Can I rent everything at first?

Recent Post on Scubaboard:

"Can I rent everything at first? My wife and I start our first scuba class in Minnesota next week and will be going to Cozumel first week of April for the open water certification dives. We have mask, fins and snorkels and have snorkeled in (off?) Coz. I've read numerous posts saying we should try many kinds of equipment before buying our own. And a number of posts that if you do own equipment, you should take it ion the trip rather than renting on location. My specific question - is there anything (apart from the mask) that we absolutely should buy ahead of time? I believe the fee for the open water dives includes equipment. I expect we'd have to pay a rental fee if we dive more after the certification dives. Thanks!"

My response:

many good points so far. here's my $0.02 for your first big dive trip in 3 major groupings:

Mandatory (take with you):

• Mask, Fins, and Snorkel - always the first set of personal gear recommended!
• Wrist Mounted Dive computer - tracks your personal dive profile and Nitrogen Loading. Essential for multi-day trips with multiple dive operators. Set your personal dive preferences, and know the features & dive planning capabilities!
• Wrist mounted dive compass.
• Safety Sausage & signaling device.
• Mask defog
• Mesh dive bag to haul your stuff!

Optional (Rent until you know what you want & can afford):

• Reg Set (First Stage, Second Stage and Octo).
• BC (often purchased at same time as reg set, and computer).
• Exposure Protection that fits - falls in the priority here closely.
• Lights (start with a small BC mounted, then add a primary). If planning to do night dives on your trip, move this item up to mandatory!
• Knife/cutting device (EMT Shears work great)
• Emergency Kit - first aid kit, O-rings, straps, tools, etc. (Hopefully your operator will have all you need - but you never know.)

Really Optional! (not practical for Travel):

• Tanks - rent! (until you are ready to afford steel!)
• Weights
• Reel(s)
• Spare Mask
• Pony Bottle/Redundant Air Source - for deep dives

Hope this helps.

Dive Safe!

SDI IDC/IEC Instructor Course

Short post to reflect on the Scuba Diving International (SDI) Instructor Development Course (IDC) and Instructor Evaluation Course (IEC) to become an Open Water Scuba Instructor. A colleague and I went through the program together, and in total the Program took 7+ months. with about 80+ hours of class and pool time.

We averaged about 1 class session per week (of about 3 hours), with some weeks more, and some weeks less. The class sessions were very humbling, with the course being conducted by 2 SDI Instructor Trainers that I consider 2 of the best divers & Instructors I have known. The class presentations were sometimes scheduled topics, sometimes unannounced. Emphasis was placed on the SDI Presentation Outline, making sure that the topics and key points were clearly communicated, emphasised, and covered. In addition, special emphasis was placed on the "Big 3" of Advanced Training, Shop sponsored dive trips, and Gear Sales. I have made many management presentations throughout my career, but I will say that the SDI program was especially tough, and I learned a lot about myself, and gained additional confidence that can also be applied to business situations. The class also included the required swimming tests and skill demostrations, and very comprehensive written exam.

Now (finally!) as a certified SDI Instructor it reminds my of my younger days when I went through US Army Airborne School. By the time you got through the training, jumping out of a perfectly good Airplane at 1,500 feet at 130 mph was the easy part. The training is always designed to be harder to prepare you for the situations you may encounter.

I've conducted my first confined water classes with 10 Students with an experienced Instructor "Co-Instructing" with me. As indicated above, I found the experience easier (and less stressful) than the IDC/IEC, and also much more rewarding in the respect of seeing people "coming in off the street" complete the academic and Confined Water portion of the training and gain new skills and self-confidence. Many of the students in my first confined water (CW) class went to the lake this weekend for their Open Water (OW) training with another Instructor, and I look forward to feedback about their preparation in becoming "Certified Divers".

