Boats that do multi-day trips regularly that I've been on are the Peace and Sand Dollar, and I would recommend both. For day trips, the aforementioned two, the Magician, the Sea Bass, and the Sundiver are all good, IMO. Haven't been out with Truth Aquatics yet, but plan to head out on some of their single day trips before long.
Dive boat suggestions?
- Thread starter El Dude
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Bubbletrubble
Contributor
I've done two trips on the Horizon. Very professional dive op. Highly recommended..
I haven't been on the Peace. It sounds like a great dive boat. I'm curious, though. Why is the hot tub such a big selling point? First of all, if you're doing a lot of diving, hopping into a jacuzzi isn't the best thing to do considering that it increases the likelihood of DCS. Secondly, I don't find close-quarters man-soup to be that appealing. Most apartment complexes in SoCal have one or two hot tubs on premises. There's plenty of time to jacuuuuuzz (yeah, it's a verb) after the dive trip is over.
Am I missing something here?
I haven't been on the Peace. It sounds like a great dive boat. I'm curious, though. Why is the hot tub such a big selling point? First of all, if you're doing a lot of diving, hopping into a jacuzzi isn't the best thing to do considering that it increases the likelihood of DCS. Secondly, I don't find close-quarters man-soup to be that appealing. Most apartment complexes in SoCal have one or two hot tubs on premises. There's plenty of time to jacuuuuuzz (yeah, it's a verb) after the dive trip is over.
Am I missing something here?
I haven't been on the Peace. It sounds like a great dive boat. I'm curious, though. Why is the hot tub such a big selling point? First of all, if you're doing a lot of diving, hopping into a jacuzzi isn't the best thing to do considering that it increases the likelihood of DCS. Secondly, I don't find close-quarters man-soup to be that appealing. Most apartment complexes in SoCal have one or two hot tubs on premises. There's plenty of time to jacuuuuuzz (yeah, it's a verb) after the dive trip is over.
Yes, a trip on the Peace.
In February.
Bubbletrubble
Contributor
Meh. I'll skip it and stick around closer to home.Yes, a trip on the Peace.
In February.
Enjoy your trip, CompuDude. Watch out for the guy in the hot tub making his own bubbles...
Leejnd
Contributor
Bubbletrouble, don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Heck I have a jacuzzi at the pool in my own community that I haven't visited in years. But after four dives in mid-winter (diving wet), I'm pretty chilled to the bone...and sitting in that jacuzzi for 20 min. or so on the ride home totally tops off the day, and gets my blood flowing again.
Even better is what you can use it for during surface intervals: they have plastic buckets in there that you can use to dump hot water down your wetsuit! That's often the only thing that keeps me going for that fourth dive...otherwise I'd be too chilled to do it. And lemme tell ya, when you climb out of 56-degree water after a 50-min. wet dive, there is just nothing like that feeling of dumping warm salt water down your booty. AAAHHHHHH!
You don't have to worry about man-soup - hot seawater is pumped in there non-stop and so it's constantly circulating. Their water heater is just epic!
Like I said, don't knock it till you've seen it and tried it yourself. I'm not really a jacuzzi person myself, but this one truly makes a huge impact on my dive day.
I'm happy to see so many votes for Peace. They've been my favorite for years...I didn't realize how many others felt the same way.
Even better is what you can use it for during surface intervals: they have plastic buckets in there that you can use to dump hot water down your wetsuit! That's often the only thing that keeps me going for that fourth dive...otherwise I'd be too chilled to do it. And lemme tell ya, when you climb out of 56-degree water after a 50-min. wet dive, there is just nothing like that feeling of dumping warm salt water down your booty. AAAHHHHHH!
You don't have to worry about man-soup - hot seawater is pumped in there non-stop and so it's constantly circulating. Their water heater is just epic!
Like I said, don't knock it till you've seen it and tried it yourself. I'm not really a jacuzzi person myself, but this one truly makes a huge impact on my dive day.
I'm happy to see so many votes for Peace. They've been my favorite for years...I didn't realize how many others felt the same way.
Bubbletrubble
Contributor
@Leejnd: The whole man-soup thing may be a non-issue for you, but I've been on dive boats before...and ogling all that bioprene for 20 min. stretches could land me in therapy:
What about the practice of post-dive hot tubbing posing an increased risk of DCS? Do you worry about that at all? Just sounds like frivolous risk-taking to me. I'm joking about the man-soup, but I'm pretty serious about the DCS issue.
