Search found 29 matches

by djmcmath
Thu Nov 08, 2018 5:41 pm
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: ThThTh 11/8
Replies: 12
Views: 3060

Re: ThThTh 11/8

I’m in for tonight. What time is everyone showing up? I’m hoping to arrive by about 6:30, maybe 6:45. Hope I won’t be too late.

Dan
by djmcmath
Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:53 am
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: ThThTh 7/19
Replies: 11
Views: 2764

Re: ThThTh 7/19

I'll be in the area WAY early. Anyone interested in meeting at 3:30 or 4 for a pre-dive before the actual dive?
by djmcmath
Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:18 am
Forum: Dive Recaps & Trip Reports
Topic: Viz Reports Thread
Replies: 3235
Views: 637265

Re: Viz Reports Thread

Rockaway Beach Park, Bainbridge Island, 7/16 -- 12-15ft visibility at depth, murky 'n green in the shallows. We hit it about an hour before high tide. Current was mild, maybe half a knot to the south. Entered at the buoy, followed the line out to the first reef, then followed downslope to the second...
by djmcmath
Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:04 pm
Forum: Underwater Imaging - Photography & Video
Topic: Options for video light - Sola 3800 S/F vs. FantaSea Radiant 3000 vs ???
Replies: 10
Views: 4720

Re: Options for video light - Sola 3800 S/F vs. FantaSea Radiant 3000 vs ???

Gotta watch out for hot spots and drop off on the lower end lights--if you're concerned with consistent coverage. I am concerned! :bye: Hot spots and drop off are *exactly* what bugs me about my current light. It isn't that it isn't bright enough, it's just way too spotty. Frankly, I could probably...
by djmcmath
Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:17 am
Forum: Underwater Imaging - Photography & Video
Topic: Options for video light - Sola 3800 S/F vs. FantaSea Radiant 3000 vs ???
Replies: 10
Views: 4720

Re: Options for video light - Sola 3800 S/F vs. FantaSea Radiant 3000 vs ???

dlh -- I'm loving the whole "totally off-brand absolutely made in China piece of super-bright poorly built stuff" look of that light. I might get one just because they're cheap. ... Alternately, the entry level Sola stuff starts at a little over $200, so I might be better served by getting...
by djmcmath
Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:01 am
Forum: Underwater Imaging - Photography & Video
Topic: Options for video light - Sola 3800 S/F vs. FantaSea Radiant 3000 vs ???
Replies: 10
Views: 4720

Options for video light - Sola 3800 S/F vs. FantaSea Radiant 3000 vs ???

I'm looking at upgrading my lighting setup. Right now, I've got a TovaTec Fusion 1000 with my GoPro, and I do alright. The TovaTec beam is very bright at the center, with a lot of fall-off towards the edges, so exposure is problematic. Either I get the center correctly exposed and the edges badly un...
by djmcmath
Mon Jul 09, 2018 8:28 am
Forum: Dive Recaps & Trip Reports
Topic: Viz Reports Thread
Replies: 3235
Views: 637265

Re: Viz Reports Thread

Edmonds Dive Park 7/8/2018 -- 3-5 feet of visibility.
by djmcmath
Fri Dec 15, 2017 9:30 am
Forum: General SCUBA Discussion
Topic: Always Dive with a Buddy?
Replies: 8
Views: 2650

Re: Always Dive with a Buddy?

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I really appreciate the thoughts on this topic. Bob, your perspective on SMB deployment makes complete sense. The first time I saw a diver deploy a buoy was on a tropical dive; a skilled dive master who had just conducted an otherwise flawless dive went to deploy a...
by djmcmath
Fri Dec 15, 2017 7:54 am
Forum: General SCUBA Discussion
Topic: Always Dive with a Buddy?
Replies: 8
Views: 2650

Always Dive with a Buddy?

The mantra of "never dive alone" and "always dive with a buddy" have been pretty well drilled into me over the years. However, some recent discussion with divers have revealed some potential exceptions, short of being formally "solo qualified." I'd like to get a communi...
by djmcmath
Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:08 pm
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Sund Rock 11/18
Replies: 9
Views: 2865

Re: Sund Rock 11/18

PS -- a handful of cool pics from the day.
by djmcmath
Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:06 pm
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Sund Rock 11/18
Replies: 9
Views: 2865

Re: Sund Rock 11/18

Great dive, and good to meet a couple of other club members! If anyone's curious, the leaky drysuit appears to be related to the neck seal. I took a shower in it, then hopped out, dried off, and hunted for any dampness on my clothing. There was a tiny patch of wetness near my neck, but nowhere else....
by djmcmath
Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:04 am
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Post-Thanksgiving in ... Idaho?
Replies: 0
Views: 938

Post-Thanksgiving in ... Idaho?

This is a long shot, but I'll be in the Spokane / Coeur d'Alene area over Thanksgiving, and was curious if there's anyone who's interested in doing a dive or two that Friday or Saturday. I'm told there are some pretty cool wrecks in CDA and Priest lake.

Anyone?