So - as a fledgling Instructor - I would encourage all divers in their quest for advanced training. I also look forward to teaching many more Confined Water and Open Water classes to develop my own methods - taking tips from many of the great Instructors I have worked with. By the way, I also picked up Instructor status for about 10 additional Specialties, such as Deep, Wreck, Navigation, etc.

If you think being a Divemaster or Instructor is in your future - go for it.

Dive Safe.

Long time gone

Has it been seven months? Where have I been? How about diving in Bonaire, and the beautiful Lakes of the Upstate of SC?

Main time consumer is that I have been going through the SDI Instructor IDC & IEC, and after many months, I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (or is it a train?). I intend to post more reflections on the experience after I have had a chance to fully reflect on the class.

Bottom line - never give up!

More to follow.

Dive Safe!

Lake Jocassee Water Temperature

Quick report from my dives yesterday at the Divers Ramp at Devil's Fork State Park, Lake Jocassee.

• Surface temps in the upper 70's/low 80's.
• Mild thermocline starting at about 20'
• Water temps at my max. depth of 111' at about 55 degrees F. Hood and gloves recommended (unless you really like ice cream headaches!).
• I wore a 7mm with a hooded vest, and was toasty warm.
• If you are planning to dive shallow (say less than 50'), you could probably get away without a hood and gloves - but that is a personal preference. Several people were in shorties.
• Dove fairly early yesterday morning, and not too many other divers. Visibility was stirred up as usual around the guidelines down to about 40 feet. Going beyond the fiberglass boat, Bones family, and past the Cattle Gate into the "Haunted Forest", the vis cleared up considerably. Carried my HID can light, but more for signaling than anything.

Hope you find this useful!

Dive Safe!

Simplified Gas Management for Deep Recreational Diving

Many excellent articles on this subject are available for Technical divers, but I find that many Recreational Courses do not present the basics of Gas Management to the Recreational Diver. The worst case scenario is that you encounter a major problem at deep recreational depths (in my definition between 60 and 130 feet) and find that you do not have a sufficient volume of gas for you and your Buddy to safely manage the problem and ascend to the surface - a potentially dangerous situation!

Given the physics of Boyle's Law, we know that as we dive deeper, our air consumption increases proportionately with depth. So how much gas should be reserved as contingency? Many times, divers are simply told to turn the dive at 1/2 the tank pressure without respect to depth, or the fact that many buddy teams may have different tank sizes. Turning the dive at 1/2 (or even 1/3) of starting tank pressure may be sufficient to a point, but as depths increase this method will most probably not provide a proper safety margin should an underwater emergency occur. It is your responsibility to determine your minimum gas requirements. This is why you are required to sign that Liability Waiver!

For this example, I am considering a body of water such as a Lake with no current, since current significantly changes the calculations and complexity of the situation.

From a high level, the steps should be as follows:

1. Calculate and monitor your Surface Air Consumption (SAC) Rate and Respiratory Minute Volume (RMV). Why? These factors tell you how your air consumption is doing both in psi per minute, and cubic feet per minute under normal - relaxed diving conditions.
2. Determine the stress level RMV for you and your Buddy. This should be a conservative value above your normal RMV.
3. Allow time for problem solving at depth - allow 1 minute at maximum depth
4. Allow time for ascent - assume max ascent rate of 30 feet per minute.
5. Allow time for deep stop - I allow 1 minute at 1/2 max depth.
6. Allow time for safety stop - 3 minutes at an assumed 20 feet.
7. Add the volumes above for each step. This is the Minimum Gas required for emergencies.

The above will determine the amount of gas (in cubic feet) that should be reserved (also referred to as "Rock Bottom") at which time you and your Buddy should start your ascent to the surface. This quantity of gas can then be converted to a pressure for convenience.

