Sort out dive log computer compatibility problems and getting your old dive computer data into your new software. Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’ve been using a particular dive computer for quite a while, and have hundreds, if not thousands of dives logged using the software it came with. Now, you’ve decided to move […]
Review of the Shearwater Petrel Dive Computer I’ve owned and used a number of dive computers over the years. The most recent of these was the Subgear XP10, I bought a couple years ago as a simple Nitrox computer for sport dives. Before that, I had an old Oceanic Datamax Sport for that type of […]
Scuba diving specialty certifications every mountain diver should have. As much as we all love to get into the deep blue, warm water of the tropics, for most of us the majority of our diving takes place near where we live. I feel lucky in that great diving is close by. Lake Tahoe is just […]
Choosing a dive computer in some ways is a pretty straight-forward process. You decide on a budget and go for it, because most of them are very good, and amazingly inexpensive considering what they do and how well they stand up against submersion in salt water. For most divers, just about any computer that is […]
One of the fundamental calculations we rely on as technical divers is the SAC, or surface air consumption rate. We care because that is the primary means for determining the volume of gas we need to take along to make a given dive. The formula looks like this: SAC(cfm) = ((PSI used / working pressure) X cylinder […]
Here’s a little information about VR’s new VRx dive computer from their site. I had a discussion about it with the owner of the dive shop where I teach. He left me with the impression that the main difference is the plastic housing, compared to the all metal VR3. I’m planning to buy one of […]
For years I was considered somewhat of a rogue in the recreational diving community. Having made decompression dives beyond 200 feet many times, I believed I pretty well had scuba diving down. Looking back, I am amazed at how much time we spent in those days working out complex decompression schedules using U.S. Navy dive […]
I personally love titanium for a regulator material, but it generally isn’t a good choice for tech divers due to incompatibility with high concentrations of oxygen (above 40%) in the breathing gas mix. The following from Scubapro offers some detail why this is the case. Source (the following): www.scubapro.com “Titanium is not compatible with high […]
Just how well do steel 38’s for deco stand up against modern aluminum cylinders? I have a couple steel 38’s (1800psi) that were manufactured in the early 1970’s. For years, I dived them as doubles with a J-valve manifold as was common practice back then. Eventually I split them (long, uninteresting story) and have been […]
I just bought a new mask for the first time in 20 years. For deep technical diving, I keep a backup with me, but it’s always been just a cheap old thing I never thought much about.Until yesterday, my primary mask has been a Mares single window job that has been my companion for easily […]
