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Any other scuba divers here?

absolut_mac

absolut_mac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 30, 2003
934
0
Dallas, Texas
Okay, I know that it's been ages since I last posted here. Two teenage children plus one younger one, and having gotten back into scuba diving with a new dive buddy have done a lot to take up most of my free time lately. Not to mention the fact that I also changed jobs recently.

The problem with most of my dive buddies, my wife included, is that after a while they get tired of diving the cold waters of Southern California, or they just have enough of having to put on those claustrophobic 7mm wet suits in order to enjoy Jacques Cousteaus's world.

Fortunately my new dive buddy is just as keen and enthusiastic as me. Unfortunately he works most weekends, so most of our diving is at night. The advantage of that is no sunburn, no crowds and that the *bugs* come out at night. In fact today is the start of lobster season :)

Are there any other divers out there?

Here's a couple of pics. Just before a night dive in Redondo Beach a few months ago and my new regulator which replaced my sturdy reliable *jawbreaker* from 25 years ago. Edited to rotate photo.
 

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Yah, I dive, but I haven't been in the water for a while now. A new job, a new wife (who doesn't dive), and the lack of a dive buddy makes things a bit difficult. I hope to get back in the water at least once this fall, but it does not look promising.

What first stage do you have hooked up to that ScubaPro? I have a Mk 20/R360 and really like it.
 
Certified Advanced Open Water Diver here! :D Only a few years experience, but I quite enjoy it. Encountered my first shark on my last dive, along with a fully grown Manta Ray during my safety stop. Fun stuff.
 
I got my license when I was 12, but unfortunately haven't used it since. Now that I'm in Australia (not tooo oftly far from the reef) I want to get back into it. Anybody near by want to teach an old dog new ticks? :)
 
I once tried on a scuba kit in a swimming pool. Does that count?

Made my ears really hurt afterwards tho.

A friend of mine runs a deaf diving company that takes deaf/hard of hearing diving in places like Thailand, India etc. Always wanted to go, must be lovely to sign to each other underwater, but it's not quite high enough on my list of things to spend money on.

BTW she was underwater with her group off Thailand when last year's tsunami went over her. They felt a small movement, nothing special, but when they came up, all the boats and half the shoreline was gone... :eek:
 
I went scuba for the first time just half a yr ago in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and it was simply one of my top 5 experiences in my entire life. It was simply AMAZING!

It felt so unnatural being underwater 30 ft that it was absoutely intense and fun! Having to remind yourself to calm down and to breathe was simply astonishing. As scary as it was, i am totally glad i did it.

I totally do it again when i have the chance. It's amazing to see what really goes on under water, in person.
 
absolut_mac said:
The problem with most of my dive buddies, my wife included, is that after a while they get tired of diving the cold waters of Southern California, or they just have enough of having to put on those claustrophobic 7mm wet suits in order to enjoy Jacques Cousteaus's world.
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Hah! All I have to say is Hah! Cold water you say? Try diving in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Wetsuits are mandatory, even in the height of summer! And visibility is maybe 25 feet on a good day. I haven't been diving in about 5 years, when I went diving in Greece on my honeymoon. Beautiful, clear warm waters. I miss it.
 
ejb190 said:
What first stage do you have hooked up to that ScubaPro? I have a Mk 20/R360 and really like it.
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I'm still using the first stage that came with my Mk5. I was fortunate enough to get a brand new Mk25 at an excellent price, but I haven't had a chance to intall it yet.
 
Black&Tan said:
I haven't been diving in about 5 years, when I went diving in Greece on my honeymoon. Beautiful, clear warm waters. I miss it.
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Yeah, most divers do prefer warm, clear waters with 100ft plus visibility, but the die hards like my dive buddy and I take what we can get.

Southern California waters do warm up a little bit in the summer, but if you dive the Redondo Canyon, which starts at about 100 yards out from Redondo Beach, the temperatures tend not to fluctuate too much year round. When I last dived there 2 months ago to a depth of around 70ft, the temperature was 53. My 3mm gloves were definitely NOT warm enough.

Thanks to all those who took the time to respond.
 
absolut_mac said:
Southern California waters do warm up a little bit in the summer, but if you dive the Redondo Canyon, which starts at about 100 yards out from Redondo Beach, the temperatures tend not to fluctuate too much year round. When I last dived there 2 months ago to a depth of around 70ft, the temperature was 53. My 3mm gloves were definitely NOT warm enough.
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Why so cold? Do you have some freaky currents? That sounds like New England water...how's the visibility? I would think the waters around California would be quite comfortable, even 300 ft from the coastline.
 
You ought to try some of the stone quarries in Indiana and Pennsylvania I have been in. In the winter a dry suit is the order of the day. With the alga blooms in the summer, visibility can get really short too (10-15 feet or less). If there are a bunch of students around, that can drop to zero when they stir up the bottom.

Sharks? The wrecks off of Morehead City, North Carolina are great and there is usually a good chance of seeing an Atlantic Sand Tiger Shark or two. I have seen Eagle Rays there too.
 
Black&Tan said:
Why so cold? Do you have some freaky currents? That sounds like New England water...how's the visibility?
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Haha, good question. The Redondo Canyon goes almost straight down to about 4,000 feet, so most of the time there is a cold current updraft. The advantage is that the cold current brings lots of nutrients, so even although the terrain isn't pretty, and actually quite boring, there is always lots of life there, especially at night. Plus, in the winter the squid come up from the deep to feed, and in mating season, they come up by the thousands followed by all the usual suspects out for a quick and easy meal.

As for visibility, it's usually around 5 feet at the surface, but can open up to about 15 to 20 feet once you get below about 30 to 40 feet. I've never dived there when there isn't a reasonably strong surge, so that usually limits the visibility. Catalina Island usually has visibility in the 40 to 50 feet range and the water is a whole lot warmer there too :)

Yeah, Morehead City in NC is great for those who want to see some shark action. I've never been there myself, but the winning combination of ship wrecks and sharks is enticing. Hopefully one day soon....
 
I was quite a keen diver but not done anything in 2006 with change of job (offshore oil worker)

I dive with drysuit in our local Irish waters lovely colourful soft bodied corals (sponges) and some cracking wrecks like U-boats.

Have also dived in Turkey, Cayman Islands, Malta, Red Sea (best place I have been to) and Great barrier reef.

Its very addictive:cool:
 
Me in my "cold water" dive kit, about to do the Kronprinz Wilhelm, Scapa Flow in 2001 :)

Diving1.jpg

Also dived in Spain, Florida, Hawaii, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Thailand, Queensland, the Red Sea and of course all over the UK. Currently a PADI Rescue Diver (and NAUI Advanced Shark Diver :D). Have somewhere between 2-300 dives under my belt, but stopped logging them once I got over 100 so can't give you an exact number.

BTW, Southern California cold? :D :D :D :D :D
 
Great Lakes area diver here. Trimix cert. Dove heavily for the past few years, but tailed off a bit this year. I'm scaling back because of cost and time.
 
Laser said:
Great Lakes area diver here. Trimix cert. Dove heavily for the past few years, but tailed off a bit this year. I'm scaling back because of cost and time.
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That's why all I've done this past year are beach dives. Lots of fun, cheap and keeps my body in shape.

I felt good when I went diving with a young guy around 25 years old. After swimming out about 100 yards, diving for about 40 minutes and then another 100 yard swim back to shore, he was shocked when I told him that I am 50 years old.

Of course I didn't mention that it's taken me virtually forever to reach this medium level of fitness at the gym. Ha, when I was 21 it used to take me only about a month or two to reach this level. Ah well, as some wise sage said...

If I knew that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my body!!
 
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