Any divers out there?

[Setia]

Hi,
Have been diving for so long I have outlived the people who qualified me as Open water Scuba Diver. This was NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) I qualified in Port Moresby, New Guinea. Have dived some interesting sites over the years: Walindi (West New Britian), Manado (Sulawesi), Oro Bay (PNG), full of ordanance from WW2. Now live adjacent to our Great Barrier Reef at Gladstone so still getting out there at 65. This is the ideal low impact sport for us Seniors. Best of luck, Glen

[Sand Fiddler]

New to this forum but not to diving. Have AOW and some specialty certifications. Used to dive at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. In many ways that was the best diving I ever did, though the Coral Sea is hard to beat. But I didn't get to do the Coral Sea every month, all year round, like at the aquarium. Driving in on a cold sleety morning in February, and getting into the big indoor "coral reef" and "ocen" tanks to feed the stingrays and sand sharks, turtle, pufferfish and all the rest, was just too much fun.

Done a bunch of diving off the NC coast. Almost all deep wreck dives. Looking forward to shallower, longer dives in the Carribean &/or Bermuda this winter.

My current boat is too small for a compressor, unless I want to give up my berth. But I may be moving up to 31-36' this fall. What's a good compressor that could be carried and used on board?

[kiamaria30]

Divergirl,

I just got PADI certified in September and went diving in Tortola last month. We dived the Rhone and I thought it was awesome. Not a lot of color or life down there but it was much better than our open water in a quarry in Ohio. We hope to have all of the diving toys onboard when we leave next year. I was disappointed when we were not able to do any spearfishing in BVI. I hope other places are not so strict.

[BC Mike]

I do not dive, my brother does. But I can swim. Have been the boat man at a few diving events in NZ. I prefer to be on top. BC Mike C

[Thos]

Godag!
That's about all the Norsk I know.
Anyway, I was just asking in the atlantic forum if people did much diving in the North Atlantic.
Is it just for fun or can it be justified as useful equipment?
I've never tried it but I'm thinking about it
Have you ever found anything valuable?
Tusen tak

[Mermaidpnw]

yup, former NAUI Instructress here. Currently I dive at a local aquarium in the tropical tank once a month. Can't beat it. The alternative is diving in Puget Sound - Don't get me wrong, it's full of amazing and beautiful critters. I prefer a thin wetsuit or less instead of 7mm of neoprene or a dry suit needed to enjoy it here. Decided to spend my vacation money on a sailboat this year so I'll not be travelling to a tropical dive locale for at least a year. Back to the aquarium to get that fix.... At least I can still take my phot gear in...

~Memaidpnw

><((((º>´¯`·.¸¸.><((((º>¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>´¯`·.¸¸.. ><((((º>

[delmarrey]

Welcome aboard!
Are you diving in the Seattle aquarium on Alaskan Way or is there another one in Tacoma? And where were you 10 years ago when I was looking for diving buddies around the Sound?

Oh, and one more thing. If that boat doesn't workout for you, I have a 23' Clipper on a trailor with a 8hp 4 stroke Honda and a auto pilot, in real good shape with new interior that I'd be willing to part with. It's a twin keel which you can get real close to the beach or even sit on the hard if the tide goes out. Thought I'd just mention it since I plan to sell it this spring. Money goes towards the big boat kitty.
...................._/)

[Mercator]

Yep - another diver - PADI AOW - prefer the tropics and have dived in a lot of exotic places but rate Uepi Island in the Solomons as one of the best dive places in the world, just a bit of a hastle to get there - would love to sail there one day.
Uepi Island Resort

[Tim]

Hi All,

Just read through the post. Looks like a cool group of people. I'm a Naui Instructor now living in Japan doing some work for the US Army. Not much diving around here unless we go Okinawa where the diving is great. Just spent 13 years in Hawaii, great diving there.

Aloha,

Tim

[TAK]

Count me as a diver too since 1999..

I just returned two weeks ago from Curacao where I dove my 100th dive.

[MelissaK]

Hmmm, Hi, folks,

I thought Vinga would enable me to dive more, but I seem to be spending my energies keeping her afloat. I define myself as 48% sailor, 52% diver. I have an Innerspace compressor onboard to fill my four tanks. I normally dive solo. Leading six tourists on a 'Resort course' is diving dangerously solo, hey? The right buddy would be nice. I come across folks that I love to dive with occasionally, but they usually have to go back to "reality" after a week, boohoo.

I know I can jump on a boat and go sailing anywhere just about anytime, there's always 'crew wanted'. Am seriously considering letting go of the boat to have more diving, and muchmuch less boat headaches. I'd save the money I spend on puppy chow for the hoard of fishies that I feed that always congregate under the boat.

But then....

Owell!

Statistics are: retired PADI Instructor, wishing I'd logged every dive, so I'd know how many thousand. More than two k for sure, since learning to dive in the eighties, and living in the Caribbean all this time.

cheers,

Melissa

[CSY Man]

Private message in yer mail box Melissa:

Click on yer Profile, then PM.

D

[capn_nik]

Love to snorkle...working on getting a compressor for hookah style diving onboard.

[CSY Man]

Spottet an electric driven dive compressor over at Sailorman today.
Seemed like a compact unit that could fit well on a boat, but 110 vclts, would probably take a lot of juice to fill a tank..?

Does anybody else have experience with these portable units..?

One of my thoughts a few years ago was to attach an air compressor to the main engine on the boat, then fill tanks and charge batteries at the same time.
Don't know that I have enough space or that such a set-up could be run with a single belt. (4-108)
Still pondering the idea.

[mpk]

I was PADI certified last yar- not much opportunity to dive though. I'd like to wait until we move to warmer climes!