The Dive Matrix Forums

Who's that handsome DOG in the window?

HBDiveGirl — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:04:30 GMT

It's the last (dry)suit some UW photographers will ever put on. :)

Mo2vation is DOG of the Week on the DUI website! Here's a direct link: Ken In DUI CF200

Check it out!

Woof!

~~~~
Claudette

intro-looking for buddy in akumal, mexico

scubadr333 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:21:14 GMT

Hi,
Spend a lot of time diving cenotes in Akumal, Mexico. Interested in someone looking for buddy to do some cave diving. Have about 800 hrs in cave and know the areas well.

Diving in Thailand in Aug/Sept...

philipashley — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:08:51 GMT

Hey all,

So, I realize that Aug/Sept is not the prime dive time for this region, but I have a trip planned anyway (going to visit some friends and do some backpacking) and I'd like to spend a week or so diving. I'm going by myself and my friends over there don't dive (although I plan to change that when I get there) so I'm hoping to get some feedback from this forum. Does anyone have any recommendations for particular dive shops/sites that I should focus on? Better yet, anyone planning on being there at the same time?

I'd appreciate any input. Thanks.

Phil

Baby Sounder's Room Photography Credits...

Sounder — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:38:04 GMT

Mrs. Sounder and I finally put the pictures on the walls which was the last thing we needed to do. With Mrs. Sounder reaching "full term" this Friday and having a 40-week due date of August 1st, the room needed to be ready... and now it is.

I'll throw up a few pictures later, but the room has an "under-the-sea meets Pottery Barn" theme. It turned out really well, but the photos we had printed (enlarged) are incredible!! I was amazed at how striking the photographs were when they were framed and wanted to thank a few of our photographers for their contributions...

Grateful Diver: We took one of Bob's clown fish photos from his recent Indo. trip and blew it up to 8x10. It's truly spectacular when blown up and framed - you can even see the dramatic texture in the anemone! Other "Bob photos" were put into a 5x7 triple-frame and included a mated pair of wolfeels and a red octopus gliding down to the seafloor.

Mo2vation: Ken's "Sea Lion" parade is the big feature. At 10x13 the picture blew up incredibly well (though we had to trim a bit to make it fit because it's shot in wide-angle or something I'm ignorant to). The Sealion Parade is in the middle of the large pictures and is perfect for a baby boy's in color and in theme of playful and curious.

Other photographers who aren't on this board were Cheng Wong for her Bonaire sea turtle (another 8x10 opposite from Bob's clown fish on the other side of the Sealion Parade), and Tom Nic for his pink lumpsucker photo has also been placed in the 5x7 frame and printed beautifully.

As I promised, pictures will come soon but in the meantime, thank you to the photoraphers for putting the finishing touches on my little one's room!!

Dive Matrix Interviews Dive Xtras at the LB Scuba Show

Mo2vation — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:36:47 GMT

Here is an interview with Ben from Dive Xtras at the Long Beach Scuba Show.

We speak about general scooter construction and some details about the X scooter.

Here is a link to the Dive Matrix YouTube site with all of the Long Beach Scuba Show videos in one place. YouTube Linkage

For the original quality videos (Adam does great work) click here: http://www.adambovie.com/DiveMatrix/ You'll get to see the videos before YouTube turns them into fuzzy Sasquach movies.

Enjoy.

---
Ken

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Saludos de Brooklyn

philipashley — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:34:28 GMT

Hello everyone. My name is Philip and I just joined the site. I started scuba diving this year down in Utila, Honduras and am now completely hooked. Currently, I'm Open Water certified with about 10 dives. I'll be doing my Advanced cert classes while in SE Asia. I'm heading to Thailand and Vietnam for Aug/Sept, so if anyone has suggestions about great dive spots/shops over there, I'd love to hear them.

Anyway, looking forward to getting to know some of you.

Philip

Christmas in July

Glycerin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:05:14 GMT

The stork just dropped of my brand new X-scooter. I feel like a little kid right now. Hopefully it will be ready to dive tonight!!!

Thanks for the great service, Ben!!!

Also, a big thanks to Ken for all your help!!!

Josh

Dusk Patrol: Secret Garden....Ummm.....Sort of......

Rapture of the Deep — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:04:43 GMT

Date: 7/7/08

Time: 7:30-ish [haven't downloaded data from computer yet]

Location: Straight out from Main Lifeguard Tower, kick out......you know: about 2/3 of the way to Hawaii........

Surf: 2-3 footer, nothing major, but encountered a noticeable rip on the way in......

Viz: pretty poor in the shallows, due to dinoflagellet activity [Green Gloom], but better at depth, but not much: 10-12 ft. at best; hard to judge at dusk

Max Depth: 98 ft.

Mix: 36%

Critters Seen: Fringheads, octos, Cancer crabs, Hemphills, Sea Pens, Swimming crabs,
Sculpins, Brittle Star in a ball [never seen that before]...something BIG in a cloud of sand, most likely a large bat ray, but it moved too fast for a ray, so it may have been a Leopard Shark that we startled/and who startled us right back.

Dive Buddies: Jackie and Jimbo

Well, since Jackie has artfully blanketed most of the known dive lists in Sol Cal with her report, this appears to be the only venue left to me to avoid duplicate DRs. Nice work, Jackie! Just kidding... :)

Since the Scuba Do is in 'boat hospital' for a couple weeks and I spent the weekend enviously reading the DRs of others, I figured this would be a good week to catch up on my shore diving skills.....the few that remain anyway. Jimbo, Jackie and I appear to make a good threesome, so we thought we'd check out Secret Garden.

It had been so long, I barely remembered the lineups anymore, but as I recall, it was something like 'the end of the pier lined up with the second red-roofed house on the top,' or something to that effect. It was certainly a longer kick out than I remembered.

There was still quite a bit of daylight left when we arrived at the drop down spot, so we knew it was going to be a 'dusk dive,' rather than a true night dive, but that was fine with us.

The mistake was having me be lead navigator to the Secret Garden, an area I have had only spotty success in finding in the best of times, [unlike some people, like Kathy B., who seem to be able to hit it 9 out of ten times]. :)

The plan was to drop down and head North for 5 minutes and then, if we didn't see the Garden, turn around and head back South until we found it.

Well, you've heard of 'the best laid plans of mice and men,' I'm sure. Try the best laid plans of 'mice and narced divers.' We only saw a couple of mice, I swear.

Anyway, so we drop down and head North and within about 5 mins., I knew immediately that I had absolutely no idea where we were. As you know, there are no signs down there saying, 'You Are HERE' or even: "Secret Garden-->This Way." Wouldn't it be nice?

We figured later that we were actually in the 'bowl' or 'valley' in between Secret Garden and North Wall, and had I simply made a left instead of a right at the lobster trap, we probably would have found it

But, nooooo........I had to make that right at the Lobster Trap and that led us straight into......ummmm......a detritus pit--I think.

Certainly it was a pit....with plenty of trash and mylar balloons with the gaily colored ribbons still attached, which I asked Jimbo to photograph for me as evidence for a friend who doesn't believe we find balloons at 90 ft.

Jimbo was right on the money and took a shot of the balloon without batting an eye.

Overturning some kelp in the pit, I was also able to uncover a cool reddish octo, just sitting by himself on a stipe, so I gestured to Jimbo to come over and photograph him, which he did.

In this area were also some Sculpin, a Cancer crab and some really cute Hemphills, which I allowed to play on my glove for a bit, before moving on.

We continued heading North and, not surprisingly, the temp being 52 F., Jackie began gesturing that she was getting cold, so we figured this would be a good time to begin heading back, since we obviously hadn't found the Garden.

Coming back South, we ran into part of a wall at around 60 ft., where Jacke gestured again that she was cold, so Jimbo and I, being the good buddies that we are took it as a sign that perphaps we should begin heading in, after checking out some more Fringeheads, sticking out their tongues at us defiantly from their holes.

Cruising up over the shallows, the viz began dropping precipitously, until we could barely see our hands in front of our faces--all we could see where large, sinister clouds of sand up ahead.

And, you know what that means: Bat Rays.

