Dry Suit Class This Weekend

Doing the drysuit class at the moment.

Pool session today was a piece of cake.

At the ocean on Saturday.  My only concern is that I'll like it too much and then I won't want to get wet ever again!

Here's How You Do A Deep Water Entry ...

... NOT!

Incidentally "NOT" is this weeks Sea Sign of the week:

Learn to Communicate under water with Sea Signs

NOVA: Extreme Cave Diving

A new Nova on PBS detailing the exploration of Blue Holes in the Caribbean by cave divers.

NOVA | Extreme Cave Diving

Loved the video of them cruising by the stalactites. These people are crazy though - diving down 300ft to chop off a lump of stalagmite.

Also available online

Dive in an old mine

Alert Diver | Bonne Terre Mine


Read this article in this months DAN magazine.  Now I want to go to Missouri and dive in an old Lead mine.

I presume the lead is all gone.

This explains why Dan looked so happy this morning ;-)

FROM WALLINS WEBSITE

We lost our lease. Store closing sale Saturday, February 11th at 9:00a.m.

- From Wallins Website

New Celebrity Fitness Trend

... it's time to try the new workout that celebs like Jessica Alba, Sandra Bullock, Katie Holmes, and Nina Dobrev of the CW show The Vampire Diaries love: scuba diving!

- http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/new-celebrity-fitness-trend-scuba-diving

I'm not sure I want scuba diving to become the latest fad diet of Hollywood celebs. Being a fad diet will just encourage lots of overweight, middle-aged white guys to take up the hobby trying to get fit. And if there's one thing scuba diving has enough of already, it's overweight middle-aged white guys.

Dive at Lover's 1

Map to Lovers Point on Google Maps

We kicked on a 60degree heading until we were clear of the wall, then dropped down into 20ft of water.

Visibility was quite good, about 15ft. I expected worse. I thought the bad conditions on Saturday would have stirred up the bottom.

We continued on the 60 heading, but it soon got very surgy - 5-10ft. This made it hard to enjoy the view!

Bottom composition was quite interesting, lots of very large rocks to swim around, over and between. Plenty of nooks to peep into.

I figured it might be better if we got a little deeper, but despite continuing out for about 25 minutes, it got neither deeper nor calmer! So at that point we turned around. Logged a max depth of 27ft.

We did see a big fat seal, that spooked me as it appeared from around a rock. Boy, was it fat! Also saw a nice size Ling. A few other nice size perch and rockfish went zipping by in the surge, bit too fast to get a good look at them.

Love this video!

Took me a second to get what's going on here!



Yeah, the bubbles give it away.

It's amazing how the air appears to behave just like a flowing liquid when you view it this way.

I'm sure I wouldn't be able to move around that well upside down.

From http://planetsave.com/2011/08/23/marine-habitat-infographic/

Well Loved Dive Gear For Sale

I'm trying to (a) raise some money, and (b) make space for new dive toys. Hence, I want you to buy some of my dive gear that I don't use any more:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/spo/2667584988.html

Vladimir Putin, let's see your Search and Recovery Cert-Card!

Yeah, I think it was probably the first time he'd been SCUBA diving too.



Let's critique his technique shall we:
- Poor buoyancy control
- Bicycle kick
- Flailing hands
- Mask on forehead

And what's with that upside down snorkel, and why does he keep holding onto his reg?

Dive Site Map - McAbee Beach

As part of the Dive Master certification I had to map a local dive site.

I chose McAbee beach, as it's quite an interesting site, accessible to all levels, yet still has plenty to see - from the small stuff like nudi's, to big guys like seal pups, and a kelp canopy.

Download the PDF for more details, history, the map, profile, things to do nearby, etc.

Dive Site Map PDF

Back-up Computer

On my last dive I had to ascend from 60ft through a swarm (is that the right collective term?) of jelly fish.

My buddy didn't follow me, smart guy.  He stayed on the outside and took pictures.  Viz was terrible as we reached about 40ft, so during the ascent I lost sight of my buddy.

None of this would have been a problem normally, but the reason I drifted into the jelly swarm, was a brief spot of distraction as we started the ascent.  As I looked at my dive computer to monitor my ascent rate, I noticed all the digits were ... how can I describe it ... doing cart-wheels.  No depth reading, no air reading, nothing.  Mild panic.  I pulled out my console , which has my old air gauge - at least that still showed I had air in my tank, though only 500psi.

