Any divers on here?

[hotrod66stang]

I had a feeling you might be interested in it for work. Quite honestly, I don't have any answers on that. I know when there is a vehicle that goes in the water, the P.D. calls us (F.D.). We do body/vehicle/weapon recoveries for the most part. I would think that if this happened in a big city the P.D. or F.D. (whoever runs their dive team in that particular city) wouldn't let you help because of the liability. The tow truck drivers just give us slack and we take the hooks out there and get the vehicle ready to pull out.

I'm assuming you know more about the smaller depts or certain situations where recoveries aren't necessarily routed through the police dept.. If that's the case, I'll just say that with very few exceptions the water in the lakes and rivers is pitch black after a few feet. We call it "diving by braille." Just for reference: I pulled a body out of the Trinity, which is constantly flowing, and the visibilty was 2" at 15 feet of depth. That is the best visibility I've ever had in the area lakes/rivers. If you're the slightest bit afraid of not being able to see, claustrophobic (even though you're not in a tight space), or generally creeped out by little things, don't even think about it. You're swimming in complete darkness, can't see your hand sitting on your mask, stuff bumping into you all over, fish nibbling on you, and finding things by bumping into them with your arms or head. Body recoveries are the worst, but cars that are sunk into the mud are almost as bad. You can't get under them, so you have to route the cable through the cabin to pull it out, and you don't know if you're going to bump into a body or not.

Don't want to totally freak you out, but that's the glamorous life of recoveries. If that doesn't sound fun, diving in the Caribbean is AMAZING. Visibility is 100' +, awesome marine life, beautiful water, no dead bodies....

[hotrod66stang]

Their $200, fuck you because tax isn't appealing either.

Are you talking about Diving for Science? That's the ONLY thing keeping that place so clean. If just any diver could go jump in there it would be torn to hell and not preserved nearly as well as it is.

[sosoe]

<<< muffin diver

[Chas_svo]

Where ya going Charles? I should be in Cozumel to dive in a month, and then Belize/Bonaire/? to dive in October-ish. I'm down for a local dive G2G!

South Caribbean, flying to Puerto Rico, then cruise to Barbados, St Kitts, St Marten, St Lucia (may. It be that order). I'm not sure how the diving is and my partner, wife, has lost interest. I will research where the dives are available later today.

We need to do lunch.

[Kyle]

I had a feeling you might be interested in it for work. Quite honestly, I don't have any answers on that. I know when there is a vehicle that goes in the water, the P.D. calls us (F.D.). We do body/vehicle/weapon recoveries for the most part. I would think that if this happened in a big city the P.D. or F.D. (whoever runs their dive team in that particular city) wouldn't let you help because of the liability. The tow truck drivers just give us slack and we take the hooks out there and get the vehicle ready to pull out.

I'm assuming you know more about the smaller depts or certain situations where recoveries aren't necessarily routed through the police dept.. If that's the case, I'll just say that with very few exceptions the water in the lakes and rivers is pitch black after a few feet. We call it "diving by braille." Just for reference: I pulled a body out of the Trinity, which is constantly flowing, and the visibilty was 2" at 15 feet of depth. That is the best visibility I've ever had in the area lakes/rivers. If you're the slightest bit afraid of not being able to see, claustrophobic (even though you're not in a tight space), or generally creeped out by little things, don't even think about it. You're swimming in complete darkness, can't see your hand sitting on your mask, stuff bumping into you all over, fish nibbling on you, and finding things by bumping into them with your arms or head. Body recoveries are the worst, but cars that are sunk into the mud are almost as bad. You can't get under them, so you have to route the cable through the cabin to pull it out, and you don't know if you're going to bump into a body or not.

Don't want to totally freak you out, but that's the glamorous life of recoveries. If that doesn't sound fun, diving in the Caribbean is AMAZING. Visibility is 100' +, awesome marine life, beautiful water, no dead bodies....

That actually all sounds right up my alley! I think it would be exciting and fun... And probably creepy at times. I want to get into recreational diving and become compentent and confident in what I'm doing before I make any decisions to go into the things you have described. I'm just saying that all that definitely interests me though! I would however love to go diving in the ocean. My buddy spent time in the DR diving every day for a week. He says there was nothing like it! They were any where from 80-100+ feet deep and the visibility was terrific. He said it makes lake dives boring now lol!

On a side note, I have given up motorcycles for the time being so I'm looking for a new hobby and something that is good excercise as well. I've always been comfortable in water so this seems like a good fit. I've been doing lots of reading online and I get more excited everyday.

