Gmail - [SFL-DIR] Tech 1: "Three tips for Tech courses that I think are helpful (this goes just as well
for Tech dives also..)
1. Constantly watch your team for any developing problems.
2. Know exactly how long things should take and how long things are
taking (I�ll explain more about this later)
3. When you or another team member has a failure or problem, THINK
THINK THINK about all the potential problems this could create; all the way
until you are sitting back on the boat. Don�t forget about how it might
affect future failures (What happens if you have a left post failure and
later on your buddy runs out of gas, for example?)
To expand a little on #2, gas supplies are limited on tech dives, and since
you can�t bail out to the surface if you run out, your gas management is
critical. The key to keeping your gas management under control is to be
obsessive about time. A few examples:
1. I check my back gas at exactly every 5 minutes of bottom time. In
other words, I check it at 5, 10, 15, 20, etc, on my bottom timer. When I
look at it, I say something like �I�m at 5 minutes bottom time, I started at
3000 PSI and I�m now at 2500PSI. That is 500PSI in 5 minutes. At the end
of my planned bottom time of 20 minutes, That will put me at 1000PSI, which
is below rock bottom, so I�m probably going to have to call the dive at
15minutes or so�. Sounds hard at first, but becomes second nature after a
while.
2. I left the bottom at 150ft and 20 minutes bottom time. My first
decompression stop is at 110ft; I should get there at just over 21 minutes
bottom time. Your bottom timer will beep at you if you ascend to fast, but
you need to check for yourself that you don�t ascent too slow. If you get
to 110ft a couple minutes "
- Joel Svendsen
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
George Bush singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
| Thanks to http://onegoodmove.org and Rx @ http://thepartyparty.com/ | |
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
From Ralph Figuroa...
Lobster mini-season is the last Wednesday and Thursday of July; this year it's July 26-27. The regular lobster season starts on August 6th and runs through March 31st. You can find the state's official guidelines here:- http://marinefisheries.org/lobster.htmAssuming you are properly licensed, each "hunter" must have a lobster measuring device and have their license with them to allow FWC to do an inspection at sea. Hand nets, tickle sticks, and certain snares are allowed for use by people in the water. Other equipment is allowed for people hunting from land or aboard a boat.You must PROPERLY measure and inspect the lobster BEFORE taking it. That is, it must be legal size, no egg-bearing females, from a legal location, and cannot exceed bag limits. Penalties are VERY harsh and can include confiscation of any and all equipment used to obtain the illegal lobster. This means you can lose your car, boat, trailer, scuba gear, etc. The FWC don't play.I like using the tickle stick/net system better than the snare method, but YMMV. I rig my lobster bag to hang like a stage bottle. Also, we discovered last year that very thin metal rods (about 1/8 in) make better tickle sticks than the ones you can buy in a dive shop. It seems the lobster think its another lobster's antenna and don't get spooked by it.Plan on wearing gloves to avoid the flesh-shredding spines on their carapace. Fortunately, the spiny antenna comes in handy when you're cleaning the lobster.In a nutshell,- Hunters must have valid license and measuring device.- Bubble watchers don't count toward the limit. You must be "actively involved in harvesting".- It's stricter in Monroe county and don't even think about taking lobsters in a protected area.- If they catch you with too many, you'll get a ticket and might lose everything.- If they catch you with a short lobster, you'll get a ticket and might lose everything you own.- If they catch you with egg-bearing female, they beat you like a piata.- Read the website for the details.Ralph
Lobster mini-season is the last Wednesday and Thursday of July; this year it's July 26-27. The regular lobster season starts on August 6th and runs through March 31st. You can find the state's official guidelines here:- http://marinefisheries.org/lobster.htmAssuming you are properly licensed, each "hunter" must have a lobster measuring device and have their license with them to allow FWC to do an inspection at sea. Hand nets, tickle sticks, and certain snares are allowed for use by people in the water. Other equipment is allowed for people hunting from land or aboard a boat.You must PROPERLY measure and inspect the lobster BEFORE taking it. That is, it must be legal size, no egg-bearing females, from a legal location, and cannot exceed bag limits. Penalties are VERY harsh and can include confiscation of any and all equipment used to obtain the illegal lobster. This means you can lose your car, boat, trailer, scuba gear, etc. The FWC don't play.I like using the tickle stick/net system better than the snare method, but YMMV. I rig my lobster bag to hang like a stage bottle. Also, we discovered last year that very thin metal rods (about 1/8 in) make better tickle sticks than the ones you can buy in a dive shop. It seems the lobster think its another lobster's antenna and don't get spooked by it.Plan on wearing gloves to avoid the flesh-shredding spines on their carapace. Fortunately, the spiny antenna comes in handy when you're cleaning the lobster.In a nutshell,- Hunters must have valid license and measuring device.- Bubble watchers don't count toward the limit. You must be "actively involved in harvesting".- It's stricter in Monroe county and don't even think about taking lobsters in a protected area.- If they catch you with too many, you'll get a ticket and might lose everything.- If they catch you with a short lobster, you'll get a ticket and might lose everything you own.- If they catch you with egg-bearing female, they beat you like a piata.- Read the website for the details.Ralph
Monday, July 17, 2006
Robbie and I went out for a shore dive at Datura.