And now for the math:

To calculate your personal Surface Air Consumption (SAC) Rate - which expresses air consumption in psi/minute, or Respiratory Minute Volume (RMV) -which expresses the same factor in cubic feet per minute, I recommend to record over the course of several dives your rated tank volume, starting and ending air pressure, average dive depth and dive time. Many dive computers (especially hoseless with integrated pressure sensors) will log this data, and calculate these factors for you automatically. This data will provide you with valuable information about the efficiency of your air consumption - just like gas mileage on a car. With these values, use the following formulas for the calculation of values:

SAC Rate (psi/min) = ((Change in psi)/(Dive Time (min.)) /Avg. Depth (ATA)

RMV Rate (cu. ft./min) = SAC * (Rated Vol. of Tank (cu. ft.) / (Rated Pressure of Tank (psi.)

Why are these calculations necessary? It provides a basis for your personal air requirements. A real example (From one of my deep dives yesterday):

• Rated Tank Volume: 100 cu. ft.
• Rated Pressure: 3447 psi
• Actual Start Pressure: 3400 psi
• Actual End Pressure: 1800 psi
• Max Depth: 111 feet
• Average Depth: 56 feet
• Dive Time = 24 minutes

(By the way - I also carried a 30 cu.ft Pony Bottle with independent Regulator as Bailout)

Therefore:

• SAC Rate(psi/min) = ((Change in psi)/(Dive Time (min.)) /Avg. Depth (ATA)
• SAC Rate (psi/min) = ((3,400-1,800 psi)/(24 min.) /((56'/33')+1 ATA)
• SAC Rate = 24.72 psi/min.

and,

• RMV Rate (cu. ft./min) = SAC * (Rated Vol. of Tank (cu. ft.) / (Rated Pressure of Tank (psi.)
• RMV Rate (cu. ft./min) = 24.72 psi/min * (100 cu. ft.) / (3447 psi.)
• RMV Rate = 0.72 cu. ft./min

Referring to the original steps above, and for a theoretical dive to 120' deep:

1. My normal RMV is about 0.70 cu. ft./min. I personally assume a "Stressed RMV" of 1.0 cu.ft./min. You should evaluate this factor for yourself, and determine your own value. For Buddy and myself, a total RMV of 2.0 cu.ft./min. will be assumed. Note: This is the single most critical factor in this discussion. All other factors are mathematical calculations!!! Some divers use a Stressed RMV of 2.0 cu.ft./min. or higher.
2. Allow time for problem solving at depth - allow 1 minute at maximum depth. 120' = 4.64 ATA x 2.o cu. ft./min = 9.27 cu.ft.
3. Allow time for ascent - 120' - total ascent time = 120'/30'/min. = 4 minutes, average depth = 120'/2 (average depth) = 60 ft. = 2.82 ATA. Air for Ascent = 4 min. * 2.82 ATA * 2.0 cu.ft/min = 22.55 cu.ft.
4. Allow time for deep stop - 120'/2 = 60 ft = 2.82 ATA. Air for deep stop = 2.82 ATA * 2.0 cu.ft./min = 5.64 cu.ft.
5. Allow time for safety stop - 20' = 1.61 ATA * 3 minutes * 2.0 cu.ft./min = 9.64 cu.ft.
6. Finally, Adding all this up, you should get something like 47.09 cu.ft to satisfy the emergency gas requirements for you and your Buddy breathing off 1 tank.
7. Converting to pressure this would be (47.09 cu.ft./100 cu.ft.) * 3,447 psi = 1,623 psi. Assuming you had a full fill to start with, your turn pressure to meet the Rock Bottom Requirements would be 1,824 psi. (3,447 psi - 1,623 psi.). These pressures are often rounded up for ease of memory, and can be recorded on your slate.

If you and your buddy have different tank sizes, it is only step 7 above that is different. Minimum gas requirements are only a function of depth and your air consumption (RMV). This should be calculated for each diver, and communicated to each other before the dive. The first diver to reach this turn pressure should signal to the other diver to turn the dive. This turn signal must be non-negotiable! It is a fairly simple matter to take this data and prepare a table for various depths and tank sizes that can be laminated and carried to the Dive Site.