[hotrod66stang]

South Caribbean, flying to Puerto Rico, then cruise to Barbados, St Kitts, St Marten, St Lucia (may. It be that order). I'm not sure how the diving is and my partner, wife, has lost interest. I will research where the dives are available later today.

We need to do lunch.

Lunch sounds great. I have my passport ready, FYI. lol

He said it makes lake dives boring now lol!

I get more excited everyday.

You have no idea. I went from zero vis diving where I pulled out 2 bodies and 2 cars, to Cozumel. Cozumel is far enough south that you're in the Caribbean. You jump off the boat into the beautiful, blue water and when you put your mask into the water you can see 100' straight down to the bottom as if you were just floating above a pocket of air. The waves and ripples on the surface refract and reflect light, but once you're in the water, it's clear as glass. It's clearer than any pool I've ever been in and once you descend under the water, your vis is 200' +. I've been hooked ever since. I was literally excited to go diving again the day we left Cozumel.

Find a reputable instructor, tuck away $1,000 and go to Cozumel when you're certified. Plane tickets are $480-$525 right now RT, cheap hotels can be had, diving will run you ~$80/day and $10 tip per day to your Dive Master (DM are required in Cozumel because the reefs are a protected national park and they try to preserve them as best as possible), and food is good AND cheap. Most places include breakfast with your room, diving boats serve you lunch on your surface interval between dives, and all you have to pay for is dinner. Not tempted enough? Here ya go....


Our view as we ate lunch one day






Lunch between dives. Bolillos, tuna or turkey and cheese, fresh salsa, fresh guac, perfectly ripe fruit.

[RWhite]

My friend has gone all over the Caribbean diving and even Australia/Hawaii. She got her certification from the Texins Dive Club (http://www.texinsdiveclub.com/) when she worked at TI.

She just got back from a dive trip to Belize and the Blue Hole.

[Binky]

I cant describe how excited i am to be headed to Bermuda - best wreck diving in the hemisphere. We're going with a local guide (not a shop) and hes taking us to dive some wrecks that the tourists never go to. I've gotta wear my 6.5 tho - its gonna be a bit cold, haha

[hotrod66stang]

Another thing to think about is having a dive buddy. It's good to have a lot of them so that you can just call up a number of people to see who is interested in diving, but remember, you want a GOOD dive buddy. A good dive buddy will call off your dive and not be mad because the conditions aren't right or there is a malfunction with gear that you're not comfortable diving with. Once you're 100' down, this isn't a leisure sport, unless you can hold your breath for 5 minutes while you make a controlled ascent, exhaling the whole way, and then stop for decompression before surfacing. I can't say it enough, only dive with GOOD dive buddies. It doesn't matter the skill level so much, as it has to do with their attentiveness and willingness to put both of your safety before the dive. Check out the scubaboard.com and singledivers.net, I think, for group trips to dive and learn from other passionate divers of all skill levels.

Disclaimer: Singledivers is NOT a dating site. lol. It's for people looking for dive buddies

Jedi- How deep is the wreck that you're using a 6.5 mil? I don't have any experience in the ocean other than Coz and it was ~84* with hardly noticeable thermoclines. I dove in swim trunks and a swim shirt similar to Under Armor.

[JC316]

I had a feeling you might be interested in it for work. Quite honestly, I don't have any answers on that. I know when there is a vehicle that goes in the water, the P.D. calls us (F.D.). We do body/vehicle/weapon recoveries for the most part. I would think that if this happened in a big city the P.D. or F.D. (whoever runs their dive team in that particular city) wouldn't let you help because of the liability. The tow truck drivers just give us slack and we take the hooks out there and get the vehicle ready to pull out.

I'm assuming you know more about the smaller depts or certain situations where recoveries aren't necessarily routed through the police dept.. If that's the case, I'll just say that with very few exceptions the water in the lakes and rivers is pitch black after a few feet. We call it "diving by braille." Just for reference: I pulled a body out of the Trinity, which is constantly flowing, and the visibilty was 2" at 15 feet of depth. That is the best visibility I've ever had in the area lakes/rivers. If you're the slightest bit afraid of not being able to see, claustrophobic (even though you're not in a tight space), or generally creeped out by little things, don't even think about it. You're swimming in complete darkness, can't see your hand sitting on your mask, stuff bumping into you all over, fish nibbling on you, and finding things by bumping into them with your arms or head. Body recoveries are the worst, but cars that are sunk into the mud are almost as bad. You can't get under them, so you have to route the cable through the cabin to pull it out, and you don't know if you're going to bump into a body or not.

Don't want to totally freak you out, but that's the glamorous life of recoveries. If that doesn't sound fun, diving in the Caribbean is AMAZING. Visibility is 100' +, awesome marine life, beautiful water, no dead bodies....

