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Post by SeaRat on Jul 17, 2017 8:07:01 GMT -8
I now have three dives for 2017, and another is coming shortly (like today). So I'm creating a thread for those who want to log their dives here. These don't have to be "vintage," but if you are diving vintage it would be nice to see the types of equipment you are using. I'm including fins, masks, etc. in this "vintage" topic too. So here is the thread, do with it what you want.
John
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 17, 2017 8:32:05 GMT -8
Dive Number: 2017-1 Date: June 11, 2017 Dive Site: High Rocks on the Clackamas River
Dive Plan: This is the first dive of the year, and the Clackamas River has been very high. I aborted one dive attempt, as the river was too high to dive. Today the river is still high, with no island showing where there usually is one. So I'm diving a full wetsuit, with hood and gloves. I plan to be underwater through the chute, and continue downstream. I don't know what I'll find, but because of the high and cold water, I'm also wearing my gloves. I'm using my helmet-mounted GoPro to record this dive too, but with gloves on, I will be unable to remove it from my head. The lifeguards are here, and I briefed them on my dive plan too.
Equipment: Full wet suit, including hood and gloves, single steel 72 using my Trieste II regulator with the new DSV mouthpiece. I'm using my "Scoop Fins" on this dive too, along with a line and dive flag.
Observations: I was correct, in that the current was very high. There was a section at the top of High Rocks where the currents were conflicting, causing a lot of turbulence. I got through the chute and dived to the bottom, where my Suunto Cobra registered the depth at 27 feet max (I think). That is some four feet deeper than in the summer of 2016. Even at depth, the current was quite strong, and I went over to the far side of the river to look at the bottom. There were a few dead lampreys, and I found one live one under a rock. I also found what looked like someone's swim suit under a bunch of debris, but left them there. Going downstream beyond the deep areas of High Rocks, the bottom started being populated by lamprey eels. I tried several times to stop, but the current was too strong and sorta tore me from the small rocks I was trying to use as a hand-hold.
Continuing downstream, I found more lampreys, sometimes in two's in slight depressions in the bottom. I was able to stop and look at one in a depression, but it took off while I was there. I went further downstream, and was able to stop where a two lampreys were on the bottom with a large rock I could hold onto to stop in the current. I stayed, and watched as they went through mating by moving rocks with their mouths, then actually mating. I had seen this once before, but this was the first time I had my GoPro with me. So as I observed these two mating lampreys, I also recorded it on the GoPro on video. I was able to stay over ten minutes watching them.
Finally, getting low on air, I let go and went downstream to my exit point.
My Trieste II regulator worked extremely well with the new DSV Mouthpiece, but it has always worked well. This mouthpiece breathes about the same as my modified curved mouthpiece, but I like it better because it is not a home-made device. I had put a Healthways baffle plate into the curved mouthpiece, and glued it in place with Shoe-Goo, but once it had become displaced and adhered to the intake non-return valve, cutting off all air. That hadn't happened in recent years and I had gone onto my MR-12 octopus in that one case, but I wanted to change the mouthpiece with the advent of this newer one.
Special Problems and Ideas: I had to wear gloves, as the water temperature was about 57 degrees F. That meant that I could not take the GoPro off my head and get close-ups of these eels mating. But at least I got this on video this time. About four years ago, when I first observed this, I could not record it as I did not have the GoPro. I tried later to bring my film camera into the area, but the current was too high and I could not even get to the spot where I had earlier observed the lampreys mating.
John
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 17, 2017 8:51:18 GMT -8
Dive Number: 2017-2 Date: June 20, 2017 Dive Site: High Rocks on the Clackamas River Buddy: Solo
Dive Plan: During my last dive, I observed lampreys spawning. On this dive, the water is slightly warmer, and so I hope to also get video, but this time I can take the camera off my head and get it closer to the lampreys if they are still spawning. Because of the high current, I'm also using my Hammerhead Unit for better, stronger underwater swimming. The water is still high, with high currents.
