It’s time again for my annual pilgramage to the centoes of Mexico to do a little cave diving. The group will be heading down for a week of underwater exploring in the freshwater caves in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Day 1: Warm up dives at Sac Actun. Spend the day there. Do two different stage dives: 1) Box Chen up and back 2) Boca Restriction down and back.
Day 2: Naharon morning. Set-up for Jailhouse Naharon traverse. Mayan Blue afternoon. Lot’s of two team possibilities including B to E to A and A to B to E to B. Could instead do downstream Mayan Blue to Cenote of the Sun and back on a stage.
Day 3: Traverse from Jailhouse to Naharon. 3.5 hour dive.
Day 4: Stage dive in Chan Hol in the morning. Prettier the further back you go. Really good video. Dos Palmas downstream in the afternoon.
Day 5: Spend the day at Tux. Sloth Bones. Fire pit. Gamaphor bones and upstream stage dives all possible.
Day 6: Spend the day at Minotauro. Maybe split into two teams and alternate upstream and downstream. Could also split up in afternoon to get shots of Chinese Garden at Taj for example.
Cave diver, Marc Laukien, was diving Madison Blue Cave system in Florida when we was electrocuted underwater. He was able to complete his dive and make it to the surface where they exited the water and were told by bystanders that there were several lighting strikes during the time period they were diving.
…I was diving Madison Blue, together with John K. (jkaterenchuk). We first did the short traverse to Martz sink, and then started the Godzilla circuit.
When I placed the jump for the circuit, I suddenly felt a strong electric shock through my right arm. I was touching the cave wall with my right hand at this time. I was a little bit disoriented for a few seconds, and didn’t really know if I imagined what just happened, or if it was for real. In any case, it was definitely a very “refreshing” experience, to put it mildly.
We completed the circuit without any further incidents. When we reached the basin, it became clear to me what happened: there was a huge thunderstorm above us. Staying in the water during such a thunderstorm wasn’t a good idea, and neither was getting out really, given that we had lots of metal on our backs. Since the thunderstorm could last a long time (and it did), we got out of the water, and after dropping our gear, we made a run for the bathhouse, where other divers and the park warden already took shelter.
Once we arrived there, the others told us, that they had seen several lighting strikes very close to where the Godzilla room must be located. One of these lighting strikes must have made its way through the cave wall and my right arm.
Divesigns, a UK company, has a line of stock and custom stickers for your dive gear. They range from MOD stickers, Rebreather specific decals and custom name decals. They also have a light visible sticker they call “Stealth Stickers” that reveals it’s text when you shine a light over it.
The custom name stickers are cool for marking you dive gear on a busy boat deck or liveaboard.
Hugh Bradner, a UC physicist whose love of the ocean and curiosity about everything in it led him to revolutionize diving by inventing the neoprene wetsuit, died at his home in San Diego at the age of 92.
Just got two of these Oxycheq Raider 3W LED backup lights to replace my current ones. Mainly, I got these to replace my older backup lights that were a bit too big on my dive harness, I wanted something a bit shorter without giving up burn-time or brightness.
These lights are bright, as bright as a 10w HID cannister light for 1/10 of the cost, i.e. $700 for a HID cannister and $70 for one of these LED backup lights.
I’m taking them on a trip in a couple of weeks and plan on putting then thru there paces.
This 14ft monster was caught in a Thai river after an extensive search by a biologist looking to study them. They have a 15inch arrow-shaped barb on their tail that can penetrate thru bone. They feed on clams and shrimp by detecting their electrical signature with special sensors and bury themselves in the mud as a defense.
The biologist who studied them claims that these creatures may be the largest freshwater fish in the world.
There are unverified accounts of individuals growing well over 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) in weight and more than 20 feet (6 meters) in length
Surpisingly, they exist in a rivers in heavily-populated areas and aren’t on the local menu because they are extremely hard to catch. The one caught in the picture gave birth shortly after being captured and was released without harm.
This is pretty cool if they do it, it will make finding new shipwrecks a whole lot easier. But like Google Mars, I’m not exactly sure how they are going to sell ad space on it.
