http://www.divebuddy.com/blogs.aspxScuba diving articles posted by members of DiveBuddy.com.http://www.divebuddy.com/blogs.aspxhttp://www.divebuddy.com/images/divebuddy_db.png240Greghttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11165Thu, 16 May 2013 20:22:00 CDTEducationalblacknite31http://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11164Mon, 13 May 2013 21:38:00 CDTEducationalGreghttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11158Fri, 10 May 2013 10:06:00 CDTEquipmentI have never seen a hammer/chisel combo for scuba diver’s like this so I thought I’d share. I don’t think I’d ever use one underwater (unless I become a treasure hunter, archaeologist or want to bust my way out of a wreck) but it looks cool and I want one! Here is the description from the manufacture: Since it was introduced in 1992, the Diving Equipment Specialties Hammer & Chisel set has set the standard in its class, with superior features that assure you of years of corrosion-free heavy-duty use. This popular item, also known as the "Enrique Hammer", is our #1-selling product, and its quality of design and manufacture is attested-to by the many divers who already use it, and the manufacturers who have tried to copy it. It is simply the best underwater tool of its kind available. The 4-1/2" by 2" hammer head is machined from a solid billet of 304-series stainless steel, giving the hammer a weight of approximately 6 pounds - a serious underwater tool. The 9" handle is made out of 1" stainless steel tubing that is knurled for a sure grip, even with heavy underwater gloves. A threaded bushing on the end of the handle receives the matching chisel for storage. A generous hanging-loop at the top completes the package. The design of the screw-in mounting in the hammer handle protects the internal threads from foreign matter while in use, but should the hammer and chisel ever become jammed together with sand or other material, the knurls on the chisel’s end-cap allows them to be separated with ordinary pliers. The 8-1/2" long chisel is machined out of a solid 5/8" diameter 17-4PH forged stainless steel stock - which has the same anti-corrosion qualities as the 304-series stainless. Like the hammer handle, the chisel shaft is knurled for a secure underwater grip, and the point is milled, not cast. The threaded end-cap on the chisel contains a center button of milder 316-series steel to absorb a lifetime of hammer blows without breaking, allowing us to temper and harden the chisel shaft and point to a 44 Rockwell C hardness. This hardening process also increases the rust resistance of the 17-4PH stainless steel, making our chisel almost impervious to salt water corrosion. Only the Diving Equipment Specialties Hammer & Chisel set has this unique stainless steel chisel. Our imitators use ordinary cold steel chisels that are readily attacked by seawater, with predictable results - a rusty mess that shortens the life of the tool. Order your Diving Equipment Specialties Hammer & Chisel set direct from the manufacturer. This top-quality product sells for $199.00 + $18.00 shipping and handling (Within Us borders).]]>Greghttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11153Tue, 07 May 2013 18:56:00 CDTEducationalI recently had the pleasure of corresponding with Richard Neal, the new owner of the Frying Pan Tower - formerly known as the Frying Pan Shoals Light Station. He bought the decommissioned lighthouse from the U.S. government and converted it into a bed and breakfast for divers and fisherman. I wanted to know how a person could take on such an endeavor, what the process was like...and whether he had any tips for people aspiring to be like him. Here’s how the conversation when: GREG: What did it take for you to leave a career as a sales engineer to pursue this project? I imagine it was hard leaving a good paying job to assume a big risk. RICHARD: Well, still working fulltime I and the rest of America hopefully learned after the financial crisis that it’s best to plan, prepare and be ready rather than jump into the deep water without a lifeline, both figuratively and literally in this case! GREG: Besides GSA, where there other resources you used to find information about possible off shore platforms to buy? RICHARD: Search Google / Bing and set ‘alerts’ in both system for key words that may catch a notice. In my case, it was either dumb luck or a computer program from the future that notified me. (if you’re inclined, see; http://www.amazon.com/Hiding-In-Anonymity-HIA-ebook/dp/B0050K0U3M but don’t say I didn’t warn you.) GREG: How was the GSA process? Pretty intense OR pretty easy? RICHARD: GSA is like any government agency in that it works but just barely. I recommend if you locate anything you are interested in to contact by email and phone the agent who is handling the item. They are very valuable to better understand the nature of the item, place or property. For example, it took me 3 months to get the government to tell me directly that they couldn’t sell me the land under the tower because they “didn’t own it”! It is in international waters and outside the state and US lands. GREG: Do you have any kids? If so, did they help with the project? RICHARD: I’ve 4 kids, all nearly grown (2 just out of college, 2 in now) and as you might expect this seemed like another of “dad’s crazy projects” so they were only slightly involved. Now that it’s a year or so past the crazy stage, they often tell their new friends about it to impress them. lol. They have gone out and helped but it’s really my passion, not so much theirs. GREG: Besides divers wanting to be on the water, what other types of people do you envision wanting to stay at