Northwest Dive Club

The only experiance that I have had with any DIR divers is with Ryan (rsdancy), Delaina (bubblemkr) ... Did they try to convert me to the 'dark side'? No, they are all three really nice people. Like most divers out there. Well, I thought I was going to have to kick D's shins under the table when yo...

There's another anti-DIR issue out there that doesn't get discussed regularly: DIR is tough on SCUBA dive shops. Local shops have a 3 part business model. They sell fills, they host classes and they sell gear. GUE/DIR interferes with a lot of that business model. First, GUE promotes the use of stand...

My regular team is out of the area this week, and I'm jonesing for a dive. Anyone needing an instabuddy this week, shoot me an email (dancey@isomedia.com).

Ryan

First, I think that a lot of people have a strong negative reaction to DIR because on a subconscious level, they resent the implication that they are unsafe (or less safe) divers. And what REALLY bothers some people is the nagging suspicion that the implication is true. When I was in my OW class, I ...

Diver_C wrote:Still lots of Wolf Eels hanging out greeting divers.

This is >the site< for Wolfies, in my opinion. I've seen more here than in any other site I've dived in the PNW. Today's cluster were just north of the entry area, in 50fsw (4), and 2 in 66fsw directly off the entry area.

Ryan

Do you believe that a warning sign would fend off such a person? I don't know. I do know that in Cave Country, there are several sites that have large placards installed at the entrance to some systems basically telling the OW divers "GET OUT NOW YOU FOOLS!". Do those have any impact? At ...

Doubtful..... 1) Knowledge that the planes exist... 2) Knowledge of the specific locations... 2) An adequate dive boat capable of supporting such dives... 3) Specialized technical dive equipment... 4) Tools adequate for the removal of artifacts.... 5) At least one similar-minded buddy to assist you...

Diver_Dave wrote:Burrr I see a lot of skin around your forehead...thats good for an icecream headake..

Yeah, I cut it way back to accomodate my NIRA, which has a much higher forehead profile. I need to buy a new hood.

Ryan

For the past several months, I've been diving using the Kirby Morgan Mk 48 Supermask. http://www.oceantechnologysystems.com/mk48.shtml This is the same mask that you may have seen Cousteau's team wear on the recent PBS underwater series (though his team's are blue, and mine is black). I'm wearing it...

Should we post comments about unusual gear we're using on this thread, or did the OP mean this to be a place to get comments about the gear she reviewed?

Ryan

EUP is a fantastic dive for new divers. The depths are shallow, the dive areas are very well marked, the site provides a fantastic suite of services (bathrooms, food, etc.), and the stuff you see is AMAZING. I have been to this site more than a dozen times, in all sorts of conditions, in all seasons...

I'd pay a use tax on fills to fund such a program.

This'll be two years running for an early morning dive on Superbowl Sunday! It's becoming a tradition!

(Plus, everyone at the party likes watching the video during the horrible half-time show....)

Ryan

The faster DNR moves to install this new "habitat" the more likely it will be that it will actually get done before the opposition stops it. The Maury Island site is a great dive; the barges, the rock field, etc. Losing the pilings as a visual attraction will suck, yes, but the intrinsic ...

If you need more bottom time for deco stops, why not just get a set of HP80 or LP72 twins? Putting one larger tank on a standard rig means buying a tank. Going to doubles means thousands of dollars in extra expense for most divers. A lot of people don't intend to to deco diving with their larger ta...

Besides size and weight why would I want one or the other. Some dive shops will not fill a tank over 3000psi, regardless of its markings. Some stores limit because they don't want to stress their compressor above 3000, and some stores due it out of ignorance (or because they don't want to try and g...

I have done the treasure hunt the past two years. Here are my general thoughts: 1) Kill the freediving components of the event -- make the event just for SCUBA. This will reduce complexity, and shorten the time you need to manage people in the water, allowing you to focus on operational excellence t...

Discovered this weekend: A nice big wolf-eel has taken up residence under the concrete block securing the buoy marking the north wall at Sund Rock. He was very curious, and stuck his head out to get a look at divers as they descended the line. He was smart enough to pull back into his little hidey-h...

Trip was great - thanks to everyone who made it happen. I really appreciate the fact that people put time & effort into this just to make a fun outing for all who participated. The diving was fantastic - best vis I've ever seen at Hood Canal. Unfortunately, I think that's partially due to the tu...

Here's my proposed answer: Unless actual deco is required, define safety stop as 3 minutes at 15 fsw regardless of prior dive plan. * If the dive time is 10 minutes or less: NO STOP / DIRECT ASCENT * If the dive time is greater than 10 minutes AND the dive plan called for a direct ascent: YES STOP, ...

Why is the alternate air source regulator called an octopus? The concept of adding a "safe second" wasn't feasible until divers went to the current "regulator on the end of a hose" configuration that is common today. Prior to that, SCUBA used a continuous hose with the second st...

Ok, back to Argon - how much warmer are you? Let's be clear about what's happening with the agon. Argon is not exothermic - it does not warm up when it expands (i.e. comes out of the bottle into your suit). Filling your suit with argon will not make the air temp in your suit any warmer than it is w...

This goes way beyond my dive limits! Sure is fun to read about it. I see a lot of divers at Cove 2 that could really benefit from the introductory levels of GUE instruction. A dive to the I Beams seems like a trivial dip in the pool in the protected environment of Cove 2. As events of the summer re...

Lesson Learned: At Day Island, even a 1 knot tidal exchange is too strong to swim against wearing a drysuit and doubles. We were not in any real danger, but we did have a tough swim back to shore after aborting the dive. It was one of those "keep your heads, don't panic, and just work the probl...