Gliding through one of them, something REALLY BIG and dark made sudden, furtive movement and was out of there in a flash--I mean, like a bullet. Logic would suggest that it was a Bat Ray, but BRs usually move slowly and gracefully, even when disturbed, so we figured it might have been an extremely large Leopard Shark that we startled--and, who startled that s*** out of us, too! :eek:

My motto is: as long as the shark is more startled than me, that's the way I like it.

Coming in right in front of the Main Lifeguard Tower towards the end, I noticed we seem to have an awfully strong 'headwind'.......no matter how hard we kicked towards shore, we never seem to get anywhere. We just stayed in on place, no matter how hard we kicked.

Well, it just shows our rusty my beach diving skills have become that I didn't immediately recognize this as a substantial rip current.

I'm slow, but eventually, the light went on......."Oh: maybe this is a rip current." DUH!

So, I gestured to Jimbo and Jackie to swim perpendicular to it, and soon enough, we were out of it.

Sure enough, as we emerged from the surf in about 4 ft. of water, we heard the Lifeguard announce as he was signing off for the evening: "We have a substantial rip current in front of the Tower here."

Nice to have my brilliant deductions confirmed! :)

Not a spectacular dive, but well worth doing, especially in light of the fact that we now know: to find the Secret Garden: make a LEFT at the Lobster Trap!

Dive safe, everyone,

Mikey

Upcoming Vancouver, BC GUE Fundamentals

MarcHall — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:09:05 GMT

In August I will be teaching a GUE Fundamentals Course in Vancouver, BC.
The majority of the course work, including lectures/dives/pool work and ocean dives will be done on Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning at 6:00 PM.

Course is scheduled to begin on Tuesday Aug 5.

For more details please contact via email at Marc.Hall@yahoo.com.
Phones include my Vancouver cell at 604-760-9852 or my San Diego cell at 619-804-0647. (If you call me on my Vancouver cell, I will likely respond via my San Diego cell).

Signup required on the GUE Website (GUE Diver Training -> Scheduled Classes).

Enjoy

Marc Hall

Upcoming San Diego GUE Fundamentals

MarcHall — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:02:29 GMT

I am teaching my next GUE Fundamentals class in San Diego in August.

Dates are:

Fri Aug 8 - Evening Lecture
Sat Aug 9 - Lecture/Gear Orientation/ Pool Work/Video Review.
Sun Aug 10 - Ocean Dives/Video Review
Sat Aug 23 - Ocean Dives/Video Review/Written Test
Sun Aug 24 - Ocean Dives/Video Review/Review

Class has been scheduled on GUE website and participants must enroll online at www.gue.com, from the menu on the right select GUE Diver Training and
then Scheduled Classes.

For more details contact me at 619-804-0647 or Marc.Hall@yahoo. com.

Enjoy
Marc

Visiting the area

Alykitcat — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:59:39 GMT

Hello Im visiting the area from the 8th for about 9 days and im looking for people to dive with. let me know if your interested

A Really Dangerous Opportunity

LAJim — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:15:31 GMT

I just turned down a casting invitation for a "Wife Swap" episode called "Scuba Families". PM me if you think your marriage would make good fodder for reality TV.

Jim

An odd accessory, but a helpful one

deepseadiver — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:50:58 GMT

As the summer is coming up, I admit I�ll probably be by the water constantly� when I�m not working, of course! My car pretty much gives it away, is the funny thing. I�ve got a cooler (lol), a blanket and towels, my boogie board and beach chairs, and a few other random things. I�ve got a tin Beatles box and a Foldtuk container, too! I guess I�m ready for any adventure, and I think the summer is going to be great considering the number of concerts approaching, too. Oh, the Foldtuk is a collapsible cookware/bakeware container that I�ll be able to bring leftovers on the road and then collapse it for easy storage. This is what it looks like.. www.foldtuk.com... Geeeez, I sure need the extra space� hahaha!! Hope you all enjoy the fresh air before it gets too hot!

Sipadan, Sabah in Oct 08 with Dive The World Travel Club

OnTheSpot — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:54:44 GMT

Last year Dive The World Travel Club had a great group of people who enjoyed the Similan Islands and Phuket area with us. This year we've arranged an excellent programme in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Sabah's allure stretches from mountains high to oceans deep. Witness orangutans, proboscis monkeys and various other animals such as hornbills, rarities like Bornean pygmy elephants, and ancient creatures including crocodiles and snakes.

Under the waves you can dive with huge schools of barracuda and bumphead parrotfish, as well as countless turtles and sharks, not to mention the amazing array of critters in the shallows. So don't be satisfied watching nature documentaries, come with us to Sabah and see all these things for yourself while such natural oases still exist.

Join us for the full 13-day trip or part only. Either way you know you will be surrounded by fellow divers and nature-lovers having fun under the guidance of our locally-based Dive The World group leader.

If you want to join us for the full extravaganza then you are in for the trip of a lifetime. If you want to join us for only part of it then that's OK too! Just let us know.

For full details, itinerary and cost, visit dive-the-world.com.

X-Scooter Battery Tests - Some surprises, some disappointments (Post 2 of 2)

Mo2vation — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:24:40 GMT

In Post 1 I described the objectives of the battery test, outlined my testing protocol, expressed my gratitude for not being arrested in a Federal Building and shared some initial thoughts from the process.

In this post, I'll provide the battery profiles and performance details.

Designations
From the beginning we always knew the three scooters and batteries would be changing hands all the time - so we serialized all of the batts and chargers. We travel often with these - on live-aboards, to Catalina, to local destinations, etc. I felt it was important to serialize the batts and chargers in case some performance anomalies came up, so we could sequester the under-performing (or over-performing) resource and best leverage it.

I'm very glad we did this, as it makes balancing the scoots easier, charging the batts more consistent (some charge faster than others) and lets us spread out the usage so one batt doesn't get 90% of the usage while the others sit on a shelf.

My four batts are assigned numbers: KK#1, KK#2, KK#3 and KK#4. Claudette's are CMD#1 and CMD#2.
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Battery Profiles

KK#1
Original purchase date: unknown. I bought this battery from a TDS member in June 2007 when I bought Scooter #1. He stated he purchased the scoot and batt in February 2007, so that is the date I'm rolling with as DOP for this batt. Weight: 199 OZ (12# 7 OZ)

KK#2
Original Purchase date: 06/04/2008 Weight: 199.4 Oz (12# 7.4 OZ)

KK#3
Original Purchase date: unknown. I bought this battery from a TDS member in May 2008. He stated it had "about 10 to 15 dives on it, was an extra that isn't being used. Was purchased about a year ago." I'm rolling with a May 2007 as a DOP. Weight: 200 Oz (12# 8 OZ)

KK#4
Original Purchase date: unknown. I bought this battery from a TDS member in May 2008. He stated it had "about 10 to 15 dives on it, was an extra that isn't being used. Was purchased about a year ago." I'm rolling with a May 2007 as a DOP. Weight: 200.2 Oz (12# 8.2 OZ)

CMD#1
Original Purchase date: 06/04/2008 Weight: 208.6 Oz (13# 0.6 OZ)

CMD#2
Original Purchase date: 06/04/2008 Weight: 211.4 Oz (13# 3.4 OZ)

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Test Results

As a refresher, I wanted to test two types of charges: what I called the "Single" Charge and what I called the "Top-Off" Charge.

Single Charge: Drain the batt by letting it sit on the cooker for an hour, let the batt cool (either overnight or for at least two hours), charge fully one cycle until the green light goes on. Let the batt cool (either overnight or for at least two hours) and then test.

Top Off Charge: Take a recently tested batt (which was drained for an hour on the corn dog cooker), let the batt cool overnight or for at least two hours, charge fully for one cycle until the green light goes on. Take off the charger and let cool (either overnight of for at least two hours.) Place back on the charger until green light comes back on (usually 25 to 35 minutes), let cool 30 minutes or so, then test.

Each of our 6 batteries went through the above cycle of tests, with the exception of Claudette's batts (CMD #1 and CMD #2) as they arrived charged. Both of her batts went through the top-off only.

KK#1
This is the oldest of my batteries (DOP presumed February 2007.) Its also the lightest weight of the batts (199 OZ) and the one that has the most dives on it. I estimate about 100 to 150 dives on this batt. The performance of this batt was extremely disappointing. In both the Single Charge and Top Off test, it fell well below the target spec of 250 to 260 watt hours.