I ran him through the paces in true GUE fashion. That is to say, when ever you do something wrong, something else is going to happen to push the snow ball a little further down the hill.
I also videoed some of the skills for Robbie could see for himself. I do not have a fancy camera, but the MPEG video shot by most cameras does the job. First we did all the kicks and he got it and I helped him figure out the backwards kick. He practiced it several times while I was taking photos.
Next step was valve drills. He did that well too, but it took him a little too long. I believe the skill still has to be done in 90 seconds. On the forth try, I asked Robbie do a valve drill WITHOUT his mask, the buoyancy was better and he did it in 90 seconds.
I don't want to give away all my secerts, but Robbie also got to hear and feel what its like to have a first stage failure.
I made some notes during the dive of good discussion topics to be reviewed. I know most of these topics are in our SFL-DIR archive as they are mostly questions I asked when I started diving doubles. I could use some help pulling them out of the archive (I can never find the darn MSG in the yahoo archives).
This dive also reminded me on how important it is for experienced divers to mentor new divers to keep their own skills fresh. I asked Robbie to do a primary light failure (aka, stow and get out a backup). He shrugged his shoulders at me and showed me his empty harness. I missed "1 primary and 2 backups" in the equipment check before the dive. I assumed he had them and never reviewed it at the check. That was my bad!
I had a flag line, Robbie shot a lift bag, while securing the spool, with his wet notes in his hand I ran an OOA drill. Once I got a reg, I took my mask off and just floated there. This level of stress is WAY beyond Fundamentals, but it is a heads up as to what is to come with Tech 1. After trying to push me in one direction, I thumbed the dive and he brought me up for 13ft with a controlled ascent. On the surface, our lines were tangled together and we had to sort them out.
On the surface Robbie said, "What a boondoggle!"
I said, "Hey we didn't die!"
He said, "I shooting for a higher standard than NOT dying!"
I thought to myself on the swim in, "Good, that is what DIR is all about, striving for a higher standard."
I ran him through the paces in true GUE fashion. That is to say, when ever you do something wrong, something else is going to happen to push the snow ball a little further down the hill.
I also videoed some of the skills for Robbie could see for himself. I do not have a fancy camera, but the MPEG video shot by most cameras does the job. First we did all the kicks and he got it and I helped him figure out the backwards kick. He practiced it several times while I was taking photos.
Next step was valve drills. He did that well too, but it took him a little too long. I believe the skill still has to be done in 90 seconds. On the forth try, I asked Robbie do a valve drill WITHOUT his mask, the buoyancy was better and he did it in 90 seconds.
I don't want to give away all my secerts, but Robbie also got to hear and feel what its like to have a first stage failure.
I made some notes during the dive of good discussion topics to be reviewed. I know most of these topics are in our SFL-DIR archive as they are mostly questions I asked when I started diving doubles. I could use some help pulling them out of the archive (I can never find the darn MSG in the yahoo archives).
