CSSP Friday July 25 Report

[Debraw]

Troy, myself and a couple of friends headed out to CSSP this morning for a dive or two. We ended up doing one looooong dive, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Vis was good, but less than last week. Water was warm! I got in my doubles (HP100's) and drysuit ( CD4) and I had to keep going deep to stay cool. I had a lot of trouble in my doubles. I felt like I was balancing them on my back the whole time. I need to tighten up the shoulder section on my harness and move the plate down a little. I also need stiffer fins. I am currently wearing Deep Outdoors 6 Gill. They are just to flimsy. We took the scooters out and Troy and I doubled up on one. I didn't really like that very much. I have an SS N19 that I ordered today and should be here in a few days.
After the dive I got out and was dizzy most of the rest of the day. I just started feeling better. My equillibrium got thrown off a little. I think the combination of doubles, moving around a lot, the scooter, it was just all to much. I need a lot of practice in my doubles and dry suit. No doubt about that. The cloud cover kept the heat down a little, but it was still pretty hot. Make sure you load your coolers with water/ice and stay hydrated.
I saw TexDiveGuy also!!!

 

[Ryanh1985]

Good to hear that vis is good, Did you happen to drop down to the silos? Probably gonna go tomorrow for a bit to practice shooting some bags at depth.

 

[Debraw]

Good to hear that vis is good, Did you happen to drop down to the silos? Probably gonna go tomorrow for a bit to practice shooting some bags at depth.

We never made it down to the silos. I went deep around the plane as you go out towards the far wall. It was cold. I had a beanie on but no gloves. I thought my hands were going to crack into a million pieces they were so cold.

 

[Debraw]

Oh yeah and someone complained to Robert that a diver on a black scooter went under a platform and blew all the visibility when they passed under it. Robert came down and talked to us. I know it wasn't me or Troy because we never went under a platform, but it was probably one of my buddies. I know he didn't mean it if he did it. It's also kind of hard to actually "blow the vis" those scooters while you are moving and not notice that you are doing it. The scooters are attached to a scooter ring and they are about a foot in front of you and you operate them with one hand. In order to "blow the vis" completely you would have to literally turn the scooter vertically, aim the blades at the ground and hit the throttle. He may have disturbed the algae on the platform and caused the vis kill. That could happen with OW students also. Anywho, I know I will be vigilant about the scooters out there and the effect they have on CSSP.

 

[richerso]

Debra,
You didn't blow my vis today. Vis was a consistent 2+ miles all day. Of course, I was running around DFW in my car. Sorry I coudn't make it out to CSSP today.

Now off to bed. I gotta be at Murray in the morning.

 

[Debraw]

I know I saw at least 30 people signed in on the individuals list check-in sheets out there today. There were also a few shop sheets with names. Maybe 50 divers, not bad for a Friday.

 

[texdiveguy]

Oh yeah and someone complained to Robert that a diver on a black scooter went under a platform and blew all the visibility when they passed under it. Robert came down and talked to us. I know it wasn't me or Troy because we never went under a platform, but it was probably one of my buddies. I know he didn't mean it if he did it. It's also kind of hard to actually "blow the vis" those scooters while you are moving and not notice that you are doing it. The scooters are attached to a scooter ring and they are about a foot in front of you and you operate them with one hand. In order to "blow the vis" completely you would have to literally turn the scooter vertically, aim the blades at the ground and hit the throttle. He may have disturbed the algae on the platform and caused the vis kill. That could happen with OW students also. Anywho, I know I will be vigilant about the scooters out there and the effect they have on CSSP.

I bet it was the same buddy of yours that I heard on the surface of the water trying to get control of the scooter....saw him myself doing some strange things...sounded like a chopper with its main blade chopping through the water.....I think the scooter was taking him for a ride!

 

[cruiser]

Robert's running a tight ship out there these days, probably because there's so many people. Last week he told people to get their gear off the docks, the swimming kids to quit dive bombing off the platforms and had people move their cars to the parking areas.

Debraw, are you a dealer for those nifty scooters you use?

 

[texdiveguy]

Debra,,,,THANKS for stopping at the dock I was at to say hi...that was great....nice seeing friendly faces!!

 

[Debraw]

Robert's running a tight ship out there these days, probably because there's so many people. Last week he told people to get their gear off the docks, the swimming kids to quit dive bombing off the platforms and had people move their cars to the parking areas.

Debraw, are you a dealer for those nifty scooters you use?

Nope not a dealer. I sold my dive shop last year. Check wth Steve Cushman at Surface Interval Scuba in Arlington, Texas 817-652-3483. Email is info@siscuba.com or check the website at Submerge underwater scooters, your source for deep scuba DPV's underwater video mounts and underwater HMI lighting

Delivery time is 8 weeks. I just bought another one but I got it from Cave Adventurers in Florida. He had them in stock. I can't wait to get my own. I thought that N37 was mine but now my husband has taken it over. He is starting cave training in Sept. and will get his full cave in December. I am taking cavern in September and we will see how that goes before I decide on cave training. These scooters are really meant for a lot bigger diving than just CSSP. I hope to use mine on the Oriskany in September on the way back from cavern training.

I don't blame Robert at all. I would run a tight ship too. My only real complaint was that I thought whoever complained may have jumped the gun a bit and over exaggerated. It wasn't like we were going back and forth buzzing the classes a half a dozen times. We think we know what happened the more we are thinking about it. Our buddy may have been coming up to the platform, relaized there was a class, cut the scooter off and Boom, negatively bouyant, hit the bottom, not realizing it would be that quick. A cloud formed and then he left the area. It's just the way it was relayed to Robert, like this huge cloud engulfed the students and platform. These are not your average scooters, the backwash is concentrated. If they were the kind of scooter that left huge clouds of silt everywhere you went, then no one would use them for cave. I skipped going out to CSSP today, Troy went said it was packed. I stayed home and worked out at the gym. Gotta get my legs, abs, and shoulders built up to carry those doubles. I am getting there, it just takes time.