Single Cycle: 190.9 WH

Top Off Cycle: 207.7 WH

KK#2
This is the batt that has the second most use. Its my newest batt (DOP 06/2007.) Its the second-lightest weight of the batts (199 OZ) I estimate about 50 to 75 dives on this batt. The performance of this batt was extremely disappointing - the worst of the fleet. The fact that this batt was purchased at the same time as Claudette's two heavy, in-spec performing batteries (on the same invoice!) also makes me believe its defective. In both the Single Charge and Top Off test, it fell well below the target spec of 250 to 260 watt hours.

Single Charge: 155.4 WH

Top Off Charge: 173.2 WH

KK#3
I just picked up this batt in May 2008. It was from a user at TDS, and he stated it was about a year old with only 10 to 15 dives. This batt was stunningly new when I received it. Not a scratch on it. Just a beauty. Its also heavier than my first two at a full 200 OZ. I put its DOP at about May 2007. This batt has the fewest dives of all of my batts, and I estimate the total dives at about 25. The performance of this batt was within spec. As I was testing these batts in numerical order, you can imagine my relief when this thing topped out, after the terrible performance of #1 and #2.

Single Charge: 261.4 WH

Top Off Charge: 275.3 WH

KK#4
I picked up this batt in May 2008. It was from a user at TDS, and he stated it was about a year old with only 10 to 15 dives. This batt was also eye-poppingly new when I received it. Its the heaviest of my four batts, weighing in at 200.2 OZ. I put its DOP at about May 2007. This batt has about 30 dives on it. This is not only my heaviest batt, but its also my best performing batt, and the best performing batt of the fleet. What a horse.

Single Charge: 256.7 WH

Top Off Charge: 288.7 WH

CMD#1
This is the batt that Claudette has used the most. With a DOP of 06/2007, it probably has 100 to 120 dives on it. This batt is a heavy weight, coming in at 208.6 Oz (over 13 pounds!) For all its dives, this batt had the second-best performance of the fleet. It blew away the spec target. Weight matters. This batt was purchased at the same time as my pathetic performing KK#2 batt. Unreal that they came out at the same time. Remember - I haven't done the single charge. It arrived charged, I topped it off and tested. I spend HOURS testing the fleet and I didn't want to keep James' Corn Dog Cooker any longer. Because this batt hit it out of the park on the Top Off, I'm confident the Single Charge is well within spec.

Top Off Charge: 279.3 WH

CMD#2
This is Claudette's second batt. With a DOP of 06/2007, it probably has 50 to 80 dives on it. This batt is the heaviest of the fleet, coming in at 211.4 Oz (nearly 13 pounds, 4 OZ!) This batt performed within spec. This batt was purchased at the same time as my poorly performing KK#2 batt. We dived it the morning of the test, so it was essentially charged to full (I consider that a semi-top off) and then cooled and tested. Because this batt was within spec with the semi-top off, I'm confident the Single Charge is well within spec.

Semi-Top Off Charge: 265.6 WH

CONCLUSIONS

The heavier batts performed better. No question about that. It wasn't an age or a use thing. Its a chemestry thing.

KK#2 has a problem. Its as new as Claudette's two batts, has fewer dives and its stinking up the place. KK#2 is benched until I contact Rabbit Tool and Dive Xtras. I don't trust this batt.

KK#1 also has a problem. Its also the lightest batt in the fleet. This batt will only be used if I'm in a pinch. My confidence level in this lightweight batt is very low. I need to speak to Rabbit Tool and Dive Xtras about this one, as well.

Top Off Charging delivered between 5% and 32% more WH (depending on the batt) with an average across my four batts of about 9.6% additional WH over Single Charge performance. The increase wasn't age or weight dependant. KK#3 had the lowest improvement in Top Off while KK#4 had the highest. KK#2, the presumed defective batt was right in the middle.

The weight differences between all four of my batts isn't enough to worry about. From heaviest to lightest, the difference is about 1.2 OZ. When you dive like us, you're counting out the BBs in the weight pouches in the nose and tail to balance the things perfectly. A 1.2 OZ difference will make a difference - but not that much of one. I'm gonna make the special "KK Pack" for Claudette - so when she's using one of my light weight batts - she can just slap in the pack and it will be very, very close.

Many thanks to James for his assistance with this.

---
Ken

X-Scooter Battery Tests - Some surprises, some disappointments (Post 1 of 2)

Mo2vation — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:05:15 GMT

Our team has 3 scooters and 6 batteries.

We are very careful about the care of all of this gear. We loan out our scooters often to visitors or other SoCal divers who are diving with us. All of our batteries are numbered, our chargers are numbered, the scooters meticulously cared for.

We've never had a failure of any type - no flood, no leaks, no mechanical or material failures of any kind, save an electronics burn out in Claudette's scooter shortly after purchase (the electronics were immediately replaced by Dive X-tras and have been fine since.) Apart from running over my scooter with my truck, we've avoided any catastrophic damage that has kept them out of the water. I was able, with phone support from Ben, to get my hit-and-run scooter back in the water shortly where its performed perfectly since.

My point is this: We dive these alot (about 200 dives each in the last year) and we couldn't be more pleased.

Fleet maintenance is a growing concern for me. I want these to run and run forever. Mechanically, I can break down an X in the field to the bolts and put it back together again. Every quarter we break all three down to the shaft - clean, lube, inspect.

For as much as I know about managing the performance of our fleet of X-Scooters, I realize I know very little about how managing the performance of our batteries.

I saw this excellent post by James (FDog) about burn testing the batteries, so I reached out to him for some advice. I asked about battery management, charging protocol, storage recommendations, etc. By the end of the conversation he had offered to loan me the Corn Dog Cooker (what Jaye and I came to call the wacky machine in the thread referenced, above.) It arrived a couple of days later and I dug in.

Coincidentally, the battery burn testing coincided with our decision to weigh (and eventually balance) all 6 batteries in the fleet so we can one day get them all very close in weight - so we can put any battery in any scooter of ours and have it balance correctly. Any of you with multiple batteries know the issue - one batt and the scoot is weightless, behaves great and is a joy to drive. Another batt and the scoot is a run-away balloon or an anchor that drags on the sand when clipped off.

Part of this exercise involved accurately weighing each battery to determine which ones are the heavy ones, and which are the light ones.

What I learned was surprising, not surprising at all, and quite disappointing.

The Surprising:

My 4 batteries are very close in weight. The lightest being 199 ounces, the heaviest being 200.2 ounces.

There are huge performance differences between my four batteries. Huge.

WOW the leads from the battery to the motor get hot. To the extent the insulation gets soft and shiny. We've all seen semi-melted insulatom on our Xbatts. That's because these things get muthah hot.

The Not Surprising at all:

Claudette's batteries are much heavier than any of mine. Her lightest batt is 208.6 ounces, her heaviest is 211.4 ounces. That 12.4 ounce difference between her #2 batt and my #1 batt explains why my scooter becomes an anvil with her batt, and her scooter becomes a balloon with my batt.

Batteries perform better when topped off and then tested (protocol detailed later, below.) We knew this intuitively, and we all do it. But the tests showed a discernible improvement in Watt Hours.

Heavier batteries perform better. No question about it. If you're going to buy an X-Scooter battery, and you have several from which to choose - BUY THE HEAVIEST ONE OF THE BUNCH. It matters.

The Disappointing:

Batteries that are the same age have radically different performance ratings. In fact, I have a two batteries that I purchased a few months apart of Claudette's batteries (one at the same time), and the performance of these two is dramatically poorer than hers. To the extent I'm confident there is something wrong with them.

Battery Weighing Protocol
I loaded up all six batteries and went to the post office. Let me say right here that 6 batteries in a box is pretty heavy (about 78 pounds all in) and I'm very grateful I wasn't arrested as I staggered into the post office carrying a heavy brown box, on my cell phone, after hours.

