Survival Kit for Basic Divers on SB

[maged_mmh]

• If you own a camera, you have to have over 2,000 dives before you can get it wet or you will be public enemy #1

• Not really; you'd be a threat to national security & and outlaw terrorist

• And there has to be a rule about beer and diving...

Beer? what beer? beer is allowed as much as bananas on any boat!

How about the hazards associated with the mentioning "DIR" in any post

You'll be fine as long as you summon the mystical H forces

thread in need of enema

yeah, right.. why not one more hose for the rebreather fellow ; why are you posting in the basic divers threads anyway? are you considering OW refresher?

"Good hands" you say?! I think the inmates have taken over the asylum.

few good men

Do I have enough logged dives to be even be posting on this forum?

particularly for this very thread, the less dives you have, the more eligible you are to post.

I have just completed my Discover Scuba. When do you think I could get into cave diving? I have Halcyon underpants.

Oh Almighty H; I bow before thou

read this now thread... get there fast

blood is in the water

I told you not to do it ; but alas, what done is done

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

What have you been doing! I leave for a few hours and... this...is... arggghhh!

You are in soooo much trouble MR. Just wait until your mother gets home and sees this mess...

That's she's gonna kill you.

If this is the way you act in the water, your gonna die!

 

[maged_mmh]

What have you been doing! I leave for a few hours and... this...is... arggghhh!

You are in soooo much trouble MR. Just wait until your mother gets home and sees this mess...

That's she's gonna kill you.

If this is the way you act in the water, your gonna die!

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

We need to put what we have together and filter out the information that doesn't/isn't an issue.

Then, follow the format of the original post and reduce the size of many items to 1-2 sentences

 

[maged_mmh]

We need to put what we have together and filter out the information that doesn't/isn't an issue.

Then, follow the format of the original post and reduce the size of many items to 1-2 sentences

ScubaBoard in a nutshell

 

[mofongo_max]

Uh oh, someone just started a thread about "reef sticks". INCOMING!!!

Guess I should have started with this thread.

And yes, I'll be poking every living thing, every chance I get. Impale 'em all!

 

[maged_mmh]

Guess I should have started with this thread.

And yes, I'll be poking every living thing, ever ychance I get. Impale 'em all!

that's the spirit

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Guess I should have started with this thread.

And yes, I'll be poking every living thing, every chance I get. Impale 'em all!

Not a problem, mofongo. We're happy to answer here or in your original post.

First, Welcome to ScubaBoard! I'm sure you've been having fun learning what questions can get you some surprising answers around the board outside the Basic Scuba Discussion area.

Surprise! You have one of those potentially dangerous questions that might have turned your stomach if asked in other areas of the board.

Has anyone used these before? Would any old stainless steel rod do?

I've seen them also called lobster ticklers or muck sticks. It's basically a metal stick used for stabilization. While I'm beginning to get the hang of controlling my buoyancy, I still find myself bumping into reef unintentionally. Instead of putting my hand out to prevent from crashing, these little sticks look like they could limit the amount of surface area I could disturb.

And no, I don't intend on poking at sea life with it.

I'll start with the answer you might have received in another area of the board...

You insensitive little jerk! Who the heck do you think you are, killing the reef systems the rest of us are attempting to save?!

It's idiots like you that ruin diving for the rest of us. If I ever saw someone with one of these killing sticks, I'd cut their hose and never think twice about keeping their buddy away from them while they drift away from the reef where they bloody well should be!

Oh, and good diving to you

You can easily see how this type of answer could scare a new diver right out of the water and into changing Internet providers as an attempt at a self imposed witness protection program. This would be a true loss to the diving community as several new divers reading the response might even soil themselves... Not a pretty image

Now, to actually answer your question...

You insensitive little jerk! (just kidding )...


You could use a SS rod and it would work fine. Most of the divers I've seen using this type of instrument were photographers (read that as experienced divers) using them on sand portions in front of the reef when there was a high current and where they were taking photo shots. They generally were not used at times photos were not being shot

Their general use is an attempt to use less energy in high current, mainly as a way of stabilizing in one spot.


The use of a stick is one option while you learn buoyancy and trim, but it is not generally recommended by most scuba agencies or friendly reef groups. Most agencies recommend you stay far enough away from the reef that accidents don't happen at any time and I happen to agree with them. Stay far enough away that you won't have any accidents and work on buoyancy, trim and even finning skills. Soon, you'll be right in there checking things out without thinking, or worrying that you would be tossed into the reef.


If you are still bent on trying the stick method, I want to offer an alternative to the SS rod...


Lobster Tickle Stick in Fiberglass. You can pickup a 36" rod for about $3.00 from your local dive shop. Given your experience level, I suggest cutting it in 1/2 (18") rather than the 12" most sticks are cut to. This will allow you a chance to try one at a cost effective rate and also allow additional space between you and the reef that will maintain some protection for the area in case you "get close".


If you choose to use one, I recommend you don't advertise that you have it when you are diving from a commercial dive boat on a reef with people you don't know. It will save you time trying to justify it to some who wouldn't listen anyway.

I hope that helps you make an informed decision moving forward

 

[thanksforallthefish]

Lets just cut to the chase and tell the truth ...
Every new evolution of any piece of diving equipment could bring you one step closer to death.

Therefore every diver after Jacques Cousteau & Emile Gagnan
are newbie scuba divers and are most likely going to die diving because they have no clue what they are doing.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Lets just cut to the chase and tell the truth ...
Every new evolution of any piece of diving equipment could bring you one step closer to death.

Therefore every diver after Jacques Cousteau & Emile Gagnan
are newbie scuba divers and are most likely going to die diving because they have no clue what they are doing.

I agree with your statement here, but I think you miss the true reason (at least my true reason) for beginning this thread




The true reasons for this thread:

• Help new divers understand that this is an Internet forum with all the same personality quirks found at other Internet forums, and do it in a fun way. (No one posting to the thread so far is anything but fun and out to help others have fun. They even have a working knowledge of scuba [Jury is still out on LetterBoy])
• Help deaden the effect of posting in other areas of this forum where new divers might be intimidated by the personality quirks of others, and doing it in a fun way that makes them feel less intimidated when they see the "other" answer they might receive
• Help new divers understand that they may have to sift through some personality quirks in order to find their answer, and hope they laugh at the "other" posts, rather than take offense. (They might even copy the "other" response here to add to the humor of the thread)
• Let everyone know that sometimes you can have some real fun (at the expense of personality quirks) while providing real answers to some of those "hot topic" questions

It's not about coming closer to death, it's about enjoying the experience in an online forum.

I honestly hope many new divers come to this thread and have some fun asking... and even answering other's controversial questions. I will even ask MODs to remove posts I feel are mean spirited or actual flames, and I hope others will too.

So, come join us... have some fun and answer some questions too...