HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: maierj@edmund.cs.andrews.edu (Joey Maier)
Subject: Re: Snorkeling Crystal River
Organization: Andrews University
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 00:33:36 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.225239.13458@trentu.ca> pstonge@TrentU.CA writes:
>emergency light (necessary evil?).  We hung them from our tank stems during 
>the night dives in our OWII so that we could see where each other was 
>without blinding each other with the light.

This summer, during a night dive, when we were on a night dive, my buddy
and I tied them to our snorkles.

>>    (2) During the day time (don't cavern dive at night, by the
>>way) put enough air in your BC to be fairly positive and crawl
>>around on the ceiling for a while. (Flame retardant: I wouldn't
>>suggest that at fragile cave.) 
>	>>> Point Duly Noted !  8-) <<<
>>				Eventually this starts to seem
>>normal. Then crawl over to the edge and peek over, seeing the
>>sky in the direction which looks like down.
>	This would be SO wierd!  Trying to make me jealous!?!

I've never been ice diving, but I've heard that the same thing can be
cool in that situation.  You know, walking on the ice and looking
through the hole.


Joey                    maierj@andrews.edu
From: brian@picasso.icd.teradyne.com (Brian Hunter)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Dive Sites Around San Luis
Date: 18 Dec 92 20:14:12 GMT
Organization: Teradyne, Inc. San Jose CA

In article <1gim8pINNh7p@fido.asd.sgi.com> leej@sgi.com (Lee Jones) writes:
>In article <bill.724189960@booster> bill@cac.washington.edu (Bill Whitson) writes:
>>Everything is covered with
>>anemones and there are some large rocks covered with club-tipped anemones
>>(a type of soft coral). 
>
>I'm no invertebrate biologist, but aenemones are not coral.  Not even 
>soft coral.  They're both beautiful and they're both invertebrates, but they
>aren't subsets of each other.
>
>Regards, Lee

Don't have my books here but I believe aenemones and corals are of the same
family.
Brian Hunter
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: zarniwoop <zarniwoop@mixcom.mixcom.com>
Subject: Oceanic Datamaster II(Sport/s)
Organization: Milwaukee Internet Xchange BBS, Milwaukee, WI U.S.A.
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 23:43:57 GMT

I own the Datamaster II Sport/S dive computer, and I have a few
questions regarding battery life.

I know that this model is switched, so I am not actively draining the
battery right now, but can anyone tell me how long I can expect to
wait before the batteries bleed to death and they need to be replaced? 
I have been stuck topside for quite some time (sigh... :-( ) and I don't
want to be on a dive and find myself looking at a blank console!

Thanks in advance!

	Reed Taylor

-- 
+----------------------+----------------------------------------+
|      Reed Taylor     | "...It was raining, which was normal.  |
| zarniwoop@mixcom.com |  A spaceship landed, which was not..." |
+----------------------+----------------------------------------+
From: gd@gehenna.sw.stratus.com (Greg Dawe)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Nitrox Diving
Date: 14 Dec 92 15:08:58 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering
NNTP-Posting-Host: gehenna.sw.stratus.com

In article <1992Dec11.173748.15773@u.washington.edu> parker@cac.washington.edu (Michael Parker ) writes:
>In article <1992Dec10.160247.11863@newssun.med.miami.edu>, dbrown@newssun.med.miami.edu (Daniel Brown) writes:
>|> 	3) Nitrox requires specialized ("clean") equipment because
>|>      	   of combustion risks when using such a high partial 
>|> 	   pressure of O2.
>
>	WRONG!  WRONG!  WRONG!  The only time one must use Oxygen clean
>	equiptment is if you are dealing with NITROX mixtures that have
>	an Oxygen content that is 40% or greater.  This is not a NITROX
>	regulation, but more of an Oxygen regulation.

As a side note to the oxygen clean issue: it's rather common practice not to 
clean the second stage of a regulator that are used with high oxygen 
fractions (>= 40% O2).  The general rule is that any equipment used with >=40%
O2 that is at >= 300 PSI must be cleaned.  I don't think this was in the NOAA 
guidelines, but it's common practice with divers, shops, and at least one 
well-known technical-diving company in my area.  Comments?

This leads to a second point, which you're probably aware of, but always
seems to get left out of these types of discussions: the equipment must be
oxygen compatible as well as oxygen cleaned.  There are some regulator
first stages, and SCUBA cylinders that can't be used with high O2 fractions.
In the case of the regulators I've run into, the problem is usually the 
unavailability of compatible replacement parts (diagphrams, and in some cases
an O-ring or two).  With SCUBA cylinders, such as the old steel 72's with the 
epoxy/resin interior coating the problem has been the coating - the 
manufacturer hasn't been able to tell us exactly what the coating is, so we 
can't leave it in the tank.  Tumbling didn't remove all of it (flakes were 
left).  If anyone has come up with a solution to this problem I'd like to 
hear about it.
-- 
Greg Dawe                        | Disclaimer: I don't speak for my employer,
Voice : (508)-490-6666           |             nor they for me...
e-mail: Greg_Dawe@vos.stratus.com|            
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: bill@cac.washington.edu (Bill Whitson)
Subject: GIANT LUNGING SHARK!!!
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 21:57:05 GMT

Hey!  That header get your attention?  It's really not that sensational.

