The SCUBA Police and the Vintage Diver

[Paladin]

If you're using an unbalanced, downstream reg like an Aquarius connected to a Sherwood (or other make) J valve with an audible warning, you get a series of warnings: The reg starts to get more resistant to breathe through at about 750 PSI. At 500 PSI, the J valve starts to vibrate and makes the tank ring like a bell and gets louder with every breath. At 300 PSI, the J valve cuts off and you have to pull the reserve rod. After all this, if you're not well on your way back to the surface, then you probably deserve the consequences.

 

[Chris Hipp]

I'm not sure about your local bylaws, but it is my understanding that scuba diving is, for the most part, a self-regulated activity throughout North America.....

Man, keep it down...don't let them know there is still something left that they aren't regulating and taxing us on.

 

[raftingtigger]

Makes me want to pull out my capillary depth gauge. Those things are foolproof. Were you endangering anyone but yourself? And how much risk did you really have? If you can't free ascent for 20' why are you diving? If you had a heart attack would all the gear in the world help you?

I too use vintage gear - I've found no reason to replace working stuff. Ok, I've added stuff (spg, bcd, octo, and even a computer when my husband got certified in 1991), but I can dive without out them (or more importantly if they fail during a dive).

 

[captbillncostarica]

Hard to believe!

 

[Gilldiver]

For some reason I was thinking about this thread this afternoon as I was rebuilding a DA Aquamaster from 1959.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Some guys have all the luck!
I would LOVE for some self rightous A-hole to come up to me and run his mouth like what you had. It would be a delicious moment to tell him to %$#@ off!
You lucky dog.

 

[underwaterfrank]

I know this is an old thread but that one is an example of absolutely arrogant and superior behaviour. Most of us who have been diving for 30+ years or so will know that the most valuable skills and techniques we learned were in those days when there were no BCD's, no gauges, no computers. Of course the new technologies have added a lot of comfort and safety aspects, but I bet that that arrogant a-hole would be totally lost and begging for help if he was taken on a deep dark dive using just vintage gear.
Actually some of that gear such as smoothskin wetsuits and dual hose regs were super comfortable on deep dives. And yes, we had to use our brains to plan the dive and use our dive tables, and make sure we always had our dive buddies' backs as things were tougher.

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

[
Thanks for the morning laugh.
Lot of dorks out there.
ZDD

 

[fxrguy]

Unfortunately this is the caliber of some of the scuba "professionals" we have to put up with. Most of us probably have snorkel keepers that are older then the fool is!

 

[abnfrog]

Some guys have all the luck!
I would LOVE for some self rightous A-hole to come up to me and run his mouth like what you had. It would be a delicious moment to tell him to %$#@ off!
You lucky dog.

i too would really love to meet anyone who would have the balls to say that same crap to me, i love to RE-EDUCATE a holes who think they are special , and i treat them so (have my lawyer on speed dial . hes such a good lawyer)