I put each on the letter scale and noted the weight on the log. I then randomly selected a battery from the box, placed it on the scale and looked to see if the weight matched a weight on the log - and then verified the batt number. I used this blind verification to confirm the weight of each. The weight of each batt was confirmed twice and was 100% matched.

Battery Testing protocol
James and I spoke at length about this. I wanted to test two types of charges: what I called the "Single" Charge and what I called the "Top-Off" Charge.

Single Charge: Drain the batt by letting it sit on the cooker for an hour, let the batt cool (either overnight or for at least two hours), charge fully one cycle until the green light goes on. Let the batt cool (either overnight or for at least two hours) and then test.

Top Off Charge: Take a recently tested batt (which was drained for an hour on the corn dog cooker), let the batt cool overnight or for at least two hours, charge fully for one cycle until the green light goes on. Take off the charger and let cool (either overnight of for at least two hours.) Place back on the charger until green light comes back on (usually 25 to 35 minutes), let cool 30 minutes or so, then test.

Each of our 6 batteries went through the above cycle of tests, with the exception of Claudette's batts (CMD #1 and CMD #2) as they arrived charged. Both of her batts went through the top-off only.

I set a timer for 15 minutes, and took 5 photographs of the blue box as it was connected to the corn dog cooker, being sure to capture in each shot the battery's vitals - Volts, Amps, Amp Hours, Watt Hours. The photograph intervals:

Minute 0 (moments after connection)
Minute 15
Minute 30
Minute 45
Minute 60, or the greatest Watt Hour the battery produced. On some it was by minute 60, on others it was a few minutes after.

The objective of the performance test was to secure and note the maximum Watt Hour each battery put out, regardless of time. James told me that the target Watt Hours should be about 250 to 260 WH. Above that is great, a little below that is not good and significantly below that is cause for concern. I haven't verified this with the manufacturer (Rabbit Tool) or the marketer of the batt (Dive Xtras) but James in my experience, James is a pretty thorough guy and I'm confident if he's put this as the target he's likely spoken with both of them.

The reason I took snapshots with my camera of the blue box at specific intervals was just for my record keeping - as my PC laptop croaked the day before the testing and I was unable to use Jame's wonderful software to track performance (it won't run on Mac OS.)

So performance tracking is ghetto style with a digital camera and alarm clock going off every 15 minutes - but it was accurate enough and produced the replicable results I was looking for. I know this because I tested my batts KK#1 and KK#2 using the Single Charge method twice and the results were almost identical.
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In Post 2, I'll describe the profile of each battery (weight, age) and provide the test results and conclusions.

Huge thanks to James (FDog) for his generosity and direction. I'm an artist, not an electronics guy. He took my calls (many times I kept asking the same questions...) and spoke slowly using small words until I got the concepts and was able to conduct accurate tests. I am grateful for his assistance with this. Thanks, buddy.

---
Ken

New to this site

DiveGirl_CA — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:52:07 GMT

Hi all. I have been diving for a little over 2 years and have been to some great places.

Aloha from Bakersfield, CA

TheyRFlippers — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:51:45 GMT

I got my Cert in Hawaii while on vacation there.. Were on our way back there this year..

So basicly I am new to diving..

Victoria

Yet another Oahu Tech Diving Video...

scuba and dreams — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:18:03 GMT

Aloha...

Sorry...haven't posted a video lately (or maybe that's a good thing), so I threw this together tonight. As part of the class we dove a ledge & plane in 235' on the west side, and did a dive on a site that we picked based on side scan data that we have.

Since Greg was the support man for that dive, we decided to name the dive site after him (thanks for helping out again). Hence, the ledge/reef (which sits in 180') will henceforth be known as "Greg's Spot"...to us anaywas.

Here is the link to the video on vimeo (since I like High Definition opposed to craptube). CLICK HERE

Mahalo,

Sherman

Weekday Dives

Rickster — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:07:57 GMT

I have a few days off, so, I was wondering if anyone would like to meet up during this next week(July 7th-11th), for a dive or two. I would like to dive anywhere in Malibu to Ventura. I am going to San Miguel Wed the 9th, so that day is taken.

Thanks,
Rick

Scooter rodeo with crabs

LCF — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:52:14 GMT

Well, I finally did it; I finally found a dive that really knocked Jonathan's socks off. It's hard to do, when one's guest is from Monterey, and is here with crummy tides and the worst of summer viz. But they don't hunt crabs in Monterey!

Today, we met Sounder and GratefulDiver and his friend Cheng, and we dove under the Mukilteo oil dock in search of provisions. Doug and Bob and Jonathan had scooters (ours are still in LA), so the plan was that Bob and Jonathan would tow their kick-diving partners to the oil dock, where scooters would be put aside and clipped off to something, and crab hunting would ensue. As it turned out, we dove with Doug, who had a catch bag and calipers. We surface-scootered to the site, and I discovered that being towed is a completely Zen experience. All you do is breathe rhythmically, in and out, and by the time we got there, I was about half asleep.

So we dropped and almost immediately found out that scooters are GREAT for crab hunting. You can outrun crabs on them, and outflank them, and herd them, and if the area you're in runs short of crabs, you can quickly move a good distance to find a spot with a higher density of them.

Jonathan and Doug were quickly filling the catch bag, but my feminine aura was too great -- I couldn't find anything but females. The spell didn't break until an enormous male crab fell on my head -- Literally! Not only that, but I knew he was male, because he had his girlfriend in his clutches. This just goes to show you that getting too distracted by the opposite sex can be the end of you, I guess. After that, I was able to do my small part to help with the harvest.

I think I wrote about doing this with Ben McGeever last year, how it is a complete rodeo on scuba, with people flying in all directions, splashing into the silt in wild attempts to capture squirming crabs, all thought of proper form completely discarded in the excitement of the hunt. Well, it was a reprise of that today, only with the added buzz of the scooters.

We had planned two dives, but at the end of the first one, we had limited out all the licenses we had among us. We had also ENTIRELY filled an enormous ice chest with crabs. Off we went to Doug's parents' house, where an outdoor cooker was used to boil crabs, and chicken and corn were grilled on the barbecue. We made a tomato and mozzarella and basil salad, and then proceeded to gorge ourselves silly. Despite Doug's diligent, sorceror's apprentice efforts to make sure that no one's plate ever emptied itself of crab, we still had enough left over for everybody to take some home for tomorrow.

Hopefully, Jonathan and HJ will share some of their photos. This is diving and diver camaraderie at its absolute finest.

Oh, and a big thank you, Ben, for introducing me to this delightful way to have too much fun diving!

USS Rankin

doczerothree — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:04:34 GMT

Heading out on Sunday the 13th July to the Rankin. She sits in about 120ft on water. I haven't been on her in over 4years so I'm really looking forward to this jump. http://uwex.us/042102.htm this site gives a very brief description. http://www.jupiterdivecenter.com/ I'll be going out with these guys. The boat leaves at 9a for 3 tanks. Dive report when I get back. anyone up for a wreck??!:D

Reefmaster mini

vicdiver656 — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:09:38 GMT

Sorry, i didn't mean the Reefmaster mini, I meant the Reefmaster SL200. Does anybody have any experience with a Sealife Reefmaster SL200? I found one in the paper today for $60 and I'm just wondering if it's a good deal, or if the camera is a piece of junk

Thanks
Taylor
Vicdiver656

FS: Hoses

Mo2vation — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:14:00 GMT

All items can be delivered to Vets Park in Hermosa Beach during the week. Pick up from my home is OK, too. Paypal: ken@divematrix.com

eMail with questions to ken@divematrix.com

Thanks!

---
Ken

==========================================
ScubaPro 32" HP Hose. This hose is brand new and still has the ScubaPro relief on it. ScubaPro wants crazy money for these. Selling here for $15, delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

28" Regulator hose - near-new condition. $10 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

