Monterey on Saturday (3/7)

[mikeguerrero]

Mike, how was the Escapade today? Dive condition, the boat, etc,etc..

Well,

For starters we got on this boat more early, I had to be on the dock at 6:30am and we were out in the water 7:40am I was one of the last to enter.

I ended up getting seasick again and it's my fault because I used the wrist bands that work on accu-puncture.

They helped out better than having nothing but I still ended up throwing up over the boat but not as bad as on Sanctuary.

It seems I like to baptize these boats with my spirit...

We dove I believe Inner Pinnacles in Carmel and that was really nice. I didn't take any pics because I was trying out my new Halcyon Elcipse 30lb rig, man do I love this rig over my Apeks WTX harness.

The wing is so aerodynamic and it dumps on command and takes air on command like I never seen in a BC.

I was so happy with this setup I only wonder why I waited so long to go BP/W.

I also got to try out my new Argon bottle setup and man can I tell you that gas is the bomb.

I literally could feel the warm air venting into hte intake valve on my chest. When I dove before with just air, I could feel the puff of cold air hitting my chest.

Compared to last week on the Sanctuary this dive was super cold for other divers. It got down to 50 degrees on my Galileo Sol.

This was the first time I've ever felt my face cold, it's always been the opposite when I dove wet. My body would be the first to get cold, hands first, arms then feet, but never my face.

I use to remember that I liked the warm feeling of my mask but that changed today, my face was cold for the first time ever.

Really weird that my body literally stayed soo warm fingers and feet whole body nice and comfortable.

When we dove the second cite, Still Water cove, 8 wetsuit divers didn't dive because they were too cold.

A lot of them asked me about the Argon and I told them how nice and comfortable I was in the water.

I then went to Break Water to find friends and ended up doing a third dive out on the Zodiak with John Yasaki, we went to Anchor 4 and I dove down to 80 feet and stayed warm the entire dive.

Thanks to Argon I was or felt a lot warmer than just regular air.

Inner Pinnacles 81 ft, Dive time: 27 min, Temp 50 degrees, Viz 35+ ft

Still Water cove 49 ft, Dive time: 31 min, Temp 50 degrees, Viz 30+ ft

Anchor Four 85 ft, Dive time: 35 min, Temp 50 degrees, Viz 20+ ft

MG

P.S
6cf of Argon lasted me three complete dives. I had Glen's aqaurius check the pressure before I dove it for dive #3, it was at 1700 psi. So it was still at half. Monterey Bay Dive Company sells Argon re-fills just in case you guys wanted to know. Glens doesn't. I should get a mini-spg on the argon bottle to know what is left. However, they sold it to me with a rupture plug instead.

 

[Ben_ca]

Mike,
What's with using new gear on big boat dives? When ever I change my configuration I go back to the "Bunny Slopes" before jumping off a boat with 100 feet of seawater under me... Maybe I'm just a lot more conservative than Mike...

Ben

Also Argon:

I should get a mini-spg on the argon bottle to know what is left. However, they sold it to me with a rupture plug instead.

DO NOT REMOVE THE OPV ( you call a Rupture plug) to replace it with a mini-spg. You need a OPV (Over Pressure Valve) on the Argon reg because if it blows out (overpressures) without an OPV it will release out of your drysuit inflator and you'll be a blimp before you know what hit you.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I should get a mini-spg on the argon bottle to know what is left. However, they sold it to me with a rupture plug instead.

The rupture plug goes in a low-pressure port. The mini spg goes in
a high-pressure port. You can have both.

 

[Divenomad]

Mike,
What's with using new gear on big boat dives? When ever I change my configuration I go back to the "Bunny Slopes" before jumping off a boat with 100 feet of seawater under me... Maybe I'm just a lot more conservative than Mike...

Ben

Also Argon:

DO NOT REMOVE THE OPV ( you call a Rupture plug) to replace it with a mini-spg. You need a OPV (Over Pressure Valve) on the Argon reg because if it blows out (overpressures) without an OPV it will release out of your drysuit inflator and you'll be a blimp before you know what hit you.

