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We scootered Ginnie today - vis isn’t that bad actually (30’+), just green/tannic and feels very dark/dim.

Yep, I’ve been at Manatee the last couple weekends. As of Sat, the headspring is browned out and closed to flooding/diving, but Catfish is fine. There were surprisingly few folks there, given everything else has been flooded. Planning to hit Ginnie tomorrow.

I’m local, in cave country. HP steels and LP steels both get filled to 4000, which often cools to 3600 in summer. Sometimes a touch higher. Pricing is per cf but typically you’re charged for target end pressure of 3600 (not the actual hot fill to 4000) minus your starting pressure. Aluminums...

I can easily see how this could happen if he were in tech gear; you can ditch a BP/W, or a sidemount BC, but they usually have continuous webbing and are not nearly as easy to ditch as a regular jacket BC (or anything with clips). If he was in BM doubles and his air wasn't on....sure, in...

Yep, the switch from steel to aluminum is it. Steel tanks are more negatively buoyant - if you switch from steel to aluminum, you will need to add lead.

I live in Florida and frequently have folks visit. I would say skip the shallow reefs. Here’s my quick rundown of Florida diving: Wreck dives. There are a ton of great wrecks in the panhandle and keys. If you’re a more advanced diver, the Oriskany is a huge aircraft carrier you can reach from...

If everything else is exactly the same, I find on average that experienced divers need to add about four pounds going from fresh to saltwater. That will be more if people are uncomfortable or stressed (ocean, boat, and waves tend to make for more stressful entries than a calm lake shore entry)...

For those looking to get in a dive this weekend, we were at Manatee today. Vis isn’t fantastic, but it’s open and diveable.

I dive a 7mm and 7mm step-in hooded vest 99% of the time. I’m always AMAZED how easily my 5mm goes on when I get to wear it. Practice and time help - I find it much easier to don when the wetsuit is wet and “stretchy”; it’s much harder when it’s bone dry.

It’s a great price and in great shape; I’m low on funds right now, otherwise I’d snap it up! It’s a great BC.

Not proud of it but we have a very shallow spring (Fanning) that’s five feet on average and twenty feet at the deepest part. I took a very low tank in (~ 500psi) just to check it out and went OOA at about 15’. Buddy was right there but it’s so shallow I opted to CESA instead, buddy followed me...

To your question, a 200’ or 250’ primary reel from any of the major brands will be fine (Halcyon, DiveRite, LightMonkeyetc). I like sidewinder style reels, some people like slide lock (I don’t care for it). If you’re okay with a spool (ie, you wind up manually, there’s no handle to reel it back...

It sounds like you’re going drysuit anyway (good choice!) but if you end up looking for wetsuits in the future, Henderson is a great brand. Bars also has women’s sizing that comes in petite and tall versions, and I think you can exchange if the sizing is wrong.

I've had good experiences with Key Dives in Islamorada.

If you haven’t reached out to the NSS-CDS yet, I bet some of the old-timers could give you some info on the cave closure.

I am not a fan of the reefs in the keys, but the deep wrecks are incredible. Definitely do a couple reef dives just to see for yourself, but when I’m down there these days, I only book wreck dives (and I’m normally someone who prefers reefs to wrecks…the reefs in the keys are kinda meh, while...

I’ve had a panicked diver on the surface but it was passive panic - they were positively buoyant so I stayed out of arm’s reach and monitored/talked to them until I could get them calmed down and responsive again. (They had removed their fins, got thrown off the tag line in heavy seas, and in...

Spring Run Diving also does guided dives (including cavern if you’re cavern certified), if you aren’t able to find a buddy.

I own Atomic for both my rec and tec regs. I abuse them horriby and they are fine. The only thing that's different with Atomic is that (because of the seat saver) you can't submerge the first and second stage unpressurized at the same time. If they are pressurized/on a tank it doesn't matter...

Part of the joy of owning aluminum is colorful tanks. Mine are bright purple. Everyone knows it's me when I'm getting fills lol! In short: it's personal preference. Aluminum tanks aren't going to last forever like steel; buy something that brings you joy, and don't worry about it.