Does anyone else scuba?

guruguru · Mar 26, 2015

You know, that crazy thing where you strap a metal tank to your back and try to breathe underwater...

ndoghouse · Mar 26, 2015

Im certified since 1976. Naui and PADI dual cert. I dont even think NAUI exist anymore tho? Havent gone in a while. I had an octopus rig with Poseidon Cylon 300 regulators and some good stuff but lost it all in a recent blaze. I miss my Nikonos III camera dearly. I got it in 1974 and used it regularly since. Bombproof like Khukri!

guruguru · Mar 26, 2015

NAUI is still around.

Bawanna · Mar 26, 2015

I don't, I'm skeered of water whats over my head.

We do have several officers that are certified. One volunteers at the aquarium in Seattle all the time. Pretty avid.

They've tried to talk me into trying it saying once I was in the water it would be an even playing field, but getting to the water has some major logistical mountains to climb over.

Shavru · Mar 26, 2015

Was certified Padi years (decades) ago back when wetsuits were the standard and dry suits were very rare. Spent many years in Germany/Belgium and didn't keep most of my certs active. Since being back I find almost all my gear still works, but without a cert, the dive shops wont test or refill my tanks.
could probably get a cert renewal but hubby doesn't dive and I don't have any local friends that do either so finding a buddy would be effort and I am too lazy LOL.

SVTFreak · Mar 26, 2015

Certified here. Naui and padi. Since 2000. Been to GBR, Micronesia, pretty much everywhere in carribean. A few hundred hours downtime. Had to take a long surface interval now that I'm a single dad. When she's old enough, I plan on dragging she with me and do again.

ndoghouse · Mar 26, 2015

OOOoo! Im an SVT freek too! 4.6l mod motors to be specific but thats another forum:thumbup: I have a few hundred hours underwater at least but id probably have to brush up on my decomp tables its been so long.
My dad was a master instructor and tried to start a few business in Beliz, Roatan, and a few other places but foreign govments just didnt work out. My parents finally retired in Costa Rica and were plenty happy there. He had a stack of logbooks. His bones are now spread out in Davy Jones locker in Roatan. Thats what he wanted

We went many times to Cozumel in the 70's before it got swarmed with tourists. I also have some time in Roatan Bay islands, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Caves, British West Indies.... Roatan was my favorite. Great Barrier Reef and Micronesia would be awesome!
Bawanna you got enough diamond plate around you that you wouldnt even need to wear a weight belt

Put some pneumatic wheels on your chair for boyancy compensation and strap a couple tanks on the back and just roll off into the water James Bond Style! Its so peaceful underwater. Especially when you can see 100 feet underneath you. Just a totally awesome experience. Nothing like the sound of parrotfish crunching on coral or triggerfish crunchin on your ears. Dang! Lifes to short!
Where do you dive Guru? Dont know of anywhere near Dallas? Here in Austin there's Lake Travis but thats about it. There's stumps, catfish, perch, turtles, and an occasional bass and if your lucky you might find a rusted out old car or something. That is if the visibility is better than ten feet

Im not so fond of cold water Shavru. Florida springs are pretty dang cold for me and with a wetsuit I suck up the air like crazy so i dont get too much cave time. Cave diving is awesome but the cold water was a pain. Ivenever tried a drysuit. Hope i dont ever have to. If I could get my wife certified now id probably get back into it but I dont have a regular buddy either so no point in getting re-certified now.

SVTFreak · Mar 26, 2015

ndoghouse said:
OOOoo! Im an SVT freek too! 4.6l mod motors to be specific but thats another forum

I sold my lightning and 04 cobra long ago but the forum handle stayed lol

Now I've got a 2015 anniversary, #275. Wimbledon white. I'll be tossing a tvs on it next year prolly, after I finish building my shop.

guruguru · Mar 28, 2015

Bawanna said:
I don't, I'm skeered of water whats over my head.

We do have several officers that are certified. One volunteers at the aquarium in Seattle all the time. Pretty avid.

They've tried to talk me into trying it saying once I was in the water it would be an even playing field, but getting to the water has some major logistical mountains to climb over.

MrB, all they have to do is wheel you onto the boat and then tip you over into the water.

Actually, they have all sorts of people diving now-a-days. I think even people with no arms and legs can go diving now. There's actually entire scuba training organizations for handicapped/disabled people. Been thinking about getting my handicapped/disabled diving buddy cert.

guruguru · Mar 28, 2015

Shavru said:
Was certified Padi years (decades) ago back when wetsuits were the standard and dry suits were very rare. Spent many years in Germany/Belgium and didn't keep most of my certs active. Since being back I find almost all my gear still works, but without a cert, the dive shops wont test or refill my tanks.
could probably get a cert renewal but hubby doesn't dive and I don't have any local friends that do either so finding a buddy would be effort and I am too lazy LOL.

If you can find it, I don't think your cert expires. They just need to see the card, technically. I don't blame your friends, diving in the NW is COLD! It'd probably be easier trying to convince them down in the Caribbean...

