West Marine Scuba Shops-Within-Stores - What to you think?

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I see a real discontinuity

- I hear people refer to "fill monkeys" on SB.
- I never have heard of anyone questioning the certifications of tank fillers
- Most divers I see at most check if they have 3,000PSI (many don't even do that)
- I, like most divers never even see the boat compressor we get fills from

Then we get our panties in a twist that a big box store might fill tanks and we can't trust them to so the same think we blindly trust others to do.

 

[keller34]

I see a real discontinuity

- I hear people refer to "fill monkeys" on SB.
- I never have heard of anyone questioning the certifications of tank fillers
- Most divers I see at most check if they have 3,000PSI (many don't even do that)
- I, like most divers never even see the boat compressor we get fills from

Then we get our panties in a twist that a big box store might fill tanks and we can't trust them to so the same think we blindly trust others to do.

1: Saw that once
2: I have and done so before
3:I check mine for O2 and CO(Thanks to DandyDon)
4: I have see the compressor but at a shop I get fills, If a shop won't let me see it then I go someplace else.

I may be the exception but until I can trust you I look at everything, it's my life and I only have one. I am not a cat.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

1: Saw that once
2: I have and done so before
3:I check mine for O2 and CO(Thanks to DandyDon)
4: I have see the compressor but at a shop I get fills, If a shop won't let me see it then I go someplace else.

I may be the exception but until I can trust you I look at everything, it's my life and I only have one. I am not a cat.

You are skewing the curve! What you are doing is excellent, but not typical.

A poll on the cave divers indicates 18% checked CO every time, 16% some of the time. That is a highly trained, paranoid by design, subset of the dive community. I see maybe 1 person on a typical dive boat with a CO analyzer and maybe 2 or 3 with their on O2 analyzer.

 

[keller34]

Lol! Now that I think about it you are right I barely see anyone doing that. I blame the Army for making me paranoid!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm getting a CO meter. I got CO poisoning once and was sick for 3 days until it fully cleared (not diving or bad tank air related). I found out later I was pretty close to the tipping point.
Just because you might get out of the CO situation still concious doesn't mean you're free and clear.
Once was enough to scare the crap out of me.
I'll spend whatever I have to on an analyzer, it's way cheaper than my life.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

You are skewing the curve! What you are doing is excellent, but not typical.

A poll on the cave divers indicates 18% checked CO every time, 16% some of the time. That is a highly trained, paranoid by design, subset of the dive community. I see maybe 1 person on a typical dive boat with a CO analyzer and maybe 2 or 3 with their on O2 analyzer.

I participated in that poll and clicked the button indicating that I NEVER check for CO. Cave divers are not paranoid, rather it's really more about understanding and focusing on real risks. In fact, it could be stated the other way, that anyone that's testing their tanks for CO is paranoid, which would mean that this poll is proof that cave divers are not paranoid. Or, at least 66% of them anyway...

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I have no doubt that WM would setup a first class fill station. My doubts are about whether they fully understand how difficult it will be to make a profit and, based upon their own statements, whether they're really committed enough to make a real go of it.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I participated in that poll and clicked the button indicating that I NEVER check for CO. Cave divers are not paranoid, rather it's really more about understanding and focusing on real risks. In fact, it could be stated the other way, that anyone that's testing their tanks for CO is paranoid, which would mean that this poll is proof that cave divers are not paranoid. Or, at least 66% of them anyway...

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I have no doubt that WM would setup a first class fill station. My doubts are about whether they fully understand how difficult it will be to make a profit and, based upon their own statements, whether they're really committed enough to make a real go of it.

I probably should have added a sarcasm symbol. No offense intended to the cave folks. I concur, WM would set up a good station including the in-line CO detectors we see on many first class installations, just because they are a large company and are risk adverse. This is why I would not hesitate to have them fill my tanks. They are not high risk compared to getting a fill on a remote island from a struggling dive op where maintenance might be lax.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I probably should have added a sarcasm symbol. No offense intended to the cave folks. I concur, WM would set up a good station including the in-line CO detectors we see on many first class installations, just because they are a large company and are risk adverse. This is why I would not hesitate to have them fill my tanks. They are not high risk compared to getting a fill on a remote island from a struggling dive op where maintenance might be lax.

I have a twisted sense of humor, and I have no idea what a sarcasm symbol would look like. I only see two or three emoticons normally.

So I clicked MORE and see a whole huge list. This one :chairfight: is my new favorite, though I'm not sure it's appropriate for this conversation - yet.

This one is a close second...

Though on Scubaboard a good thread would probably look more like this. :chairfight:

 

[Diver Dan 28]

Is this going to be like academy sport or dicks or worse yet walmart? SCUBA is a life and death sport. I really don't want to hear about some ding a ling chasing a little white ball through the woods. While Nimrod Nick tries filling my tank or servicing my regs.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I want to buy my air fills from the same facility that stores and sells many gallons of organic solvents, paints and epoxies...I like my fills to have a little "bite" to them..