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Nothing but gross speculation in the "one fell ill, the other tried to help" conclusion. If I'm reading this correctly and if the underlying facts are correct, they were at over 100 m deep. So clearly tech diving in one way or another. They died before doing much if any work on the...

Was it? Or was that just collective speculation? I thought the USCG report was inconclusive as to source of ignition. No doubt a scenario can be imagined where the batteries started the fire, but there's no certainty of that to my knowledge.

Took me too long to realize DM was direct message. I was wondering what divemaster you wanted fired.... I've done a lot of research diving in the San Juans, generally out of a boat. Currents are a big deal, especially at the best dive sites you've never heard of. Make sure not to just use a...

I'd caution on the night dive if it's the night before doing two deep dives the next morning. Make sure you've got a good 12 hours between dive "days." I also think it's a good plan to do the deeper dives early, shallow dives later. However, I'm not sure I like the idea of doing four dives in...

This whole thread is giving me the heebie-jeebies. I'm glad pisauron is aware of the problem and, if the situation is as we're assuming, the errant computer is more conservative. I'm old enough to remember the first generation of dive computers and hearing stories of divers who got bent...

You don't have to, though I suspect most folks would get it. There's an added application fee (at least with PADI) once you've met all the requirements. Don't pay the fee or submit the paperwork, you're not a DM.

Probably spoke too strongly. I'm not an attorney, but I tend to err on the side of caution. Maybe it adds liability, maybe it doesn't. But I'm guessing you'd at least have a potential legal headache to deal with, even if not liable in the dive boat scenario. Still, I should have left that...

I was worried about students using ChatGPT to get help on a take-home senior undergraduate=level biostats course I taught. So just for kicks I gave it one of my questions. It's first try required information it didn't have (a population variance, when all I gave they had a sample variance). I...

As a scientists, I'd say it gets a little dicey. Just because I say something is my opinion doesn't mean it's my considered scientific opinion or even whether I'm the right person to get a considered scientific opinion from. I'll tell you a story from the way back machine, when I was in grad...

Not a captain, but a friend of mine was a retired Coast Guard Commander (and CO on the Alert) who ended up working for our state ferry system. Because of union rules combined with his unlimited masters' license, he'd show up to work and might be cleaning heads, or might be driving the boat...

I think you might find that in some countries rules exist around diving. Even in the USA, we have rules about hydro testing cylinders before driving down the highway. But beyond that, there's limited rules. I suspect it's similar to rock climbing or other terrestrial pursuits. You're...

I think this one is current. On PAs/Nurse Practitioners, etc: I think PADI's guidance on this has changed. In the past, I called and asked about this since the form said "physician" and they said no, it had to be a doc. So MD or DO is fine. I think the rationale at the time was that PAs...

Thanks for the clarification. Of course, if you're not a SDI instructor you can't teach an SDI course. I've seen a PADI shop issue NAUI (and others from time to time) certifications with the appropriate instructor, but the context was a shop with a lot of traffic (at least for the area) and...

Several thoughts: 1. Insurance is likely irrelevant. You're paying one policy as an instructor, not likely two because you have two cards. Either it's on you or it's on the shop, and that'll be agency-independent. 2. I think Tursiops had great advice: Look at what shops are certifying in...

I like to think of it as "horizontal viz integrated over a vertical gradient." :wink:

Secchi disks are an old favorite, but the results can be highly variable from user to user. You tend to see it deeper with more experience....

That could work if you took measurements at a few different depths. You can then find the "coefficient of extinction" which tells you how turbid the water is. The basic equation is Iz=Io*e**(-kz) Iz=light intensity at depth z (you measure this with your light meter) Io=light intensity at the...

I do have experience, but not with a handheld unit. What I'll say is that they're pretty worthless for leaving deployed to collect data. Some random bit of debris gets into the gap between light source and sensor and you get low viz from that point on. At least from the gauges perspective...

That's how you should do nav. Well, at least compass navigation. The elements you learn are things like this: 1. How many kick cycles does it take you to go 100'/30 m? 2. Starting at a fixed point (maybe the instructor?) you swim out and back using a compass. 3. Starting at a fixed...

What's the abbreviation to go from true to compass? Something like TVMDC? True, Variation, Magnetic, Deviation, Compass? And as long as I'm on a tangent, I had friends who worked on Devon Island in the late 1980's. In the 1920's a compass on Devon would have pointed SW. By the time they...