Equipment: Full wet suit, including hood but no gloves, my twin 42 PJ jump tanks, using my Hybrid Helthways SCUBA regulator with the new DSV mouthpiece (I took it off my Trieste II and put in onto this Hybrid Healthways SCUBA regulator). Today, I'm using my Farallon fins with the leg brace, but using the thin neoprene socks instead of my regular dive booties, and with a line and dive flag.
Observations: This dive proved that the lampreys were still spawning. I noted a bunch of dead lampreys in the eddies, but then further downstream found lampreys still spawning. But as I was swimming downstream, I got tangled both in the dive flag line, and also fishing line. I had to cut myself out of the fishing line, which was quite strong (probably 50 pound test monofilament line).
Going further downstream, I came to a few rocks and a branch, where I found two lampreys spawning. I stayed there for over 15 minutes observing and recording their spawning habits, which was very interesting. Like the two dives before where I had made these observations, this couple were moving rocks and thrashing the bottom with their bodies to move sand over a specific area. Then I observed the actual mating, where the male attached to the female toward her head, then wrapped his body around hers and they spawned. I hope this comes out in the video. I stayed as long as possible to observe these two's spawning activities, and then had to go onto reserve air. I pulled my reserve lever, released and was swept downstream to my exit.
Upon exiting, a family on bicycles had observed me coming to the shore, and came down to see my exit. The kids started talking to me, and asked me whether I had seen any seals. I replied that I had not, but probably was noisy enough that they would be scared off out of my visibility range. I had never seen seals here, although I know that they were about a mile downstream at the Oregon City Falls on the Willamette River (which the Clackamas River flows into). This family helped me a lot, offering to carry out my fins and Hammerhead unit. I talked with them about my diving and the lampreys I had observed spawning, and told them that I was really happy that they were using their bicycles, as I'm on the Bicycle Advisory Committee for the City of Beaverton. The mother was also very helpful. I enjoyed answering their many questions, and got some of that on video too.
Special Problems and Ideas: The main problems were line entanglement (dive flag and fishing line). I surfaced and got to the car with some fishing line still draped across my equipment and wet suit. I brought it home, and told the dive shop when I took my tanks in that "This is why I always dive with my dive knife."
I'm unsure whether I will continue to dive the float/dive flag, as entanglement is always a problem in the current. But I'm at an age where, especially diving solo, I want people to be able to find me from the surface. So I'll probably simply live with the inconvenience of the flag/float.
The Healthways SCUBA Hybrid worked wonderfully with the DSV Mouthpiece. But while I was observing the lampreys in the current, it seemed to leak air a bit through the exhaust. I'm pretty sure that was because the exhaust diaphragm was not sealing completely, and with the placement above the diaphragm air leaked through. If I dipped my left shoulder, it stopped. So the next dive will be without the original diaphragm, but with a much more flexible glove-material diaphragm I've worked out. So we'll see whether that makes a difference.
John
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 17, 2017 8:52:57 GMT -8
Dive Number: 2017-3 Date: July 4, 2017 Dive Site: High Rocks on the Clackamas River Buddy: Marion Fisk
Dive Plan: This was my first dive with Marion, and my first buddy dive at High Rocks, ever. We wanted to dive at the top of the pools, and drift down through the pools.
Equipment: I found that Marion had made his own "military-style" harness for his twin 72s and was diving a Royal Aquamaster. I decided to dive my Mossback Mk3 hooked up on a single steel 72, on my Dacor Nautilus CVS. Both of us were diving a full wet suit.
Observations: We had a deviation in our plan when we met another diver who wanted to join us at the water. But he was having trouble getting into his wet suit, and his equipment was not adjusted correctly to his body. Marion helped him out getting things on, but the guy was obviously having problems. When we finally got into the water, we immediately lost contact with this third diver, and had to go through the chute without him. I noted what looked like a salmon as we entered the area of the rapids, and we had to hold up a minute while I untangled our float line which was going over a log while the current had us going under the log (darned float and line). We surfaced as quickly as possible after going through the chute, and searched for him--could not find him. I swam on the surface across the river to the large eddy where I could look upstream, and could not see him. Returning to Marion, I summoned the lifeguard and talked with him. Apparently, this guy had gone through the chute on the surface, and continued on downstream while we were underwater. He went over us, but continued downstream, on the surface but breathing from his scuba. (I talked a week later to the lifeguards, and they indicated that he had passed over us on his way downstream.) With that knowledge, we resumed our dive.
