Do You Do Your Own Underwater Maintenance ?

[Stillraining]

My middle daughter just finished her Basic PADI Certification last week end....Now I have one more zinc changer on board other then the wife or myself...2 more to go!..WOO HOO!


So how many of you out there have taken the plunge and have gotten certified?...and if so ( Or even if not ) do you do your own bottom cleaning, zinc changing...Lost and found?.... or do you just love diving and looking at the critters?.

Im excited to get down there with her...Tools in hand or camera, makes no difference to me.

FWIW....That water was 46 degrees ...This is prelude to her Senior project which is all underwater..This is the Kid most fearful of sharks or whats below her while swimming after too Many Discovery Channel specials up at Grandma's house...Im very proud of her...I have a feeling a Dry suit will be asked for for a Graduation Gift....

[cdennyb]

OUTSTANDING!!!! Congratulations to everyone involved. Yes, being a diver for the past 30+ years and just last year got my wife and daughter (21 yrs old) certified and now we all dive.
Yes, we do all the maintenance possible while having fun diving. You're going to love that. Also, I second the motion on the dry suit. Got to have it if the water's colder than 75 degrees F. ! LoL

[jrd22]

Congratulations to her Scott! I just got (re) certified last fall and have yet to take the first plunge with the gear I bought after class. I plan to do all our maintenance, plus some diving for fun. Initially I just wanted to be able to dive in case we wrapped a line in the prop in some remote spot, or got the anchor fouled, but I'd forgotten how much fun diving was so I'm anxious to do more. Drysuit might be in my future too, 43F here in the marina!

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

So how many of you out there have taken the plunge and have gotten certified?...and if so ( Or even if not ) do you do your own bottom cleaning, zinc changing...Lost and found?.... or do you just love diving and looking at the critters?.

I have a feeling a Dry suit will be asked for for a Graduation Gift....

Certified and Certifiable....

and I would kill for a dry suit. Last trip under the boat was for a jammed rudder and I wound up scraping her with a mudding knife to get rid of the beasties growing on her... and it was cold...

[Thanna5]

I've been certified since 1970, but now do all my maintenance with a hookah system by J. Sink. Sice most of the time is spent just under the hull or at the rudder/prop, its the easiest and most time effecient way to go. Also, since we're all getting older, its easy to move and hook-up, no tank to carry. I second the drysuit if water temp < 75 F.

[klem]

Problem for me is that I don't want to invest in all of the gear. I only do it when I can borrow it from a friend. Getting one of the systems that float on the surface is kind of appealing. For now though, the certification only gets used when I can borrow gear.

[Boomp]

Its great that your daughter overcame the fear of sharks. I got certified in 73, saw Jaws a couple of years later and didn't dive for a whole year. Then I did a lot of research and realized how unfounded my fears were. Now I dive often, love to see all marine life and I get lobster and sea scallops that are soooooo good. I find that changing zincs usually just requires a mask, snorkel and fins. It helps that I like to freedive and spearfish but its really pretty simple once you practice a little. I went w a dry suit after doing a 120' wreck dive off Glocester and having to deco for 30 minutes in 50 degree water! Now if its below 60 I ditch the 7mm

[Pau Hana Daz]

Drysuit? Diving in water below 80 degrees F?

Crazy Cruisers - Real (warm water wimp) divers know that seawater freezes at 79 F... (at least it freezes me). I used to teach in 50F water, now my heaviest wetsuit is a 3mm.

[hummingway]

What does it cost to outfit yourself? How much storage does it take on the boat?

[Alan Brown]

Dive gear takes up a considerable amount of storage space, especially on a 30 ft. sailboat. My gear and my wife's each fill up a 34" duffel and each bag weighs around 40 lbs. They'd weigh more if we wore wetsuits instead of diveskins. (Yes, it's true. Salt water freezes at 79 degrees!) We store two tanks in a cockpit locker and leave our dive bags on deck as much as possible.

Cost of outfitting yourself for the first time would cost you around $700.00, not including a dive computer or wet/dry suit.

I first started diving off Gloucester, MA in 1964 and got certified a year later.

[GeoPowers]

Tell her we said Congrats!!!!!!!! Although I'm thinking she may prefer her graduation gift be a plane ticket to the tropics...with her dive gear and without the parents!! Lol Scott, I'm sure I'll be in your shoes sooner than I expect!

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by GeoPowers

Tell her we said Congrats!!!!!!!! Although I'm thinking she may prefer her graduation gift be a plane ticket to the tropics...with her dive gear and without the parents!! Lol Scott, I'm sure I'll be in your shoes sooner than I expect!

And Im going to be wispering in your kids ears..your in for it now!..start saving ...

[FraidNot]

how much for a hookah these days ?

[Springbok]

Hookah system is the way to go re boat cleaning, anode changing etc. Don't need compressors to refill bulky tanks.Also diving course optional but not necessary, just common sense. Used one for 7 years in Caribbean no problems.
Clyde

[bewitched]

While not strictly a hookah system, the popular choice around here is:
regulator
length of pipe (as long as the boat..ish),
pressure guage

connect to air tank on deck or in dingy

I just had one made for about 150usd