your hotel? RICHARD: Fishermen and just ordinary people who think it’ll be romantic, exciting, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. (they’re right about all those btw.) GREG: Were you able to get any government grants for research studies or light house preservation? RICHARD: None, zip, zilch, nada! Funny but being literally “outside” their territory excludes us from any assistance. Or that’s at least what they responded with when we inquired of several groups. GREG: What is the ocean floor like around the light house? RICHARD: The 50-60’ depths are a combination of rocky ledges and shifting sands with lots of areas for massive spiny lobsters to hide and plenty of algae for the small varieties of fish to hide in. There’s an article in Sport Diver magazine (next month?) that has a 1/2 page article of us in it and next month or so we’ll be in Garden & Gun magazine. The bottom with the tower’s legs is a great place for everything from hogfish to grouper to shark to barracuda to maui maui to clouds of bait fish undulating with the current and in avoidance of the larger fish. GREG: Do you offer boat rides to the nearby wrecks? RICHARD: If we’re there on our donated use boat then yes for just fuel costs, otherwise it’s use your own boat to which we have a mooring attached close by. The Greg MicKey is 900’ away and has a good eco system of marine life to watch and swim with. GREG: What type of food do you serve? RICHARD: Serve? Well we do cook, but our food is basic stuffs like hamburgers, etc.. We have a full kitchen and recommend our guests bring in their provided foods and prepare them themselves onsite. (Just don’t bring a full sized lasagna! We had to run the large generator 4 hours to cool that one!) GREG: Looking back, what were the most challenging parts of the whole project? RICHARD: Every day just keeping the long term focus on getting it done. Not letting anyone or anything slow or stop us from moving to restoration and success. This effort is a result of multiple people pressing forward and getting it done, step by step, bit by bit and literally stair step by step! We are willing and when the waves are compliant, we are out there working to restore the tower. Our sponsors are making a huge difference in us getting it done too with key donations of parts and materials that are making a difference to us getting it done! GREG: There was a recent forum topic on DiveBuddy were divers were asking for business plans and budgets for projects like yours (diver hotels/hostels/charters, etc)...what is the chance of you sharing that information with the members of DiveBuddy.com? RICHARD: Budget / Business plans? Well, when you look at this from a strictly business standpoint you are hard pressed to make this make $ sense. You have to suspend a little business calculation and look at what “should be done” rather than what obviously makes sense to do. It is like buying a boat that is leaking and sinking slowly and you have to decide to either buy-in and move forward or run away fast! With the charm and beauty of the tower beckoning it is tough to just step back and ignore the possibility of letting it go and walking away from this challenge. We have stepped up and are getting many to step in and help us to make this work! GREG: I appreciate your time in responding to these questions. DiveBuddy has over 20,000 scuba divers registered, so you should get some great exposure. RICHARD: Well, we hope that some of your viewers do come and join our efforts and as they do, we will do our best to keep them safe, secure and provide an amazing experience for their trip! GREG: I admire what you have done. I am sure my wife and I will visit you all one day. Keep up the good work! RICHARD: People just don’t seem to believe this but it’s really just a come out and see us and catch the bug as we have and make the Frying Pan Tower part of your experience!]]>SDBRhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11152Mon, 06 May 2013 19:49:00 CDTEducationalTexas Sec. 31.1021. OPERATING VESSELS IN SCUBA DIVING OR SNORKELING AREAS. (a)No person may operate a vessel within 50 feet of a buoy or of another vessel displaying a diver down flag that marks an area in which a person is scuba diving or snorkeling. (b)No person may operate a vessel at a speed greater than the minimum speed necessary to maintain steerageway and headway while the vessel is within 150 feet of a buoy or a vessel displaying a diver down flag that marks an area in which a person is scuba diving or snorkeling. (c)To be entitled to the protections of this section, a scuba diver or snorkeler must prominently display a diver down flag from a buoy or vessel. (d)This section does not apply: (1)to a person who is operating a patrol or rescue craft; or (2)in an emergency. (e)Subsection (a) of this section does not apply: (1)to a person who is already operating a vessel in an area when another person displays a diver down flag within 150 feet of that vessel; (2)to a person who is operating a vessel in a waterway that is less than 300 feet wide; or (3)to a person who has permission to enter the area from the person who placed the buoy or the person who is operating the vessel displaying the diver down flag. (f)In this section, diver down flag means a square or rectangular red flag, at least 15 inches by 15 inches, that has a diagonal white stripe. Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1146, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 226, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. EVERYONE SHOULD VERIFY THE STATUTE IS VALID AND HAS NOT CHANGED!!!]]>SDBRhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11151Mon, 06 May 2013 19:43:00 CDTEducationalAlabama Chapter 220-6 (3) The diver’s flag shall not be less than 300 Milliliters (12 inches) square, colored red with a white two-inch strip running diagonally from the top staff corner to the bottom fly corner and shall be prominently displayed and visible from all directions and kept within a 15.2 meters (50 foot) radius of divers when said divers are in the water. EVERYONE SHOULD VERIFY THE ALABAMA STATUTE IS VALID AND HAS NOT CHANGED!!!]]>SDBRhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11150Mon, 06 May 2013 19:38:00 CDTEducationalNorth Carolina § 75A-13.1. Skin and scuba divers. (a)No person shall engage in skin diving or scuba diving in the waters of this State that are open to boating, or assist in such diving, without displaying a diver’s flag from a mast, buoy, or other structure at the place of diving; and no person shall display such flag except when diving operations are under way or in preparation. (b)The diver’s flag shall be square, not less than 12 inches on a side, and shall be of red background with a diagonal white stripe, of a width equal to one fifth of the flag’s height, running from the upper corner adjacent to the mast downward to the opposite outside corner. (c)No operator of a vessel under way in the waters of this State shall permit the vessel to approach closer than 50 feet to any structure from which a diver’s flag is then being displayed, except where the flag is so positioned as to constitute an unreasonable obstruction to navigation; and no person shall engage in skin diving or scuba diving or display a diver’s flag in any locality that will unreasonably obstruct vessels from making legitimate navigational use of the water. (d)A person who violates a provision of this section is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and shall only be subject to a fine not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00). (1969, c. 97, s. 1; 2006-185, s. 1.) EVERY PERSON SHOULD VERIFY THE STATUTE IS VALID AND HAS NOT CHANGED]]>SDBRhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11139Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:35:00 CDTOtherBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11138Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:35:00 CDTEducationalBy Bob Halstead It would be a perfect life; I love diving, love being on boats and love adventure. I had moved to Papua New Guinea in 1973, already an experienced NAUI instructor, discovered that very few had dived PNG’s reefs, and that there was no established tourist dive industry. When the opportunity arose I quit my teaching job and started a dive school and shop in Port Moresby with my wife Dinah. We got a bank loan and had a 20-diver day dive boat built for us. This is Solatai and we used her for our dive school, but also cruised to Milne Bay every November and April, where we ran Scuba Safaris – camping in villages and exploring previously un-dived reefs. This was hard work, but we were young and fit, and the diving spectacular. Most of the guests were divers who had passed through our dive school and who lived in PNG, but we did get a few international clients. Their praise of the quality of the diving, and the fact that many returned, gave me hope that I could appeal to the larger international dive tourism market that was growing in the early 1980s. I could see that we needed to get a larger boat with live-aboard facility. Camping in villages was uncomfortable and exposed our guests to the malaria mosquito that bites at night. Sleeping on board a boat, just a short distance off shore, is very safe. We could also venture further and explore the many reef areas in PNG that had never been dived. I started to sketch a “general arrangement” of my ideal dive boat. First consideration was the PNG survey requirements. All commercial vessels had to conform to standards and had to be inspected during construction. The critical measurement in PNG was the “Registered Length” measured from the bow to the rudderstock. Solatai was built at 9.96 metres, inside the 10m class thus avoiding most of the rules. The next class was 10 to 20m. If we went over 20m the running expenses would skyrocket. If you are building a boat you must study the local regulations! The bank liked my business plan but was very concerned about building a boat as opposed to purchasing an existing boat. But in the early 1980’s there were not many dive boats for sale, and most of those were converted fishing vessels, and not suitable. I insisted that I had to have a purpose built dive boat designed to my criteria. What’s more I wanted it built from PNG timber in PNG. We had contacted a wonderful old man, Arthur Swinfield, who had taught boat building in PNG in the 1930s. He was a Naval Architect and when I told him I wanted to build a 20m boat in PNG employing the grandsons of the boat builders he had taught, he was galvanised into action. “I’ve been waiting for this call!” he exclaimed and set about drawing the most wonderful set of plans for the PNG boat builders. He helped persuade the bank to lend me money and in 1984 we started building on Dinah’s land in Milne Bay. The arrangement I wanted was for 5×2-guest cabins comfortably midships, an aft engine room and a large dive deck. The wheelhouse was forward so I could get a good view of the reefs. I wanted one large, slow – revving marine diesel – and single propeller to avoid the possibility of damage with twin shafts and exposed propellers. A huge amount of thought went in to making the boat reliable with simple mechanical systems I could repair myself. Building the boat was an adventure – and deserves a book! I managed the construction and fortunately