We submerged, and went to the deeper areas of High Rocks. The Mossback Mk3 was working very well, even if at a slight disadvantage on the Dacor Nautilus CVS (which mounts it higher on my back than is ideal). Marion found some change on the bottom (a quarter) and we looked for the lampreys I had observed, but found only dead ones now. I was having some problems with the Nautilus CVS, as the regulator on that unit seemed to be continuously venting air into the unit. I disconnected the LP line three times so as to not bleed air, but every time I put it back on it bled air. Finally, I put it back on to gain buoyancy, and looked at my dive computer, and it read zero psig! I signaled that we needed to surface, and upon gaining the surface switched immediately to my snorkel. But with the Nautilus completely flooded, it was pushing my head down, so I switched again to the Mossback Mk3, which gave me some more breaths before getting to shallow water.
We swam to the rocky shore, and answered some questions some kids and parents had about our dive.
Special Problems and Ideas: The Mossback Mk3 worked extremely well, and did not change in breathing resistance even at extremely low tank pressure. When I got to zero on the tank pressure, I still had about twelve breaths before feeling the resistance (no more air).
I drained the tank completely due to the Dacor CVS venting, and that was unsettling. At the end of the dive, I gave Marion my weight belt to gain surface floating and to use my snorkel. I was diving the 16 pounds in the Dacor CVS, plus a weight belt of about nine pounds. Marion was a bit underweighted during the dive, and had been picking up rocks to keep on the bottom, so that worked well. Otherwise, I probably would have dumped the weight belt. The Dacor Nautilus CVS had checked out in pre-dive checks, and I'm not sure what happened with it. So this needs to be checked out, especially because there is a diver who wants to buy it from me to use on his shark dives. This was a checkout for this Nautilus CVS, and it failed the checkout miserably.
John
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 17, 2017 11:06:46 GMT -8
Grumble, grumble, grumble It was 102 here yesterday so we went down to the water. Just looking at water makes me plot and scheme as to how and where I can dive locally: let alone dive period PROCESSING... PROCESSING... PROCESSING... PROCESSING... PLEASE HOLD... JB
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Post by crabbyjim on Jul 17, 2017 15:37:35 GMT -8
JB, come to Monterey and we'll do a "sans wetsuit" dive. I have a 19 cf tank and harness you can use.
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 17, 2017 16:14:30 GMT -8
Jim, I have a 38 CF, but it's my core: using fins right now means I will not sleep the night after I use them, and maybe the next too, all I can say about it is "Mother forklift!"
JB
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 17, 2017 16:35:30 GMT -8
Jim, I'll try to make it to the event If anything else to help show that diving in the Golden State isn't for wimps, but we have totally kick-@ss diving too: I'll bring my tripod and timer for group shots, so I can be in them too. Hopefully I will find lots of fodder for some paintings. And yes, I'm just as big a smart-@ss in person as I am in the forum, but from our brief phone conversation I think you gathered as much JB
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Post by nikeajax on Jul 17, 2017 16:45:04 GMT -8
Oh, and I think you ought to call it: "Sea Hunt..." although swell and all, is used way too much, an' plus what... this is California, we know were different! Just my opinion BTW! JB
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 17, 2017 19:06:28 GMT -8
I remember actually watching Assignment Underwater in black and white on the TV!
John
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 18, 2017 8:35:48 GMT -8
I just updated my July 4th dive above.
John
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Post by starman on Jul 19, 2017 6:46:52 GMT -8
Hello John, It was great to drive up from Albany, and to finally get to meet you and dive the Clackamas river with you on July 4. It's fun to find someone who enjoys diving old school with our vintage double hose regulators. That dive was fun , and it really gave me a good chance to tryout my double 72's and my stock Royal Aqua master. I was really pleased with the aqua masters performance and my double 72's. I hope we can get together again soon and dive the Clackamas River or Clearlake This Summer. next time I will bring some of my other double tanks and a few of my other regulators and probably dive my Phoenix HPR Royal. Marion
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 19, 2017 7:44:50 GMT -8
Hi Marion,
Thanks, that was fun for me too.
