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Post by nikeajax on Apr 3, 2018 15:55:56 GMT -8
John, I know you are trying to protect someone's privacy here: But it made me laugh: the guy in the brown shorts looks overly amused at the nimbus-state of his comrade's head JB
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 3, 2018 16:59:29 GMT -8
Good stuff, John. What happened to the Overpressure Breathing to make it breathe wet? Okinawa looks incredible! I wonder if the reefs are in as pristine condition today, as when you were there in ‘68? The Overpressure Breathing regulator has a metal mouthpiece, and I used screw-on hose clamps, and on the inhalation side I had not tightened the clamp enough. It leaked badly, which is why I now do a suction test on my double hose regulators (actually all my regulators now) to ensure that everything is tight. I was able to get some air out of it on that dive by turning on my back a bit, but I was on the surface at that time and didn't need it. One other thing to watch out for is lion fish. They were numerous in 1968, and I suppose that they are still there. They will not move an inch, even if you are approaching them. Here's an entry from my manuscript, Between Air and Water, the Memoir of an USAF Pararescueman: This is looking down on the shoreline from the cliff above, with the reef starting right there. Jaybird, these photos were taken after the dive, and I had a drip of water on my Nikonos II lens (unfortunately). Crowder always looked like that, and was a very funny, optimistic guy. John
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Post by nikeajax on Apr 3, 2018 17:17:34 GMT -8
John, thanks for sharing with us: the water on the lens makes it even funnier!
JB
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Post by Aquala1 on Apr 3, 2018 18:37:59 GMT -8
John, that’s the great thing about Lionfish...they’re really slow. You can have four or five in a cluster and they’ll sit there and look at you as you shoot their buddies with a spear. The only time they really move is when you stick a spear in them, and then not for long. Man, are they tasty!
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 5, 2018 13:36:02 GMT -8
First, in relationship with this thread, note the oval masks we were using in Okinawa. Also, note the Dacor snorkel at the bottom of the photo above that Jaybird quoted, where Terry Wetzel is blanked out by a water drop on the lens. There, that makes this diversion to Okanawa in line with this thread. Now, Ty, about the lion fish; spearing them would be fine, but I think you are finding them in the wrong ocean. John
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Post by cnotthoff on Apr 5, 2018 14:06:48 GMT -8
Now, Ty, about the lion fish; spearing them would be fine, but I think you are finding them in the wrong ocean. Not sure where Aquala is finding lion fish. They are now found throughout the Caribbean. The story goes that aquarium fish escaped after a hurricane in Florida. They were a growing problem for a while since they had no natural predators. Those nasty spines make them an unattractive quarry. It seems some human and marine species have developed a taste for them. Their numbers are not growing as quickly as they were a few years back. Good Dives, Charlie
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Post by nikeajax on Apr 5, 2018 15:58:47 GMT -8
Charlie, that's good to hear, really, but they need to be gotten rid of! Most people don't understand that tropical waters aren't nearly as robust as they think they are: they believe that they are packed full of flora and fauna because you can see them. When you compare this to the colder areas like California, Oregon and Washington where the water itself is virtually alive, the clearer waters we are so fond of diving, are very sparse in comparison and quite fragile. If you consider the fact the U.S. Navy was using the Farallon Islands as a disposal site for dumping its radioactive containers and the ability for life to still exist there, then compare that to how all that it takes is one good hurricane to devastate a coral-reef... Judging from an image Ty posted of his eating Lion-fish with some killer hot sauce, it does appear to be in the Caribbean! JB
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 5, 2018 16:32:27 GMT -8
I got wet again today, and tested two masks and three snorkels. Believe it or not, the best snorkel was the Swimaster snorkel with the slightly smaller bore. Here are some photos: This photo shows the entire snorkel, in use, with the 90 degree turn at the top, but no purge valves. It was completely dry on all my surfacing and flip turns during my swim too. Here's a slightly brighter photo, with the strobe, showing a somewhat scary depiction of my face, with the mask. The mask is a Dacor Nautilus, which states in the catalog, "A deluxe mask with the best combination of both peripheral and downward vision. Contoured double feather edge seal for comfortable fit. Sealed perge valve may be cut open at divers option." I found this mask very comfortable and favorable for my lap swimming. I was using my Force Fins too during the first part of this swim, and the combo worked well. Force Fins are very comfortable, but have absolutely no thrust on the up-stroke. A quick kick downward is necessary with Force Fins to utilize their full potential though. As you might tell, I'm also testing my Canon PowerShot SD500 camera in its new housing. This photo is set on its "Flower" setting for macro photos. Unfortunately, it is also showing all the signs of aging that I have on my face right now. Luckily, I did shave before going to the pool this morning. John
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 5, 2018 17:03:27 GMT -8
This entry is about my favorite mask, the Scubapro Supervision three-window mask. I have used this mask since the 1970s, and under helicopter rotorwash when training with the 304th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron out of the Portland Air Base, Oregon. We trained in the Columbia River, and I wanted a mask that allowed peripheral vision but yet protected me from the rotor wash spray. I have now worn out four of these masks. This is an article from the Oregon Journal about our 304th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron training at Camp Rilea, near Astoria, Oregon in 1972. I'm on the hoist, being picked up as a demonstration to the Northwest Search and Rescue Conference. Of note, this was before the U.S. Coast Guard had any Rescue Swimmers, and helped demonstrate the capabilities of Pararescuemen in the water. But it was not until there was a ship sinking, the M/V Prisendam, and the Coast Guard could not respond in the water, but USAF Pararesuce did, that the Coast Guard decided to start their Rescue Swimmer program. John Cassidy writes about this rescue here. I last took this mask to Hawai'i a few weeks back, and for the black neoprene mask, this turned out to be its last swim/dive. When I got back, I decided that it was time for a change, as the mask was actually leaking through one of the supports for the windows. I had taken the mask into the pool last fall when testing my Mares MR-12 II regulator, and got a video of it. Here's a photo from that video: I have two of these masks is silicone, but both have the purge valve in the center, which detracts from the visual field (though it is extremely easy to clear). So what I did was to sacrifice the older, black neoprene mask to get the front plate off it, and put it into one of my silicone Supervision masks. Here's what it looks like: This mask will last for quite a long time, as the silicone does not deteriorate like the neoprene masks. This mask should be around for me to pass along to my sons after my diving days are over (some 20+ years from now ). The snorkel is a U.S. Divers Company dry snorkel, with a top that excludes water but causes resistance to breathing. It does have one feature that is redeeming, in that the top piece can be taken off, and then only the purge valve is left at the bottom, and the large diameter snorkel is shorter. I used it today in both configurations, getting a bit frustrated with the resistance, I took off the top and put it in my swim trunks pocket. Then, it breathed very nicely, and pretty dry. But it was not as dry as the Swimaster snorkel, which is turning into one of my favorites now (see the above post). John PS, I cannot wait to get my "new" camera/housing into the river. But right now, the Clackamas River is high, fast and visibility is probably pretty low. I'm liking the quality of the photos I've so far taken, though the subject leaves much to be desired. My wife also wants me to await the arrival of the life guards at High Rocks on the Clackamas River before I venture solo into the water again this year. So the Tualatin Hills pool's my place right now for swimming and testing gear. I'm also working on my new underwater swimming techniques; more on that part later.