Bawanna · Mar 28, 2015

guruguru said:
MrB, all they have to do is wheel you onto the boat and then tip you over into the water. Actually, they have all sorts of people diving now-a-days. I think even people with no arms and legs can go diving now. There's actually entire scuba training organizations for handicapped/disabled people. Been thinking about getting my handicapped/disabled diving buddy cert.

Who's handicapped? I'm a bit of a derelict but hardly handicapped.

The tip over in the boat works good, gravity and all takes over.

I got enough hobbies this late in the game to stay poor and happy. Turn back the clock a couple decades and I'd probably give it a go for sure. I really don't care much for being wet, guess too many years working outside in the NW.

ndoghouse · Mar 28, 2015

guruguru said:
If you can find it, I don't think your cert expires. ...

Thats what i seem to remember as well. Handicapped buddy training would be a cool thing to do. Dont know how they would do harassment night? Thats when your instructor pulls you regulator turns you air off, removes your mask, drops you weight belt, and even in some cases they have been known to drop your drawers. Any and all kinds of scenarios exist. Then you have to get it all back together and safely get back to the surface. They weren't too bad with me but some people really got it rough

Bawanna · Mar 28, 2015

Well that seals it for me. No diver Dan school for me.

ndoghouse · Mar 28, 2015

Bawanna said:
Well that seals it for me. No diver Dan school for me.

They may not even do that anymore? One of them hot coffee lawyers probably stopped it but who knows?

Shavru · Mar 29, 2015

LoL probably stopped it about the same time Drill instructors were told not to demean the poor recruits by yelling at them. I remember having my dive instructor hide my regulator inside the 55gallon drum that the wolf eel lived in just off the beach. Yeah the err "gentleman" actually unscrewed it from the tank and hid it separately. I had to bubble breath from the tank while I looked for it and screwed it back on. They made it tough, but not impossible. A friend sent me a picture of a dive watch that actually calculates the charts for you now. It figures the depth and time and shows the decompression depth and length automatically. Can't remember the brand but it sure looked nifty to my rusty brain.

ndoghouse · Mar 29, 2015

I dont doubt that now. Still even with them fancy calculators there were a few unanticipated times i had to go deeper than 100' and knew I didnt have enough air to do it so I had to make up my own decompression tables as I ascended. One time in particular i remember having to stay at 20 and 10 feet and suck the tank dry then come up exhaling my last breath. I was good turns out but having to descend to 110' for a cave in a wall to safety wasnt in the plans. Sure blew my bottom time. The worst part is sitting on the boat wondering if you got the bends. Funny how everything hurts or feels funny for the next few hours. A few margaritas later that night and all was fine

Moonw · Mar 29, 2015

Sounds dangerous. I'll better keep swinging and running around with sharp pointy things, thank you.

Bawanna · Mar 29, 2015

Shavru said:
LoL probably stopped it about the same time Drill instructors were told not to demean the poor recruits by yelling at them. I remember having my dive instructor hide my regulator inside the 55gallon drum that the wolf eel lived in just off the beach. Yeah the err "gentleman" actually unscrewed it from the tank and hid it separately. I had to bubble breath from the tank while I looked for it and screwed it back on. They made it tough, but not impossible. A friend sent me a picture of a dive watch that actually calculates the charts for you now. It figures the depth and time and shows the decompression depth and length automatically. Can't remember the brand but it sure looked nifty to my rusty brain.

According to my son down at Marine Corp Recruit Depot in San Diego and currently at Pendleton they must have rewrote the PC correct rules. He says the one thing that he's actually had more than enough of is the constant yelling.
Says he's adapted fine to everything else, all the stuff he's supposed to do, a little tired of a few who always screw up or are too slow or whatever, good food, not enough sleep but handling it.
But the yelling. Way too much yelling.

We got out 2nd 30 second phone call today, according to the wife he sounded better this time, feeling good again finally, guess everyone was sick for the first month. I don't care much for yelling either now that I ponder it.

Fish Boy · Mar 29, 2015

Oh boy. I spotted this in the "recent threads" section so I decided to chime in.

Wanted to dive since I was six. Became certified with PADI when I was fourteen and promptly ruptured my lung because I didn't know I had a chest cold.

Started diving again about three months later and got the European equivalent of "rescue diver" in Caesarea, where five divers just found several thousand ancient Roman coins in mint condition at a spot I had been about a meter from at one point. D'oh.

Taking my advanced in May, then I'll continue to the American rescue level (with my friends PADI). Among other things, I want to cave dive. I will do that soon, once I finish the rest of the recreational certs I want to take; like Nitrox, full-face mask, sidemount, night diving, etc.

Diving is my passion. When I was four, I had a deathly fear of drowning. It took two years to conquer it but now I spend about half my life in the water. My family constantly jokes that they shouldn't have made me learn to swim because now with all the diving I do, I probably will drown.

Moonw · Mar 30, 2015

That is such an inspiring life story!