Comments for Thinking Diver http://www.thinkingdiver.com Where divers think about stuff Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:46:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Fins: what I wish I’d known by Tori http://www.thinkingdiver.com/scuba-diving-fins/comment-page-1/#comment-5317 Tori Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:46:43 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=75#comment-5317 As a former full-time, and currently part-time instructor I own and use different types of fins... Split fins are a great option for anyone with knee or ankle issues (so they are great to keep in mind as an option). Split fins helped me transition back into the water after knee surgery as they didn't put as much strain on my knee as my other fins. I still use them occasionally if I'm dealing with any knee pain. However when I'm guiding guests, working with students, or diving in what I know are tough conditions I dive more traditional, stiffer blades as I prefer something that allow me to easily change directions quickly and accelerate without folding. As a former full-time, and currently part-time instructor I own and use different types of fins…

Split fins are a great option for anyone with knee or ankle issues (so they are great to keep in mind as an option). Split fins helped me transition back into the water after knee surgery as they didn’t put as much strain on my knee as my other fins. I still use them occasionally if I’m dealing with any knee pain.

However when I’m guiding guests, working with students, or diving in what I know are tough conditions I dive more traditional, stiffer blades as I prefer something that allow me to easily change directions quickly and accelerate without folding.

]]> Comment on ACR Electronics Firefly Plus – Dive Strobe Light Review by Steve http://www.thinkingdiver.com/firefly-dive-strobe-review/comment-page-1/#comment-5316 Steve Sun, 18 Mar 2012 03:00:12 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=938#comment-5316 Does anyone know where I can get a wrist-watch-style strobe light? Low profile and unobstrusive, I had a couple for several years (one for me, the second for the pupil), but cannot now seem to find replacements Does anyone know where I can get a wrist-watch-style strobe light? Low profile and unobstrusive, I had a couple for several years (one for me, the second for the pupil), but cannot now seem to find replacements

]]> Comment on ACR Electronics Firefly Plus – Dive Strobe Light Review by Brotzie http://www.thinkingdiver.com/firefly-dive-strobe-review/comment-page-1/#comment-5308 Brotzie Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:46:08 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=938#comment-5308 What the flashlight mode is for: You'll see the low-yield incandescent light on other ACR strobes too. If you ever need to be resuced from the water, the strobe will summon and guide help from a considerable distance - but when the rescuers get close, it's blinding (bad for helicopter pilots!). When help arrives you should switch from strobe to flashlight so you're still visible, but not making things hard by dazzling the people trying to help you. What the flashlight mode is for:

You’ll see the low-yield incandescent light on other ACR strobes too. If you ever need to be resuced from the water, the strobe will summon and guide help from a considerable distance – but when the rescuers get close, it’s blinding (bad for helicopter pilots!). When help arrives you should switch from strobe to flashlight so you’re still visible, but not making things hard by dazzling the people trying to help you.

]]> Comment on Backplate, Harness, Wing for recreational divers by Emre http://www.thinkingdiver.com/backplate-harness-wing-recreational-divers/comment-page-1/#comment-5305 Emre Sun, 18 Sep 2011 12:45:36 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=112#comment-5305 Yes! At last I found some information on these things!!! Thanks Yes! At last I found some information on these things!!!
Thanks

]]> Comment on ACR Electronics Firefly Plus – Dive Strobe Light Review by o2fill http://www.thinkingdiver.com/firefly-dive-strobe-review/comment-page-1/#comment-5304 o2fill Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:50:56 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=938#comment-5304 Thanks for the great review - very helpful! I was commenting on the need for every diver to carry a strobe on my blog just the other day - we had a dive incident that was greatly complicated by a lack of some equipment (including a strobe). You can read about it here: http://fit2dive.blogspot.com/2011/09/diver-unconscious-no-reg.html Thanks again Thanks for the great review – very helpful! I was commenting on the need for every diver to carry a strobe on my blog just the other day – we had a dive incident that was greatly complicated by a lack of some equipment (including a strobe). You can read about it here: http://fit2dive.blogspot.com/2011/09/diver-unconscious-no-reg.html

