The Dive Matrix

FS: Faber double LP 85's, Halcyon Al BP, 55# Explorer wing and 40# Eclipse single tank wing

josh — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:19:20 GMT

Cleaning out the dive locker.

1. Double Faber LP 85's with Highland bands & Thermo(?) manifold. Need vis & hydro. Original hydro '02 (I think). Purchased '03. Last used '06. $500.

2. Halcyon Explorer 55# doubles wing. $150. It had an accident and the bladder was punctured. My patch work is holding up nicely. I trust it. You might not. Closeup pics available on request. Replacement bladders available from Halcyon.

3. Halcyon Aluminum BP with H webbing. Good as new. $150.

4. Halcyon Eclipse 40# single tank wing. Great condition. $200. I'm looking for a 30#-ish single tank wing.

Complete doubles rig--$700. Preference may be given to buyers who want the whole rig.

Pics & more details available on request.

Paypal or cash only, please.

I'm in Central CA, so the tanks can be picked up here or I can meet you in Monterey. Shipping is available via Fedex or UPS. A reasonable (?) handling fee will be added actual shipping cost to cover packing and general inconvenience. Local pickup is preferred. Smaller items purchased separately can be sent via USPS or Fedex, whichever you prefer. Buyer pays actual shipping cost for small items.

Josh Umsted

Labour Day Sale - Free Shipping!!!

Piranhadivemfg — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:07:38 GMT

For this weeks� Labour Day sale, any order over $75 will receive free ground shipping (via USPS or FED EX, our choice of either) to addresses within the US and its territories!! We have not left out our international customers on this deal either! Place your order for $75 or more and we will split the shipping with you. (via USPS ONLY)

Be sure to enter the code �eric� ALL in lower case at checkout in the �Gift Certificate / Promo Code� box to receive your freeshipping discount!!

This Labour Day sale does not include HOT DEALS or Cylinders!

This week�s sale is limited to in stock items only.... No Backorders!
Sales cannot be combined with any other coupons or other discount codes!!

Come visit us at www.piranhadivemfg.com and click on our HOT DEALS tab at the top of our website!!
All so follow us on Facebook at Piranha Dive Mfg. Those who join will get Facebook only specials!!

Sale runs until Midnight EST Wednesday, September 9th.

Cheers

Eric

GUE Demo Day - SoCal - 10/17 - Free!

Rainer — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:03:59 GMT

Posting this on Steve's behalf. Should be a lot of fun!

---------------

GUE Demo Day - Free Event - Sunday Oct 17, 2010

This is a great opportunity to meet LA's GUE Instructors Steven Millington & Karim Hamza, try gear in the pool & learn about Global Underwater Explorers.

Come and find out more about the GUE organization and training...

* Check out diving in a backplate / wing & longhose
* Try some non-silting propulsion techniques
* Learn about advanced buoyancy control techniques
* Experience team positioning & communication
* Try a single tank configuration, or try a set of doubles

GUE Instructors and GUE divers will be on site facilitating, giving demos
& answering questions.

All gear (backplates/wings/long hoses/tanks/weights) provided FREE for this event.

You'll need to provide:
Mask, fins/boots, wetsuit, towel and certification card.
_ _ _

Registration is required!
So we can bring enough sets of gear, we ask you please call us to reserve your
space for the demo: 818-749-3483

Date: Sunday Oct 17, 2010

Time: 8am -12 Noon

Location: Cleveland High School Indoor Pool
8120 Vanalden Ave., Reseda, California 91335

After the demo: We'll grab lunch, have a fun Q & A and view photos from the session.

Don't miss out!

Vets Park 09-01-10pm - Cumanotus sp. 1 nudies are back

SeekNCritters — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:16:57 GMT

We saw Cumanotus nudies at Vets last night! A couple weeks ago I noticed there were a lot of the pink solitary hydroids around, and was hopeful we'd see some Cumanotus show up soon. They're back!

Last night the viz was bad in the first 30 ft, then WHAM the water temp dropped to 53 degrees at 30 ft and there was VIZ (20ft+)! Surf was small, tide was low-ish and we noticed a couple of dips in the surf zone sand, but not bad.

Lots of teeny shrimp loved our lights which attracted the fish. Fun to watch the fish chomping on the shrimp.

-Dana

Hello from The end of the Oregon Trail!

nwffdiver — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:45:23 GMT

I have been lurking on the site now for a few weeks, and decided to say HI!
Brad

Sierra Battery Question

Mattleycrue76 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:01:15 GMT

I was wondering if anyone knows the weight of a Sierra battery. I have two scales, one of which is too small to measure mine, the other is a bathroom scale and is not very precise.

Thanks

Matt

Catalina Weekend - Belated Trip Report - Valiant Video

Rainer — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:14:42 GMT

A few weeks ago, Nicole, Stephen, Jen, and I decided to head over to Catalina for two days of diving at the Underwater Dive Park. We brought two scooters for four people and took turns sharing them (sometimes towing, sometimes splitting into scooter/kick teams). Water wasn't the cleanest, but certainly good enough, and we got in five excellent dives. I shot video on a few, but only bothered to edit that from the first dive out to the Valiant, a 162' luxury yacht sitting in 70-100' just outside the dive park.

Cody and Leslie also came over the second day, and of course immediately found GSBs (the rest of us got skunked this trip).

After we finished with the last dive, the six of us ate and drank our way across Avalon. Some top-side photos here:

avalon - these days

The landlord is in town

Jeff Shaw — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:21:50 GMT

I don't usually cross post to other boards, but...

http://diver.net/bbs/posts002/82519.shtml

First UW photos with DSLR

b1gcountry — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:08:27 GMT

I got a new Canon T2i for the upcoming baby, and found out my buddy for my Mackinaw trip also got the same camera along with the UW housing, and a Tokina 10-17mm fisheye. I got to dive with it for one dive, and managed some decent shots.

Critiques are welcome, but I'm pretty happy with attempt #1.

Self portrait, and my new avatar. This was just an afterthought, and I'm surprised it turned out at all. Thanks to Greg for giving me the tip as he was handing me the camera.
Attachment 2656

This is Jim swimming around on the Sandusky. Vis was pretty good that day, and we were the only ones on the wreck.
Attachment 2657

Jim at the bow of the Sandusky looking at the Ram figurehead.
Attachment 2658

Attached Images

Labor Day 2010 with Sundiver II!

Captain Kyaa — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:27:04 GMT

Hi Divers,

We'll be sailing all Labor Day weekend long with great trip opportunities for you hard working divers. Our Friday Express is a go on 9 3 10 and it looks like we're going to need another boat for this Sunday's California Diver Magazine promo trips! Sundiver to the rescue! We will run our big, comfy boat for the same looooow fare of $100 including subscription for a three quarter or full day of diving. Express is mostly full already pending some call re reorg so let me know which boat you prefer ...when you call.

And for Labor Day itself we want to acknowledge and reward all your labors with a special Monday Express. 3 tanks all inclusive for ONLY $75. This boat is already half full so grab your spot today. Our Express trips next Wednesday and next Friday are goes too so get wet while we have a little Summer!
:D

See you under,
Captain Kyaa
Sundiver International
800-555-9446

Aqualung Kronos vs. Mistral

Nate the Skate — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:03:35 GMT

I am new to diving and want to purchase (this week) either an Aqualung Kronos or Twin-Hose Mistral.
If you've used either or both, I'd love to hear from you and get your advice ASAP.

Tanks!;)

California AAUS Science Diving: Aug. 14-15

Rapture of the Deep — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:26:03 GMT

thought I'd give a quick report on our day at the California Science
Center, although I'm not quite sure mine could be called a 'dive'
exactly.

In the morning, they divided us up and dive buddy Barbara went to help
chop up food for the Leopard sharks and the afternoon fish feed and I
was asked to assist the Aquarist in catching (with nets) 3 Horn Sharks
and determining their gender and returning them to their little pool,
so, that was instructive!

Then, in the afternoon, Barb did the Kelp Tank Talk with full-face
mask and underwater microphone while I was sent to clean the Tropical
Tank, which is only about the size of a wide shower stall and 8 ft
deep.

