Trip Report BH 12/28~12/30

[Jasonmh]

I was great seeing everybody this weekend. As reported it was pretty #&!%# cold. There were 2 OW students out there certifying in wetsuits!! They sure did earn that c-card going out in that weather.
And if anyone ever needs a good dive buddy, talk to James. Not only is he a great diver but he also covers up the fact that I had to call the dive with his leaking drysuit story

...My buddies and I started our dive and about 10 minutes into the dive my right arm felt wet. Ugh.. How ironic is it that the one place that I did NOT poke a hole in my suit is the place that it decides to leak? So I feel on my arm and you could practically hear the "slosh slosh" sounds in my suit. I took out my trusty wet notes and wrote "My arm is wet" and showed my buddy. He acknowledged and we decided to surface together while letting the other guys continue the dive. We did a nice ascent and exited the water.

I made the mistake of trying some much thicker undergarments than I usually use and did not compensate where I should have. I added alittle weight but not nearly enough and ended up struggling through the first 15 mins of the dive, and had to go up the line to keep from corking. All in all a very unpleasant dive. So with James's leak and my inability to control myself, I thought it was time to end the fun for that dive.
The second dive was very nice and relaxing, and made it worth the trip.

The hole itself was mostly blocked from the wind, so it wasn't too unpleasant getting in and out, but the wind was ripping across the parking lot. Abqdivers setup really saved the day. It was downright pleasant in the shelter he put up, and we had tea, hot chocolate, a heater, and even a grill for food.

It was great seeing everybody, and great to meet some new friends (Roger). Hopefully when the weather gets better we will get even more people to come out.
Happy new year everyone!

 

[Tjack]

Howdy all, sounds like a great adventure diving Blue Hole in December. Here is a thread from Great Lakes Wrecking Crew which might provide some usefull info for the next cold weather BH outing.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/great-lakes-wrecking-crew/213102-keeping-warm-drysuit.html

 

[Waterskier1]

Double Post

 

[Waterskier1]

Hey Tom, good to hear from you. I didn't see a lot more in that thread than what I think most of us had already thought about. Besides the Waffle House scattered, smothered and covered?

I heard about the cooler full of warm/hot water on my OW cert dives, although I haven't tried it.

I'm thinking I'm glad I didn't try diving wet that weekend though it sounds like Kevin had most bases (or posts) covered (and heated)

 

[Divedoggie]

James, that was a hilarious account of your weekend! Maybe one of the best all time stories on Scubaboard. Beats the heck out of a thread on why Advanced Open Water sucks so bad.

This is why we all love to go to Blue Hole. Unlike Vegas, what goes on in the parking lot, doesn't stay in the parking lot!

 

[BigBubbaJ]

And here's my report from the weekend.
So we walk over to our picnic area and start doffing gear and all the sudden I feel a sudden relief... There I am just peeing in front of everybody. Ahhh.. That felt good.. At least I know now that my suit didn't leak around the newly punctured hole for the p-valve installation and I know that the p-valve is functioning properly too... Hopefully my little diver will become less gun shy following more dives.

ROFL!

 

[ABQdiver]

And here's my report from the weekend.

Loved the "inside info"!! So glad everything came out OK.......

I'm still giggling.

 

[diverdowndh]

However there was some strange activity at the BH friday night. A white SUV was constantly going back and forth on the main road the entire time we were there. When we went to leave, that SUV immediately pulled in, drove to the barriers, and turned off their lights. I saw three other cars pull in as we were leaving (NOT DIVERS), so something is up. We also noticed that the mens bathroom window had been vandalized (Broken). I think Santa Rosa is having some issues with the locals, and this is not the first time.

A Santa Rosa version of OJ??? Ha!

Well, sorry I didn't get to meet any of you, we went down Wed night and came back after 2 early morning dives on Friday. I just missed everyone. But, to make everyone feel better, we froze our rears off too, but there are now 6 new OW divers in the world. I was amazed that they stuck to it and finished up. I, being the DM candidate, made them all stay in the water between dives 1&2 on Thursday, and 2&4 on Friday while I ran back'n'forth swapping tanks. I had a semi-dry suit on, which wasn't bad at all IN the water, but my gloves froze on the wall in the short time it took me to swap out 6 tanks... it was VERY cold.
I'll keep an eye out for any trips with this group, I would like to meet some other divers in person!

 

[amascuba]

Ok, for more educational experience I went to TheDecoStop.com and asked for proper p-valve usage of my latex cladded dive buddy. I was referred to this post.

The Condom Catheter.

Ladies read no further, lest you innocence be forever compromised.

Here are a few tips I have personally discovered through experience, to avoid pain and even worse explosive discharges in my drysuit.

Firstly, a serious trim is in order, leave nothing over 10mm unless you are into pain.
Secondly, use your safety razor and shave around the base of your shaft, otherwise the condom sticks to the hairs at the base which makes it very difficult to remove...kinda like digging a fire break.

Before moving any further you need to ensure your goods are free of moisture, so a good pat down with tissue is advised.

When using the Rochester "wide bands", they are so effective you can put them on at home before you leave in the morning and remove them when you get back after diving for the day

When sizing, a rule of thumb is ensure you are able to easily insert your "head" right into the end of the condom catheter.
(anything slightly bigger that actually needed, in a pinch is ok, as the glue simply sticks the excess width together and still does the job.)

Be wary of using a condom that is too small, for if you struggle to insert into it and have a foreskin, chances are you will pop right out, leaving only the foreskin glued in and this will definitely blow off in use.

Messy...but very amusing, as long as it isnt you.

Non-circumcised?
Dont be tempted to roll the foreskin back upon donning, as this will cause the condom to roll off, the same problem results as in using too small a condom.

The correct method is to push forward from the base and gather the loose skin and stuff it into the "headspace" precluding insertion and prior to unrolling.

Once you have your "knob" in the end, grasp it like a snake¨ (at the base of the head) through the condom and stretch your shaft out.

This promotes excellent adhesion, you then simply unroll the condom full length.
Once done, give the entire length a firm even squeeze to ensure equal adhesive contact.

Ensure no stray hairs from your balls inadvertently get entangled in the adhesive, as they tend to tweak like hell when the suit squeezes down upon descent, making you thrash around violently while descending attempting to rip the stray hair off ...with tears clouding your vision.

This is guaranteed to freak you and buddy out every time.

Once you are engaged, the rest is easy, just don your suit, ensuring a clean routing of the norprene hose and once set engage the fitting into the condom. Route everything in such a way as to have no twist/tension on the hose, as this avoids any condom twisting and blocking at the plug in point.

Always have a pee, or at least partially fill the condom and hose with urine, prior to entry (at atmospheric pressure).
This avoids any small kinks becoming unmanageable at depth due to squeeze.
Pee often and moderately, dont wait till your bursting the go in a big rush!

Beginners might prefer to hang onto a rock or stationary object for comfort during initial forays.

Sure is funny to see...
Thats when you hit them with an unexpected OOA drill or turn their right post off.

Priceless!

Paul Berry - Director
Inner Realm
The Measure Of Excellence In DIR Technical Diving Systems
INNER REALM
DIR-NZ
The Condon Catheter.

I also hunted down this video.

YouTube - Cave Diving Equipment

 

[Ocean One]

Note to self: Avoid anything that attaches to your "Lil DIver" LMAO
What a hilarious story!!!