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I use a primitive technique: I place a very thick and wide elastic band around the line so that it has to be tugged slightly for the line to be released. As a rule I like to dive in places, perhaps less fabulous, that do not have lots of boats whizzing around. Some sites that are heavily used...

Absolutely required in NJ, and of a fairly large size. There are a few inlets and jetties that are popular during the summer, and I've seen as many as 6 flags at once in a small area. In some places flags are helpful to morons on jet ski 'personal water craft' , giving them a destination to head...

Thanks for the Woods Hole link. They have documented fascinating occurrences over the years, things like finding a huge seahorse in 200 feet of water in mid-winter. By the way, that postage stamp in your excellent video does not depict a Spotfin butterfly fish. It's a French butterfly...

I've been collecting Gulf Stream tropical reef fishes for a very long time. I set up my first salt water aquarium when I was still in high school, about 62 years ago. This was before all glass tanks existed. The fishes available from dealers in NYC were most Floridian and horrifically expensive...

Is there some other way to pay bills than over the phone or by check? I'm sure you are not so trusting as to allow some outside entity to deduct charges from your account as they see fit. Only a fool would allow an outside agency access to their bank account. I only require assistance to post a...

I do write checks for some bills, things like utilities, others, like Amex, I pay by phone. No real difference between a laptop and a desktop except for smaller keyboards and screens. Listening to music from around the world is best on my desktop, with its sound system and large screen. My...

Of course I file electronically. I'm not a Ludditite at all, but I admired the Phonebusters of a couple of decades ago who snatched the phones from people using them in public and smashed them. Having public conversations with a plastic device is like brushing your teeth in public- repulsive. I...

Suppose you don't have a smartphone? I don't, and don't want one. A waste of money, I think. I use a small 20 year old flip phone that stays in my vehicle except when hiking, strictly for emergencies and convenience calls. I do not text at all, strictly voice calls. I use a full-size desk...

It pleases me to help people better themselves.

Craft beer is a bad habit. So is regular beer. Habitual beer drinkers eventually develop protuberant stomachs, and alcohol is bad for you. In Mexico, try Mundet's 'Manzana Verde', a terrific soft drink without any destructive alcohol content.

Other than a diminished ability to shed nitrogen and the resultant need to follow increasingly more conservative ND limits, I'm not sure what problems aging may present that are specific to diving . Occasional balance problems, a tendency to fatigue, less tolerance for cold, etc., are things...

I have almost every metallic scuba item I've ever owned, going back to the 60s. I have my first 1969 SP MK5, worn and slightly dented, as well as the 'spare' MK5s I bought in the 70s, still new it their boxes, untouched in nearly a half-century, as well as the Mk 5 safety second I still use...

If it were not for kid activities I'd suggest St. John. Activities in place for children may be hard to find anywhere there is good diving. Parents generally provides their own. Snorkeling? Catching lizards and hermit crabs? Supervised swimming? Older kids should be capable of amusing...

Another clear difference between juvenile French and Grey/Black Angelfish is the swimming pattern. French Angel juveniles swim with a sinuous weaving pattern, much like a Clownfish, while Grey Angels swim more quickly, darting like a butterfly fish.

I use a 'DACOR' embossed buckle.

Mk 5 with late series upgrades, 109 upgraded to BA specs Mk 10 with G250 Graphite Mk 19 with D350 or D400 All DIN except when in the Caribbean, Mk 19 easily converts to yoke. I've found all of my Mk 5 hold IP forever, Mk 10s do not.

Interesting question. I always assumed that J valves were so named because of the air path. J valves have a spring loaded air block directly opposite the opening valve air block. Air pressure over a certain level, around 500 pounds, holds the spring back. The resulting air pathway does have a...

And that's all you need. It's not anything near a crisis with 600 pounds (the typical J valve spring pressure), especially diving in a golf course pond. Relying on J valves during my early years diving helped to reinforce the need to plan the dive.

Relying on a computer without being conscious of the rough outlines of the tables is very careless. It's like relying on a 'buddy' instead of yourself to get you out of possible trouble.

My point was that the valves themselves are perfectly safe if used properly. This is true for most scuba equipment. A properly secured and frequently rechecked actuator rod is an obviously vital element in J valve use. Not checking the position of the actuator rod/valve position is the...