Anyone a diver?

[Konrad]

Anyone here a scuba diver?

I got an offer I can't turn down coming up next weekend.

[hausdok]

Hi Konrad,

Doing a houseboat? If so, just ask around your local houseboat communities for the name of a float inspector and then sub the underside of the float out. If it is a concrete tank float as opposed to an inverted pan w/foam float, word of advice, Do NOT crawl into those tanks. (I always seem to find out the hard way.)

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT !!!

Mike

[Konrad]

Well, it's completely off-topic, but I'm excited about it.

An acquaintance of mine is a commercial salvage diver, and he asked me to accompany him and a group of 5 other divers to Table Rock Lake, MO. They are going to relocate two boats that are on the bottom of the lake, to make them more accessible to recreational divers. Using lift bags and a surface barge with a crane on it.

These are the big boys, with heavy equipment and full underwater communication systems. They put me in the pool with them this morning to get accustomed to dry suit diving. Totally different than a wetsuit. But the communication systems are really, really cool. You can talk just as plain as day to each other. Thousands of dollars in equipment, and I get to use it for free !!

As a bonus, several of them are also instructors, so they're going to get me Advanced Open, Drysuit, and Deepwater Diver certifications on the trip.

This is sort of like a private pilot being allowed to fly an F-18 Hornet for a day.

[Richard Moore]

Konrad...

Ex-PADI Instructor here. I don't want to be a wet blanket...it sounds like a fun trip. Just don't try too many new things all at once. Attempting dry-suits, full face masks, lift bags and salvage rigging, and depth(?) for the first time at the same time isn't something I would have recommended back in those days. Hopefully they will ease you into it. Make sure that at least one of the "pros" does the buddy thing and keeps an eye on you.

Being able to talk to each other underwater is great! I once trained two local disc jockeys to dive and then "held their hands" while they did a live radio broadcast of a U/W pumpkin hunt using commercial gear. Goofy and neat at the same time!

Don't drink too much coffee if you are used to "warming" your wet-suit. Makes a real mess in a dry-suit.

Have fun,

Richard

[Konrad]

Richard,

As for the actual boat moving, I'm just surface support. After that, we're going to fool around with all the fun gear they're bringing down and burn up air.

But it should be a blast.

[swarga]

I envy you.

I got mu PADI Open water three years ago and have taken every chance to dive since.

The lakes around here have about 6 foot vis on a good day and we got catfish 4 feet long.

Do to the above reasons and lack of money, I dive the Channel islands off of Santa Barbra or Catalina Island when I have the time.

I would like to try the dry suit. My wet suit on my 220lbs body makes me resemble a tel-a-tubby

(The blue one) I think my wife is getting me a golden seal suit for our anniversary next month, I just hope she takes me somewhere cool to use it. Jamaica would due.

Still looking for my first ARK

[Brian G]

Originally posted by swarga

The lakes around here have about 6 foot vis on a good day and we got catfish 4 feet long.

Around here we call those "bait" for the big boys. Maybe you should take up "hand-grappling", where you grab them by the mouth or gill slit and throw them over in the boat. Certain types here (crazy rednecks from Hell) actually do that, in snake and snapping turtle infested waters where you can't see 2 inches. It ain't for me.

I must admit, I had no idea there were any catfish in AZ.

Brian G.

Hand-Grappling Down at the Grocery Store Freezer Section