I'm heading out to dive my Dacor Nautilus CVS again today at High Rocks, this time with a Dacor Pacer regulator on it (single hose). I'll give a report a bit later, using my dive log format. I still have to write up the last dive with my Healthways Hybrid SCUBA regulator too.
John
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Post by tomcatpc on Jul 19, 2017 20:20:35 GMT -8
Did two dives this evening. First dive was 50 minutes and hit a depth of 35-ish foot. This was in the only place I have dove so far, a quarry in the mid-west...but the only game in town. The water was warm so I wore the top half of a circa 1970 US Divers wetsuit and trunks. Except for a few cold spots I was warm enough. Dove my Healthways Scubair set to the "J-Valve" setting. Also had an Healthways SPG/depth gauge combo on this reg. Started with a full LP 72 and ended with about 700 PSI remaining. Wore my Sportsways Horse Collar, but needn't bothered as I did not even consider using it as my weight was dialed in great for the depth and wetsuit jacket. 8 lbs on my belt and not going to change it for this configuration.
Second dive I ditched the horse collar and swapped the Healthways Scubair for the Healthways SCUBA. This dive was exactly one hour, not a minute less or more... I saw I was at 56 minutes at the end there was no way I was going to let the last four minutes escape. I was on reserve at this time, as the restrictor plate had made it's presence known, then I pulled the J-Valve and I had 400 PSI left when I checked the tank later.
The SCUBA performed great, no trouble whatever. I don't know if there is any water that seeped in like earlier? Last time I had tightened a hose clamp and had less than before, but I think the exhaust is "seeping" around the clamp? I will see tomorrow as I don't want to mess with it tonight. As long as the reg. does not "like,... totally flood out" I can deal with a slight leak... Not that I want it that way, but as long as it dives fine like it has I will be happy.
I really enjoy wearing shorts and a wetsuit jacket whilst others are wearing drysuits and bundled up for the Eastern Front... Other than being bitten by Bluegill on my legs, I like this configuration. Mark
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 19, 2017 22:31:56 GMT -8
Mark,
It was interesting that you got bitten by a Bluegill on the legs--must have been pretty hungry or guarding territory!
Last Monday, July 17th, 2017 I dove my PJ tanks (twin 42s) at High Rocks. It was a great dive. After the dive with Marion, described above, I wanted a fun dive, solo, and I wanted to test my Hybrid Healthways SCUBA regulator too.
Dive Number: 2017-4 Date: July 17, 2017 Dive Site: High Rocks on the Clackamas River Buddy: Solo
Dive Plan: Dive the Hybrid Healthways regulator with my PJ tanks, and enjoy the dive.
Equipment: I used my SeawiscopeEY on my mask, minimal equipment (no power inflator, no GoPro, no computer or SPG), just my Para-Sea BC, wet suit, weight belt, knife and scoop fins.
Observations: The Healthways Hybrid SCUBA worked wonderfully, and was very enjoyable to dive. Exhalations were almost effortless; I think this was how the Healthways designers wanted the original SCUBA to exhale.
While it the water, I picked up some lures, a golf ball, etc., and put them into my Para-Sea BC pocket. I also was examining the potential lamprey nest sites (depressions in the gravel) to see whether there were any hatchlings in the sand, but saw none. I did look at the little insect nymphs, and small minnows too. In all, it was a very enjoyable dive.
The water is lower than on July 4th, by about a foot or two, and the island was there, above High Rocks (it was not there on the July 4th dive). We have had no rain in over a month now, so all the water in the Clackamas River is snow melt.
I had no problems, and no tangle, with my dive flag/float and line this dive. I had it attached to me equipment strap, which I really miss when I don't dive the Para-Sea BC.
Special Problems and Ideas:
This was a remarkably problem-free dive! The only thing that I can say was that my fins were hard to get off again, due to the Mares fasteners. I was thinking of getting spring straps from my LDS, which had some on sale, and after the dive did get those straps.
John
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