I had had little prior experience – otherwise it is unlikely that I would have ever had the courage to build her. Ignorance was bliss. I started by doing the first things, then figured what the next things were and did them. When there were problems, I did not moan, I got advice and solved them. By December 1986 I had a beautiful live-aboard dive boat and two years of dive group bookings. People started to tell me how lucky I was, and I found the best response was to agree. “Yes” I would say, “thank goodness I found that treasure!” “You found treasure!” they would gasp, and I would tell them “indeed, I did” and introduce them to my wife. To start with I was very ambitious. We cruised to all the possible diving areas in PNG and made some great discoveries. Since I was the captain, chief engineer and dive master, and hated to miss a dive, I pushed myself hard. Calm weather made life easier but rough crossings and sleepless nights took their toll. We learned some interesting facts – for example if I anchored out in calm weather on an exposed reef for night diving, a squall would inevitably blow at midnight. So we started to plan things more carefully, always trying to find secure anchorages at night, and making any long re-location passages without passengers aboard. Still the adventure was amazing, the diving wonderful, and we had a good business. For every day everyone else lived, we lived two. Inevitably, as happens on boats, equipment would fail and I had to ensure I could keep everything running. This was stressful, but I kept a good inventory of spare parts. We operated for 10 years without a day of diving lost, but eventually I grew to loath continually fixing things. Privacy became an issue. There is very little privacy on a boat to and I seemed to be on call for 24 hours a day, often to answer inane questions or fix guests’ equipment. Or listen to shipboard romances being consummated on the top deck immediately above our cabin. Most groups were full of interesting people, my social and intellectual life revolved around them, and I have made lifelong friends. But a difficult or selfish passenger could make me miserable, and have a devastating effect on the boat’s morale. I began to hate my generator. If it stopped in the middle of the night there was this blissful silence – but I also had to get up and fix it. But when it was running the constant background noise was annoying. I could not win that one. Nor the desire for the boat to sometimes just stay still for a minute! Telita became famous, and so did some of the dive sites we discovered and dived regularly. We coined the term “Muck” diving to show divers the weird and wonderful critters that did not live on coral reefs, and were the first to show tourist divers living nautilus trapped from the deep – and safely released. Our promotions were to experienced divers – we insisted on at least 50 dives before we accepted a booking, and then gave them great diving freedom. These were our ideas and we felt we were leaders. Inevitably other divers started to buy boats. After 6 years of having PNG virtually to ourselves suddenly there were ten live-aboard boats operating. Most of these were set up in different areas from the ones we had settled into, complimented our operation and we were, and are still, friends with the owners. But to others “our” dive sites became public property and I became frustrated when I cruised to a site only to find another dive boat moored there, busy re-discovering and re-naming it. Competition is one thing, but plagiarism is another. Unfortunately there are no laws to protect proprietary information when applied to dive sites or techniques. We were not alone with this problem – look what happened on Sipadan – but at the time this quote probably summed up my feelings: “I am surrounded – on one side by the greedy and the ignorant, who hope to profit by following me, and on the other side by the jealous and the falsely pious, who hope to profit by my destruction.” (Hypnerotomachia). I dislike working to a routine so each day I would check the weather and make a decision as to where I thought I could find the very best diving for my guests. We never had a fixed itinerary; this meant I had to constantly make decisions. That was OK – I like being in charge – but it has its stressful moments. I still foolishly get upset if, because of some phenomenon out of my control (weather, visibility etc.), I cannot show divers the very best a dive site has to offer, and then they complain. If it rained, it was my fault. What finally made me start thinking about selling out were the guests who arrived with a list of dive sites and critters they expected to see, no matter the conditions. My grand adventure was turning into a guided tour. Then on one cruise a guest berated me for diving an unexplored reef. I thought he would be excited at the opportunity, but he just accused me of using his money for “my” research. I did not, and do not, want to dive with people like him. So, after 19 years full time, we sold our dive company. I sorted my slides and wrote some books – and then started helping out my friends in PNG, who needed the occasional break, by running their boats for them – and bringing along my favourite dive guests who still want to dive my way. Burnout has been vanquished. If the generator stops, I let the engineer fix it. My love of adventure and diving is as strong as ever. I do not own a boat, life is good! PS – If you are thinking of your own dive boat, this might help: Tips on boats 1. Fast boats with big engines are very expensive to run. Make sure the type of boat suits the area you intend to dive, and make sure service facilities are available. Working from a city such as Cairns is easier than working from a remote atoll! 