A first for me was: no SCUBA tank, but air supplied through a long
hose from the surface and no fins or BC due to the confined space.

Without the tank on your back for some weight, you have to extra
weight on the belt. Apparently, I added not quite enough and found
myself comically under weighted on my first dunk.

So, with no more room for weight on the weight belt pouches, they
added weight (oddly) in my attached hood, which was not worn, but
draped over my back like a sack.

When I bent down to vacuum the bottom of the tank with a long hose,
the sack weights kept falling out for some reason, leaving me to pick
them up from the bottom with one hand, while vacuuming with the other.

Without fins to stabilize myself, whenever I stood up, I would start
rising at an alarming angle and would have to reach out to grab
something.:eek:

Of course all this is happening in front of a small audience of
parents and kids all giggling and pointing, so I tried to make it look
like it was all part of the show.

Next time, I'll try wearing two weight belts with a mind-numbing 40
lbs strapped to me.

Tomorrow, it's back to the much larger (and colder) 52F Kelp Forest
Tank (+/- 800,000 gals) and feeding the Moray Eels and Leopard Sharks.

(They let Barb bring a Go Pro wrist-mounted video cam into the tank
today--identical to the model used by Chuck Patterson to film the
Great White shark off San Onofre last week-- but we're having issues
with it, so, not sure if we'll have much viewable video yet. Will
post if we do.)

I highly recommend aquarium diving if you're looking to move outside
of your normal comfort zone and pick up some valuable hands-on
marine science training leading to certification as an AAUS (American
Academy of Underwater Sciences) Science Diver certification.

(Sorry, that was my idea of a 'quick' report--some things never change, huh?)

Cheers,

Mikey
Attachment 2650

That's Barb in the middle, giving the Kelp Talk, with me in the background, on the bottom, feeding fish.

Attached Images

DSCN7107..jpg (147.0 KB)

Marine Room Dive with Fried Egg Jellies + Video

Rapture of the Deep — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:20:55 GMT

Date: 8-28-10

Time: 9:03 am

Dive Buddy: Julie Lorenzen

Dive Length: 33 mins

Surf: 1-2 ft, ie: negligible

Viz: not bad: 15-20 ft.

Max Depth: 124 ft.

Underwater Topography: La Jolla Canyon, South Wall

Mix: 32%

Marine Life Seen: several schools of unidentifed fish in the kelp on the bottom, Sand Dabs, a Vermilion Rockfish in a hole and several Fried Egg Jellies ( Phacellophora camtschatica) as well as some Sea Pens, Order: Pennatulacea, sp. unknown

Video here: Julie and the Jelly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eptvXcjZP9w

[This my first ever underwater videos taken with a Go Pro Hi Def wrist-mounted camera--so be nice, OK?] I realize it's not film festival material! LOL!

Julie and I waded through negligible surf this morning for a nice dive where we explored the South Wall of La Jolla Canyon, taking photographs and video of numerous Fried Egg Jellies seen along the way.

MoCal Planning tools

fdog — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:38:44 GMT

Thought it might help some folks to pass on some of the planning tools I use - the coast is a goodly bit of driving, so we need to make our trips worth it.

Sea State

The first big tool we use is the wonderful page Mike Mill put together - it is nice and clean, keeps the data referenced to today, and has great splat speeds.

Temporary Forecast Page

__________________________________________________ ____________________

Weather

For us, the big picture is what's most important - stuff like temperature and cloud cover are minor things. We want to know if howling winds are in the future, or a nasty storm front. You know, things that make diving unpalatable.

For the big picture, that means the Jet Stream.

Here it is - this links to a living file, as seen below:

What's nice is there's a whole bucket full of Jet Stream forecasts available, and you can look out to as far as 5 days away! That is truly off the hook tasty.

Jet Stream Forecast page (...I'd recommend the Eastern Pacific forecasts...)

Here's a look at your 5-day future:

__________________________________________________ __________________

Water Temperature

The last thing we look for is water temperature. Here's the most current data from NOAA. Note that these are surface temperatures, so, I mentally subtract 2 degrees C for actual dive temps at Lobos:

I realize that not everyone is a nerd-boy type like me and happy with degrees C, so, I made this translation for the rest of y'all:

The source for this is the NOAA Sea Surface Temperature page. This page believe me can be a time-waster, as you look and dream of those tropical far-away locations...

Also, if you use the US Pacific temperature chart, you can get an idea of the vis. When a pool of cold (or warm) water has stagnated in your area, you can expect vis to be the same-ol-same-ol. However, keep an eye on it, and you can occasionally see a slug of fresh, deep ocean water arrive - and usually, good vis with it.

__________________________________________________ _________________

Hope this helps someone - it's kept us from planning trips that were going to be blowout weekends.

All the best, James

Hogan on OC and CC

lobstah — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:12:35 GMT

I can't really explain it, but every time I dive Hogan I find myself dropping on it, taking a look and thinking "Wow. It's a really cool wreck". I can't really put my finger on what makes it cool - it's quite broken down after being bombed to pieces and then spending 65 years on a bottom in a surge. There's relatively little structure sticking out of the sand. When compared to Yukon, which is similar in length, there's simply less wreck to look at, but somehow I like it. Maybe it's because of its huge turbine which lies there exposed or maybe because of anemones growing everywhere, or resident wolf eel, or maybe tons of fish schooling on this wreck. None of it is unique to Hogan, so I honestly don't know why I like it.

Anyway. We did 2 nice 30 minute bottomtimes on 25/25 for OC team and 15/55 for CC team, both followed by ~20 min deco. Vis on a bottom was ~20 feet with plankton enjoying cold upwelling with fresh supply of nutrients and tons of fish enjoying the plankton feast. Midwater was clear up to 70 feet with little red tide layer and jellyfish galore between 70 and a surface. We were entertained on deco by two big fried egg jellies and thousands of tiny ones drifting with gentle current.

Perfect day on a Yellow Boat with brie and a soup and Danny as a driver. Life is good.

Weekend Report - Ocean City, MD - Thursday 8/26/10 & Saturday 8/28/10

OCDiveBoat — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:17:23 GMT

We had a couple good days of diving out of Ocean City, MD this week, Thursday we had an Underwater Hunter Course with 4 hunter divers. We headed out about 8am to our favorite spearfishing site about 6 miles offshore, the Kona Hi-Lola (aka twin barges). Everyone had a blast and did a fantastic job. After two dives we headed back with several large tog and a nice doormat. Vis was average.. about 15-20 feet, the water was nice and comfortable on the sand at about 45 feet. Overall a great day.

Saturday we headed out to the African Queen with a full boat. Had a slight NNE wind around 10 kts and a 3 ft ground swell @ 14 seconds. Not to bad when they are that far apart. Sun was out and the water was relatively warm. Vis was about the same.. 15-20 feet on the sand depending on where you were on the large wreck. Pulled several bugs off the wreck along with the usual tog & flounder. Had three turtle sightings on the way out to the dive site. One hung out by the boat for a good part of our dives, it was a nice rare treat.

Friday and Sunday were blown out…

iPhone V-Planner v2.01 - now available

rossh — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:27:01 GMT

The iPhone and iPod V-Planner v2.01 is now available at the App Store.

This update includes the familiar V-Planner checklist system to allow for easy selection and storing of levels and mixes. Levels and mixes can be edited too. The bail out system has been updated give better control over cave type situations and bail out mix selections.

New arrivals at Piranha Dive MFG

Piranhadivemfg — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:13:16 GMT

This week we have in some LED Light Sticks for night diving. These are small and lightweight! No more need for chemical light sticks! The entire end of the lens glows with your choice of orange or green color! Our high intensity LED light travels farther underwater for maximum visibility. Also has a 330 feet depth rating.

There are more deals to be had, just have a look around our HOT DEALS Section!!

Also follow us on Facebook at Piranha Dive Mfg. Those who join will get Facebook only specials!!

This week�s sale is limited to in stock items only.... No Backorders!
Sales cannot be combined with any other coupons or other discounts!!

