Pony Bottles on NJ Charters?

[dumpsterDiver]

.....umm ok, i get the doesnt get in the way argument, but I have never had two bottle clanging when i have slung two. seems experience with it might help, huh?

Oh god, stop with the experience stuff. You argued here based on your logic, and it was really going well until this. Since neither of us are in the water, and number of dives means jack ****, the only thing we have is our ability to argue and defend our points. Get over it.

I think you are wrong here. Jersey diving may be challenging, but to claim that is is possibly the hardest conditions is ridiculous. How about the PNW, or NC, or Antartica, or the waters off Britain? I suppose you have sampled EVERY dive site on earth to make that claim, since experience is paramount to you.

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What exactly do you do when you dive? What are the activities that you engage in? What is your productivity? Pictures, videos, artifacts, game, train other divers? If we were "in the water" what would we be doing to exhibit our skills? bouyancy control and frog kicks???

Do you round up 50 lb fish that have been speared and seem to be determined to wrap you in 400 lb monofilament and kill you (in say a 2 kt current in 190 feet of water) while solo? My gear is configured in a certain way for the activities that I do. Yes multiple stage bottles can get jostled with the way I dive. Maybe I need more experience to formulate an opinion?

The number of dives people have doesn't mean jack sheet? You still aren't getting the picture, are you? Experience does matter.

As for NJ wreck diving. That is where i learned to dive (in 1974), solo on wrecks to the limits of recreational depths, in a unisuit, with doubles and a suicide bar (all before I was old enough to drive). I was mentored by VERY experienced, hard core, old school wreck divers who did the Doria and stuff like that when diving was still a man's sport (60's and 70's). I only dove there for maybe 4 -5 years and moved to Florida.

I completed the NAUI Instructor Program in 1978 in a well respected college program for professional dive training and have dove (scuba or freedive) about every weekend since then. I've worked as a dive instructor, professional golf ball diver for several years and as a part time commercial spearfisherman (and lobster diver) for around 25 years. Also hundreds of trips in maybe 8 years as a DM/ Dive Guide for drift dives in Florida East coast.

I've dove in coastal Maine a bunch in several locations (even the Bay of Fundy, (they have tides there you know), in the lakes, quarries and reservoirs all over the northeast and New England, a few dives in the PNW (solo with total ignornace about the wacko currents they have there, i might add), in the Orcas Islands a little and in California kelp a little and worked a little as crew on dive boats in the Bahamas and also still frequently dive the offshore water (80 plus miles) of the Gulf of Mexico and even a little in caverns in Florida. I've been under the ice a few times and to Cozumel a few trips, years ago. I've done some scientific research diving projects and I've been to over 1,000 feet (in a submarine)

I've seen several people get killed diving and have even recovered the body of my buddy. I have seen many serious dive accidents and have done a few hairy rescues. I have nearly killed myself several times while diving or snorkeling.

Blah, blah, blah... Experience DOES matter as far as I'm concerned. Based on my personal experience, when conditions are tough, wreck diving in NJ is very challenging and can be dangerous, especially if you dive on private boats that are willing to head out in conditions that many recreational divers would be incapable of operating in. I haven't dove there in many years, are they all pussies now?

What quarries have YOU dove?

 

[Tanked]

Geez Dumpsterdiver! You need to get out more.

 

[grf88]

I do not know the water temps at depth off of New Jersey but where I dive in the Great Lakes free flows are not an uncommon occurrence even with cold water regulators. By relying on your buddy as an alternative air source you have an increased possibility of starting your buddies reg freeflowing compounding the problem. Much better to have some form of redundancy and a pony is a viable option.

 

[hannahevan]

Temps as of this past weekend inshore at 76' was 64!

 

[aquaregia]

I recommend divers check out Conch Republic Divers in the Florida Keys, they are a professional and well run organization and I was quite satisfied with my experience. They are also the only dive Op that I am aware of in the Florida Keys that acknowledges and respects the SDI Solo Diving certificate.

Offtopic I know, but I saw Horizon respect the SDI Solo card.

 

[Rescue Diver68]

gsk3 is an awesome diver, and I really appreciate his input here. We disagree on some topics, but I would dive with him any day in any condition. You on the other seem to have nothing more to contribute to this forum than silly conjecture, sarcasm, and underhanded insults. Why are you so afraid of a reasoned argument? Is it because you are afraid you are wielding such VAST experiential knowledge that I will pass out in shock and awe? Or, perhaps you have posted it before and dont want to rewrite, in which case you can even cut and paste? Or, maybe you just have such a closed mind new ideas and approaches scare you--i know its hard to break with long term habits and long term belief structures.

Why would I rewrite or copy and paste when you wouldn't put the effort in to reading the whole thread prior to replying? Enjoy your vast experience making circles in a quarry. Dutch Springs is a great place to learn to be a good diver( seriously).

 

[gsk3]

Why would I rewrite or copy and paste when you wouldn't put the effort in to reading the whole thread prior to replying? Enjoy your vast experience making circles in a quarry. Dutch Springs is a great place to learn to be a good diver( seriously).

To my knowledge his last 25-30 dives haven't been in a quarry, but rather in NJ/MA/St. Lawrence/NC....

 

[Rescue Diver68]

To my knowledge his last 25-30 dives haven't been in a quarry, but rather in NJ/MA/St. Lawrence/NC....

You'll get no Ad Homineming from me, those are all great places to gain experience.

 

[ScubaSam]

To my knowledge his last 25-30 dives haven't been in a quarry, but rather in NJ/MA/St. Lawrence/NC....

I am coming into this thread late, only started reading through all 190+ posts today. I agree with Martini about ScubaFeenD's delivery and how it is being interpreted.

Many are mistakenly discrediting ScubaFeenD's water skills based on his dive count. I was ScubaFeenD's buddy for both his MA and NC dives. He is one of the most skilled and precised divers in the water column surpassing me in skills and he has less than half my dive counts.

ScubaFeenD was fortunate to learn from some of the industry's best early in his dive career without developing the bad dive habits many of us developed (and are still struggling to undo).

I understand why his delivery would be flamed but his dive skills should not especially from those who have never seen him in the water. Unless you've had the privilege of diving with ScubaFeenD do not flame his dive skills but by all means flame everything else.

 

[Rescue Diver68]

I am coming into this thread late, only started reading through all 190+ posts today. I agree with Martini about OP's delivery and how it is being interpreted.

Many are mistakenly discrediting OP's water skills based on his dive count. I was OP's buddy for both his MA and NC dives. He is one of the most skilled and precised divers in the water column surpassing me in skills and he has less than half my dive counts.

OP was fortunate to learn from some of the industry's best early in his dive career without developing the bad dive habits many of us developed (and are still struggling to undo).

I understand why his delivery would be flamed but his dive skills should not especially from those who have never seen him in the water. Unless you've had the privilege of diving with OP do not flame his dive skills but by all means flame everything else.

OP is Rainer- You dived MA and NC with him? Still- skill and experience are two very different things.