LDS Bashers

[cascbagrl]

I am not sure why it has to be one or the other. We use both. If we can find something we are looking for thats is a little better priced then maybe we get it online, then we go to our LDS and buy something there. We love the LDS that we use, we vacation with them, take all of our classes with them, DM for them and we even just stop by to chat and hang out. I think that the internet has its positives (better prices sometimes) but look at what you would be missing out on by only using the internet. We have created such a great bond with people just by using this dive shop. There really should be more to your LDS than just someplace to fill your tanks.

 

[Trever]

You might want to ask specifics on quality. Medical gasses aren't compressed air, they're the pure stuff. They may or may not have the right setup for breathable clean air, sort of depends on whether or not they are filling for the fire department also.

The air is quality. They do fills for several Fire Dept.s, Chemical Plants and Divers. I know that one for sure does Nitrox and Tri-Mix as well. These guys do compressed gas for a living, SCUBA cylinders are like "compressed gas 101" for these guys. They blend all sorts of gasses every day. The also fill my CO2 tanks for my Kegerator.

 

[Vicente]

I haven't had the chance to dive in kelp but it's something that I really want to do. I'm thinking that I would do 2 things.

It's a hoot. First time a seal zips up in front of your face to have a look at you is awesome.

I think you missed my point about things not going always as planned. Runaway inflator, burst O-ring, who knows..... That's why you assumedly have a "safety sausage" for example when boat-diving in case you come up and see no boats! When I'm diving in kelp I may not be wearing my snorkel it might be stowed. But I have it on me in case I surface in the middle of it for some reason. Unplanned things, maybe a new buddy not watching their gauge so well, who knows? Getting out is much easier. Handy to have it on the quick-clip widget so you can just click it on and off your mask as needed. Surfacing in kelp may be advisable to avoid, but it's another contingency I am prepared for and can handle.

I know there are some places where you might want to combine diving and snorkeling but I don't think I've sued a snorkel for anything since I stopped teaching OW classes. If my head needs to be in the water, I breath off my reg.

When I'm diving in Florida, or in a lake and weather is good, I leave the darn thing on the boat. If it's rough seas, judgement call on the spot, can be handy then. Here in California with varying buddies, shore diving, kelp fields all over, well then I take it.

I do agree though that the fancy $100 snorkels with valves all over them are designed for tourists. if I'm going to use one, all I need is just a plain snorkel. Except for kids toys, I don't even know who makes them any more but there are some ok snorkels that are pretty cheap...decent mouth piece with a drain valve that isn't one of those crazy dry snorkel thingies.

I'm sure I have a box of them in the garage someplace.

I have a plain old snorkel with no purge valve at all. Works fine. I fail to understand why people think they need purge valves or umbrellas and why the makers and LDS keep pushing them on us. I'm not sure of the brand offhand maybe Mares, but it has a nice flexy lower 1/3rd of it for comfort, unlike the childs-toy version that typically has a rubber mouthpiece only and is not so comfortable.

My apologies for turning this into a snorkel debate, but it's relevant to the LDS issue. Something like the Omersub Zoom Snorkel with no purge valve makes sense to me, but none of my LDS stock anything like that. The only simple snorkel with no valves they had looked like a kids-toy version with insufficient diameter for exertion and no flex to it for $15. They were obviously all trying to push these parasol thingies. Well okay maybe not entirely fair, looking around online seems like a decent snorkel without valves are a dying breed.

If you're ever in NorCal PM me, some good shore diving around Monterey and Point Lobos.

 

[beach89]

I have a plain old snorkel with no purge valve at all. Works fine. I fail to understand why people think they need purge valves or umbrellas and why the makers and LDS keep pushing them on us. I'm not sure of the brand offhand maybe Mares, but it has a nice flexy lower 1/3rd of it for comfort, unlike the childs-toy version that typically has a rubber mouthpiece only and is not so comfortable.

I got one with a purge valve bacause I can't stand the noise when water is trapped in the lower part of the "J". It just drives me crazy.

 

[Trever]

I like my fancy dry snorkle with purge, but it only cost 18 bucks, I can't believe that they sell for $50 in shops. I wouldn't pay more than 20$ for one

 

[MikeFerrara]

You might want to ask specifics on quality. Medical gasses aren't compressed air, they're the pure stuff. They may or may not have the right setup for breathable clean air, sort of depends on whether or not they are filling for the fire department also.

The gas supplier where I buy my helium and O2 will blend up anything you want with whatever grade gas you want and in as big of a batch as you want. I don't think they have a fill whip to dump it into a scuba tank but I have that.

Another thing is they don't even know what a dive certification card is. They just sell gas and couldn't care less what you're going to do with it. It's that simple, they trade gas for money without trying to tell you your business.

Where do you think dive shops get their Helium and O2?

 

[MikeFerrara]

$3K buys a LOT of air fills at most shops. You better count on about a buck fifty to two bucks for every fill just to maintain your compressor. Proper filters and oil don't come cheap. Also, a 3K compressor won't fill a lot of tanks fast, you might have that thing running for more than a half hour unless you are only filling 1-2 tanks. If you are looking at it strictly as an economic issue, a personal compressor doesn't make economic sense for most people.

It depends what you need and where you have to go to get it. If I want trimix or decompression gasses I have to go about 130 miles in the oposit direction of the dive site to get it. They probably aren't going to fill all my tanks while I wait so I have to go there twice. Not only that but I'll have to do it during their business hours which means that I have to take at least two half days off of work to do it. Then the cost of some other than air stuff is absolutely OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Since I sold my compressor I don't dive a third as much as I used to. Even if I put all the good stuff in and have a closer shop give me the air top, which they'll do, I still have to go 60 miles and quit work early to do it.

Unless you live in the middle of a diving paradise or something I don't know how anyone could do any amount of any real diving without having a compressor. I sure miss the days when I could just spend a couple of nights a week at home mixing gas and be all ready for the weekend.

 

[captain]

You might want to ask specifics on quality. Medical gasses aren't compressed air, they're the pure stuff. They may or may not have the right setup for breathable clean air, sort of depends on whether or not they are filling for the fire department also.

Most air from commercial gas companies is blended from from oxygen and nitrogen just as nitrox is. Commercial oxygen and nitrogen is produced by distallation of air by liquidfying it to -270F or so which freezes out water, co2 and most other gases. It is than distilled into its components. It is probably the driest, purest air you will breathe.
One note, being it is a man made mixture you should check oxygen content just as you would nitrox.

 

[captain]

$3K buys a LOT of air fills at most shops. You better count on about a buck fifty to two bucks for every fill just to maintain your compressor. Proper filters and oil don't come cheap. Also, a 3K compressor won't fill a lot of tanks fast, you might have that thing running for more than a half hour unless you are only filling 1-2 tanks. If you are looking at it strictly as an economic issue, a personal compressor doesn't make economic sense for most people.

A gallon of gas fills about 4 tanks. An oil and filter change is generally once a season and is less than $25. . I buy 13X and carbon in bulk and hand pack my towers, much cheaper than pre-made filter cartrages. Cost to run an electric would be less.

 

[loosebits]

I am almost 100% LDS independent. I've got my fill station and I'm about to start servicing my own regs and cleaning my own tanks (if anyone knows of a source of viz stickers or a nice generic image, please PM me).

I don't care if I'm saving money or not. Not having to put up with LDS BS has its own value that's hard to quantify but I can tell you, it's less than the price of a fill station.