2. Check the local maritime legislation to make sure you comply, before you build/buy your boat. 3. Comfortable is better than fast or luxurious. 4. Timber boats are quiet, do not ”sweat”, and are very seaworthy, and many traditional areas in the Asia/Pacific region have skilled shipwrights. 5. Any fancy bit of essential electronics on board needs a spare. 6. Do not be fooled by appearances – the heart of a boat is its hull, engine, drive and steering systems, not the varnish on the rails. 7. A decked hull is only one fifth, or less, of the cost of a boat. Boat Crew. Crew are a vital part of every boat, but are the greatest operating expense. Most countries specify the minimum crew numbers, qualifications and accommodation. If you wish to run a large boat, and especially if you are planing to cruise long distances, you will need a dedicated Captain, Mate, Engineer, Chef, Dive Master/Trip Director as well as crew to clean, run dive dinghies, fill tanks and so on. You cannot possibly do this on a small boat. The minimum capacity of a boat with this size crew would be 20 paying guests. To be really viable you would probably need 25 – 30 paying guests. The boat would be bigger, and hence maintenance, fuel, insurance and other costs and fees would all be higher too. I chose to have a smaller boat with just 10 paying guests and could make this profitable as I was Captain, Dive Master, and ultimately in charge of fixing stuff, and Dinah was Chef and assisted with deck duties, diving and Mate if Telita needed manoeuvring when I was in the water. We planned ahead to both get qualified to captain Telita by keeping a Mariners Log Book to certify sea time while running Solatai , and taking the necessary courses and examinations before Telita was built. So our crew consisted of ourselves, and 3/4 local crewmembers, minimising crew costs. Whatever crew you employ they need to be energetic, cheerful and enthusiastic in their work. http://www.halsteaddiving.com/adult-section-stories/personal/dive-boat-dreams/]]>BobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11137Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:31:00 CDTEducationalBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11136Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:29:00 CDTEducationalBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11135Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:25:00 CDTPhotographyBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11134Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:24:00 CDTEducationalBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11133Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:21:00 CDTEducationalBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11132Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:19:00 CDTEducationalBy Bob Halstead This is a little quiz to get divers to think about the Buddy System. Most instructor organizations are locked into the buddy system but my observation is that many would ditch the system if it were not for liability concerns, and that many experienced divers treat it with contempt. You should make up your own mind, and always dive in your own comfort zone. First, I am going to give my definition of the buddy system. I wrote it many years ago because I could not find a definition in the diving texts. I am proud to say it has been plagiarized and I am flattered to see it turn up all over the place. “The Buddy System consists of two trained divers with similar interests, and similar experience and ability, who share a dive. They continuously monitor each other throughout the entry, the dive and the exit, and remain within such distance that they could render immediate assistance to each other if required.” Note: The buddy system assumes that divers are in fact capable of recognizing problems and assisting each other. Now try the quiz:- 1. Two divers go to sea in a small boat to dive. Which is the safer way for them to conduct the dive, dive together, or one stay in the boat while the other dives solo, then switch? 2. How can a fish photographer have a buddy? 3. What instructions should a dive master give an odd couple (two divers remaining who have not brought their buddies with them) consisting of a very experienced diver, and a novice? (and should the experienced diver get a refund?) 4. A buddy pair loses contact underwater. What should each diver do? 5. You are diving from a boat with a buddy and he/she was elected to lead the dive. You feel your buddy is swimming too fast and you feel disorientated but you do not wish to spoil your buddy’s dive. Demonstrate the hand signals that you will use to communicate this to your buddy. 6. After making a total of ten dives each you and your buddy are awarded an advanced diving certification. Every dive you have made so far has been easy and problem free. You pay $100 each to make a deep wreck dive with some other divers. When you get to the site there is a current, the sea is choppy, you feel queezy, and the visibility is poor. You don’t feel like diving but you do not want to let your buddy down. What should you do? What will you do when your buddy turns round and says “isn’t this going to be great, I’ve always wanted to dive a wreck!”. 7. A husband and wife buddy pair have a domestic argument on the way to the dive site. Should they dive together? 8. An instructor is leading two students. Who is the instructor’s buddy? 9. A student mentions that he does not like to be alone in the dark. Will he be a successful diver? 