That probably should have it's own lift bag...
But seriously, how is that worse than a couple of stage bottles?
Major Freak Out - What should I have done differently?
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That probably should have it's own lift bag...
But seriously, how is that worse than a couple of stage bottles?
I have a good size camera rig. When ascending, I clip it off to my crotch strap front D-ring. It hangs below me (in horizontal trim) and does not interfere with DSMB deployment at all.
Adobo
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The dive seems aggressive to me for several reasons. The depth, the swim through at depth, the lack of contingency planning.
Diving is really easy if nothing goes wrong. You can get by with a minimal set of gear, minimal gas, minimal planning, no knowledge of the dive, etc. You can plan your dive as if nothing will go wrong.
Or you can plan your dive such that you are prepared if something goes wrong. For example, what equipment will you need if you get separated from the group at depth? Or, if a dive buddy has a regulator hose fail, how much gas do I need to get my buddy and myself to the surface. Stuff like that.
Personally, I think 130ft is deep for just about any single tank diving, particularly vacation diving. Entering a dark room without light, no good. Open water boat dive without an SMB, no good.
Lastly, I never trust other people to make judgements for me like, "You are ready for this dive." Sounds to me like famous last words.
I have no idea if you can get 28% on Coz. It would in my opinion be ideal for DT unless your other option included helium. No I am not a trimix diver. I set my alarm on my computer to 1.6 but plan not to exceed 1.4, and so far have not. I do believe the risk factor at 1.6 would be fairly low on a nice easy Coz dive. I have heard about very few cases of oxtox and most were pretty severe violations. Like 36% for 30 odd minutes at 150. Things that are likely not possible on a single tank. We chose not to exceed 1.4. If someone else on the boat would have been on 32% I wouldn't have given it a second thought if they would have gone in. The rest were on air and probably in deco by the time we started up. I've made a hard and fast rule that I'm not intentionally going into deco without an emergency I HAVE to take care of. Of course with the VEO computer I'm clear for a direct ascent when others have deco to do. So I don't do that direct ascent with my nitrogen level high either.
The dive shop didn't suggest 32%, I requested it. And when the boat went out they decided on DT. My wife and I didn't go down the tube and had a great dive. As certified divers we should be able to make our own decisions. We should have some idea how long our air is going to last. We should have an idea how long we can stay at a depth. We should know where narcosis MAY start to affect us. We should have equipment and planning to get back to the surface safely alone without it being a big deal. I carry a spool and a marker. I need to practice using it but don't. I finally ran it up one time in 40 degree water at 35 feet with 5mm gloves on in a drysuit suspended 2 feet off a liquid mud bottom without stirring up the mud. Just to see if I could. I think I could in Coz too. My opinion is that anybody diving Coz without a computer is in for a short dive unless they make it a "trust me" dive. Anybody diving open water without a SMB is assuming someone else is responsible for them. I feel the same way about a compass.
Kind of funny, but when we first went to Mexico almost 20 years ago we did our first dives under supervision since Open Water 11 years before. We dove with a guy who pushed limits, but followed with our eyes open. When our computers said we were close to deco we hung above him. Same with air. He taught us a lot but we still were responsible for ourselves.
You can clip off a camera bigger than the one you posted, no problem. Clip it off and let it dangle. Sometimes there is no hard bottom to sit it on.
Someone above wrote that they were taught to read tank markings in OW. I teach that too, it's in the course materials. Keep in mind that tank volume is only occasionally marked.
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Much more delicate. What isn't shown in the picture, as it is on the back, is the viewfinder that protrudes. Given that the cost of this setup is over $10K and that it isn't a hammer, I'm pretty damn careful with it. Not sure if people are getting that. I'm not 100% happy with the way it is clipped on (something like this). So I'm not letting go of with one of my hands. And I don't want it banging around to cause it to flood at the viewfinder (a $1200 item).
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Hence why I seek a DSMB solution that I can deploy with one hand and a few fingers of the other.
That does sound like a very delicate viewfinder. Do you have a ring on your crotch? That's where I've always clipped mine. Hanging there when horizontal it is in zero g, below me.
As for making it easier to shoot a bag/smb, filling it with your reg exhaust is a good way to free up a hand.
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As for making it easier to shoot a bag/smb, filling it with your reg exhaust is a good way to free up a hand.
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I have ear problems and I just flat out refuse to do swim-throughs. They often include sudden changes in depth and it is hard for me to equalize. I don't see the big attraction of them anyway, there is usually some idiot crowding me and kicking up silt. I'd rather pass.
I just tell the divemaster in advance that I won't be doing the swim through and I will meet him at the exit. I swim over the swim-throughs and it is usually easy because there are bubbles leaching up from crevices in the reef.
OP, don't feel bad if you don't like swim-throughs - they are over-rated IMO.
I just tell the divemaster in advance that I won't be doing the swim through and I will meet him at the exit. I swim over the swim-throughs and it is usually easy because there are bubbles leaching up from crevices in the reef.
OP, don't feel bad if you don't like swim-throughs - they are over-rated IMO.
Yes, I do. I'm adding another attachment point from my camera to my BP/W (XDeep Zeos for cold water, Ghost for warm). Now if that breaks, I don't know it anymore. Normally, I clip it onto one of the D rings on my left side. I'll let it hang a little bit, but sometimes I have to grab the camera so that the viewfinder doesn't get banged around. I can't flip it around, as I don't want to scratch the port. Now when I get a dome port for my 24 mm lens, then I have to be more careful for it to not get scratched. I'll try that new lanyard you see in the picture below with the suicide clips and encased cable to have it hang down from the D-ring on my croctch strap. That should probably work. I'll just unclip from the left side of my harness and clip onto the D-ring on my crotch strap.
And yes, I often inflate my DSMB from my bladder via the low pressure inflator hose when I'm floating midwater so I maintain depth (safety stops are not exciting). Over the weekend, the boat captain gave me some tips if I ever dive Galloping Gerdie, the old Tacoma Narrows bridge (you have seen the film in physics class). Basically he said, be on the sea floor, blast air into the DSMB, let it fly, then at some point, let the reel clamp on, so that you get yanked up at least 20' so you clear all the metal posts that stick up 20 feet. You don't want to hit one of those while drifting in a 5 naut current. So of course I'll practice this without my camera, at probably 100' or so, in a calm conditions.
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