New to the board, not new to diving

[PBcatfish]

Welcome to SB and back to diving. I think you’ll find that being on SB is just like diving, there are rules but they are hidden in .02 font just like the back of the PADI dive tables.

You are sure to hear all about the biases that exist but be aware there is a strong technical bias on SB that shades everything. Not a problem as long as you are aware of so when the buy a shearwater computer , backplate and wing and use a primary donate long hose or you’ll die advice starts rolling in you are not surprised.

But seriously buy a shearwater or you’ll die, no seriously I’m not kidding.

Funny, in most cases where I am diving to any real depth, I actually do prefer a hard back pack & a wing. I've been going that route for over 20 years.

I'm not familiar with shearwater computers. Most of mine are from Oceanic. I guess I have some reading to do.

Thanks for the perspective.

 

[PBcatfish]

howdy and welcome from your south florida neighbor......shhh,, don't mention that you don't use a octopus regulator on shallow dives...(smile and grin).

Some of my regulators have octo's. Some don't. I also have more than 1 pony bottle. I choose gear as appropriate to each individual dive.

Funny, down here in Florida, I'm usually the only person that starts conversations with "Howdy". I guess I'm not alone in that after all.

 

[PBcatfish]

Why?

I'm not sure that I understand the question. If you are asking why I posted about the grain of sand incident, it was in response to your comment about computers not flooding well into a dive. In the case of the sand in the button, the console had dragged on a sandy bottom & a grain of said had lodged in a button. When the button was pressed, the computer flooded. This was about half an hour into the dive. I would not consider this a common occurrence, but it did happen to a girl that was diving on the same boat as me when I was in Maui. The example seemed relevant to the conversation.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@PBcatfish

Enjoy reading these threads for Saturday morning entertainment !

Good ole PB since you are an ole timer perhaps you can answer a burning questions

Q -- Whatever happened to the FSDA - Florida State Divers Association ?
Q - Pappy Flood who was the driving force behind FSDA ?

Inquiring minds want to know

Sam Miller, 111

 

[PBcatfish]

@PBcatfish

Enjoy reading these threads for Saturday morning entertainment !

Good ole PB since you are an ole timer perhaps you can answer a burning questions

Q -- Whatever happened to the FSDA - Florida State Divers Association ?
Q - Pappy Flood who was the driving force behind FSDA ?

Inquiring minds want to know

Sam Miller, 111

I don't know anything about FSDA or Pappy Flood. I've only lived in Florida for about 8 years. Before that, I was mostly in the northeast or southwest US, with a little time overseas.

 

[Caveeagle]

Funny, in most cases where I am diving to any real depth, I actually do prefer a hard back pack & a wing. I've been going that route for over 20 years.

I'm not familiar with shearwater computers. Most of mine are from Oceanis. I guess I have some reading to do.

Thanks for the perspective.

Haha.. some people think the back(pack) and wing is a totally recent invention. My first BC was a seatec Wing with a plastic backpack, actually very similar In shape to the “freedom plate” much touted around here as the holy grail of backplates. My first wing had to be modded with a soldering iron to make holes for doubles and a more modern backplate.

Certainly nothing wrong with diving tables and gauges for short/shallow dives. And if being cost focused is at issue, at all, then by all means, ignore some of the advice to buy the shiny new stuff. ...just don’t summarily dismiss all the innovations of the last 30 years.

I am reluctantly admitting to being an older diver with deteriorating eyesight. I can barely read the dive tables on dry land in a well lit room. I have redundant Shearwater on me now at any time I am in the water. Big, bright easy to read screens are just amazing. And you might not be aware, but they are also designed for pre dive planning, as well as dive log tracking, so it’s not just like you are ignoring all the old skills, and trusting in some digital gizmo that could crap out on you at a moments notice.

If you just flat out don’t want to spend the cash, I certainly understand. ..if that’s the case.. DONT test dive one. I doubt you will want to give it up after that.

 

[Leighen]

If you are asking why I posted about the grain of sand incident, it was in response to your comment about computers not flooding well into a dive. In the case of the sand in the button, the console had dragged on a sandy bottom & a grain of said had lodged in a button. When the button was pressed, the computer flooded. .

I don't understand why a computer would flood simply because a grain of sand got stuck under a button, nor how it would be conclusively determined in the example you gave above that this was indeed the cause of the flood.

Even if it was, dragging a gauge console across the bottom is user error causing damage to gear. SPGs can be damaged all the same due to poor diving practices such as the example you provided.

 

[PBcatfish]

Haha.. some people think the back(pack) and wing is a totally recent invention. ...

My oldest backpack is late 60's or early 70's vintage. It originally carried a steel 72 or twin steel 50's. It wore a Diverite Venture wing for many years