Hopefully this guide has been easy to follow. Gas Management should be a critical skill for the deep recreational diver. Additional equipment for deep recreational dives such as redundant regulators (via Pony or Bailout Bottles) should also be considered for an additional measure of safety.

(Note: for further reference, please click here)

Dive Safe!

Should you get your Divemaster Certification?

Reply I recently posted on ScubaBoard to a question about the value of Divemaster certification.

This thread has sparked some interesting (and not so interesting) discussion.Why get DM certification? Is it worth it? Can you make any money at it?

Everybody's motivations are different, but there are some common theme's. Personally, I have only had my DM for about a year, and assist with classes about 1 - 2 weekends per month on average. My personal motivation in seeking DM certification was to become a better diver, to be better prepared to handle in-water emergencies, and to learn to deal with people and the problems that can arise in teaching new students to dive.

Is it worth it? Personally - yes. I get a great deal of satisfaction working with students, and seeing the tremendous growth in self-confidence that can happen in just a matter of days. I personally like Open Water training the best - where the student has a chance to demonstrate the skills and really enjoy this great sport of diving. The enthusiasm and excitement of newly certified divers completing their first real open water dives is truly contageous and rewarding.

Can you make money as a DM? Very simply, no. Many DM's get great discounts on gear, air, trips, and other perks, but you cannot make a living as a DM unless you are in a location where your pay (or lack thereof) is strongly supplemented by tips.

To the poster that has made the negative comments about DM training - I would ask what other opportunities does a diver have to increase their knowledge, skills, and ability other than the intensive training (CPR, First Aid, Oxygen Provider, Rescue, etc.) necessary to achieve the DM rating?

The final point I would offer is that the DM certification in itself is not a means to an end. It is only a formal recognition of a basic level of demonstrated performance for the diver, and a stepping-stone to contined education and experience. As the worn out cliché goes "A good diver is always leaning".

Dive Safe!

Review of OxyCheq 30# Mach V Wing

Short review of the Oxycheq 30# wing. My LDS started carrying these wings and I have heard great reviews of them, so I decided to take the plunge. Mounting was easy with my Fred T SS backplate with STA. No issues. Bolt holes matched perfectly. One modification that was necessary was that I had to replace my 30" LP inflator hose with a 22" hose. The OxyCheq Inflator corrugated hose was much shorter than my previous wing, and therefore this was necessary as my old hose was an entanglement hazard.

Now have about 30 dives on the wing, and have been very pleased. The wing makes a very tight package, and I hardly notice that it is on my back. I have sensed considerably less drag in the water, and also a reduced amount of air that has to be be added or purged from the wing. This has resulted in lower air consumption, and a much more stable horizontal diving position in the water.

For reference, I am about 185#, 6', and usually dive fresh water in Lake Jocassee in the beautiful upstate of South Carolina. With a 7mm Bare Arctic, and a HP 100 cubic foot Worthington Steel Tank, I carry no additional lead.

Here are a few shots of the the Wing:

Photo 1: OxyCheq wing in place on Backplate (partially inflated wing to provide better visibility for the picture).

















Photo 2: Front view of wing. Notice K Inflator, and also the amount of wing extending below the backplate. The wing has a "doughnut" shaped bladder, allowing 360 degree transfer of air top and bottom unlike traditional wings.

Photo 3: Back view of wing. Note ScubaPro Cincher Bands (really like these bands by the way - never had them slip).

Conclusion: I really like this wing, I think that it is an affordable, well-made compact single tank wing. 5 out of 5 Seahorses.

Dive safe.

Caribbean Blue

CoCo View Resort

Picture of a Banded Coral Shrimp taken in Roatan, Honduras.