Thanks again

]]> Comment on Dive-computers Reviews – Part One – the Delta-P VR3 by Why Not to buy a VR3? Or why most of the people give you this advice? - Rebreather World http://www.thinkingdiver.com/dive-computers-review-delta-p-vr3/comment-page-1/#comment-5295 Why Not to buy a VR3? Or why most of the people give you this advice? - Rebreather World Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:43:13 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=13#comment-5295 [...] If you buy a new one, you might be lucky and it'll be fine or be cursed and it'll never work well. Dive-computers Reviews – Part One – the Delta-P VR3 But in all seriousness, there are much better computers out there now, reliable computers with a [...] [...] If you buy a new one, you might be lucky and it'll be fine or be cursed and it'll never work well. Dive-computers Reviews – Part One – the Delta-P VR3 But in all seriousness, there are much better computers out there now, reliable computers with a [...]

]]> Comment on What is a public safety diver (Police, fire, EMT diver)? by Robert J. Stichter http://www.thinkingdiver.com/public-safety-diver/comment-page-1/#comment-5294 Robert J. Stichter Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:27:32 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=790#comment-5294 Good morning, I too am a water rescue instructor as well as a PSD Insturctor...the first time I put on SCUBA was when I was 12 years old with the fire department as a Jr.We were in the pool for new PSD diver training. It was a single 72 CUFT with a "J" Valve, 1st stage and a 2nd stage, a blacked out mask and I was secured to my harness...as the Captain of the Team stated to me, "just relax and breath"..."If you want to be a tender you have to know what it is like to be the diver". I will never forget that. I'm now 45 and a full time fire fighter on the rescue truck. As time changes and technology has changed, so did the dive gear and the way we dive...now I use Nitrox or tri mix, some type of full face mask, (AGA or SL27) with surface supply air. When I first showed up at a training session in the summer time with my dry suit, I was laughed at, because it was summer and I was going to sweat my ass off, as they said to me when i was doffing my gear. My comment to them was, "When you come out of the river and you stink of the river water because you are in a wet suit, just think where else that sinky water as entered your body?" The llok on their faces was more then enough for me to know I had them thinking. Now a days, if you don't where a dry suit and you have a comp claim, they will ask you if you were in a dry suit. Training...I teach PSD for the State, County and Local teams in my area as well as run with them...What I have come across and still have come across are the NEWLY Certified divers that went thru open water, advanced and then thier Recreational RESCUE DIVER Certification programs...they come to me and tell me they are rescue diver and want to join the dive team...of course I ask if they are open water certified/ They proceed to tell me all their certifcations and their 60 dives in the quarry or the carabean. I then say to they, all I asked was are you a open water certified diver? Because what ever else you have doesn't matter to me since you will be going thru a long training period where what ever you learned in your recreational diver training, 95% doesn't apply here. Then they say...and I love this part, "I'M A CERTIFIED RESCUE DIVER!"...I then TRY to explain to them the difference between, recreational diving and PSD diving...then the OOOOOHHHH...I didn't know that...sometimes they walk away, sometimes they want to know more... We just finished up our winter session of new PSD divers and they are now doing their open water check out dives in the black water of the river, lakes and quarries we have in our area...I started out with 16 new potential divers and ended up with 5 to complete...I explain to them as it was explained to me 30 plus years ago...I'm not here to hold your hand, you have a situation you need to deal with it yourself...if you have to wait for your safety diver, you will be dead! You get your line fowled, unfowl it. and so on...the diver that come out of this, are more experienced and confident in themselves and as a team to do a mission. Thank you for posting this artical. I will be passing it on. Chief Robert J. Stichter Good morning,
I too am a water rescue instructor as well as a PSD Insturctor…the first time I put on SCUBA was when I was 12 years old with the fire department as a Jr.We were in the pool for new PSD diver training. It was a single 72 CUFT with a “J” Valve, 1st stage and a 2nd stage, a blacked out mask and I was secured to my harness…as the Captain of the Team stated to me, “just relax and breath”…”If you want to be a tender you have to know what it is like to be the diver”. I will never forget that. I’m now 45 and a full time fire fighter on the rescue truck. As time changes and technology has changed, so did the dive gear and the way we dive…now I use Nitrox or tri mix, some type of full face mask, (AGA or SL27) with surface supply air. When I first showed up at a training session in the summer time with my dry suit, I was laughed at, because it was summer and I was going to sweat my ass off, as they said to me when i was doffing my gear. My comment to them was, “When you come out of the river and you stink of the river water because you are in a wet suit, just think where else that sinky water as entered your body?” The llok on their faces was more then enough for me to know I had them thinking. Now a days, if you don’t where a dry suit and you have a comp claim, they will ask you if you were in a dry suit.
Training…I teach PSD for the State, County and Local teams in my area as well as run with them…What I have come across and still have come across are the NEWLY Certified divers that went thru open water, advanced and then thier Recreational RESCUE DIVER Certification programs…they come to me and tell me they are rescue diver and want to join the dive team…of course I ask if they are open water certified/ They proceed to tell me all their certifcations and their 60 dives in the quarry or the carabean. I then say to they, all I asked was are you a open water certified diver? Because what ever else you have doesn’t matter to me since you will be going thru a long training period where what ever you learned in your recreational diver training, 95% doesn’t apply here. Then they say…and I love this part, “I’M A CERTIFIED RESCUE DIVER!”…I then TRY to explain to them the difference between, recreational diving and PSD diving…then the OOOOOHHHH…I didn’t know that…sometimes they walk away, sometimes they want to know more…
We just finished up our winter session of new PSD divers and they are now doing their open water check out dives in the black water of the river, lakes and quarries we have in our area…I started out with 16 new potential divers and ended up with 5 to complete…I explain to them as it was explained to me 30 plus years ago…I’m not here to hold your hand, you have a situation you need to deal with it yourself…if you have to wait for your safety diver, you will be dead! You get your line fowled, unfowl it. and so on…the diver that come out of this, are more experienced and confident in themselves and as a team to do a mission.
Thank you for posting this artical. I will be passing it on.
Chief Robert J. Stichter

