The long hose and the snorkel

[OneBrightGator]

Have you considering any training since you've been dry for some time?

Ben

 

[Boogie711]

Headhunter. FWIW, which ain't much,

A) get a refresher course. Seriously.
and B) using a snorkel to "avoid using tank air" makes hardly any sense. With a vigorous SAC rate of 1, 15 minutes of hoovering your air at surface is only about 500 or 600 psi.

 

[HammerNoMore]

I can honestly say I've never tried using my long hose with a snorkle. That's because I ditched my snorkle after my second OW dive and have never used it since.

 

[headhunter]

Have you considering any training since you've been dry for some time?

Ben

Yes.

I've found a shop that is tech oriented that I'll go to for an advanced class - Hollywood Divers (hollywoodivers.com). I'll probably take a Rescue Diver class after that and keep taking classes as I get enough dives in. I appoaching this as if I were a novice diver even though I dove for quite a few years. In fact, after having been dry for so long, I believe I am a novice.

I went to quite a few shops and didn't like the idea of, "Hey, we'll get you going again. Just give us $90 and we'll have you doing anything you want again after a 2 hour pool session. We'll even have you using those split-fins we'd like you to buy like a pro in no time." Even though I'm exaggerating, it's not by much. I thought that was unrealistic.

I'd rather go through a more intense "reintroduction" with a shop that will eventually take me into the tech world where I want to be. (Wreck diving, Nitrox, Trimix, Heliox, rebreathers if appropriate, etc.) I am also getting back into better shape physically (since I like to beach dive) before jumping back in. I should be swimming to get back into shape, but I don't have access to a pool. So, I'm hiking in the mountains behind my house about 5 - 7 miles 3 or 4 times a week. I've almost gotten rid of the extra pounds I gained anyway.

That's a heck of a lot more that you asked for, but I see this board as a way of getting to know some people in my local dive community, so I can dive more often when I get started again in about another. That's one reason I stopped diving before. My buddies all stopped coming out.

Christian

 

[Spectre]

It looks like the answer will be that I should lose the snorkel. Maybe I'll just using a collapsible snorkel for those times that I might make a long surface swim to a particular spot where I want to dive. This way I don't use my tank at surface.

I kept one in my pocket for a while... until I realized I never saw it, and stopped taking it. It was nice to have there in the just in case scenario until I got confident that I didn't need that just in case scenario.

I'm referring to using a regulator to swim under the waves to avoid their impact as being something I consider unsafe

Possibly, I've not been in the situation as the little surf I dive in is easy enough to deal with by getting past the surf line before decending, using your typical 'dealing with surf' techniques that you'd use if you were just playing at the beach [you know... comes the wave, duck under, pop out the other side]... but once again, we're talking much smaller waves then you are talking.

I've done plenty of hanging out with swells though, and my depth doesn't change. I suppose if I was ever in a situation where I could actually -see- the bottom, I'd probably notice that'd I'm actually going up and down; but I don't really know. Now why I don't notice a depth change when I'm on the bottom and swells are overhead; I don't know that either... I'd have to look into the mechanics of waves and how it effects your presusre; but one would suspect 5 foot swells would notice 10 foot changes in depth as they pass over you on the surface... I've never seen that to be the case; not sure why [probably a search of the site would reveal a discussion about it]

Question.. when swimming under these waves, do you feel the pressure change in your ears/mask?

 

[headhunter]

Headhunter. FWIW, which ain't much,

A) get a refresher course. Seriously.
and B) using a snorkel to "avoid using tank air" makes hardly any sense. With a vigorous SAC rate of 1, 15 minutes of hoovering your air at surface is only about 500 or 600 psi.

A) Will definitely get a refresher. Actually a complete advanced class (see reply to OneBrightGator above.)

B) Point well taken on the consumption. It may be a case of jumping over dollars to pick up pennies (since it is at surface, after all).

That's what I mean by changing the paradigms I have. We used to dive single steel 72s and then went to doubles. But we always tried to save all the air we could for the dive. Later I sold them for the cash and got an Aluminum 80. I look forward to going back to larger steel tanks now.

It's time to move into the new millenium with my dive skills and equipment!

Christian

 

[MechDiver]

Another FWIW. If I have a surface swim, I do it on my back. That way you don't need a snorkle and you don't use any backgas either.
Course, you have to watch for seagulls flying over

 

[cortez]

Working in a PADI facility and diving the long hose, I found a pretty decent solution, albeit not DIR. I purchased two quick release snorkel keepers (from Innovative Scuba Concepts, I think) for $3.00 each. Put one on my mask strap and one zip tied to my BP on the lower left side. Since PADI requires you to dive with a snorkel but not necessarily have it on your head, I clip off to my BP when underwater with classes. When I need it (ie. snorkel/reg exchange demo) I simply unclip if from my BP and clip it on my head. Works really well.

 

[headhunter]

Another FWIW. If I have a surface swim, I do it on my back. That way you don't need a snorkle and you don't use any backgas either.
Course, you have to watch for seagulls flying over

Good suggestion. I'll make sure my mask is in place for "seagull protection".

Thanks.

Christian

 

[Spectre]

I'll make sure my mask is in place for "seagull protection".

That's probably not the area where he's suggesting protection...