Come visit us at www.piranhadivemfg.com and click on our HOT DEALS tab at the top of our website!!

Sale runs until Midnight EST Wednesday, September 1st.

Cheers

Eric

Whew! There goes August!

Captain Kyaa — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:07:42 GMT

Hi Divers,

August sure went quickly. It was a blur of trips for me but we are happy to get you out in the water while conditions are this good.

It looks like our Sunday afternoon boat will run this weekend on 8 29 10 if you would like to sleep in and still dive. The forecast for Sunday looks to be the best day this weekend and our morning boat is FULL. The afternoon boat runs approximately 1:30pm to 7pm $95 all inclusive. Express open boats next Weds and Friday too. :D

See you under,
Captain Kyaa
Sundiver International
800-555-9446
sundiver.net

Dive dry with dr. Bill #402: Cousteau family camp

drbill — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:42:07 GMT

DIVE DRY WITH DR. BILL #402: COUSTEAU FAMILY CAMP

Back in June I received an e-mail from my old friend Jean-Michel Cousteau saying that he had a few ideas to share with me. We hoped to meet up at his Ocean Futures office in Santa Barbara when I went up there to dive the northern Channel Islands. However, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico took him out of town a lot, and we could never find a mutually convenient date. Since he would be on the island in August for the Cousteau Family Camp, we decided that would be the best time to get together.

The day I was to drive down there, I couldn't start either of Packy's vehicles.. and, of course, the "Dr. Bill Mobile" golf cart is not interior legal. I finally managed to get his 1976 Jeep running some four hours later, and decided to postpone my trip to Howland's Landing until the next day. I was off and running by 9:00, electing not to take my dive gear since most participants in the Family Camp snorkeled. Unfortunately that was a mistake as I could have squeezed in a dive and the conditions looked fabulous

My drive through the island's interior was a cherished experience. Beginning back in the late 1960s on through 2000 I spent much of my time out there teaching field-oriented science classes for my students at Toyon, as well as exploring the island in my old M38A1 military jeep. Fortunately in those days the school paid for my gas and it was under $0.50 per gallon... a bit above my hourly pay at the school. This time it took $45 of gasoline just to get to Howland's and back! Every turn in the road brought back old memories and I actually teared up a few times thinking back on some of them. I'm sure island residents both old and new have similar emotional reactions when driving, hiking or biking out there.

I arrived at the Camp just as Jean-Michel was taking his shower after snorkeling with the participants. Before going over to him, I ran into Pam Stacey and then Dr. Richard "Murph" Murphy. I had worked with both of them on the early Cousteau Project Ocean Search programs back at Toyon in the 1970s so it was a nice opportunity for a reunion. Later I worked with them and Jean-Michel on several other projects, including the 1985 two hour documentary about the Channel Islands for TBS. Later, I introduced Jean-Michel and Murph to Packy and they became members of the Conservancy board of directors, providing great input to the organization during their eight year tenure.

Back in the late 1980s we tried to get Jean-Michel an island base of operations at Emerald Bay. I went out to Santa Cruz Island to meet with them about this (and do some diving as well). Unfortunately island "politics" came into play and the opportunity was lost in a storm of negative publicity. Some day I'll tell "the other side of the story." Finally back in the late 1990s we were able to establish a cooperative arrangement between the Catalina Island Camps or CIC (http://www.catalinaislandcamps.com/docs/cic_home.htm) located at Howland's and Jean-Michel's Ocean Futures organization (http://www.oceanfutures.org/). This year was the 13th season for the Cousteau Family Camp at that site.

Jean-Michel, "Murph" and the Horner family of CIC have done some great things at Howlands. Not only is the CIC run out of that facility, as it has been since 1926, and the Cousteau Family Camp, but another joint venture called CELP between the two has created a model for all camp and cove operations here on the island. CELP stands for Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. This program is an outdoor education experience offered to students in grades four through twelve. Participants learn not only about our unique kelp forests and their critters, but how to lessen the impact of their daily lives on the environment around us.

Campers can experience functioning programs that recycle wastes, including composting organic materials for use in the organic garden that helps feed them. One of the signs that caught my eye asked when you throw trash "away," where is "away." It was intended to make participants aware of what happens to the "trash" they dispose of, and would be a good lesson for us here in Avalon. Fortunately our trash gets recycled by Seagull Sanitation, but we need to go to much greater lengths to actually reduce the stream of goods coming onto the island that create tons of unnecessary trash, especially the plastics.

Two of the personality traits I've always respected about Jean-Michel are his approachability and the way he "walks the talk." Here I am a starving dive bum, yet he gave me nearly three hours of largely one-on-one time to talk not only about future programs for the island and the Water Planet we could work on together, but also what was going on in my personal life (not much!). When a young participant walked up to him and asked him to tie his shoe, Jean-Michel didn't bat an eye and tied it while talking to the boy. As for "walking the talk," a yellow jacket flew into Jean-Michel's juice glass as we sat. Rather than toss it out or kill the insect which was only seeking sustenance, Jean-Michel carefully lifted the yellow jacket out of the juice with his fork before it drowned, allowed the wings to dry off and then sent it off in flight.

As for the ideas we talked about, some related to Catalina and others to the global picture. Jean-Michel has always been aware of Catalina's uniqueness so close to what he refers to as "the human tide" of "Lost Angeles" (my phrase, not his). He is aware that we have a story here on the island worth telling to the world, and feels we need a greater presence on the Internet. He suggested Catalina develop an underwater and a terrestrial web presence that can demonstrate what we have to offer to the global Internet audience. Back in the mid 90s I introduced the Conservancy to the web and developed its first web site while he was a board member.

We also talked about a tie-in between Oceanic Defense (http://www.oceanicdefense.org/) on whose advisory board I sit and his Ambassadors of the Sea program, specifically in the Cayman Islands where Oceanic Defense is based. I'm helping to arrange a meeting of the heads of O.D. and "Murph" when he is out there in December. If I can rob our local bank enough times before then, maybe I'll join them!

By the time we had to wrap up our dinner conversation, it was getting dark and time for me to head back to Avalon. I would have loved to stay as it was "no talent" skit night, something I had participated in decades ago during the programs at Toyon. During one in the 70s, several of us wrapped ourselves up in sleeping bags pretending to be sea cucumbers. Then when someone poked at us, we "spewed" bed sheets out the opening to imitate sea cucumbers spilling their guts (known as eviscerating to us scientists)! I was asked to join in the fun, but thought it best to navigate the winding island roads while I was still awake! And so another great memory was established here on the island, with a few new options for future involvement.

Image caption: Collage of Cousteau Family Camp images, teach your child(ren) well; Pam Stacey, Jean-Michel and myself fooling around at POS in the 70s, the three "Sea Mouse" 'kateers today.

Smell a rat? How about a lot of Rats? Ratfish, that is.

HBDiveGirl — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:58:21 GMT

Full disclosure: I'm a nut for ratfish.

Several years ago Ken and I came upon one, (ONE, 1, uno, un) at about 100 fsw on a dark night at Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach, California.
Thousands of dives in SoCal and I've seen exactly one ratfish in California.

One.

Apparently, Puget Sound has a few. :laugh:

LCF and so many others tell tales of wonder about ratfish so thick you have to swat them aside to see the dive site.
They are beautiful to see, with gold-threads lacing all over their bodies, big puppy-dog eyes, and slow-motion hovering gracefulness... when they aren't being whirled in the propellers.

Apparently, I'm an effective Ratfish Repellant as I've seen only a handful of them on four trips to dive in the Sound. Someday, my ratfish will come!

In the mean time, Ray at DiveXtras (Home of Ratfish Chop-Chop), sent me this recent fascinating article about the ugly little cuties. It's from the Seattle Times, August 14, 2010. More photos are available at the website LINK.

Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------
Rise of the Ratfish in Puget Sound

While other fish founder, one bizarre species is thriving deep in Puget Sound waters.
By Sandi Doughton

PREV 1 of 9 NEXT

TOM REESE
Nearly 70 percent of all the fish in the Sound basin are ratfish - relatives of the shark with powerful jaws and a row of teeth suited for eating clams and worms in the muddy bottom. This one was netted for research near Port Ludlow.