Selected photos from the trip can be found here

Review of Coco View Dive Resort

Roatan, Honduras
July 2007

By Duncan Seaman

In a Coconut shell:

This report is written for the diver considering Coco View Dive Resort (and Roatan) for the first time. Coco View offers excellent value for the serious diver wanting to get the maximum diving for their money. The rooms are clean and basic, and the food is fresh and well prepared. The resort does not offer a lot other than diving, so if you are looking for Beach and nightlife activities - or traveling with a non-diving partner - I would recommend that you look elsewhere.

What I liked:
· Diving – Outstanding Dive Operation
· Food
· Botanical Garden

What I didn’t:
· Bugs (no-see-ums)
· No Beach
· Honduras Customs (Inbound)

The Diving:

That’s what you come to Coco View for!

During the week, the weather generally cooperated and I managed 26 dives. Most days were a 2-tank morning, and 2-tank afternoon boat dives. Each 2-tank dive consisted initially of one of the many sites on the South side, then a drop off dive outside the Resort at either Coco View Wall, or Newman’s wall.

The dive operation is first rate, and highly professional. From the layout of the gear lockers, to the dive boats and crews, things are designed with the serious diver in mind. Although the boats did not always leave exactly on time, it is a well-oiled machine that offers the best value for the diver, and 24/7 shore diving and Nitrox continuously available. Shore diving is an easy entry and exit, with a short walk from the gear lockers into the water.

Marine life is abundant, and during the week our group had sightings of Whale Sharks, Dolphins, Seahorses, a variety of crabs, shrimp, squid, octopus, and a wide assortment of Caribbean Fish. There were several all-day diving excursions offered to the West End and Port Royal. The West End group ended up snorkeling with 2 Whale Sharks (which I unfortunately did not sign up for!), and the Port Royal trip ended up being shortened to a ½ day trip due to weather concerns.

Typical dive profiles were in the 60 to 80 foot range, with many dives lasting about 60 minutes. Diving is varied, and can offer depths in excess of 100’ for the more advanced divers. 32% Nitrox is available (and plentiful) for $6 per tank, or $100 for the week. You can pretty much dive your own profiles on the shore dives, although the DM’s limit the depth & dive time when on the boat to 60 minutes to keep things organized. Also, a lot of the divers really liked the ease of entry back on the boat using the center “Moon Well” ladder on the dive boats.

The Resort:

The Resort is situated on a private island about 20 minute ride from the airport. After transport to a small landing, you take a boat to the island, and begin orientation briefing that lasted about an hour. The resort delivers your luggage to your room, which I thought was a nice touch. After that, they conducted a short orientation dive in the “front yard”, and the wreck of the Prince Albert.

The rooms were basic, but clean. We had an over-water Cabana that was a large open wood-trimmed room, with a private porch overlooking the Caribbean. Since our room was booked as part of a group package, I am not sure of the specific rates for the different room options (Bungalow’s, Cabana’s, vs., Ocean View Rooms) but in general I do not think you can go wrong with any of them. Maid service was daily, with a change of sheets mid-week.

The resort has a small friendly bar (you must try the “Monkey-La-La”) for unwinding in the evenings, and you are provided with a free drink coupon upon arrival. Two evenings they had live entertainment, and also “fire dancers” one night. Most nights the group was in bed fairly early due to the extensive diving, although Willie the bartender was very friendly,

The resort also has wireless Internet in the “Clubhouse”, and also 2 computers with Internet access located near the health spa. The made it easy to keep in touch with the world - if that is what you want to do while you are on vacation! Also FYI - I found the cell phone reception was fine at the Resort with my GSM Cingular world phone.

A short note about the bugs – we used 100% DEET everyday, and still managed several nasty bug bites. We heard an assortment of bug repellant remedies from various guests from Dove soap to herbal lotions with mixed results. So – come prepared. The local critters like foreign blood!