As for filling the wetsuit with warm water to help you tolerate the 56°F water for 50-min. wetsuit dives...that's great. I prefer using my drysuit with warm drygloves, though. I can do loooooong dives in very cold water.
What about the practice of post-dive hot tubbing posing an increased risk of DCS? Do you worry about that at all? Just sounds like frivolous risk-taking to me. I'm joking about the man-soup, but I'm pretty serious about the DCS issue.
As for filling the wetsuit with warm water to help you tolerate the 56°F water for 50-min. wetsuit dives...that's great. I prefer using my drysuit with warm drygloves, though. I can do loooooong dives in very cold water.
Leejnd
Contributor
Bubble - sorry, I didn't quite get your reference to "man soup" until you explained that your concern is not so much about sitting in re-circulating water filling with human fluids, as it is about being exposed to all that male flesh. So, just out of curiosity...would it make a difference if it was all WOMEN sitting in the soup? Because the last time I was on Peace, it was me and a few other scuba-gals sitting in the tub. Would that change the picture for ya? Me, I have no problem with sitting in there regardless of the genders in my soup. It's all just human bodies - we all got one!
Anyway, I wanted to respond to your question about post-dive hot-tubbing, because that IS an important point, and one that deserves discussion. I do know about this, and in fact did extensive research on it before I ever hopped into that "woman soup".
The reality is that it's not necessarily true that hot-tubbing after scuba increases DCS risk. It can, in fact, HELP with off-gassing. The determining factor is how conservatively (or not) your preceding dives were.
Rather than try to explain it, I'll just cut-and-paste from the DAN site FAQs about hot-tubbing after scuba:
For me, I don't have a problem using the hot tub at the end of the day. First of all, I tend to dive very conservatively anyway, so I don't expect I'll have a problem with large gas loads that will produce big bubbles as my tissues warm. Second, I don't get into the hot tub until at least 30 min. after I'm out of the water after my last dive. That's because I have a lot to do before I get to that point - I like to get all my gear disassembled and packed up, eat a snack, and have everything in order before I'm ready to relax (I know I will NOT feel like doing it once I've hopped in that tub!).
But you are right that it's important for divers to be aware of the risks, and if they plan on using it, dive conservatively, and wait for a while before they get in it.
Of course the hot tub is not going to be nearly as compelling for you dry divers. I personally prefer to dive wet, so for us wetties, it's a godsend!
Btw, love the LOLcat! Thanks for the laugh!
Anyway, I wanted to respond to your question about post-dive hot-tubbing, because that IS an important point, and one that deserves discussion. I do know about this, and in fact did extensive research on it before I ever hopped into that "woman soup".
The reality is that it's not necessarily true that hot-tubbing after scuba increases DCS risk. It can, in fact, HELP with off-gassing. The determining factor is how conservatively (or not) your preceding dives were.
Rather than try to explain it, I'll just cut-and-paste from the DAN site FAQs about hot-tubbing after scuba:
For me, I don't have a problem using the hot tub at the end of the day. First of all, I tend to dive very conservatively anyway, so I don't expect I'll have a problem with large gas loads that will produce big bubbles as my tissues warm. Second, I don't get into the hot tub until at least 30 min. after I'm out of the water after my last dive. That's because I have a lot to do before I get to that point - I like to get all my gear disassembled and packed up, eat a snack, and have everything in order before I'm ready to relax (I know I will NOT feel like doing it once I've hopped in that tub!).
But you are right that it's important for divers to be aware of the risks, and if they plan on using it, dive conservatively, and wait for a while before they get in it.
Of course the hot tub is not going to be nearly as compelling for you dry divers. I personally prefer to dive wet, so for us wetties, it's a godsend!
Btw, love the LOLcat! Thanks for the laugh!
Bubbletrubble
Contributor
@Leejnd: OK, your woman-soup doesn't sound nearly as bad as what I had envisioned.