Dan
by djmcmath
Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:01 am
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Sund Rock 11/18
Replies: 9
Views: 2865

Re: Sund Rock 11/18

bradmond wrote:
djmcmath wrote:Sweet, I've been wanting to do Sund Rock. I should be good for 2 tanks, but then I'll be out of air.

Dan
You should be able to get a fill at Hoodsport N Dive between dives.
No kidding?

... In that case, I may be good for all three. Awesome-sauce. :)
by djmcmath
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:20 pm
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Sund Rock 11/18
Replies: 9
Views: 2865

Re: Sund Rock 11/18

Sweet, I've been wanting to do Sund Rock. I should be good for 2 tanks, but then I'll be out of air.

Dan
by djmcmath
Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:07 am
Forum: Gear Central (Recreational)
Topic: Staying warm on a budget
Replies: 11
Views: 4124

Re: Staying warm on a budget

Thanks for the replies, all. Sorry for the delayed response; this week has been somewhere between "hectic" and "a bunch of monkeys f---in' a football."

PM's sent, and thank you for the ideas and the offers.

Dan
by djmcmath
Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:36 pm
Forum: Gear Central (Recreational)
Topic: Staying warm on a budget
Replies: 11
Views: 4124

Re: Staying warm on a budget

It's a shell suit.

I'm 5'9, 165lbs, without enough "natural insulation" to really ward off the cold.
by djmcmath
Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:35 pm
Forum: Gear Central (Recreational)
Topic: Staying warm on a budget
Replies: 11
Views: 4124

Staying warm on a budget

As the water cools, I'm re-examining my drysuit undergarment setup. Right now, I'm wearing a pair of sweat pants and a thermal fleece. Yesterday's dives were shockingly cold. I borrowed someone else's undergarment -- just a thin set of coveralls, basically -- for the second dive, and I was much happ...
by djmcmath
Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:31 pm
Forum: Dive Recaps & Trip Reports
Topic: Viz Reports Thread
Replies: 3235
Views: 637265

Re: Viz Reports Thread

Saltwater State Park and KVI Towers (off Ocean Quest), 9/24 -- 18-20ft near the surface, improving with depth. Probably 30 feet of visibility deeper than 20fsw.

Or in other words: the clearest water I've seen here in the Sound since I started diving here this spring. :)
by djmcmath
Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:45 pm
Forum: General SCUBA Discussion
Topic: Scuba is "too expensive" Huh?
Replies: 21
Views: 6923

Re: Scuba is "too expensive" Huh?

Like most hobbies, the cost of diving depends on how you do it. If you limit yourself to recreational diving and mostly do shore dives, you can do this pretty cheaply. If you discover you have an addiction and end up in the tech realm with two rebreathers, 6 different BCs, twice a year trips to exot...
by djmcmath
Tue Aug 01, 2017 1:09 pm
Forum: General SCUBA Discussion
Topic: What's up with Dive Logs?
Replies: 22
Views: 5770

Re: What's up with Dive Logs?

Cool, that checks with chart. I've started transferring all of my computer-logged dives to my desktop as well, and duplicating (cleaning up) my handwritten notes from the paper log into the computer. I'll keep doing what I'm doing and not worry about it. :)

Thanks,
Dan
by djmcmath
Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:53 am
Forum: Dive Recaps & Trip Reports
Topic: Viz Reports Thread
Replies: 3235
Views: 637265

Re: Viz Reports Thread

Monday 7/31, Alki Cove 2: A little choppy at the surface (shallower than 15fsw), but ~15ft of visibility deeper than 15 or 20fsw. Barely needed my light for the first dive, in 60fsw.
by djmcmath
Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:47 am
Forum: General SCUBA Discussion
Topic: What's up with Dive Logs?
Replies: 22
Views: 5770

What's up with Dive Logs?

So when I qualified with PADI, we made a point of doing dive logs after every dive. You record salient details about the dive (primarily related to nitrogen loading), then buddies sign each others' logs for verification. Personally, I like to take some notes on the dive to track things like gear cha...
by djmcmath
Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:19 pm
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Port Townsend this Sunday, 7/30
Replies: 12
Views: 3246

Re: Port Townsend this Sunday, 7/30

Great dive! I'm glad to have met all of you, and also seeing some great stuff on the bottom! But then, I'm still new enough that seeing a single clown nudibranch is pretty much the highlight of a dive, haha. Note to self: Point Hudson is a surprisingly good dive site, and takeout food at Pourhouse a...
by djmcmath
Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:22 pm
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Port Townsend this Sunday, 7/30
Replies: 12
Views: 3246

Re: Port Townsend this Sunday, 7/30

Looking forward to this dive, but then, I always look forward to the next dive. :) 15-20ft visibility at depth honestly sounds better than most of what I've gotten recently near Tacoma, so this should be refreshing. Anybody else coming out, or is everyone staying close to the big city this weekend? ...
by djmcmath
Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:57 am
Forum: Dive Planning
Topic: Dive with me in Port Townsend
Replies: 7
Views: 2882

Re: Dive with me in Port Townsend

How's the diving there? I'm in Kitsap, so not too terribly far away, and could make it up for a Saturday or Sunday dive. Heck, I could probably make a weeknight dive, if we needed to.

Getting any good dives? Any lessons learned on when the conditions are better or worse?