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Post by Aquala1 on Apr 5, 2018 20:39:34 GMT -8
Now, Ty, about the lion fish; spearing them would be fine, but I think you are finding them in the wrong ocean. Not sure where Aquala is finding lion fish. They are now found throughout the Caribbean. The story goes that aquarium fish escaped after a hurricane in Florida. They were a growing problem for a while since they had no natural predators. Those nasty spines make them an unattractive quarry. It seems some human and marine species have developed a taste for them. Their numbers are not growing as quickly as they were a few years back. Good Dives, Charlie JB got it right, it’s the Caribbean. I’ve done most of my shooting in Cayman, but run across them in the Gulf off the coast of the Florida panhandle.
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 17, 2018 15:00:24 GMT -8
I have continued to enjoy "new" masks in the pool. Today, I used what may now be my favorite mask, an AMF Swimaster Balboa mask, made in Italy, from the 1970s. It had a small problem when I got it, a very tiny leak around the outside which I fixed by two applications of neoprene cement. This mask is unique in that it uses a very different sealing method from the other masks, a stainless steel wire that goes around the mask in a unique way to seal the neoprene to the plastic lens holder. These lenses are the closest to my eyes of any mask I've had. And, because they are angled, they provide unparalleled views downward. I can see my chest, and belly fat (oops, 'not supposed to acknowledge that), errrr, swim trunks easily. So this mask is definitely going to be used this spring and summer. With this mask, clearing my ears is different, as it is harder to actually pinch the nose due to the shorter nose pocket of neoprene (the rest is under the plastic). But they built in two little humps inside, and clearing is done mostly by blocking the nose with this mask. It is a very low-volume mask to for free diving. The snorkel has been re-contoured so that instead of following my head's curve, it curves straight back. In order to do this, I had to get the tube out of the mouthpiece part, cut about an inch off (it was deteriorated), put it back into the mouthpiece tube, and re-glue it. I had a theory that the manufacturers had conspired to ensure that all snorkels lay flat for packaging, and that the actual ideal shape was contoured straight backward to give it better height above the water, and less water resistance to swimming forward. I think this is true, but I also found that if I am horizontal and look right, the tube goes underwater. So it's a tossup. John
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Post by SeaRat on May 17, 2018 16:17:55 GMT -8
Okay Vintage Divers, look at Dick Krause, a Pararescue trainee like myself in our 1967 checkout dive for the U.S. Naval Underwater Swimmers School, using oval mask, and the nose pockets inside. Those nose pockets are something we take for granted, but one of my original masks, the Champion Deluxe by U.S. Divers Company did not have those nose pockets. This photo was taken in Alexander Springs State Park, Florida, one of my favorite diving places, in 1970, with my Mistral on the 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron's twin 42 steel parascuba jump tanks. Note also that also in this photo of Terry Wetzel and Stephen Samo, USAF Pararescuemen who served with me, on one of our dives in Okanawian waters in 1968; no nose pockets. I have just learned from Diving History--1950-1980, their Facebook page, who designed those nose pockets, and you won't believe how far back these go. I had my Scubapro oval mask in the pool again last Tuesday, and took it to the deep end. This is actually a really deep end, as they do platform diving into this end of the pool, so the bottom is at 14 feet. I found this mask with nose pockets easy to use to clear my ears while descending, and I had to clear them about three times for each dive. I'd dive away from the deep end, down a sloping side to the bottom, swim along the bottom, then back up to the lane away from the deep end that I had started from. They found some of the original molds for the oval mask with nose pockets inside. We don't know what company it came from though. I could clear easily with one hand, my left hand actually, by reaching up with my thumb in one nose pocket and my forefinger in the other, and squeezing. Just a piece of diving history for masks that I thought you'd enjoy seeing. So the next time you dive an oval mask with nose pockets, thank Frédéric Dumas. John PS, on a sad note, Terry Wetzel, my ol' buddy from Okinawa, Korea and Vietnam, passed away about two months ago. I was able to re-connect with him just over a year ago at his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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