An aerial view of the resort can be found here: http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=16358943&x=-86431841&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2

The Food:

I would rate the food at the Resort very good. While not gourmet, the food was fresh and well prepared. Breakfast was typically eggs to order, fresh made waffles, sausage and bacon, and plenty of fresh fruit. Dinner was an excellent main dish (meat, chicken, or fish) with local side dishes. All meals were served in the open-air screened Dining room Buffet style.

One of the nights we had an island cookout with ribs and chicken on the Cay (very good), and another night was Lobster and prime Rib (excellent). The menu is fairly varied, and should suit even the most demanding diets. My wife and I went to a local restaurant (Gio’s) as part of a Resort organized outing, and while the food was good - I would rate the Coco View Lobster dinner better. Dinner at Gio’s ended costing my wife and I about $50.00 each with appetizers and drinks.

The drinking water at the resort is provided in the room in 5 gallon bottles. We had plenty of salad and fresh fruit without concerns about bacteria. Before traveling to Roatan, we did get all the required immunizations, and also Malaria medication as recommended by the CDC.

The Island:

I would recommend the Island tour on Friday Afternoon (since you can’t dive before flying anyway). It consisted of a visit to the Iguana Farm (so-so), the Botanical Garden (very good), and a trip to West End. The West End is basically a dirt road surrounded by dive shops, restaurants, hotels, bars, and gift shops. It reminded me of somewhere you would go on spring break when in college. Nice to visit one-time, but don’t know that I would go back except to hit one of the great Restaurant’s on the water.

The Island tour will give you a better sense of the Local Island culture, and you will find that the Roatan standard of living is low, with many dirt streets and a low level of services available. This is stark contrast to the rolling hills and the natural beauty of the island both above and below the water.

Conclusion:

If you love to dive, dive, dive – Coco View is the place for you. If not, look elsewhere on the island. There is not much else to do at Coco View other than diving since you are pretty well island-locked. The diving is outstanding, and I would consider Coco View an excellent value for the Money.

New Wing!

The best part about Diving is getting new gear! Almost like a kid at Christmas. Anyway, recently purchased a new OxyCheq 30# Mach V wing. I've admired these wings for some time, and since my LDS has finally started carrying the OxyCheq line, I decided to take the plunge. The make of the wing is high quality Black Cordura, with the word "OxyCheq" stitched distinctly down the side of the wing in a bright gold lettering. Compared to my old Deep Outdoors (DO) 34# wing, the OxyCheq seems substantially longer, and much much narrower. In my early days of diving (with my Zeagle Ranger) I used an alternate air source Inflator, but I have long since gone for the more traditional inflator, and a dedicated (bungeed) Alternate Second Stage. The OxyCheq wing has a high quality Power Inflator as part of the package.

After mounting the wing to my backplate and dry fitting to my standard Worthington HP Steel 100 cuft Tank, I found that the bottom of the wing touched the ground, where the DO wing did not ride that low. A nice design feature is that the OxyCheq wing connects on the bottom to make a "doughnut" air bladder configuration. This was one of my complaints with the DO wing, and would allow some off balance air-trapping. Although this was never a major problem, I did feel that this did not help with trim since I often use the rear pull dump (only on one side) when in the horizontal position to manage bouyancy. With the OxyCheq, this bladder connection on the bottom will allow air to flow from one side of the bladder to the other.

One adjustment I had to make as a result of the new OxyCheq Wing to to replace my LP BC inflator hose from my First Stage. My old hose was 30", and this was waaaay too long for the new wing (with shorter corrugated hose). I ended up replacing it with a 22" hose, and this was still maybe an inch or two too long. During my Cavern course earlier this year, a shorter corrugated hose was one change recommended by my NSS-CDS Instructor, Mr. Johnny Richards.

I really like the nice tight package this wing makes, and can't wait to dive it! I will have a good opportunity to fully evaluate the wing since I am getting ready to head to Honduras in two weeks for a much deserved dive trip!

More on the in-water evaluation after I get back.

Until then, dive safe!

Caribbean Blue.