#4428493 - 07/01/18 11:00 PM
Re: Any scuba divers here?
[Re: Vitesse]
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
jenrick
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Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
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I don't SCUBA, but I do free dive. I've thought about taking the time to get my SCUBA cert though, as I would certainly enjoy more bottom time by SCUBA diving. On the other hand even with a top of line pair of fins and mask I'm only out $200 and honestly I could have spent $50 with only a minor decrease in comfort and efficiency. I usually only dive to about 30 feet or so, as it gives me more bottom time, but I have made 20 meters once just to say I've done it. I'm not one of the folks trying to push for depth records, honestly about 10-15 feet is perfect for me. Easy to get under and shallow enough to stay down a good while.
One tip I can give you on air consumption is efficiency of movement. If I can get head down and just let my weight push me deeper with very minimal kicking, I'm saving air, versus actively kicking, this can easily add a minute or more to my bottom time. Look for the efficiency in everything you do under the water, and you'll start to see big increases in how long you can stay down.
-Jenrick
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#4428518 - 07/02/18 01:54 AM
Re: Any scuba divers here?
[Re: Vitesse]
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Nixer
Scaliwag and Survivor
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Scaliwag and Survivor
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Living with the Trees
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I've done a bunch of diving in my time. Years ago it could get a little hairy. Lately, in the rare dives I get, it's a little less hairy. Hope that helps...and don't forget to take a deep breath just in case. Oh...wait. This is about "underwater diving"? Nevermind................
Last edited by Nixer; 07/02/18 01:57 AM. Reason: Hair got in the way
Censored
Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4428579 - 07/02/18 01:45 PM
Re: Any scuba divers here?
[Re: Vitesse]
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
bones
Hotshot
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Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
Earth
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Vitesse, Welcome to the underwater world! I am a diver too. I've been diving a little more than 12 years and have around 111 dives logged. I'm on open water diver, not advanced, but love it. I got my wife interested in it too and she has been OWD certified since 2015. Don't sweat the buoyancy and air consumption thing. These are all skills you will learn to master over time. I used to have a hard time staying neutral buoyant, or having a controlled descent, but now I go down and slowly come to a neutral hover a mere few feet above the ocean floor without even really thinking about how to do it. It becomes natural. I too use to suck down air, but you learn that if you relax and don't unnecessarily overexert yourself you can make 3000 psi last quite a while, even when deep. Try to stay conscious of breathing in with one breath deeply and slowly until your lungs are full, then exhale it all out slowly. Don't inhale again until your lungs are completely empty, and don't cut the inhale or exhale short if you can help it. You'll see your bottom time go as long as 40 minutes after hitting deep depths of 90+ feet, or as long as over an hour for the shallow dives. Do take a chance to go night diving sometime--it's amazing yet creepy. It's cool that you did a wreck dive. I only did one and it was awesome. I'd like to do more. Not sure about going inside though--besides, I'd need a cert for that. I imagine that you are doing cold water diving? I'm not a fan of that, I get too cold too easily as it is, but that's great--are you doing it with a 7 mil, or do you have a drysuit? I dive primarily in Cozumel, where the water is warm and visibility is a crystal clear 100 ft or more. I've done a few quarry dives and dove Catalina Island and Key Largo once before though. I hear the Red Sea is great..a friend of mine dives there often. Here are some pix from our last Cozumel dive: Cozumel 1 Cozumel 2 Night Dive Cozumel Cozumel 3 Cozumel 4 Cozumel Video Clips Cozumel 5 Cozumel 6 Cozumel 7 Diving the McAllister, Ft Lauderdale v6, boNes
"Also, I would prefer a back seater over the extra gas any day. I would have 80 pounds of flesh to eat and a pair of glasses to start a fire." --F/A-18 Hornet pilot
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#4428610 - 07/02/18 04:29 PM
Re: Any scuba divers here?
[Re: Vitesse]
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 12,488
MarkG
Veteran
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The Bayou
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Lol, Nixer. Apparently underwater muff diving is actually a thing. ++++++++++ And speaking of being eaten... I did some touristy cruise ship snorkeling once at Grand Cayman (I think it was a stingray excursion, doesn't count) but could never do any kind of diving for real. I love to eat fish but I'm always worried about the big ones out there, somewhere, that would love to eat me!
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
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#4428662 - 07/02/18 11:59 PM
Re: Any scuba divers here?
[Re: Vitesse]
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
jenrick
Member
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Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
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Yep, your breathing reflex is triggered by high CO2, not low O2. That's what get's most people in shallow water blackouts, trying to hyperventilate and then swim underwater a ways. The oxygen level gives out before the breathing reflex kicks in as the CO2 level is still low. What you do is basically train your body to stop worry about the CO2 part, for a lot longer than you're used to. Besides the mental trauma of doing it, most people could be held underwater with one deep breathe for 3-5 minutes and physically be perfectly fine. Learning to be comfortable doing that is the trick, it's all mental. Embrace the contractions.
Going and playing with the fish and turtles by just dropping down to see them is great, sort of like being able to fly in reverse and visiting the birds. I love the freedom of free diving as there's no gear to lug around, etc, you just get in the water and go.
Yeah 52F-60F would be chilly. I'll do 65-70F without a suit if I'm actively swimming a lot (diving to take pictures, laps for exercise, etc), if I'm out for just a pleasant low stress dive/snorkel, 75F is much nicer!
-Jenrick
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Exodus
by RedOneAlpha. 04/18/24 05:46 PM
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