RAY TROLL
Artist Ray Troll drew ratfish in the Sound and, with fellow ratfish aficionado Russell Wodehouse, wrote a rap song that concludes: "Gangsta style is ratfish style, they're coming to your town. Be jammin' in your living room, wear your momma's gown." Hear Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wranglers perform their song, "Ratfish Rule," at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2r1qChVtQI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2r1qChVtQI

TOM REESE
Aboard a fishing boat, researcher Wayne Palsson cradles a "good-looking " ratfish pulled from the depths of Puget Sound. The ratfish has ancestors back more than 300 million years, a nose studded with electrical organs that can sense the heartbeats of tiny crustaceans and clams buried in mud, pectoral fins that flap like bat wings, a venomous dorsal spine and eyes designed to see in the dark depths.

TOM REESE
Male ratfish use their two pairs of pelvic claspers to attach to a female and transfer sperm during mating.

TOM REESE
Palsson brings aboard the net that holds mostly ratfish, and a small number of other species.

TOM REESE
Counted and weighed as part of a study, ratfish are returned to Puget Sound. They are not economically important, and are seen through human eyes variously as rodents, bunnies or trash fish.

TOM REESE
Aboard a research fishing boat, Courtney Adkins and Pete Sergeef record the catch, an account that shows overwhelming numbers of ratfish.

TOM REESE
Wayne Palsson begins to sort a net full of sea life from the bottom of Puget Sound close to Foulweather Bluff (near Port Ludlow) - and it's overwhelmingly ratfish. Sometimes he can find 2 tons a day. There are an estimated 30 ratfish in Puget Sound for each man, woman and child in the state.

TOM REESE
Pacific Magazine 9/15/2010 Their distinctive aquamarine eyes are apparent on the ratfish netted close to Foulweather Bluff (near Port Ludlow). The eerie glow of the eyes is a sign of their ability to gather light at the bottom of the Sound.

Related

The rap on rats
Ratfish are also called ghost sharks.
Spotted ratfish hatch as miniature adults, a few inches long.
The ratfish's dorsal spine is made of dentin, similar to mammalian teeth.
Mature fish can exceed 3 feet in length.
Females are dominant and larger than males.
Females can store sperm and use it later to fertilize their eggs.
There are 37 species worldwide in the Chimaeriformes order, which includes ratfish. Among the odder ones are the cockfish of Argentina and the elephantfish of New Zealand.
Spotted ratfish occur from Alaska to the tip of Baja.
Biologists have netted two albino ratfish in Puget Sound, one in 2007 and one this year.
Ratfish mature at about 13 years of age, and probably live more than 20 years.
Ratfish tend to hang with their own age group. Divers have reported seeing masses of young fish.
The green glow of the ratfish eye is due to a lowlight adaptation called a tapetum lucidum, a membrane similar to that in cats' eyes that reflects light back onto the retina.
Aquariums around the world collect Puget Sound ratfish.
Want to know more? "Life History, Abundance and Distribution of the Spotted Ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei," by Lewis Abraham Kamuela Barnett:
http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/casg/casgy08001.pdf

So just how do you measure and determine the Length of a Hose?

Mo2vation — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:57:33 GMT

So I'm between big dives, and its time to delouse some gear, clean some stuff up and make any repairs / changes learned from my last outing.

I've sent my regs off to Glynn, and I'm going through my spares and exchanging out some hoses. And this vexing issue came up again:

How do you measure the length of the hose?

I love the length of my hoses. LOVE THEM. Well, I could use a 6-1/2 foot hose (7' is a floppy mess, 6' is a tad snug) - but all others are perfect. Most aren't "standard" DIR length hoses - some are a bit shorter, my SPG is a bit longer, etc. They all work I love them.

But I can't remember what I ordered, as its been so long. So I'm measuring some of them this morning, and I'm getting a little annoyed.

How do you measure these things??? If I get it wrong, I'm gonna get hoses that are an inch or two too long or too short. Not a big deal with the long hose - but its a pain for the inflator or necklace.

I'm thinking "B" - but I'm not sure.

Any ideas?

Thanks

-Ken

(A) From the end of the fitting?

(B) From the end of the crimp?

(C)From the end of the "hose"

Fin found at The Office (aka Cove 2)

Seainggreen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:16:02 GMT

I met up with one of my favorite out-of-town visitors for a dive down at the cove tonight. During our dive we happened upon a fairly brand-new fin around 40 ft deep. Just one fin. In the event someone's looking for it, thought I'd post here and let y'all know since I know many of you are on other local forums... so mayhap word can be spread?

The fin is navy and black and I can't recall the brand at the moment, but if the owner can ID that part of things let's get it back to them!

Happy diving and PS: DUI demo days at Mukilteo State Park is this weekend!

Seainggreen aka Laurynn

Great to get wet again!

Montana — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:18:27 GMT

Wow! What a drought for me. I started remodeling a condo four months ago and thought I would be able to move in in June. Been working every spare moment on the project, while spending 60 hrs per week at the money making job. Finally I have movers scheduled for Sept 3.

I was able to get in a dive...well okay maybe I just got a little wet. I started Rescue classin April and have not been able to get anything done. Finally part of the class was able to get together on Sunday. We were going through various skills, finally we had to perform a tethered search. I got 27 minutes at 14 feet. Guess that qualifies as getting wet, but not a dive. Had a good time however we thumbed the rest of the day due to impending thunderstorms coming out of the mountains. Good decision since it poured on us all the way home.

Did have a great neck seal leak, however with the water temp at 65 degrees it was almost like bath water. Since we didn't get done, had to reschedule another dive day.;)

Hopefully I can get out to Seattle yet this Fall and get in a couple of dives out there.

Deco Bottle

shawnb — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:10:28 GMT

Of the two, which is a more preferrable deco bottle: AL40: Luxfer or Catalina? If neither of these, what others would be preferred? Does it matter? This is for 100% 02

Farnsworth Bank - DIR Charter - Trip Report

Rainer — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:51:22 GMT

This past Sunday, a group of us headed out on the Sea Bass with intentions of diving at Farnsworth Bank, an open ocean seamount a little less than two miles off the southwest corner of Catalina. Swell models all week were calling for 3-6' seas on the backside of the island, so we departed San Pedro at 6am with little confidence we'd make our intended destination. It's just over a two hour ride and the trip out was a bit bumpy, with 3-4' swell as we neared the frontside of the island, but as soon as we turned the corner at the west end, the seas settled down a bit and 30 minutes later we were dropping anchor on the 60' pinnacle.

Dive 1 - Farnsworth (Deeper)

Kim and I planned to spend the first dive a bit deeper. We spent 35 minutes between 140-160' checking out the many large boulders that surround the main pinnacles as they give way back to the sandy bottom. The purple hydrocorals, one of the highlights of diving at Farnsworth, weren't overly abundant here. We did find one torpedo electric ray. Visibility wasn't stellar (30'), but the dive was really peaceful. Sadly, my video reflector broke just as I was heading in for the dive and the footage was really rather monotone and not worth editing together.

Dive 2 - Farnsworth (Yellow Wall)

With directions from Maciek about how to navigate over to the Yellow Wall, Jen, Kim, and I headed in for our second dive. Plan was 30 minutes in the 80-100' range. Visibility was still down from what is often encountered here, but this dive was nonetheless amazing! The YW really is yellow (with tons of pinks, purples, and oranges as well). Fish densities here were the highest I've ever seen. Purple hydrocorals also dotted nearly every rock. Just stunning. We found another electric ray, and even a large moray eel as we headed back to the anchor. Still no video reflector, but there was a lot more ambient light at these depths, so I managed a bit of video.

Dive 3 - Eagles Nest

Final dive of the day was planned as a drift dive at Eagles Nest. Stephen, Vincent, and I teamed up and headed in. As soon as we descended, we realized the current was blowing in the opposite direction as the captain was planning for. We shrugged, hoped the captain would figure it out, and set off. Depths in this area were modest (I don't think we passed 60', other teams, though, hit 80'). We stayed just on the outside of some thick kelp and poked our heads into crevices looking to spot lobsters (we did find Lobzilla, dude was huge). Had a small bat ray swim by. After 45 minutes, Stephen put up a marker and we ascended through blue water. Boat was waiting for us a few hundred yards away. Other teams managed to find even more bat rays and a *giant* GSB (yes, it was supposedly that big).