10. Do you believe the buddy you are about to dive with could really help you in an emergency, or is the buddy going to increase the risk of the dive? No points to score here, but please consider the following:- 1. The important buddy is the one looking out for you on the surface, trained and equipped to pick you up if necessary. Laws of seamanship predict that an anchored boat left unattended will drift away. A third person whose job it is to just sit in the boat while you buddy dive is a great idea. The tough part here is finding someone dumb enough to do this who is also capable of handling the boat. This question should also be considered if you were diving with an operation where counting heads may be a problem. No doubt the Lonergans would have survived if they had taken it in turns rather than dived together. 2. Some endeavours require all your concentration. 3. An experienced diver buddied with a novice is instruction without using an instructor. 4. Both buddies should end the dive underwater by returning to the exit point. I have recently read a DAN message repeating the dangerous rubbish promoted for many years namely “Look around for one minute then, if the buddy does not appear, ascend to the surface”. I am surprised because I have a lot of respect for Dan and no doubt they have worked hard to improve diving safety over the years. I have to assume they just did not think about this one. If you are out there reading this DAN, let me hear from you! The last thing you want to do is go straight to the surface. You are now subject to waves and current and probably someone is going to have to rescue you, and your buddy if he/she has followed the same rule. Also you have just made a direct ascent to the surface, probably too fast and without a safety stop, or essential stop as far as I am concerned, and so risk decompression illness. The inference is that you will meet up with your buddy on the surface, get together again (if you can do it without exhausting yourselves or drowning), then descend (without a guide line?) and continue the dive. Unless the depth of the dive was trivial to start with, this is a really bad idea. Hello?!! If you are buddy diving and lose your buddy what you should do is look around for one minute, fine, but then complete the last part of your dive plan by returning to the safe exit point underwater, do your safety stop and then surface where you originally planned, preferably right at the boat. Chances are if you both follow this plan you will meet your buddy underwater at some stage anyway and there would be no problem continuing the dive. Only if there is a real emergency, and losing contact with your buddy is not a real emergency, should you make a direct ascent to the surface. 5. Meaningful communication underwater is difficult. 6. The most important safety decision is the personal decision when not to dive. 7. Finding a compatible buddy may be harder than finding a compatible mate. 8. Do instructors need buddies? 9. Is fear of the unknown, and being alone, the real reason the buddy system has survived? 10. This is the question you have to ask before every dive with a buddy. The wrong buddy can absolutely increase the risk of a dive. Several years ago I conducted a survey of experienced divers (all had more than 100 dives) and more of them had been put into a dangerous situation because of their buddy than had been rescued by their buddy. I sometimes get divers ask if they can buddy with me. I usually explain that I am a very poor buddy and need to concentrate on what I am doing underwater rather than pay attention to them, particularly if I am taking photographs. I am also concerned that since I have quite a few dives under my weight belt that if they did anything silly and got injured, someone could have the bright idea of suing me, and I do not want to take that risk. Whatever your view of the buddy system I am sure we can all agree that a dependant buddy is a disaster waiting to happen. Learn to be self-sufficient, then, if you choose to share a dive with another self-sufficient diver, it can be a joyful experience. http://www.halsteaddiving.com/adult-section-stories/fundamen...on-the-buddy-system/]]>BobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11131Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:15:00 CDTEducationalBy Bob Halstead America has a coral barrier reef off the Florida Keys. While this is no challenge to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, it does have something Australia does not. For the past 25 years, hundreds of divers and snorkellers have come together for the annual Underwater Music Festival held at Looe Key Reef. Musician-divers mime on whimsical instruments created by a local artist, while a pre-selected radio playlist is streamed live from underwater speakers. Ocean-themed songs, such as the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” and “Octopus’s Garden,” are featured. Sound travels well through water, indeed faster, and is sensed through the bones of the skull rather than the ears. This produces, we are assured, a “particularly ethereal” impression. The Festival pokes fun at itself and attracts big name musicians such as “Paul McCarpney” and “Ringo Starfish.” Australia, however, has not entirely been left behind in the underwater music stakes. An end-of-the-millennium underwater concert in Sydney Harbour, Sonic Waters II, featured a sound system attached to the Shark Bay shark-netting moorings. Divers and snorkellers could listen in – and so could the marine life. A shark was reported to have turned up only to immediately become entangled in the nets. The Sosno and Thevenium are musical instruments specifically designed for playing underwater. Both rely on primary sound being produced