The company has assembled an advisory group of oceanography experts, and in December invited researchers from institutions around the world to the Mountain View, Calif., Googleplex. There, they discussed plans for creating a 3D oceanographic map, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The tool–for now called Google Ocean, the sources say, though that name could change–is expected to be similar to other 3D online mapping applications. People will be able to see the underwater topography, called bathymetry; search for particular spots or attractions; and navigate through the digital environment by zooming and panning. (The tool, however, is not to be confused with the “Google Ocean” project by France-based Magic Instinct Software that uses Google Earth as a visualization tool for marine data.)
A short piece aired near the top of 11pm news Sunday night on Channel 8 here in San Diego, ca I have not been involved in discovering or researching this, I involved in the video shot.
The wreck is the Cape Charles (previously referred to as the “workboat” by some). It was discovered in January 2007 by Ray Arntz and Gary Fabian while they were searching for the nearby TBM Avenger (http://ub88.org/avenger.html). Tyler Stalter and other divers found the wreck shortly afterwards and have done several dives on the wreck to establish its identity.
Tyler Stalter says:
“After many dives the SDTechDiving.com team has finally identified a 110’ long, steel hulled vessel off Point Loma. This vessel is sitting upright and intact on the bottom in 165’ of water. After hours of bottom time we were finally able to gather valuable evidence to use to identify the unkown wreck. Al Bruton was able to provide some valuable insight into how the vessel wound up off Point Loma. The vessel in question, “Cape Charles” sunk in San Diego bay. It was slated to be re-floated and towed to wreck alley for disposal in the late 80s. En route to wreck alley the vessel capsized and sank in 165’. Her tumble is evident in the debris strewn around the wreck and the gash in the bow from the towline. Another link is the abundance of large inflatable “lift bags” to float the wreck in the bay for towing which are all over the exterior and even the interior of the wreck as well. After reviewing all of these clues it is our opinion that the wreck we have been diving is in fact a 110’ ft hulled vessel known as the Cape Charles. This is the perfect wreck for any technical training in the San Diego area. Several decks to penetrate and some very cool features such as the large intact crane on the aft deck, debris field and its unique placement just off the tip of Point Loma will make this a very popular wreck for technical divers.”
Dive Report:
We dove it Saturday morning at slack tide. Vis on the wreck was about 15′. Temp was 50F. We dove trimix due to the depth. 25min bottom time, 70min total runtime with deco. Some people dove rebreathers, some dove open circuit doubles plus deco gas.
(NOTE: this video is 100MB, 10min. Can be viewed in Quicktime, VLC, Totem, or any mpeg-4/AVC/H.264 player. In Quicktime, best to use File->Open URL… with the above URL. That way you can watch while it downloads.)
To divers, traveling on airlines with tons of scuba gear is almost always a pain. Add a rebreather and it can get even more complicated. You have weight issues, extra baggage fees and the fear that something will get broken, stolen or confiscate.
I work for the airlines in the US, so I will try and throw in my 2 cents.
- TANKS. you can travel with tanks (ill advised) as they can be siezed by TSA without warning and you will not get them back. They must be checked, valves removed, with absolutely nothing blocking the tank opening. They can be asses even about clear packing tape over the opening, or they can be cool. It is anyones guess. Pre-ship or make arrangement at your destination for tanks.
- SORB. Easier to pre-ship. There has been discussion on another forum about putting all of you sorb in a Kitty Litter tub and checking it in as baggage. Probably illegal but who knows. There are MSDS sheets you can print out and attach to your sorb tub. BUT while passengers have followed all of the rules on taking sorb on the plane the TSA has still chosen to confiscate it. You have no recourse for the confiscation, it is gone. Make back-up arrangements at your dive destination for SORB purchase.
- Rebreather. Carry on what you can, the delicate parts, the computers whatever you don’t want the baggage handlers or TSA rooting through (without your presence), possibly stealing or confiscating. Double check the allowed carry-on weight allowance.
- Check you airline website for weight restrictions for both carry on and cheaked baggage. All airlines are different and they change all of the time. Weigh you bags at home and work out the weight distribution before you get to the airport.
- I took my KISS CLASSIC as carry on baggage the last time I travelled, with my computer, DSV, put other parts in my scrubber. Just be prepared to take it all out and show them EVERYTHING.
Sometimes it is just easier to ship everything, with insurance.
