think that will be necessary, I hope not.
Or
How My Dive Plans Got Away From Me
Elaine and I vacationed in Fort Lauderdale last week. I look forward to the one week a year of warm water diving as opposed to jumping in those cold quarries in northwest Ohio. We arrived on Saturday and I booked my first dive trip reservation with Captain Todd of American Dream II for Monday.
Monday, bright and early, we were off for a 70 foot wreck dive and a shallow reef dive. I had just bought a new underwater video camera, SJCam SJ4000, and wanted to test it out. We got to the wreck and started down with my dive buddies, Tom and Thomas, father and son from Philadelphia, but Steeler fans.
No problem with equalizing my ears as I took it slow on the down line and got to the wreck. The temp was 84 degrees and there was a strong current. Good viz, though. Anyway, I turned on the video camera, it powered up, and shut down. Hmmm. I turned it on again, it powered up, then shut down. Thats odd, the housing is rated for 100 feet and we were only at 70. I have heard of this when housings are pressure rated shallower and the deeper pressure will compress the button mechanism. Heard of it, but never happened to me until now. Oh well, this was a test run.
Back to the current, the dive was strenuous and it was time to ascend, so up the upline we went. About 50 feet, I stopped and turned the camera on and this time it stayed on. Hmmm. Rated to 100 but only stays on at about 50. Later, I was reading the Scubaboard video forum and someone else reported this problem. Really, if I had seen this before, I would not have bought the SJCam SJ4000. The forum poster said he wondered if the pressure was compressing the housing itself. My plan was to use a penny or two as a spacer to see if this would help. As I said, this was later after the dives, though. More about this later.
The second dive was a coral reef drift dive and it was fine, except, we had to make an unexpected surface stop about a half hour into the dive. Upon descending, I had a real problem equalizing my right ear. Very unusual for me. I had to go down, drift up, go down, drift up, but got back down okay. The SJCam worked fine here and, later at home, actual has good quality HD video.
The dive was over, we were on the surface, and the American Dream II was coming to get us when I happened to look down and my camera and selfie stick came loose and were sinking. I had diyed a homemade loop to put a strap through and it worked lose. Not wanting to lose the camera, I went after it, back to the bottom, about 20 feet. I checked my air first because Im not an idiot. Anyway, I had extreme trouble equalizing my right ear. I got down to the bottom, got the camera, started up again, and was wondering, what is going on with my ear?
I wanted to go diving the next day, but my ear just did not feel right. It felt like there was water where there should not be and crackled when I swallowed or yawned. I was not dizzy and there was no pain. My tinnitus seemed more annoying than usual. The main thing was, I could not equalize even in the motel room. Completely locked.
I called Captain Todd to cancel and he is a nice guy as he tried to help me figure out what was going on with the ear. When in South Florida, dive American Dream II. I like these guys. I called DAN and talked with their paramedic, but the conclusion was, better not to dive. If you cant equalize on the surface, you sure cant in the water.
So much for my dive plans of diving all week in 84 degree water. Oh well, my wife and I had a relaxing trip together, probably something I needed anyway. Its been a week and my ear feels better, the tinnitus is back to not noticeable. I havent tried to equalize yet, just giving it time to heal. Things settle down and I hope to get a few more dives in at the quarries this summer. If not, it will be off to the ENT doctor. I dont think that will be necessary, I hope not.