Any one of these issues alone and things wouldn't have seemed so bad.  Low on air, n.p., buddy separation, n.p., no depth gauges, n.p., but all at the same time along with the jelly ... very annoying.

I had to simply follow my bubbles back to the surface ascend slower than your smallest bubbles.  in poor viz and open water you might be ascending slower than your smallest bubbles, or you might equally be descending.

It was a case of bad timing - everything going wrong at the same time.

One thing I am going to fix before my next deep dive is to ensure I have a backup computer.  Conversely, one piece of excellent timing is the fact that Oceanic have recently come out with the B.U.D. Dive Computer.  A low cost, back-up dive computer that is intended to be attached to your dive gear.  As Oceanic says:

B.U.D. is a long overdue idea and a great way to ensure that you never have to miss a dive. Clip it off or stow it in a pocket and forget about it. You should never have to use it, but if you do need it, your B.U.D. will be there to save your next dive.


See it at Amazon.

Angler catches scuba diver on fishing line

An angler battled to reel-in what he thought was an enormous fish pulling on his line only to discover it was a scuba diver he had caught by the leg.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8708684/Angler-catches-scuba-diver-on-fishing-line.html

I’m not so sure.  I’m tempted to call Bullshit on this one.  Especially that part about: "I didn't see the diver because he didn't have a safety buoy, which they're supposed to have when they're moving underwater," said Mr Goldfinch.

Scuba Yoga at La Source Resort Grenada

SCUBA Radio just did a piece from Grenada on "Scuba Yoga". Relaxation, stretching and breathing techniques to enhance our dive experiences.

The resort sounds pretty nice even without the yoga:

http://www.theamazingholiday.com/



Enjoy the combination of yoga and scuba - rejuvenate and improve your diving experience.

The 7 nights program provides accommodation in luxurious ceanview rooms; daily Yoga classes, stress management, pranyama techniques for scuba diving and buoyancy clinic.

Kelp Shrimp

Well, I've never seen one of these while actually *diving* in Monterey, but I saw one for the first time at the weekend while walking down the beach!



Luckily I didn't squish it. I was tempted as it looked like some kind of alien species darting around on the beach in a big puddle.

Otter Box

I've not taken my GPS diving yet, but I did test drive my Otter Box at the weekend.

Otter Box (link) makes a cases that, they say, works to 100ft and is suitable for diving.



I wasn't brave enough to take a GPS out on the first dive, so I stuck a tissue in it and took it down to 25 feet at McAbee beach. Tissue came back to land perfectly dry. That's a good sign right!

Just so you know: A GPS unit will not work underwater. GPS (Global Positioning System) devices rely on signals from satellites orbiting the earth. The signals from the satellites cannot be received underwater. So my plan isn't to have the GPS unit track my dive under water, that won't work! I just want a way to have the GPS with me underwater, so that when I get to an area of interest I can reel the GPS up to the surface, get a GPS fix, then reel the GPS back down.

I have a nice little Garmin 401 GPS, which fits nicely into my Otter Box. I think it's safe to take it with me on the next dive trip.

- Otter Box Waterproof case: $20 REI
- Garmin 401 'Hiking GPS': $150 Amazon.com

REEF Fish ID seminars online

http://www.reef.org/resources/webinars

Great for first-timers or those wanting a review. These short, free webinars will teach you the finer points of identifying our local fish and invertebrates underwater.

What is REEF?
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) was founded in 1990, out of growing concern about the health of the marine environment, and the desire to provide the SCUBA diving community a way to contribute to the understanding and protection of marine populations. REEF achieves this goal primarily through its volunteer fish monitoring program, the REEF Fish Survey Project. Participants in the Project not only learn about the environment they are diving in, but they also produce valuable information. Scientists, marine park staff, and the general public use the data that are collected by REEF volunteers.

See: About REEF

Seafood Watch Web App

http://mobile.seafoodwatch.org

A page from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to bookmark on you smartphone.

The Seafood Watch page contains the latest information on sustainable seafood choices available in the US

Artificial Reefs Around the World

Subway cars, naval ships, tanks and more rest on the sea floor, making homes for sea life and attracting divers. Artists have been busy as well, erecting underwater sculptures and memorials.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/04/artificial-reefs-around-the-world/100042/