Pleasant ride home and then a group of us headed off to sushi. For a day that started at 4am (boat loaded at 5am), we didn't hit our pillows until just after 11pm. Totally worth it.

WTB Steel tanks

DiabloBlanco — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:38:35 GMT

I am looking for some steel tanks , 95's or bigger high or low pressure , Also would like to find a pair of 72's that i can twin up. If you have anything you want to sell a a reasonable price please contact me
Thanks
Jon

Catalina 3-Day Weekend - August 20 - 22. WOW. So much fun I can't stand it!

Mo2vation — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:12:28 GMT

Claudette and I used to retire about quarterly to Catalina for a long weekend of drillin’ and chillin’. We’ve found its how we learn best – by high intensity, repetitive practice. Get in, do a bunch of dives and execute again and again.

We haven’t been to Catalina in about a year – with the winter and spring diving being so poor we’ve stayed mostly local. So this was going to be an exciting time – getting back to the place we’ve been so many times and trying / learning new stuff.

We left Friday morning from the San Pedro Catalina terminal – which again I have to give it up to. When you are moving the mountain of gear that we are moving, the SP terminal really is the best choice. It’s all at ground level – no ramps, no stairs. The doors are automatic (that alone is priceless) – you stage your stuff and queue up inside, the ramp is short to the boat, parking is the cheapest of the major Catalina terminals ($12 / day)… it’s just the best way to go.

We move enough gear for a 6 week Everest expedition onto the boat, and we’re off.

FRIDAY 8-20-2010
Objectives this day: Dive the Valiant, and then Dive Big Casino Reef.

Dive #1 – The Valiant

It has been over a year since I’ve been to the Val, so I’m way over due. This was to be the first trip with the new Micro Cudas – so it’d be interesting to see how fast we’d get there. We gear up, we splash, we get to the starting point (we always us the same starting point) and we go.

Less than 3 minutes. Nice.

The viz is still pretty yucky, but it was better at depth below the ‘cline – but still not wide-angle worthy. We get shots of all of the nudis, say hi to the two octos that live on the Val, and spin to come back. We usually spend an inordinate amount of time there, but our plan called for us to get on back.

On the way back we come up on two GSB’s spooning in the kelp – and it’s on. Claudette will spend time telling you about how amazing it was – and it was pretty amazing. HUGE male, much smaller female doing this slow courtship dance. We watched this for about 10 – 12 minutes. It was amazing.

We blast back to the park, cruise, off gas, get out and head to lunch and a long SI.

Dive #2 – Big Casino Reef

A couple of years ago we dived BCR. It was remarkable. We’ve wanted to get back to it, and now, armed with both Alberto’s excellent directions and a super high rez map from Boss Ross we head out.

We splash, scoot out on the surface to the drop point, drop, take a compass heading and zoom zoom. Within minutes the acres of featureless sand give way to a very nice rock formation, then another, and another. TONS of fish are on this reef as it’s literally the only thing within miles on way and hundreds of yards the other that rises off the bottom more than a few feet.

And the Nudis… wow. Eels, Nudis, so many fish, gorgonian of all color, and the kelp… just amazing. For many years, the Val has been my destination dive when I get to the dive park. I’ve totally fallen in love with BCR all over again. What a place.

After another long dive we head over to the secret spot to look for Hypselodoris. Jaye and I saw him last week. Sadly, he’s not there. So we blast back into the park, looking at more eels and gorgeous fish.

As we’re waiting to get back up the stairs, we both notice the same thing: The instructors on this Friday are exceptionally good. It doesn’t take much for the stairs to become a big cluster, and when we’re moving so much gear up and down, having instructors give clear, loud, concise direction to their students to keep things moving makes a huge difference. The two instructors that were there on Friday had their classes operating like a machine – on the steps, 1, 2, 3 OUT. Staged to come back up, 1, 2, 3 IN. It was great to see this.

We’re out of the water around 4:50 PM. We take down, hog a ton of lockers for the stuff not going back to the hotel, and move the rest back to the Atwater via Cab. Clean up, go dump the DS undies and glove liners and towels into the Laundromat dryer (so plush, diving Catalina!) and meet for dinner at the new Avalon Grill – if you haven’t been there, it’s a nice new place built in the old visitor center. DrB joins us for a bevy after dinner. Very good to get hang time with the doctor. Back to Atwater – face plant.

Some pics below. Next up – Saturday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

We dive a lot of stuff because we bring a lot of stuff!

The Val is awash with Mexichromis making babies. We called it Sexichromis!
View Super-Size Sexichromis here: Chika Bow Bow

Light Table Janolus at 119 FAW at BCR. Very cool nudi's there.

BCR was teaming with Berthella. I mean zillions. They are so funny. They remind me of some wacky plow Ox. I love these guys. All from about 119 FSW.
View Monstah Size Berthella here: Linkage

Bunny-eared BCR Hudson's
To view Gigantic Bunny Ear Hudson, hop here: Boing

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Attached Images

Berthella-2..jpg (159.2 KB)

Im off to Malaysia

David P — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:17:59 GMT

The only reason Im posting here is because Im from SoCal and know many of you and trust some of your input :) Im in China for work at the moment and just confirmed after daily changes that yes I am going to Malaysia, KL. Im hoping to get out of china tonight (1am right now) if not tomorrow. I think I will have a few days off so Im going to do my best to hop in the water. Problem is, because this leg of my Asia tour was not planned, I have nothing for the water. No backplate, regs, mask or even swim shorts!
Water is at least 79 so Im good for an hour in nothing but a dive skin (learned from Sea of Cortez and Hawaii) so I dont have to have a suit sent over here, but would like to know if anyone knows of a shop that rents equipment other than crappy jackets. I saw a place called recntec that carries Halcyon, I sent them an email but no response yet. Im trying to avoid having my mask, fins, bp/w, and regs shipped to me.
Thanks for any input yall.

Going to Malayisa, input needed

David P — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:11:20 GMT

Im in China right now, and Im leaving tomorrow to go to Malaysia staying in or near KL, hoped to go but did not rely on it. Best part is Im going to have some time off and want to hop in the water. Only problem is, because this trip was not planned I have no gear. I hear the water is at least 79 so at MOST I might want my 3mil vest but I doubt even that. I may have some gear shipped to me (afraid to find out how much that is) so I guess Ill go with mask, fins, backplate (hate jackets). I might have my reg thrown in... if Im paying to have my stuff, Id rather use my own regs. Any word on a good shop in KL to run through? Any place there I can rent a backplate and hog reg setup?

WTB: Turtle Fin (ONE)

Rainer — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:41:10 GMT

Managed to lose one of my IDI Turtle fins over the side of the boat yesterday. Hoping someone might have another single they're looking to get rid of. I believe XS Scuba has since bought these and has introduced various sizes. I believe the IDI version is equivalent to the XXXL new version. If it has a spring strap, all the better.

Let me know if you might have one.

Thanks!

Trip Reports � Ocean City, MD � Thursday Aug 19 � Sunday Aug 22 2010

OCDiveBoat — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:48:42 GMT

Trip Reports � Ocean City, MD � Thursday Aug 19 � Sunday Aug 22 2010

We had an awesome week running 4 days in a row, Thursday � Saturday we had flat lake like calm seas and mostly sunny skies with between 30 and 50 feet of viz and warm temps almost to the sand. Sunday the seas were a bit snotty and viz dropped down to about 15ft but overall it was an amazing week.

Thursday we dove the Kathleen Riggins in zone 2. Friday we had 6 students for the Underwater Hunter Course at the Zachary Berg in zone 1. You could see the bottom of our dive boat from the wreck! Amazing trip and it was easy hunt, lots of flounder, tog and triggers all over the wreck and easy to see. Saturday we were back at the Kathleen Riggins with a private group of 6 divers, 4 of which were first time OC divers.. They did a fantastic job and had a blast! Sunday the seas were choppy and the wind was blowing out of the SE. We did a quick trip to the double barges in zone 1 and headed back to the docks before the storm.