]]> Comment on Titan Dive Gear Hydrolights X-Series 25W LED Dive Light review by Titan Dive Gear Underwater Lights at DEMA 2010 - Rebreather World http://www.thinkingdiver.com/titan-hydrolight-xseries-25w-led-review/comment-page-1/#comment-5276 Titan Dive Gear Underwater Lights at DEMA 2010 - Rebreather World Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:46:23 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=933#comment-5276 [...] Re: Titan Dive Gear Underwater Lights at DEMA 2010 I have the 25W s-xeries standalone and I love it. Review here: Titan Dive Gear Hydrolights X-Series 25W LED Dive Light review [...] [...] Re: Titan Dive Gear Underwater Lights at DEMA 2010 I have the 25W s-xeries standalone and I love it. Review here: Titan Dive Gear Hydrolights X-Series 25W LED Dive Light review [...]

]]> Comment on Backplate, Harness, Wing for recreational divers by No ID http://www.thinkingdiver.com/backplate-harness-wing-recreational-divers/comment-page-1/#comment-5253 No ID Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:43:37 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=112#comment-5253 You are so right mate, I had to learn the hard way and bought a bc with all the bells and whistles. Less than 12 months later, I was diving BP & wing with long hose fuly decked out dir. So much easier and its good when taking pics of my buddy as well. His gear doesn't get in the way of the shot. You are so right mate, I had to learn the hard way and bought a bc with all the bells and whistles. Less than 12 months later, I was diving BP & wing with long hose fuly decked out dir. So much easier and its good when taking pics of my buddy as well. His gear doesn’t get in the way of the shot.

]]> Comment on Fins: what I wish I’d known by Finnage http://www.thinkingdiver.com/scuba-diving-fins/comment-page-1/#comment-5250 Finnage Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:12:01 +0000 http://www.thinkingdiver.com/?p=75#comment-5250 Wow Luke, that's a scary story. Glad you are ok. I would have throttled that "local on the boat". Wow Luke, that’s a scary story. Glad you are ok. I would have throttled that “local on the boat”.

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