22" Inflator hose. Near-mint (2 dives) $12 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

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ATTN: Ikelite or other Acrylic Dome Owners - Micro Mesh will take out that scratch!

Mo2vation — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:44:26 GMT

All items can be delivered to Vets Park in Hermosa Beach during the week. Pick up from my home is OK, too. Paypal: ken@divematrix.com

eMail with questions to ken@divematrix.com

Thanks!

---
Ken

==========================================

MicroMesh Kit - I had two Ikelite domes, and diving the way I do I had put scratches in both of them. With this kit I was able to remove both scratches 100% and return a showroom smooth finish to them. I was completely stunned - but it does work that good.

I've moved to glass domes and an aluminum housing so I no longer have a need for this product. There is still about 3/4 of the solution left in each bottle - enough to treat your dome port at least 4 or 5 more times - probably more if the scratches are mild.

This kit sells new for about $45. I'm selling my kit here for $25 plus postage. I'm also throwing in some wet-paper (600 and 320) to help get out the deep scratches.

You will love this stuff. Here's a link to the site and this kit: Linky

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FS: Atomic Stuff

Mo2vation — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:21:47 GMT

All items can be delivered to Vets Park in Hermosa Beach during the week. Pick up from my home is OK, too. Paypal: ken@divematrix.com

eMail with questions to ken@divematrix.com

Thanks!

---
Ken

==========================================

Atomic Deflector - this is the standard bubble deflector. Been on one dive - excellent condition. $15 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

Atomic 32" Hose - NEW, never in the water. Had both of the original Atomic stress-reliefs still installed. $27 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

Atomic Yoke Kit - this came off of a used Regulator I purchased not long ago. It works great, but it has some tooling marks from the previous owner. With this kit you can turn your DIN Atomic back into a yoke reg for travel or whatever. $40 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

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FS: ScubaPro Jets (MINT) Size Large

Mo2vation — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:13:42 GMT

All items can be delivered to Vets Park in Hermosa Beach during the week. Pick up from my home is OK, too. Paypal: ken@divematrix.com

eMail with questions to ken@divematrix.com

Thanks!

---
Ken

==========================================

ScubaPro Jets - Been on one trip. Size Large with original straps. Stored out of sunlight and are in new condition. $50 plus freight to your address.

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FS: Suunto, Cressi, Ikelite and more

Mo2vation — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:06:08 GMT

All items can be delivered to Vets Park in Hermosa Beach during the week. Pick up from my home is OK, too. Paypal: ken@divematrix.com

eMail with questions to ken@divematrix.com

Thanks!

---
Ken

==========================================

Suunto serial download cable and Suunto Software. Good condition, works great. $40 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48

Cressi Mask Box - New. $7 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48. 2 available, both for $12

Depth-compensating buckle. Spring loaded buckle for weightbelt or BC. NEW - never in the water. $15 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48

Stainless Pipe Clamps for Stage Kits - fit AL80. These are both NEW, never in the water. $11 for BOTH, delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

Ikelite 9" Arm - NEW, never in the water. Selling all over for $40 + freight. Selling here for $25, delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

1" Ikelite Clamp - I've had this on several dives, but its an extra so it mostly sits around these days. These sell all over for $20 to $29.00. $12 delivered to any non-FPO address in the lower 48.

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July 3 -- Redondo small stuff

lundysd — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:35:20 GMT

After a long week I was practically begging my regular dive buddies to get out in the water and dive. Luckily someone else agreed to indulge my addiction at the last minute :)

We had a wonderful dive down at Redondo -- viz was mediocre at best, so I was determined to hunt for the little stuff. We ended up finding a ton of 1/2" or smaller nudis, a marble-sized grunt sculpin, and an enormous pacific spiny lumpsucker (4")!! For those who aren't local, the Spiny lumpsucker is a mythical beast enjoyed only on rare occasions, and to find one bigger than pea-sized was a real treat -- it also doesn't hurt that they look absolutely hilarious swimming (think fat guy in a little coat). After a leisurely hour-long dive, we surfaced to an absolutely stunning bright orange sunset -- with a night like that, how can you not love it up here in the northwest?

I barely even noticed the anemone in this shot until post-dive editing, but I think it adds some nice depth to an otherwise just-decent image

the "Chris Farley" fish (AKA the pacific spiny lumpsucker

Camera-shy grunt sculpin (took me 10 shots to even get this mediocre pic)

Monkeying around at Marineland

HBDiveGirl — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:29:52 GMT

Ook-Ook! Time to Monkey dive the Big One: The Pinnacles at Marineland Point.

Friday, July 4, 2008. 54 minutes underwater. 54fsw max depth. 61F at the surface, 55F below the thermoclines. Buddy: Mo2vation.

As soon as Ken and I started test-flying the new DeepSeaSupply Monkey Diving rig (see gear photos at Ken's thread, HERE) we knew we wanted to take them to our favorite SoCal Shore dive: The Point at Old Marineland in Palos Verdes.

The huge craggy boulders at the point preclude actually entering there with scooters, although we've dived it often with drysuits and HP130s and Ken's deathstar camera rig.

The lighter approach of Monkey-diving makes it theoretically possible to enter at Bowling Ball beach with the 39-lb X-scooters. (...Yeah, it's called "Cobble Beach", but the stones are big and roll like bowling balls!)
From there, it's usuallly a 20-minute surface kick out to The Point.

We envisioned motoring there on X-cruise control (triggers locked down) and having lots of playtime on those beautiful pinnacles.... If we could manage the transport of the gear over the 3/4 mile soft, narrow, bumpy clifftop path, and then down the broader, firmer dirt road to the sea. And if we could safely get all the gear over the wet, slippery bowling balls and into the sea.

It worked like a charm. :)

IT IS COMPLETELY DO-ABLE AND COMPLETELY WORTH IT! We loaded the rolling cart with two scooters and two al80 tanks, plus some small gear. Wearing the wetsuits, weight belts and the BP/MonkeyWing rig (with some stuff clipped on) we coaxed the cart along the soft, bumpy, narrow clifftop path. The wider dirt road leading down was easy.
The surf was tiny, almost smooth, and entry with the Monkey rig and scooter was brainlessly easy. We started for the point with snorkels on the surface, but it was slow. Motoring at 10fsw was faster and easy on the gas supply. It still took about 9 minutes to get to the point.

We descended into a snowstorm of particulates :skeptical: and very poor visibility: 5-7 feet most of the time, all the way down to 55fsw.

But We Had Scooters and Blazing HIDs and It Was A Blast!!! The pinnacles are covered with gorgeous life and so much fun to fly around. We found 1,000's of hermissendas and a several other nudis. All the filter-feeders were fully extended, enjoying all the food in the water: Gorgonians, feather duster worms, cucumbers, anemones.... the whole colorful "flower garden" of radially symmetrical beauties. Shiny Chestnut cowries were out grazing in the dim light. A horde of large barracuda missile'd between Ken and me in the murky blueness.

Finally!!! Scooters at Marineland!!

The motorized return to Cobble Beach was easy, even against the stiff current that had developed. We skirted the lush, thick, mature kelp forest that has filled the shallows of this cove (from about 35fsw.)
We really cranked up the fun through this shadowed space at full speed, hootin' and hollering as we banked off the current and FLEW downstream with thrilling acceleration.

The exit was straightforward in the minimal surf. It's tough for me to walk out with the side-slung tank on my left and the X-scooter on my right, but I did it... upright. Ken made it look easy as he scooped up the scoot with both arms and stomped out of the sea.

We broke down the gear, smiles all around, and reloaded the cart for the uphill trip.
And it was fine. Two strong buddies working together and we were soon cracking open ice-cold SoBe's in the empty parking lot.

Thousands of thanks to my extraordinary buddy, Mo2vation. Your unflagging energy, strength, composure, and love of fun makes every dive one-of-a-kind. The best kind. Extraordinary.

Happy Independence Day!