Dive dry with dr. Bill #401: Your true colors, gary?

drbill — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:36:25 GMT

DIVE DRY WITH DR. BILL #401: YOUR TRUE COLORS, GARY?

Most southern Californians and even a number of our non-diving out-of-state visitors recognize that the beautiful orange fish so prevalent in our waters is not a goldfish, but the State of California's salt water fish, the garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus). Some even recognize it is a member of the largely tropical and subtropical damselfish family (although there are both female and male "damsels!"). Like many divers, it prefers warmer waters... and the ocean off our island has been strangely "warm" during the winter and alternating between "cold" and "luke warm" this summer.

Even before summer officially began, I wondered how the unusual water temperatures were going to affect the garibaldi's mating season. Yes, like many critters, these poor fish have a defined time of year to mate and must pleasure themselves by "munching" the rest of the year. Spawning may begin as early as March and go through July or even as late as October. Scientists report it is triggered when the temperature reaches 59 F (15 C). Back in February I was recording temperatures that high or higher, and wearing my 3/2mm wetsuit! Then in June, July and even August I had temperatures at the same depth that were at times well below that.

It did seem that nest building activity began a little late this year, although I saw a few garibaldi off Santa Cruz Island with huge (5 to 6 ft diameter) nests in June. I didn't document it scientifically, but it appeared that fresh eggs were not being laid in the nests here until July this year. Too late to apply for a grant to study this using appropriate experimental methods. It seems I'm often a day late and a few thousand dollars short!

So, Dr. Bill, tell us more about the mating behavior of these intriguing fish. Glad you asked... but maybe you should buy my DVD about the garibaldi rather than getting all my vast knowledge for free! Well, I should at least tell you a little something about my dive buddy Gary Garibaldi and his friends. I've written previously about how these fish weed out algae and invertebrates from a spot on a rock in their territory. Then they let only certain species of red algae grow, creating a circular or oval shaped patch of red on the reef. Since red gets absorbed first in the water column, the nests at this stage look dark... until I shine my video lights on them and bring out their true colors (with apologies to Cyndi Lauper). At this stage there are no eggs in the nest and the garibaldi begins soliciting females to enter into his territory and lay their eggs.

More than one female may be enticed into the nest through a behavior known as "dipping." The little fellow swims in vertical circles... actually more oval in shape... and clicks to attract her attention. Yes, I know... sounds like what goes on with adolescent humans (regardless of age) near the land's end of our Pleasure Pier. The females are very selective in choosing a potential mate and in one study a lady garibaldi visited 15 different nests before mating with one of the male garibaldi. Sounds like the ladies I approach (although my odds and more like one in a million). Once the eggs are laid and fertilized, they appear bright yellow against the red nest. Many females may enter the nests of the more successful males, creating patches of eggs of different ages. A single female may lay up to 18,000 eggs, and will mate with several males. I shun such promiscuity.

Of course the "lucky" guy gets stuck with all the child care and vigorously defends his nest as the ladies lay more eggs and the ones already in the nest mature. As they do develop, the eggs turn gray (like many of us humans) and make the nest appear less attractive to the girls checking it out. The male may actually gobble up some of these older eggs to return the nest to the more attractive red color so he can entice more ladies in to see his etchings. Hmm... maybe I need to repaint my living room walls. So there you have it. Now you, too, can wow your friends by telling them about Gary's nest status next time you are snorkeling or SCUBA diving. Hope your friends don't yawn like mine do. If so, buy my "Damsels of SoCal" DVD and you can make sure they fall asleep!

Image caption: Early stage nest in red with Gary waiting for the ladies, nest with yellow eggs, developing young garibaldi inside eggs (from nest scraped by diver's equipment) and nest with old gray eggs showing bite marks from the male removing some.

TDL Explorer Reel ............

JS1scuba — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:18:24 GMT

TDL Explorer 400 Reel

Over the years I have been searching for the perfect dive reel design that could be used for most any dive where having a few hundred feet of line is needed. This could be for exploring in shallows with limited visibility, diving on wrecks, using it for an "up-line" or as a primary reel for cave diving. The ideal length of line would be about 400 feet, perfect for most any deep wreck as well as getting to a "main line" in a cave.

After many prototypes and testing in the field we introduced the TDL Explorer 400 Reel this past spring. The first batch was a huge success and we are now on our third production run. This reel is made to our exacting specifications and is fully assembled and spooled right here at TDL. Every reel goes through our hands before it gets to yours. .

The TDL Explorer 400 Reel is a diver's dream reel.

- Reasonable cost.
- Ease of service
- Smooth operation
- Reliable lock down
- Compatible Robust Materials
- Multiple clipping methods
- Easy to use

Features:

- Stainless Steel Frame Side Handle
- Two lock down screw positions
- Choice of Mounting Clips -Swivel Bolt Snap or Double Ender
- 5" diameter spool - ABS Plastic on PVC core
- 3.5 spool outter width
- Stainless axle rod.
- Knurled Delrin winding knob
- Nylon lock down screw
- 400' braided nylon line # 24 (thin)
or

Purchase Options
- No snap at all (you have a box load don't you?) (standard)
- Brass Swivel Bolt Snap or Double Ender (add $2.50)
- Stainless Swivel Bolt Snap or Double End Snap (add $6.50)
- Right Hand spooling line direction (standard)
- Left Hand spooling line direction
- 400' # 24 line (standard)
- 250' # 36 line (option)

This reel is so comfortable in your hand, you can pass it from hand to hand while holding a light and never miss a beat. Whether you are wearing gloves or not your hands never get tired because you don't have to grip it tight to use it. Comfort with performance.

MSRP = $155.00

Special Price $94.95

Plus you will get three of our new line arrows with your order !

Check them out and ORDER HERE

Thanks for your continued support of Tech Diving Limited

Midweek TWEEK!

ljj — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:17:43 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJAgdl61IE

Online class for Suunto Vyper Air Dive Computer

I_AM — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:26:04 GMT

I am pleased to inform that we just released the Suunto Vyper Air dive computer - Online Class.

This class includes 44, professionally made, interactive and effective multimedia audio / visual, several quizzes and a final test packaged in a cost effective online class that will make for an enjoyable user experience.

In this class we will show you how to program the Vyper Air, then we will take you for a virtual dive with the Vyper Air first using air then with Nitrox and also with multiple gasses. We will also show you how to use the Vyper Air integrated Digital Compass, and will cover decompression situations and review how the Vyper Air responds to those potentially dangerous situations - such as ascending too fast or going too deep - that you might encounter while diving.

Once taken, the Vyper Air Online Class doubles as an online multimedia User Manual that can be consulted from anywhere around the world.

You can enroll in the Vyper Air Online Class either by purchasing it using 850 Bubble Credits ($8.25) or by obtaining an Activation Code from your dive store.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

New SoCal wreck!

Oside Jimc — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:21:33 GMT

The location of the wreck of the USS Vammen (DE-644) had been located off of SoCal. Sunk during the Condor missile testing program this is an amazing wreck.
You can read the dive report here:
USS VAMMEN (DE-644)

With a history that spans the period from WWII to Vietnam, you can read about the history of the USS Vammen here:
Ship History - USS Vammen (DE-644)

It looks like a phenomenal dive, but judging from Kendall's load of spare bottles I suspect it is just a little outside of recreational dive range.

Here is John Walker's Video:
YouTube - USS Vammen
Such a stunning dive, I love living vicariously through John's phenomenal videos since this stuff is waaaaay beyond my training!

for sale brand new never been dived HOllis F1 Tech Fin

scubamountaingirl — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:12:23 GMT

I switched fins and its a long story, but these are new in the box. They go for 135.00 new. I am thinking 120.00 I pay shipping?

they are xl

ww:)

DIY ROV for less than 1K

College Diver — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:34:12 GMT

I'm thinking about taking a crack at this as a winter project, and am curious if anyone out there is running with this or has attempted such folly in the past. I am interested in any attempts which have been made using off-the-shelf components.
Do's, don'ts and any ideas or advice are all welcome territory: I'm all ears (eyes) - whatever...