This dive also reminded me on how important it is for experienced divers to mentor new divers to keep their own skills fresh. I asked Robbie to do a primary light failure (aka, stow and get out a backup). He shrugged his shoulders at me and showed me his empty harness. I missed "1 primary and 2 backups" in the equipment check before the dive. I assumed he had them and never reviewed it at the check. That was my bad!
I had a flag line, Robbie shot a lift bag, while securing the spool, with his wet notes in his hand I ran an OOA drill. Once I got a reg, I took my mask off and just floated there. This level of stress is WAY beyond Fundamentals, but it is a heads up as to what is to come with Tech 1. After trying to push me in one direction, I thumbed the dive and he brought me up for 13ft with a controlled ascent. On the surface, our lines were tangled together and we had to sort them out.
On the surface Robbie said, "What a boondoggle!"
I said, "Hey we didn't die!"
He said, "I shooting for a higher standard than NOT dying!"
I thought to myself on the swim in, "Good, that is what DIR is all about, striving for a higher standard."
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Whis is a PFO in Layman's Terms?
Great question!
The short answer (Google PFO) or look it up on the list for LOTS of reading material, is this:
When your a baby, you have a hole in your heart so your mothers blood circulates through your body. When your born, that hole closes creating the 4 chambered heart that now pumps your own blood.
In 30-50% of normal people, that hole does not completely close or is not sealed. No problem for normal life, until you start to dive.
After a dive, your body bubbles Nitrogen out. Small bubbles flow through your body, to your heart, your heart sends it to the lungs where the bubbles are filtered out and exhaled, clean bubble less blood then is pumped back out to your heart, brain, spine, and body.
If you have an unsealed PFO or do something to make the whole bigger or break the seal, a bubble can pass through the heart, skipping the lung filter and get stuck in the heart, brain, spine (Type II DCS hit). This how you get a real bad case of bends "without doing anything wrong in terms of diving or profiles".
Free diving after diving can push a bubble through the lung filter. Your bubbling after a dive, you free dive to 10ft adding pressure and shrink the bubble so it gets past the lung. Then your ascend and the bubble expands on the other side of the heart and gets stuck. Bingo, instant Type II hit.
Let me hit on your next good follow up question?
Why doesn't everyone get tested for PFO?
Because short of opening your heart up and inspecting the hole, there is no way to know it is sealed? All the other tests can tell you IF you HAVE a hole, but a negative result just means they can't FIND the smaller hole that MIGHT still be there.
Scared yet?
Don't be, for most divers doing recreational profiles this is not a concern, there are that many bubbles and these divers are not jumping off the 2nd floor deck during the surface interval.
This is just one of the many things you need to be AWARE of. When you read accident reports or here stories of "mysterious" Voodoo, random bends hits, usually, its a PFO. Especially when the victim didn't do anything "wrong" and they got a really bad Type II hit.
A type I pain hit is not nearly as dangerous. Its like a runner spraining an ankle from too much exertion. Marathon runners worry about that, me going for an hour walk doesn't. I just stretch out and wear good shoes.
This topic is continually repeated so as you read the list it will appear again and again.
If you want to do a good deed, go back to your instructor and educate them on PFO's after you've read a bit more and ask that they tell everyone they teach about them!
Great question!
The short answer (Google PFO) or look it up on the list for LOTS of reading material, is this:
When your a baby, you have a hole in your heart so your mothers blood circulates through your body. When your born, that hole closes creating the 4 chambered heart that now pumps your own blood.
In 30-50% of normal people, that hole does not completely close or is not sealed. No problem for normal life, until you start to dive.
After a dive, your body bubbles Nitrogen out. Small bubbles flow through your body, to your heart, your heart sends it to the lungs where the bubbles are filtered out and exhaled, clean bubble less blood then is pumped back out to your heart, brain, spine, and body.
If you have an unsealed PFO or do something to make the whole bigger or break the seal, a bubble can pass through the heart, skipping the lung filter and get stuck in the heart, brain, spine (Type II DCS hit). This how you get a real bad case of bends "without doing anything wrong in terms of diving or profiles".
Free diving after diving can push a bubble through the lung filter. Your bubbling after a dive, you free dive to 10ft adding pressure and shrink the bubble so it gets past the lung. Then your ascend and the bubble expands on the other side of the heart and gets stuck. Bingo, instant Type II hit.