~~~~
Claudette

dive philippines with DOGSTARBEACH

oceanjet — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:12:55 GMT

official website:
http://www.dogstarbeach.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFLXG...eature=related

Provide high class eco-tourism and adventure travel options throughout Oriental Negros and beyond, specialising in diving, kayaking, trekking, camping, rock-climbing, ethnic village stays, jungle safaris, sailing charters, indigenous sports and alternative travel methods.

A long run for a very short slide

LCF — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:40:49 GMT

Okay. So, AndrewJD has been in town for the last couple of days, and it's been my self-imposed task to try to show him as much good diving and as much hospitality as he helped the Monterey group show me a year and a half ago, when Peter and I were down there. The project has been impeded by horrendous tides (14 foot exchanges, with a -3 low at noon), less than splendid weather (thunderstorms with lightning all day yesterday), and rather disgusting viz.

He's had the grand tour of Coves 3 and 2 (everyone has to do this, whether it turns out to be high quality diving or not). He's done an evening dive at Redondo, which wasn't the most productive Redondo dive I've done, although we found a GPO under one of the boats. Unfortunately, nobody had told Jonathan that a bunch of white discs on a pink background is an octopus, so he remained puzzled about what we were so excited at seeing until we surfaced and could talk about it.

And today, we were finally going to show him some real quality Puget Soudn diving. We were going to take our boat out, and do China Wall.