I am thinking about an initial depth rating of 50m, just deep enough to play around with on one of the local wrecks, but not so crazy that it couldn't be retrieved manually if need be (I expect a few failures before having a useful toy).

Alan

Lithium battery technical details

Rodney Nairne — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:55:04 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobinGeorge

So.... Still 7-8 lbs heavier than the Cuda Fury, with less overall battery capacity.

Do you have reason to suspect the Magnus LI-PO battery will require frequent replacement?

We have Li-Ion packs that are approaching 5 years old that test @ ~ 90% of new......
Of course these aren't built using a small number of huge Li-Po cells.

Tobin

I've moved this to a new thread, as it was a huge hijack on the Halcyon scooter thread!

Tobin, thanks for asking.

We use 24X 10A/h lithium nickel manganese cobalt cells. Technically it's a 12S2P pack. with 2C rated cells, or 40 amp discharge pack rating... we use them at 20 amps or less, and we very little heat buildup on a full load discharge. On a regular dive, they don't even get warm.

You can see these cells on page 17 of this pdf:
http://www.silent-submersion.com/tec...May%202010.pdf

I expect these cells will have a calender life similar to pure lithium cobalt cells (such as Li-Ion 18650 cells), everything else being equal. (such as number of cycles, storage temps, discharge rates and depth of discharge, ect)

Why not use simple lithium cobalt cells? The theory is by reducing the amount of the more volatile cobalt and replacing most of the cobalt with manganese and nickel, the cells are safer. I believe the lithium cobalt 18650 cells have some built in safety mechanisms which are not incorporated into LIPO cells. Therefore, as we have chosen to use LIPO cells, we have avoided using pure lithium cobalt chemistry, despite these cells not having as higher energy density as pure lithium cobalt cells.

I can understand why you have chosen to use the 18650 cells to build packs with 120 or so cells, as you have a track record and they have worked out well for you. We have chosen a different path, with fewer, larger cells. Lets say I have an superstitious aversion too packs with high cell counts. I don't think many divers are really going to care what batteries are hidden inside the scooters... they are going to buy from reputable vendors, of which you are one.

As far as having a 5 year old pack with 90% capacity; I don't think this is particularly unusual, however we try to avoid quoting long lifespans, at least until we have the record to back it up.

Free market principles dictate that a producer who is confident of a 5 year lifespan would offer a 5 year warranty, and gain a competitive advantage over their competitors...

Best, Rodney

Submerge Scooters
www.silent-submersion.com

Piranha�s Hoses & Fittings Sale!!!!

Piranhadivemfg — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:07:50 GMT

Everything in our Hoses & Fittings Section is 18%OFF!! Put in code: "hoses" (ALL lower case) at checkout in the �Gift Certificate / Promo Code� boxto receive your Hoses & Fittingsdiscount!!

ALSO DON�T FORGET OUR �HOT DEALS� SECTION!!!

Have a look at our new hand spools. These are just like our finger spools but bigger. They come in 5� and 6� spool sizes. No more trying to hold and control a finger spool with gloves on! Our new hand spools will make using them underwater a snap from the novice to the tech divers. You will find this product an awesome addition to your gear. Overall outer dimension is 5� or 6� depending on your spool choice. The inner hole diameter is roughly 3 1/8�. Width is 1�� wide. The spools are made from a special ABS compound that is very durable. We added 6 holes on each side to help you secure your double ender. The holes are 3/8ths for securing your double ender. This spool carries 150ft of #220lb pound white twisted braid.

CHECK THEM OUT!!

This week�s sale is limited to in stock items only.... No Backorders!

Sales cannot be combined with any other coupons or other discounts!!

Come visit us at www.piranhadivemfg.com and click on our HOT DEALS tab at the top of our website!!

HOT DEALS Sale runs until Midnight EST Wednesday, August 26th.

Cheers

Eric

Time to cool the jets at Vets - Wed 8/18 - great dive!

Mo2vation — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:40:53 GMT

It had been awhile since Claudette and I have dived Vets.

And because we're heading over to Catalina tomorrow for three days of drllin and chillin, last night was the only only night we had to snap one more off before we leave.

We placed a call to T-money, BattMan Tobin - he was available so the terrible trio ride again!

We get there and as we're gearing up, Tobin asks me, "so what's the plan...."

I look at him, I look at the ocean, and said, "we're going that-a-way..."

:)

The water has been on this tear of flatnessness most of the week. We walk out, fin up in the zone (it wasn't surf zone last night) and prepare for a perfect Seattle entry. Before we drop we hatch a plan:

Hit the line. Scoot to the end of the line
At the end, roll 280 degrees to about 110
Once at 110, turn right and go north
When we get bored, or when we run out of gas, we come home

THE DIVE

We gather ourselves, and head out. I'm leading. I was probably standing on the line, because as I faded right I couldn't find it. Whatever.

I put it at 280 and we head out. At about 23 feet, I get hit in the face with a 5 pound bag of ice.

I'm not even joking.

Vets has a shallow sand shelf that runs between 66 and 74 degrees in the "summer" - its pretty warm. The thermocline at 23 feet was so jarring it caused an instant brain freeze. Full on cola slurpee temple cracking brain freeze.

And its so unfair. Water that rude should be clear. And it wasn't. We were still in the no viz zone, only now we're all making faces like we just got tazed. Totally bogus.

We continue to scoot to 110. The water is getting clearer and clearer. At depth, it was a very nice 20+ in places.

We're met on the bottom by a big bat ray. A bat ray at 110. OK, I guess. Dude was asleep, and left a mild explosion of sand as he took off.

We turn right and head norte. And the water is getting colder. And colder. I look down, Suunto says 52. X-1 says 51. When I downloaded the Sensus this morning, it tells me we hit 49.14 degrees last night.

BURRRRRRR

This is SoCal, this is summer. What a wacky year.

We continue the slide north - octos, nudis, junk. Knives, toys, a fin, a snorkel. Lots of critters out. Chica spots a Squid. I look at a bottle and keep moving. I see her light - I go back and say what.

She's holding up a CHP dated July 2009!!! We planted a couple of dozen Sobe Bottles last year for the octopus (CHP = Cephalopod Housing Project) and its always cool to stumble on them again.

We're scooting north, critter freestyling, bouncing from one thing to the next. I see some long yarn hanging from above... I look up and its a fried egg jelly - with a zillion long tentacles hanging down in our way. I wave at everyone, only because I nearly ran into the thing. They had already seen it... so we all avoid tentacles across the face and move on.

Chica finds the hugest pipt fish ever. EVER. The thing was easily 15" to 18" long, and as big around as your index finger. It was among a small kelp plant - and it was very hard to see. It was beautiful.

We turn the dive in a slapping cloud of silver baitfish. A giant sea lion blasts by chasing the cloud and give me a startle.

We're cruising back south along the canyon wall, and I see this Wilma Flintstone looking toy bracelet. Big pink rocks strung on elastic - nice. I grab it and put it over the reflector of my can light.

More cruising, and we see a Sea Lemon orgy. Kinda weird. More wall hugging and I see this cantaloupe-sized moon snail - fully running up the wall. Mantel out. Foot out. Siphon out. What a gorgeous animal. I look down, and there are three tiny black dorid Nudis right next to him. A few feet away, another couple. The canyon wall is littered right now with black dorids. Pretty neat.

We're getting close to the line to make the left turn and head back to shore. Just before we get to the line, chica sees a very sizeable swell shark. I see the line, and at that same moment cast off my Wilma Flintstone bracelet. It wafts slowly down.

And down.

Slowly wafting down.

And lands BULLSEYE, right ON THE SHARK.

One in a million shot. Too funny.

We hit the line, turn left, clip off the scoots and kick through the no-viz Zone along the line - seeing more nudis, more octos, crabs, tiny rockfish and more.