Thanks for the cut-and-paste answer from DAN. Although Pollock's response is a well-reasoned one based on what is currently known about the pathophysiology of DCS, it is a theoretical answer...not one based on any specific "hot tub" studies. I really wouldn't want to be the guinea pig trying to find out what constitutes "significant" bubble loads vs. a "minor" load. Furthermore, I would have to say that the kind of repetitive diving being done on a dive boat like the Peace probably places the nitrogen load closer to the "significant" end of the spectrum. Pollock's words regarding waiting 5 to 30 minutes post-dive before entering the hot tub are presumably based on his guesstimation of how long it takes for peripheral circulation to normalize. Probably a better, more empirical method would be to check nailbed capillary perfusion in the hands and feet. One should recall when Doppler-measured bubbles peak in post-dive subjects. After having a 3 dive day, you may want to wait longer than 30 minutes. Just trying to state a few reasons to be more conservative than what DAN has apparently recommended. I'm actually shocked that Pollock recommended waiting only 5 - 30 min. I'd be willing to bet that DAN's response would be different if it were posed in the following way: "Is it safe to go in a hot tub 30 minutes after becoming nitrogen-loaded from 3 dives (in 56°F water for 50 min. each with a one hour surface interval in-between dives 1-and-2 and 2-and-3)?"
It's good that you are planning your dive profiles to be more on the conservative side. I do the same. I'm still a little surprised that a dive boat would have a hot tub on board since it's kind of like bringing a keg of beer to an AA meeting. The typical temperature of hot tub water is 102°F. Perhaps the Peace crew runs their hot tub at a lower temperature to moderate DCS risk. I don't know.
Have fun out there and thanks for the discussion...
Thanks for the cut-and-paste answer from DAN. Although Pollock's response is a well-reasoned one based on what is currently known about the pathophysiology of DCS, it is a theoretical answer...not one based on any specific "hot tub" studies. I really wouldn't want to be the guinea pig trying to find out what constitutes "significant" bubble loads vs. a "minor" load. Furthermore, I would have to say that the kind of repetitive diving being done on a dive boat like the Peace probably places the nitrogen load closer to the "significant" end of the spectrum. Pollock's words regarding waiting 5 to 30 minutes post-dive before entering the hot tub are presumably based on his guesstimation of how long it takes for peripheral circulation to normalize. Probably a better, more empirical method would be to check nailbed capillary perfusion in the hands and feet. One should recall when Doppler-measured bubbles peak in post-dive subjects. After having a 3 dive day, you may want to wait longer than 30 minutes. Just trying to state a few reasons to be more conservative than what DAN has apparently recommended. I'm actually shocked that Pollock recommended waiting only 5 - 30 min. I'd be willing to bet that DAN's response would be different if it were posed in the following way: "Is it safe to go in a hot tub 30 minutes after becoming nitrogen-loaded from 3 dives (in 56°F water for 50 min. each with a one hour surface interval in-between dives 1-and-2 and 2-and-3)?"
It's good that you are planning your dive profiles to be more on the conservative side. I do the same. I'm still a little surprised that a dive boat would have a hot tub on board since it's kind of like bringing a keg of beer to an AA meeting. The typical temperature of hot tub water is 102°F. Perhaps the Peace crew runs their hot tub at a lower temperature to moderate DCS risk. I don't know.
Have fun out there and thanks for the discussion...
fnfalman
Contributor
I prefer LeeAnn's woman soup too.
Bubbletrubble: Just for the record, I'm not aware of any DCS incidents on the Peace that have had anything to do with the hot tub.
I usually dive dry these days, so IF I get into the hot tub at all, it's only at the end of the day. On especially cold days, I'll soak my hands between dives for a minute or so just to warm them up a bit. When I dive wet, however, I loved having the hot tub there to pour deliciously hot water down my suit to help warm up. As far as actually getting in, however, I agree with LeeAnn that there's always a lot of work to be done at the end of the day which pretty much guarantees a minimum of 30 minutes, if not more like an hour or two, before I can get in the hot tub. No wetsuits are allowed in the tub, so it takes time to change, pack up gear, etc., and there is usually a meal immediately following every dive anyway so that has to be dealt with first, too.
On multi-day trips, it's fantastic to jump into that hot tub with a glass of wine after dinner, though.
I usually dive dry these days, so IF I get into the hot tub at all, it's only at the end of the day. On especially cold days, I'll soak my hands between dives for a minute or so just to warm them up a bit. When I dive wet, however, I loved having the hot tub there to pour deliciously hot water down my suit to help warm up. As far as actually getting in, however, I agree with LeeAnn that there's always a lot of work to be done at the end of the day which pretty much guarantees a minimum of 30 minutes, if not more like an hour or two, before I can get in the hot tub. No wetsuits are allowed in the tub, so it takes time to change, pack up gear, etc., and there is usually a meal immediately following every dive anyway so that has to be dealt with first, too.
On multi-day trips, it's fantastic to jump into that hot tub with a glass of wine after dinner, though.
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