Well, the day began rather slowly, because we got home from Redondo about 10 pm yesterday, and then made dinner and had rather more red wine than was good for any of us. By the time we loaded the truck and boat and headed out, we had an ETA at the Alki boat ramp of about noon, which just happened to coincide with the absolute nadir of the tide. In fact, when we arrived, Puget Sound was elsewhere, and there were things out of the water that I have never seen anything but submerged before. We learned that the Alki boat ramp has an abrupt dropoff at its deepest extent, and if you back a boat trailer over that dropoff, you may not get it back, or you may damage the axle in the process. Luckily, we learned this by watching and not by doing.

Discretion getting the better part of valor, we decided to acquire some lunch and munch it in a leisurely fashion, and wait for water to return to the PNW. During our wait, we assisted a number of fellow boaters who decided to brave the low water to retrieve their boats, and we learned a great deal in the process. Jonathan and HJ wandered around, taking pictures of a wide variety of things, and showing a great deal of understanding and patience, in my opinion.

Eventually, enough water came back that we thought we could launch the boat. Launching is an adventure, as we have only done it four times now, and no time has been smooth; we are still searching for the optimal launching protocol. This time, we had the boat floating above the trailer but still couldn't get it off. It turned out it was hung up on something at the bow (I'm not sure what). When it was finally cast loose, I was on it, and the shore personnel made hand signals that indicated that the nice people who had been helping us wanted to launch where I was, and I was to move the boat to the other pier.

Alone on the boat . . . Having digested a book on small power boat handling, but having had my one practice session end up looking like my ascent drills (in other words, pathetic). Having a stiff breeze which was NOT helping, and other boats everywhere (some of which decamped promptly, when they realized that there was a loose boat in the water under little or no control). It took me about six passes to get the boat back in without hitting anything or anybody, but I did do it, upon which I promptly relinquished control of the boat to anybody else, on the assumption that no matter what, they would do better than I.

The boat was quickly loaded, and we set off for China Wall. We had been there before, so it was bookmarked in the GPS. There is, or rather there WAS, a mooring buoy on the wall, which made life very pleasant. It is gone, and I don't think we've had enough practice with the sounder to know precisely how to locate a structure like that accurately. At least, we dropped anchor where Peter thought the wall was, and we geared up and dropped, to do the rubble inspection tour of the bottom of Puget Sound. I've done that dive before, at a number of locations, and I don't much mind it, actually. But in this case, we had a significant current at depth, and I got progressively more anxious, thinking about an anchored boat with someone left on board who couldn't drive it. I didn't want to end up a character in one of those "Lessons for Life" columns, so I dragged out my wetnotes and wrote something about my anxieties. Remarkably, I did so while swimming frantically after the two guys, who were motoring upcurrent. I showed the message to Peter, who appeared to agree, and we started back the way we had come, in an effort to find the anchor line.

We did, and ascended, and got back on the boat, having decided to go dive another nearby site that is easier to find. I was astonished to discover I had eaten almost 1000 psi during that 15 minute dive; clearly, I was much more anxious about getting lost and not being able to be picked up than I had realized.

Well, we relocated the boat, and dropped on the rock fingers off the shore, which is a dive I had done once before off rjack's boat. Peter nailed the site this time (it helped that there was a mooring buoy on it, even though Peter insisted it was a crab pot and wouldn't moor to it). We went back into the water to find the site precisely as I remembered it, although consideredly murkier. It's a series of rock ribs running downslope, from the surface to about 80 feet. It was siltier than I remembered it from the previous time, but the silt was probably the reason that it was nudibranch heaven. I think I found 8 species on the dive, including a dendronotus I'd never seen before.

Jonathan called me down to show me a big Hudson's dorid, but I thought he was trying to show me the enormous Red Irish Lord in the rock depression next to it, which it turns out he never saw.

We found scalyheaded sculpins, lots of sole, various rockfish (no vermilions), decorator crabs, and a wealth of nudis, including clowns, alabasters, janolus fuscus, sea lemons, the beautiful lavender and gold dendronotus, several Hudsons and a couple of others that I don't recall. We ended the dive on gas, as we had used a bit on the first dive, and ascended through murky green water to the boat.

It was the third diving trip for Nottie, and it really went rather smoothly, except for the finding China Wall part. This is clearly going to be a nice boat to dive from, once we get the navigation and sounder management down, and once I learn to steer it :-)

Thank you, Jonathan, and thank you HJ for providing wonderful surface support.

Anyone else mountain bike?

Jason B. — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:06:36 GMT

I recently got into mountain biking. I figured it would be a fun way to work the main areas I need for diving - legs, lungs, heart and brain. It does all that for sure but man do I feel like a noobie. You know how when you are learning to hover motionless - how everyone and everything near you becomes a magnet and pulls you towards it - well, that's what all the trees, roots, and ruts are doing to me right now.
It is a fun way to pass the day when you can't get out for a dive.

I got in a nice 7 mile ride today down the old canal trail which ends at an old aqueduct built in the early 1800's and is considered an engineering marvel for that time. (see pic below)

The entire trail is right along the rivers edge so the water is not far away and makes for some great scenery. It's a nice way to see some beautiful nature and get in some great exercise at the same time.

Any other mountain bikers out there?

Dialed In

ladiblu — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:52:26 GMT

I am a new diver (50 some dives) with about 7 dives in my drysuit. Today was special, everything just clicked. My weighting was good, bouyancy spot on, trimmed out well and about 20 minutes into the dive I realized that I was just relaxed and really enjoying the dive. It just felt great. :cute:

Hello

shamustar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:26:56 GMT

Hello everyone,

My name is Kim. I just joined today so Happy 4th of July!

I recently got certified this past semester in college. Did my cert dives in 50 degree waters and complained about it the entire time.

I just graduated from Boston University so I'm doing a very good job being unemployed. I would love to work at SeaWorld or for the Mouse or any aquarium.

Anyway, I'm glad to be apart of the community!

Hey everybody from Chicago

kristal — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:29:28 GMT

Hey,

New to the site. Live in Bourbonnais (south suburb of Chicago) GO CUBS!!
Diving limited to Lake Michigan and quarrys. Just looking to meet other divers.

Kristal:cute:

Happy 4th of July Dive Weekend!

headhunter — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:57:59 GMT

I wanted to wish all of you in the U.S. a Happy 4th of July Dive Weekend!

May you all have a fun weekend of diving (or whatever you have planned).

Dive safe!

Christian

BC's 3rd annual 4th on the 5th!!!

Rickster — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:19:49 GMT

Everyone is invited to join The Beach Crabs for our 3rd annual 4th of July Picnic/Dive, to be held on Sat. July 5th.

This year we will be meeting at Nicholas Canyon, just south of Leo Carrillo State Beach, on PCH.

Time: 8:00am-???

Info: BC's 4th

Every year this event has been a good time, with lots of diving, good food, and a chance to meet and talk to other divers. Hope to see you there.

Thank you,
Rick

Introduction

DeepBubbles — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:09:38 GMT

Hello. Hi.