Let me hit on your next good follow up question?
Why doesn't everyone get tested for PFO?
Because short of opening your heart up and inspecting the hole, there is no way to know it is sealed? All the other tests can tell you IF you HAVE a hole, but a negative result just means they can't FIND the smaller hole that MIGHT still be there.
Scared yet?
Don't be, for most divers doing recreational profiles this is not a concern, there are that many bubbles and these divers are not jumping off the 2nd floor deck during the surface interval.
This is just one of the many things you need to be AWARE of. When you read accident reports or here stories of "mysterious" Voodoo, random bends hits, usually, its a PFO. Especially when the victim didn't do anything "wrong" and they got a really bad Type II hit.
A type I pain hit is not nearly as dangerous. Its like a runner spraining an ankle from too much exertion. Marathon runners worry about that, me going for an hour walk doesn't. I just stretch out and wear good shoes.
This topic is continually repeated so as you read the list it will appear again and again.
If you want to do a good deed, go back to your instructor and educate them on PFO's after you've read a bit more and ask that they tell everyone they teach about them!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
How to start fish id'ing?
Nike style, "Just do it!".
You can use wet notes and write down the fish name and quantity.
Name/Quantity (S Single 1, F Few 2-10, M Many 11-100, A Abundant 100 +)
REEF BUTT (Reef Butterflyfish) M (Many)
The REEF slates http://www.reef.org with a bolt snap work well and fit in pockets. Using the waterproof paper (free with fish id course) and the slate makes it easier to check off the fish seen and faster to enter the data on line as the form follows the water proof paper. Wet-notes make you scroll up and down the Internet page finding the fish which gets old.
Once you start, you'll find all the fish you know, then start making notes of identifying characteristics of new fish you don't know the names for. Then go look them up. Soon you'll be able to figure out the families "Big lips, Silvery, odd shaped bottom dweller" and go from there.
On the next dive, you'll find the old fish, the new fish you just learned (re-enforcing the memory and learning) and then take notes on some new fish to look up when you get home. Then the cycle continues. Then go to class to answer the tough questions and learn some new families of fish to look for.
Diving with other fish id divers speeds things up as they can tell you the name of the fish underwater saving you the "look up" phase of learning.
Also, you'll start with the big fish, Grunts, Angels, Butterflies, and move to the smaller fish, Blennys and Gobies. Once you figure out that Rough-head Blenny's are abundant and not just the "single one your found" you've reached fish id nirvana and enlightenment.
Soon every dive becomes a treasure hunt for fish. You'll be the one on the boat saying, "Did you see that hovering goby?" and everyone else will be wondering what your talking about? All they saw were Angelfish, a Barracuda, and a Green Moray.
--Matt
Nike style, "Just do it!".
You can use wet notes and write down the fish name and quantity.
Name/Quantity (S Single 1, F Few 2-10, M Many 11-100, A Abundant 100 +)
REEF BUTT (Reef Butterflyfish) M (Many)
The REEF slates http://www.reef.org with a bolt snap work well and fit in pockets. Using the waterproof paper (free with fish id course) and the slate makes it easier to check off the fish seen and faster to enter the data on line as the form follows the water proof paper. Wet-notes make you scroll up and down the Internet page finding the fish which gets old.
Once you start, you'll find all the fish you know, then start making notes of identifying characteristics of new fish you don't know the names for. Then go look them up. Soon you'll be able to figure out the families "Big lips, Silvery, odd shaped bottom dweller" and go from there.
On the next dive, you'll find the old fish, the new fish you just learned (re-enforcing the memory and learning) and then take notes on some new fish to look up when you get home. Then the cycle continues. Then go to class to answer the tough questions and learn some new families of fish to look for.
Diving with other fish id divers speeds things up as they can tell you the name of the fish underwater saving you the "look up" phase of learning.
Also, you'll start with the big fish, Grunts, Angels, Butterflies, and move to the smaller fish, Blennys and Gobies. Once you figure out that Rough-head Blenny's are abundant and not just the "single one your found" you've reached fish id nirvana and enlightenment.