Add to this, DOT regs forbid filling a pressure cylinder without an OPV. Or so i was trained. You can have both though.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Thanks for the very important info on the OPV, I looked last night on the internet and read that some 1st stage argon regs come only with two low pressure connections, one for the OPV the other for the hose.

Then there are some that come with two LP connections and one HP connection. Mine only has two LP connections so I need to call back my LDS and ask why they didn't sell me one with three connections?

Does anyone here think it matters to have the mini-plug on the HP for the Argon bottle? I was left thinking how much Argon I have in my bottle after two dives and having to suit up to join Yasaki on dive #3.

Becuase I have no experience with Argon consumption I had to disconnect the bottle and run over to Glen's Aquarius II and have them check the pressure of the bottle of which they told me that it had 1700 psi, so I dove it.

Later I have read you can get about three dives on a 6cf of Argon. Just want some opinions on you Argon divers if your rigs have the mini-spg or not?

Thanks,

MG

 

[Gombessa]

The mini-spg really isn't necessary. I don't dive with one, and I don't know many people who do. It's really easy to guesstimate how many dives you get out of a fill, and argon is typically charged per cuft, so just go in and fill it every third dive or so, it won't cost you any more.

I'm fairly conservative with gas in my suit (or maybe I just don't dive deep) so I get around 6-8 dives; most people get between 3-6 I think. And if you run out of argon during a dive, you can disconnect it and hook up your inflator hose (practice doing this several times before doing it on a deep dive).

 

[bbianchi]

Well w/out a High Pressure port your mini SPG more than likely will not fit and wouldn't register the tank pressure correctly.

I would say any kind of quality SPG is a good idea IMHO. Now if your unable to inflate your BC / Wing and your argon bottle runs empty, then you would have problems.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

DO NOT REMOVE THE OPV ( you call a Rupture plug) to replace it with a mini-spg. You need a OPV (Over Pressure Valve) on the Argon reg because if it blows out (overpressures) without an OPV it will release out of your drysuit inflator and you'll be a blimp before you know what hit you.

The mini-SPG goes on the high-pressure side of the reg, not on the
tank. The OPV goes on the low-pressure side of the reg to cover
the case of a reg that has IP-creep (exective summary: a minor leak
from the high-pressure side of the reg to the low pressure side,
if you don't add any argon for a while, without the OPV, the IP
on the reg can get high enough to either blow your inflator hose
or push your inflator valve open.

And I'm not sure DOT regs require a burst disk, and DOT regs
don't apply to SCUBA tanks unless they are used in interstate
commerce (two important words there: "interstate" and
"commerce"). My tanks have never been used in interstate
commerce. ONE (of seven) has been interstate ONCE, but not in
commerce.

That said: are the DOT regs a good thing to follow? YES.

 

[Gombessa]

I'll just caution anyone from relying on an literal definition of "interstate commerce." There are and have been plenty of activities that fall under federal jurisdiction under the commerce clause that have practical connection to neither "interstate" nor "commerce."

 

[Divenomad]

I'll just caution anyone from relying on an literal definition of "interstate commerce." There are and have been plenty of activities that fall under federal jurisdiction under the commerce clause that have practical connection to neither "interstate" nor "commerce."

Don't have the information on the actual reg, however, according to the Handbook of Compressed Gases by the Compressed Gas Association, both high pressure (above 1000 psi) air and argon tanks require a CG 1 plug with an A designation (which means you only need one plug) not trying to be argumentative, just thought I'd clarify a bit. I was taught that if a tank did not meet DOT specs, that is, current hydro and appropriate markings (DOT stamp) and proper configuration, it was a violation of both OSHA regs and DOT regs. On occasion we would get Australian tanks (which have far more stringent standards, a hydro every year) and we would refuse. never heard of any dive shop getting in trouble over it, I think they eyeball larger industries.

Nomad