You sir have balls of steel. There isn't enough money in the world for me to dive the trinity, much less do it looking for a body, or a car.

Are you talking about Diving for Science? That's the ONLY thing keeping that place so clean. If just any diver could go jump in there it would be torn to hell and not preserved nearly as well as it is.

Yeah, that is what I am talking about. I don't know if it would be torn to hell. Stuff like reefs out in warm waters in vacation sties are being torn up by morons that haven't been on a dive in years. A place like Aquarena has much tougher conditions that would attract a much more experience diver.

I guess it's not so much the $200 as it is when they have their training course.

[Chas_svo]

Brian, remind me to tell you about my buddy in my home town that does recoveries. Good story.

And you guys are killing me, and making me regret selling my gear.


Bastards!

[hotrod66stang]

I don't know if it would be torn to hell. Stuff like reefs out in warm waters in vacation sties are being torn up by morons that haven't been on a dive in years. A place like Aquarena has much tougher conditions that would attract a much more experience diver.

I guess it's not so much the $200 as it is when they have their training course.

I hear you. I agree to a point, but a lot of places (like Cozumel) that have really great reefs require you to dive with DMs so that you don't hang onto the coral (drift diving), bump into stuff, etc. When we dove Coz the operator knew the other 3 divers and knew we were really good divers and let us go through some really tight holes in the reefs, and other stuff that they don't let many people do. I think Aquarena Springs just has such a rare quality of water, being spring fed, and such a good, central location that if they didn't impose that fee and class on people, it would be overrun by divers. As I'm sure you're aware, not all divers are as conscientious as you seem to be. Just like when you visit the lake and see people tossing trash off the boats into the very water they're supposed to be enjoying. This is all just IMO, as I've never taken the class, but would love to dive there.

BrYan, remind me to tell you about my buddy in my home town that does recoveries. Good story.

And you guys are killing me, and making me regret selling my gear.


Bastards!

Sorry, chickideeChuck. I'm looking to purchase gear instead of always borrowing from work. I'll keep an eye out for you, as well.

[JC316]

I hear you. I agree to a point, but a lot of places (like Cozumel) that have really great reefs require you to dive with DMs so that you don't hang onto the coral (drift diving), bump into stuff, etc. When we dove Coz the operator knew the other 3 divers and knew we were really good divers and let us go through some really tight holes in the reefs, and other stuff that they don't let many people do. I think Aquarena Springs just has such a rare quality of water, being spring fed, and such a good, central location that if they didn't impose that fee and class on people, it would be overrun by divers. As I'm sure you're aware, not all divers are as conscientious as you seem to be. Just like when you visit the lake and see people tossing trash off the boats into the very water they're supposed to be enjoying. This is all just IMO, as I've never taken the class, but would love to dive there.

You have a good point as well. I just wish they had a weekend class out there. And yeah, when I was in Cozumel there were two divers that were much more interested in doing underwater acrobatics instead of actually diving. Here I was, a rookie diver hovering a foot off the bottom while taking pictures of a green eel and these "experienced" divers are crashing into the reef and bottom. I can only imagine what a few hundred of those types would do to Aquarena.

I guess if you didn't want to do the class, you could always dive the river, but it's usually packed full of stoner hippie chucklefucks.

[Binky]

Jedi- How deep is the wreck that you're using a 6.5 mil? I don't have any experience in the ocean other than Coz and it was ~84* with hardly noticeable thermoclines. I dove in swim trunks and a swim shirt similar to Under Armor.

60-70 iirc. I'm sensitive to cold when diving. I wore a 3/2 full when at clear springs a few weeks ago and couldnt drop below 35 because it was just too uncomfortable. Since the island is in the Atlantic Ocean and is much further north than the carribean the water temps are lower. Usually mid 70's. When we dove Lake ray roberts the temps were about that and i was super comfy.


If i had a full 5 id wear it. I may check ST and see if they have any on clearance. Just hate dumping more money into neoprene.

[ARIX]

As mentioned before Cozumel is awesome! Palancar reef is the coolest one I have seen so far. There is cave diving but I have no interest in that. You recovery guys are a different breed! I have stayed at Fiesta Americana and for the all inclusive price it's pretty decent.
Clear spring in Terrell is a good local spot to dive. Beware some of the fish will bite on your ear! Last I went there it was about $25 to get in. You can check water conditions on their website. The water can be cloudy sometimes. It's also cold on the bottom around 50-60ft, but with the heat it may be nice it just depends how well you tolerate the cold. Out all of my hobbies Diving is on top of the list.