by striking; the resulting clangs are amplified and modified electronically. I have not heard these instruments but I can imagine why a shark might turn suicidal. I confess. I am a diver, but have a not-so-secret life as a failed musician. Basically I failed to learn how to play the trumpet, trombone and euphonium, though I used to practice diligently – even when on board dive boats running dive cruises. My lack of talent was actually of some benefit if I had any reluctant divers. A promise of an imminent practice session was enough to get them in the water. More recently I have had better musical success on the saxophone. Music is intensely personal and I have no doubt that a few of my guests were annoyed not only by how poorly I played, but by what I was attempting to play – generally Classics or Jazz. Occasionally I had compliments. OK, rarely. Once (only) I greeted guests aboard Telita with a Mozart CD playing softly in the background. But my first guest aboard gruffly snarled “I did not come here to listen to music!” Pop music usually bores me to tears, it is trite, repetitive, and mostly lacks any musical subtlety. I had to undergo some (successful) radiotherapy a while back. In the treatment room it was standard practice to have a poor quality radio/CD player churning out pop music. I asked for it to be turned off but the staff knew better – they insisted it would help me relax. I told then in no uncertain terms that the “music” was making me angry and destroying my will to live. They turned it off. I could have brought along my own discs and was tempted to bring some that would have no doubt driven the staff nuts, but that was a fleeting unkind thought. I preferred silence, and while undergoing treatment was able to mentally harmonise the gritty buzz of the radiating linear accelerator with images of cancer cells exploding. It worked, and I departed each session content and optimistic. Cousteau called underwater “The Silent World” but actually it is not. Night dives are particularly cacophonous with carnivores crunching and crustaceans crackling. Waves can be heard thundering on reefs, and a rainsquall can drum a sudden Stacatto. Fish grunt and thump, and cetaceans are famous for their various whistles and moans. The Humpback Whale song is unforgettably heart-rending. Adding to these natural sounds my own imagined music accompanies me on my dives. I hear J.S. Bach as schools of fish surge and swoop, Stravinsky ballets as barracuda swirl, and John Williams, inexorably, as sharks menace with their jaws. It is all rather fantastic, but I try to make my dives as perfect as Heifitz playing the Korngold concerto. I can make my dives Pianissimo or Forte, Adagio or Presto. The harmonies of the sea resonate with my diving. Weightless, gliding and soaring, I am as rapturous as when transported by glorious music in a concert hall. Working with a model can be as satisfying as the fusion of a string quartet. Four become one when the communication between model, sea creature, the ocean environment and photographer moves to the perfect moment of resolution, when I press the camera shutter. Then a speedboat roars overhead and reality returns. Dissonant bubbles rend my ears, and divers seek attention by clanging their tanks. Loud pop music on deck is already the curse of otherwise perfectly habitable dive boats; I do not want this “service” extended underwater. Diving for me is an escape from the pandemonium of modern life above water. But it is happening. Speakers can be embedded in the hulls of dive boats. There is a diver recall device that, and I quote: “recalls divers with the push of a button plays music to entertain divers and snorkelers helps break the silence of long decompression stops is a P.A. system that allows boat captains or instructors to give instruction to students or customers” Individuals can now dive with their SwimMan Apple iPod Shuffle, or use an iDive 300 Deep Dive waterproof case that enables them to “Dive with more than just the bubbles from your regulator providing the soundtrack” and not disturb anyone else. Dive boat crew please note – keep the music OFF. Your young and uneducated ears might cope, but older folk such as myself not only dislike the noise, we have difficulty in having conversations above it. The inevitable racket from the generators and engines just makes it worse. And please, please, spare the underwater world from muzak, the broadcasted din of humanity, and the inane babble of rap. Be silent! Leave us to Nature’s water music, and the imagined symphonies in our heads. February 2011 http://www.halsteaddiving.com/adult-section-stories/deep-tho...hts/the-noisy-world/]]>BobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11130Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:13:00 CDTHealth & SafetyBy Bob Halstead I am going to start this story where it hurts. On a deep dive to search for a rare fish, I spotted an unusual sea star. I picked it up and carried it to shallow water so that I could leisurely take photographs while decompressing. It had no spines, but I soon realised that it was stinging me. The stinging cells were able to penetrate the tough skin on my hands. I have never been able to get the sea star identified, but that sting hurt, and the pain lasted nearly a week. There is no controversy about touching marine creatures that possess sharp spines. We all agree; you definitely should not do it. Sea urchins and the Crown of Thorns Sea Star can inflict nasty wounds. The risk from other creatures is not so obvious. Once (and only once!) I picked up a giant nudibranch on a night dive and, feeling nothing, brought it back to the boat in my hands, to show my fellow