Soon every dive becomes a treasure hunt for fish. You'll be the one on the boat saying, "Did you see that hovering goby?" and everyone else will be wondering what your talking about? All they saw were Angelfish, a Barracuda, and a Green Moray.
--Matt
CACA FRITA!!!!
I thought Mike and Dave left me with full deco bottles. My o2 only had 1200 psi. Emailed Jody an update. Jody had 3000 psi fill from Alex so we equalized the bottles to 2K psi each. Nice!
The seas were 2ft, but choppy as all hell, we were taking water over the bow. It was a very rough ride. Once we got there, seas were 1 ft, very calm.
Current and wind was moving the boat at 3.2 knots. We figured 2 knot surface current with 300 foot drop.
I wasn't sure about Bryan finding our lift bag so I volunteered to take the Riffe float. We got down and 15 5ft jacks circled us and scared the shite out of us! We hit 196ft and couldn't see the wreck. We hit the trigger and Jody took off, I stayed in place, the Gavin pulling me forward and the flag line pulling me back.
We reviewed "dead float" procedure with Bryan before the dive.
So do we, sand dive, let go of the float and scooter to the wreck, or abort? We didn't review these options on the surface as part of the plan.
I singled, "let go" and got a positive response, so I let go of the reel to head for the wreck. Jody looked puzzled and thumbed.
We aborted and surfaced 35 minutes later.
At 70ft switch, my reg was at 0 psi and I hardly purged it before putting it in my mouth, I got a blast of salt water on the first breath. I coughed several times and get it cleared. Jody was right their monitoring the situation.
Our lift bag was parallel to the float about 100ft away. We made it very easy for Bryan to find us!
In the future....
1. We dive the deeper wrecks when conditions are good. We bring a stage of 32% and dive something easy when conditions suck.
2. Next time we'll anchor up on the wreck and scooter down the line to make sure we hit it. We are not smart enough to bomb, and we can't "read" the bottom to the wreck. Past 150ft its just too dark and our eyes take several minutes to adjust to the lack of light which hinders us on descent.
3. I think G3 might be wrong about dragging a float with current past 150ft. Maybe 200ft without current, but with current and rough seas, its not happening.
Strike 2 on the Star Trek.
I thought Mike and Dave left me with full deco bottles. My o2 only had 1200 psi. Emailed Jody an update. Jody had 3000 psi fill from Alex so we equalized the bottles to 2K psi each. Nice!
The seas were 2ft, but choppy as all hell, we were taking water over the bow. It was a very rough ride. Once we got there, seas were 1 ft, very calm.
Current and wind was moving the boat at 3.2 knots. We figured 2 knot surface current with 300 foot drop.
I wasn't sure about Bryan finding our lift bag so I volunteered to take the Riffe float. We got down and 15 5ft jacks circled us and scared the shite out of us! We hit 196ft and couldn't see the wreck. We hit the trigger and Jody took off, I stayed in place, the Gavin pulling me forward and the flag line pulling me back.
We reviewed "dead float" procedure with Bryan before the dive.
So do we, sand dive, let go of the float and scooter to the wreck, or abort? We didn't review these options on the surface as part of the plan.
I singled, "let go" and got a positive response, so I let go of the reel to head for the wreck. Jody looked puzzled and thumbed.
We aborted and surfaced 35 minutes later.
At 70ft switch, my reg was at 0 psi and I hardly purged it before putting it in my mouth, I got a blast of salt water on the first breath. I coughed several times and get it cleared. Jody was right their monitoring the situation.
Our lift bag was parallel to the float about 100ft away. We made it very easy for Bryan to find us!
In the future....
1. We dive the deeper wrecks when conditions are good. We bring a stage of 32% and dive something easy when conditions suck.
2. Next time we'll anchor up on the wreck and scooter down the line to make sure we hit it. We are not smart enough to bomb, and we can't "read" the bottom to the wreck. Past 150ft its just too dark and our eyes take several minutes to adjust to the lack of light which hinders us on descent.
3. I think G3 might be wrong about dragging a float with current past 150ft. Maybe 200ft without current, but with current and rough seas, its not happening.
Strike 2 on the Star Trek.
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