We break the surface, laugh about the dive then literally walk out through the ankle slappers onto a beach of waiting kids - grilling us about our dive.

We head up the the parking lot and are doffing gear, rinsing sand and reliving all the silly fun. Tobin said the most remarkable thing to us: "I concentrate so much on the 'how' of diving. When I dive with you two I see you concentrate on the 'why' of diving...."

:embarrassed:

Probably one of the nicest and spot-on things anybody has said about the way Chica and I approach our diving. Thank you, Tobin.

After the dive, Tobin headed back home while Chica and I headed off to Kincaide's on the pier to meet with Karen Cleveland for dinner and desert. YUM.

What a night.

No pics. Camera was already packed for 3 days on Catalina.

Huge thanks to Tobin for breaking away for a few hours to join us in our silly, chilly Vets romp. the time out of the water is so precious - gearing up and laughing and talking. And in the water, you are so solid, and so skilled and so incredibly THERE - you are a great third and always welcome to join us.

Chica - you rock. Never lose the 'why'. You are so much fun to play with.

Karen!!! No water time, but we did have drinky time, and that's pretty cool, too.

-Ken

Book recommendation - "Shell Games"

Sounder — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:50:31 GMT

I'm almost finished reading "Shell Games," by Craig Welch, and couldn't recommend it more!! It's a non-fiction about poaching geoducks from around Puget Sound and Hood Canal. The story is of some WDFW Agents and Federal Agents working together with informants and what not to catch illegal fishermen. It also describes the illegal trade of wildlife for collection and consumption very well. They talk a bit about diving, but more about how the fishermen conceal the fact that they have divers in the water when over geoduck beds. It's fun to read about places I've been, seen, and dived... and my mental picture of how things unfold in the book was definitely enhanced by having lived here and "getting" what they're describing about the water, weather, and people.

It's not often that a book captures my attention like this one did. The last book that held my interest was "The Devil's Teeth" by Susan Casey (all about studying Great White Sharks in the Farallon Islands of the coast of CA), and before that it was the infamous "Shadow Divers."

If you're looking for a great next-read, definitely check out "Shell Games."

Win an Oceanic Veo 2.0 Dive Computer

I_AM — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:16:15 GMT

To celebrate the release of the Veo 2.0 Online Class Oceanic is sponsoring this contest.

Grand Prize: One Oceanic Veo 2.0 Dive Computer

Rules: To be eligible to win the Veo 2.0, You must obtain the Veo 2.0 Specialty Card before May 31, 2011.

To obtain the Veo 2.0 Specialty Card You must complete the Veo 2.0 Online Class.
You can enroll in the Veo 2.0 Online Specialty Class using 650 Bubble Credits ($6.46) or an Activation Code.

Winner will be announced in June 2011 and name will be posted in this forum.

See the DiveComputerTraining.com FORUM for rules and regulations.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

Lost mask and snorkel at laguna beach

tofucute — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:18:54 GMT

Lost near Cress Street in Laguna Beach on the afternoon of Wednesday August 18th. Got nauseated in the surge and a bit discombobulated! :unsure::embarrassed::unsure:

Scubapro Escape Snorkel (clear with black)
Sherwood Mako Clear Mask w/Black Pacific Wilderness Strap

Probably lost forever, but thought I'd post 'cause ya never know...

Thanks!
:peace:

DIR / DIR Curious Shore Dive Event - October 9th - Heisler (Laguna)

ligersandtions — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:35:40 GMT

A decent amount of interest in DIR diving has been generated recently, so I thought I'd set up a shore diving event where DIR curious divers can join DIR teams for some fun diving. This event will take place Saturday, October 9th at Heisler Park in Laguna.

The purpose of this event is to show curious divers what we're all about....how our gear works, how we dive differently than many traditional recreational divers (with control, non-silting propulsion, etc), how teamwork and communication (both active and passive) plays a huge part in our diving, and hopefully start erasing the social stigma related to DIR diving....we can be fun, we can be nice, we can wear colors other than black, etc ;)

In addition, it's a great opportunity to discover potential buddies (and potential students if you're an instructor). I think this event should be a ton of fun and would be really happy if we could get a decent number of divers who have been diving this way for a while to join us.
There are more details (and a sign-up) in this thread: DIR / DIR Curious Shore Dive Event - October 9th - Heisler (Laguna)

Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see many of you on the 9th!

Nicole

Guilty!!!!

Jaksonbrown — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:02:28 GMT

A fellow spearo and diver in Florida won a huge victory today, and a victory for all of us as this has brought a great deal of media coverage to the dive flag awareness movement. This guy was ran over by a boat while diving in Florida. The prop cut off both of Robs legs just below the knee. The real sick part of this story is that the boat operator that hit Rob, was an ER physician. He just sat on the boat and talked on the phone with his lawyer while Rob lay bleeding to death on his boat with only his dive buddies trying to help him. This guy just sat there and watched and did nothing to assist Rob. It was a miracle that he even survived. Today this doctor was found guilty of violation of navigational rights - a second degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum $500 fine and 60 days in jail. Unfortunatly, he was only sentanced to 6 months probation and a $250.00 fine. Discusting......however, a pending civil trial is now almost a slam dunk and Rob will get some sort of justice from that, however, no amount of money will ever be enough to bring back Robs legs.

Fly those dive flags high boys and girls!

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_...n-diving-trial-

Hmmm. Uh, thanks - I guess. Now, how about a photo credit.

Mo2vation — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:43:52 GMT

Does anybody know these people?

http://www.deepstop.de/

They're using one of my images on their home page. I reached out to them, and hopefully hear back.

Its no biggie, so long as I get a proper photo credit.

It'd have been nice if they asked first.

Chica is very popular in Germany, I guess.

This is not cool.

Attitude keeps you a thief.

Be kind, people.

-Ken

3 Spots Left for Oriskany - October trip.

JS1scuba — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:27:35 GMT

Greetings,

We are running a special live-aboard trip to the USS Oriskany in October aboard the M/V Spree. October 6-10 2010. This is an outstanding opportunity to dive this huge air-craft carrier without having to go back and forth to shore every day.

October 6-10
THE PACKAGE INCLUDES:
� 4 nights lodging (arrive Wednesday - Leave Sunday morning)
� Food and non-alcoholic beverages
� Three days of diving, with a total of 12 dives planned (dive Thurs, Friday, Saturday.)
� Board on Wednesday for Prep
� Dive Thurs, Friday, Saturday, disembark Sunday morning.
� Gas fills (air / nitrox / oxygen included)

This trip was sold out but one of our clients who had three spots reserved just informed us that they are unable to go. This opens up three spots for this great trip.

The USS Oriskany is huge. It was sunk specifically so divers of all experience levels could enjoy this incredible wreck site. This aircraft carrier sits in 220 feet of water with the main deck at just about 130 feet. The entire control tower is from 60- 110 feet and is filled with exciting things to see. As you go deeper you can get access to the hangers and elevator decks. The wreck has become engulfed in fish activity. It's attracted every type of fish that frequents the Florida coasts. At over 900 feet long the Oriskany can take days to explore.

If you have an interest in visiting this unique wreck please email me today. Visit our website for all the details of the trip at the link below.

Dive the Oriskany - Click Here

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions you may have. We hope you can join us.

Sincerely,
Joel Silverstein, VP COO
Tech Diving Limited

PS -- i am driving out from AZ so if you wanted to send your tanks and scoots with me we can do that.

Another Hello from Washington!

spudgunman — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:04:49 GMT

Hola
another PNW diver here, got c-card with the wife in the Bahamas loved it only regret was I didn't take care of this 10 years ago! Got about 12 dives down in the tropics and loved it lots of wrecks and did some deep water.
Then came home got a wet suit and got into the water here, AWESOME I think its 100% better then the tropical dives its amazing my only bummer right now is that I yo-yo'd on my first cold water dive (all new gear and first time with a wet suit) and poped my ear, now Im dry untill it heals up (another agonizing 10 days or so) I did however have time to find some nice dive computers for 150 bucks a pop for me and the wife during this dry spell so that is cool

otherwise I had been meaning to join this board to learn stuff and finally had time today