divers. After transferring the nudibranch to a bucket of seawater, I foolishly lifted my mask and wiped my face. Ouch! It stung like fire! Some nudibranchs eat hydroids, and can transfer the stinging cells to their surface. I had wiped the cells onto my hands, and then my tender face. I was not expecting to be stung by the sea star and the nudibranch, in fact I had never heard of a stinging sea star other than the obviously evil Crown of Thorns. But fire corals, hydroids and corallimorpharians have also stung me. Thus I discovered that divers just have to learn what creatures may be touched, and which are dangerous. I mostly learned the hard way. Reading this may save you a lot of pain! Beginning divers were, and maybe still are, told not to touch anything. To enforce this, divers may be forbidden to wear gloves. But what started as sensible caution rapidly turned into paranoia. Fear of marine animals became rife. To counter this a wonderful lady, Dee Scar, started to run “Touch the Sea” classes for divers at Bonaire in the Caribbean. She also wrote two charming books Touch the Sea (1987) and The Gentle Sea (1990). She taught many divers that gentle interactions with marine critters could be safe and include touching. Dee, whom I was fortunate to meet and dive with, inspired many with a love of all marine life. She replaced fear with respect. Around the same time Australian diving legend and marine life lecturer, Reg Lipson, started his own “Feel the Sea” programs. All this encouraged me to start my own “Eat the Sea” and “Poke the Sea” dive adventures. Not really, they were jokes, but had some truth to them. I do love eating seafood, but I hope I do so responsibly from sustainable fisheries. I never eat shark fin soup for example, and prefer pelagic fish to reef fish just in case I inadvertently eat one of my friends. We all “Poke the Sea” when we dive and by that I mean that we inevitably change what we go to see underwater by the act of diving. The art of diving well includes minimising this underwater “finprint”. We should try to be in harmony and not blundering invaders. We should not damage corals through bad buoyancy control; we should not keep pursuing or poking critters that do not like it. If you try to touch fishes some will dart away and hide, or swim off. Others do appear to like, or at least accept, interactions with divers. Empathy, and Dee Scar’s gentle approach, is the key. At the same time we should not be precious about it. For a while an ignorant extremist promoted “Touch Me And I Die” referring to coral. This is rubbish. Touching a coral will not kill it. Parrotfish eat corals by biting huge chunks out of them, but corals are resilient and re-grow quickly. In Port Moresby we had made friends with a large moray eel. We even had a name for it, “Nessie”, and I admit it did look like a monster. When we dived, it got so excited it would swim from its lair in an old ship I had sunk, meet us on the way down, and allow itself to be cuddled. My wife Dinah was its favourite, but it would allow any diver to handle it, and it never bit anyone. Eel skin, by the way, is silky smooth underwater, and not at all slimy. Unfortunately another group of divers visited the site and were alarmed when Nessie swam out to greet them. One grabbed his dive knife and slashed Nessie across the head. The wound healed eventually and Nessie became friends with us again. The diver told bold stories of his attack by a moray, what ignorance! In the Eastern Pacific, manta rays are known to approach divers and offer themselves for a ride. They actually seem to enjoy themselves – but I have never experienced that with mantas in PNG. If you stay still they will approach within millimeters – but if you try to touch, then they will take off. At the famous Cod Hole on the Great Barrier Reef, Potato Cod will allow a very close approach, but slide away if touched. In the bad old days, divers would sometimes grab a sleeping turtle and go for a forced ride. The gentle approach is much better, and turtles that have been treated well become fascinated by divers and approach them. I recently visited the resident Green Turtle at Lighthouse Bommie on the Great Barrier Reef. She was quite happy to have my model Leigh Paine swim right next to her, and even came back for more, though it seemed to me that the turtle was actually interested in Leigh’s long blond hair, perhaps confusing it with the delicious tentacles of a sea jelly. On another dive at this great site the climax was an encounter with an Olive Sea Snake. Using a gentle caress, without gripping the snake, Leigh was able to guide the snake and I was able to get some spectacular photos. These snakes are highly venomous, but are more curious than aggressive, and I have never heard of one biting a diver. But there is always a first time, so I do not recommend you try touching them. They have certainly bitten fishermen who have tangled them in nets and treated them roughly. The fishermen should have tried a little tenderness. I should also remind you not to suddenly touch your dive buddy. You might think it fun to watch him/her jump, but, armed with a dive knife, a dive buddy is incredibly dangerous. February 2009 http://www.halsteaddiving.com/adult-section-stories/deep-tho...hts/the-magic-touch/]]>BobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11129Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:11:00 CDTEducationalBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11128Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:10:00 CDTEducationalBobHalsteadhttp://www.divebuddy.com/blog.aspx?BlogID=11127Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:09:00 CDTEducational