CSSP nav Course sinking

[TwoBitTxn]

Well Mike and I get to CSSP fairly early Sunday morning and got set up. Shortly behind me was Texass. We all got situated and geared up to survey the area where we were gonna sink the nav and bouyancy courses. Mike was practicing with his doubles and had a leak on his right post. First just tried shutting it down but the inflator was hooked to that post so he had to get out and fix it. Texass and I left without him. The vis above the first thermal was about 10' below it shot to 15'-20' and 68-72*F. Right comfy in my 6.5mm. We surveyed the platforms in the area and I found what I wanted. The platform sits on the edge of a big drop off and a nice flat. The nav course is on the flat and the bouyancy is on the drop. Lunch time. Just before lunch ScubaTexan pops in.

After lunch Corsair and Seawolf show, about the same time Cavern shows after some confusion as to if we are going to be at Athens or CSSP. She went to Athens first..ooops. Blonde roots.

We get the john boat and finally get geared up to sink this thing. The gates are PVC squares and the anchors are tires filled with about 80lbs of sacrete with an eye bolt sticking out of the top. The first anchor goes down well. Mike and Cavern are practicing running reels and shooting marker bouys. I'm in a diver propulsed john boat dropping the anchors. No paddles, no motor on the boat. Fin power from Texass and Texan. I guess to make a long story short we learned alot. Lost the lock nut on Caverns reel. Cavern lost her wedding ring but found it again and we got three of the 5 gates sunk before a storm chased us off the lake.

Thanks yall for all your help!!

Tom

 

[TexasMike]

It definitely was an interesting experience. And now that we've done a few of the anchors, we have a good idea of what we need to knock the next ones out a little quicker.

Plus it's good practice for skills such as: compas nav, running a reel, and actually working underwater.

Once Tom and I get the rest of the gates in, we'll post the details of how to run the course.


Tom...I just thought that we need to do something to mark the platform bouy a little different from the others so divers will know that's the starting point we mean versus a different platform.

 

[ScubaTexan]

Let me know when you want to finish laying out and I'll help....except this time, I'd kinda like to help out below the surface rather than just on the surface....i.e., bring those paddles. LOL



Ken

 

[Texass]

What's y'alls schedule? Maybe we could combine finishing the courses with a TSDT Anniversary celebration. According to Tom we're a week or two shy of a year since we all first got together. Just a thought.

Another thought is we ought to have the last 2 gates lead back to the starting platform. That way instructors could send out 2 groups in opposite directions or be doing other tasks while waiting for the divers. Maybe tie something to the gates that the divers have to get or identify to prove they hit each gate.

BTW what are the headings? I got 1st = 210; 2nd = 150 and 3rd = 330. If those are wrong let me know.

I had a blast, as usual.

Ken, I haven't dropped the film off yet, but I will in the next day or two. I've lost my Photopoint site, so I need to find another to post pics on. Anybody know of another free site to post pics???

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by Texass
....Anybody know of another free site to post pics???

I'm currently using Photo Access. There are others and they all have their own pecularities.

I'm hoping to have my own web page soon and not have to worry about it!

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by Texass
What's y'alls schedule? Maybe we could combine finishing the courses with a TSDT Anniversary celebration. According to Tom we're a week or two shy of a year since we all first got together. Just a thought.

My schedule is booked until July. June 15/16 will be DM class at Athens with Ron Carlo (Tom and Tabatha are there as well). June 23/24 is moving weekend into new apartment (but might be able to do sunday if BJ can help with the cardboard box schlepping). June 29/30 I'll be in Austin for a state auto recycling convention (unfortunately I'm riding down with Dad, so no diving ;-0 ). And if I remember right, July 7 is the departure date for Tab's Cave trip to Akumal.

So it's a great idea, just not sure about the execution.

Another thought is we ought to have the last 2 gates lead back to the starting platform. That way instructors could send out 2 groups in opposite directions or be doing other tasks while waiting for the divers. Maybe tie something to the gates that the divers have to get or identify to prove they hit each gate.

Actually, the last bearing and distance on the course will be to the platform (start of course). So all we will need to do to find the bearing ourselves is tie off on the last anchor, pop up to the surface to spot the platform marker bouy, drop down, swim to the platform and then take our bearing reading and distance measurement.

And as far as sending out two groups in opposite directions, that's just providing a slate of recriprocal headings for group 2 (or better yet, let the divers develop the reciprocals on the fly!).

You're idea of having something that proved they hit the gate is a good one and something that should be simple enough to install later on.

 

[Fetch]

http://www.scubapages.net/

I'm planning a grand announcement at some point, but you're more than welcome to register, set up a page, and post your pics there

Jeff

Originally posted by Texass

Ken, I haven't dropped the film off yet, but I will in the next day or two. I've lost my Photopoint site, so I need to find another to post pics on. Anybody know of another free site to post pics???

 

[Texass]

Oh well maybe Sunday.

My point on the last 2 gates was that it seemed we were getting kind of far from the starting platform. Were the coordinates right? I didn't right them down until I got home and started filling out my log book. (They say memory is the first to go - I can't remember what you lose next)

Thanx Fetch. I registered and will check it out when I get my emailed password. Of course I'll have to rescan everything since I lost it all loading XP. Something to look forward to if it rains!

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Tex, Yes those coords are correct. Your better than me I couldn't have remembered them.

Mike,

Working on an idea of marking the start of the courses. Right now that is the only platform marked with a blue bouy. Thinking of finding a spare slate or two and writing "Start Nav" and Start Bouyancy" on them in marker and zip tieing to the corners.

Texan, I will be sure to include you on the UW work next trip.

Yes the course will lead back to the platform. The third gate isn't all that far from it.

I think that covered it.

Tom

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by Tom Vyles
Right now that is the only platform marked with a blue bouy.

Are you sure it was the blue bouy? I'm 80% certain I started off on the white buoy to the left as you stand on the dock. And the bearings are from the corner that the buoy is tied off to.

We can generate bearings from the blue buoy. But we'll need to make a plot on a map. And we might want to utilize Tab's idea of temporarily surface marking (using floating short lengths of capped PVC like at Lake Travis) the gates as we set them to see on the surface where they are and final check our bearing info.

My idea for marking was to find the international signaling flag for "N" (a smaller one) and hose clamp it to the bouy.

Or repace the white buoy with another color (white and barber pole red?).