July 2008 Dive Reports, Summer is here!

headhunter — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:50:01 GMT

Date:
Dive Location:
Buddy(ies):
Time:
Bottom Time:
Max Depth:
Vis:
Wave height:
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Gas mix:
Best moment:
Things to do differently next time:
Comments:

Octodog!!

Sounder — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:44:55 GMT

Hurry, you can get one in time for Christmas!!

http://www.octodog.net/

Attached Images

Redneck Seafood..jpg (26.6 KB)

Diving Triples?

nannymouse — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:30:12 GMT

Sorry! I'm not talking about adding another tank to your doubles rig.

I am wondering about your various opinions regarding diving in groups of three.

Likes? Dislikes? Heaven on earth, or Certain Death?

light fuse, then run... Nannymouse.

Yep, i am a newbie here

cascubacat — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:01:02 GMT

Hi all,

My name is Chris, I have been diving for several years especially in the California/Monterey area. My buddy John has been encouraging me to join the forum here.

So here I am!

Chris

New DUI Drysuit CF200 with Extras! - $1800

cascubacat — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:23:18 GMT

I don't want to part with it, but must sell my drysuit... My loss is your gain!
Bought it last year and only used it once, so it is in excellent condition.

Here are the details...

DUI CF200X:
Diagonal front-entry zipper
Telescoping torso, suspenders, crotch strap
Warm neck collar
Zipper guard
Apeks swivel inlet & adjustable, automatic exhaust valves
RockBoot� System
CF200� knee pads
Material: Patented crushed neoprene
Colors: Black body with diagonal blue Tough Duck� overlay
Seals: Latex
Bag: DUI drysuit bag, talc and zipper ease

DUI RockBoots� Size 1 (Shoe size 10.5 - 11)
Turtle Fins
DUI Hood 7mm
Pioneer XL Fleece undergarments.

Drysuit alone lists for $2458, Asking $1800 for everything.
I am 5'11" 200lbs, and this is a perfect fit.
See Mfr. Website: http://www.dui-online.com/dry_cf.htm

Call Chris at (510) 209-6460

Attached Images

	CF200a.jpg (97.0 KB)
	CF200Xb.jpg (119.1 KB)
	CF200Xc.jpg (77.1 KB)

Custom High Definition UW Video System -- $500

lundysd — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:17:04 GMT

Several months ago, I set out to build an ultra-compact high definition travel housing for my camera. Here is the result.

The camera is a Canon TX1, a very compact still camera and high definition video camera that records to SD media. The camera takes 7MP still photos and high definition video � it�s about the size of a deck of cards.

Canon Tx1

The housing is custom built from �� acrylic and stainless steel hardware � it is about 5.5� in diameter, 6� long, and neutral in saltwater (or freshwater). I�ve had it to 130ft on several occasions without any problems whatsoever � it should go to 200ft without a problem, but I just haven�t tested it that deep. I haven�t put any controls in because I wanted to keep it simple and reliable; just hit record, latch the camera, and go for a dive. I�ve been getting up to 45 minutes of high definition video out of a single charge and memory card. The housing handles are removable and can be replaced with a scooter mount that I will also include (just add a camstrap and slide it onto your scooter).

After building and testing the camera, I love it�. but I love the process of building them more, and I want to sell this one to fund another model.

Initial camera cost was $600
Housing cost me $250 in supplies plus LOTS of time
Extra battery (2 total), 8gb SDHC also included (over $100)
Scooter mount included � just add a cam strap

Asking price -- $500 shipped within the US. Please contact me with any questions, and thanks for looking

WTB: Aeris Atmos 2 Computer

Mo2vation — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:54:43 GMT

Any condition, so long as its working.

Its that round thing with the ugly green trim. Its sitting in the bottom of your dive box, and you haven't used it since your PADI Nitrox class.

I want it.

Send me a PM.

Thanks.

Ken

Local Diver Search Gets an Upgrade

Ted S — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:38:55 GMT

The purpose of The Dive Matrix has always been to get people diving and to assist in that mission, we've upgraded, overhauled and as of today, relaunched the Local Diver Search feature (also referred to as the Buddy Finder).

The new version of the Local Diver Search feature includes several exciting changes you're sure to like:

You can now search by US Zip Code, City or State plus international latitude & longitude.
Your searching options have been expanded to allow refining based on dive experience including the number of dives, years certified and other fields.
Your results have been redesigned and also include expanded dive profile information, additional contact information & much more!
Your Dive Profile page now includes additional profile fields and a seperate section explaining how to setup your Local Diver Search has been added to the same tool.

We're excited about these changes and even more excited to hear what you think so please feel free to post your suggestions and feedback in this thread.

So check out the new Local Diver Search... find a buddy, meet divers in your area... and get diving!

FS: Poseidon Jetstream/Odin

Globaldiver — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:31:44 GMT

1 Poseidon Jetstream with 7' long hose
2 second stages
1 extra older Poseidon first stage for double configuration
1 Poseidon regulator bag.

Price: $350 plus shipping

contact Anders at:
jelveus@yahoo.com

Attached Images

Poseidon.jpg (33.6 KB)

FS: Halcyon Explorer 55 lbs wing

Globaldiver — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:28:22 GMT

1 Halcyon Explorer 55 lbs wing: $ 300 plus shipping.

I live in Santa Monica, CA.
Contact Anders at:

jelveus@yahoo.com

Dive Matrix Exclusive First Look - the DSS SuperScooter 12 Monkey Diving Wing

Mo2vation — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:45:18 GMT

Leave it to DSS to see a need and design gear to fill it.

I'm not talking about McScuba crapola - I'm talking about the another step in a long and distinguished journey of specialized gear for specialized diving.

The DSS Super Scooter 12 - finally gear designed specifically for Scootering!

Claudette and I have been fortunate to have about 8 or 10 dives on this wing in all conditions - clear, surgey, boat, shore, etc. When part of a balanced rig that includes adequate exposure protection and an Aluminum 80 cylinder, this rig is ALL THAT.

Simple, reliable, rugged, streamline and fun.

Did I mention fun? :rofl:

Below are some images. Click on the bar at the top of the image to have it blow up to 1200 pixels wide.

I could go on and on, but I'm sure Tobin will chime in and share some of the design innovations built into the SS12, as well as the parameters of a balanced rig its designed to be a part of.

Enjoy.

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Ken

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The Wing - not inflated. Front side

The Wing - not inflated. Back side

The Wing - inflated. Front side.

The Wing - inflated. Back side

The Wing on the Plate - did I mention its streamlined? Front side

The Wing on the Plate - Back side

Oral Inflator - Detail. This is my fav part of the rig. When I'm playing around and spinning and twisting, I do a lot of rope work - and the cord was getting caught on the huge traditional inflator. This thing is small, effective and stays out of my way.

OPV - the standard DSS OPV is mounted on the rear left. Just where you expect it to be

Wing Fasteners - these allow the wing to be mounted to virtually any plate on the market. Although it fits best on a DSS plate... ;)

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