I figured will all the shark stuff goin' around at the moment, I'd tell you
guys what my buddy and I saw about a month ago:

We were doing a drift dive up here by Seattle (Tacoma Narrows for you locals)
and as we came flowing past some rocks, a huge shark head lunged forward in
front of us!  My buddy swam up and inflated to get out of the way (drift dive
 - he couldn't stop) and I lost sight of him.  I grabbed a rock and held on to
avoid running into the thing.

After I got myself stopped and let my heart rate run down to about 250 I
noticed that the shark was repeatedly lunging in and out of the rocks.  The
motion turned out to be the current.  I noticed the scraped skin and milky
eyes and realized the shark was dead.

It turned out to be about a 9 to 10 foot seven gill shark (given water
magnification).  When we thought about it later, we really had not idea
how it could have gotten caught in the rocks (we assume it ended up there
sometime after it died) or what killed it, as it looked to be in pretty
fair shape for a corpse.

We had a good laugh later because my buddy had surfaced and waited.  When he
didn't see me after five minutes, he headed for shore.  I had surfaced, but was
on the far side of a bridge piling by the time I came up.  He got our shore
person to come down with the car and he alerted some other divers before they
saw me swimming toward the exit point.

We all laugh now, but I have never been so scared diving in my life. :* )

Bill Whitson
bill@booster.u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Wednesday, 16 Dec 1992 01:08:06 CST
From: MATT HUNSAKER <U61474@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Diver Insurance (Was: Re: missing deco stop ... re-entering)
 <1992Dec7.145035.19360@newssun.med.miami.edu>
 <gf9EBrq00UzxI3tFMa@andrew.cmu.edu> <1992Dec15.223016.27847@cs.su.oz.au>

The last thing I read from DAN, was that Dr. Bennett was working on putting tog
ether an organization called, IDAN (International Diver's Alert Network).  I
couldn't find the article laying here, but I'll call down there over the
weekend if I get a chance and see how far along the International Plan is.
-Matt
From: Karl_Schutz@rand.ORG (Karl Schutz)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: missing deco stop ... re-entering
Date: 15 Dec 92 16:18:00 GMT
Organization: The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California

In article <1992Dec14.224935.2787@geek.ca.geac.com>, adb@geek.ca.geac.com (Anthony DeBoer) writes:
> 
> From what I understand, the current PADI decompression table has
> "required" safety stops.  I could argue that calling that a "no
> decompression" table is a bunch of sophistry, if you are _required_ to
> make stops after some dives.  However, if I did take it into my mind to
> use these tables, I'd want to know what missed decompression procedure
> went with these stops.
> 

The simple answer is that there is no "missed decompression procedure" because
there is no "required" stop as stated above.

I know that the latest PADI table says required ... its predecessor said 
recommended ... but IMHO it's not required.  I called PADI headquarters on this 
and was informed that PADI "recommends" a "required" safety stop whenever a
diver comes within 3 pressure groups of a no-decompression limit or on dives
deeper than 100 feet.  If a diver chose by bypass the "required" safety stop,
that diver would not necessarily be more susceptible to DCS.  If other factors
like dehydration, elevated carbon dioxide levels, cold water, heavy exercise,
etc. are present then the risk is increased; however, bypassing the stop
in-and-of itself has not been shown to result in DCS.

Interesting words ... recommend a required safety stop.  To me, to recommend a
required stop does not imply that the stop is required; it's recommended.  IMHO,
using the word "required" on the latest PADI table is a means to add more safety
to its use.  I don't think that there are too many people who would argue that
performing a safety stop under the conditions stated within is a bad idea.  It
does allow the body to off-gas nitrogen.  However, I'm sure that there are divers
out there of the opinion that "if I don't have to do it, why waste my time."  So,
if an agency says that they shall, maybe they will ... hopefully leading to fewer
diving accidents.

-- 
Karl F. Schutz
PADI DM-50321
From: drj@lhdsy1.lahabra.chevron.com (Dave R. Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Misc. questions.
Date: 14 Dec 92 15:48:29 GMT
Organization: Chevron Oil Field Research, La Habra, CA.

In article <627@tsw.UUCP> ray@tsw.UUCP (Ray Izumi) writes:
>In article <cf9ZRPW00iUy84aFJ=@andrew.cmu.edu> ps3p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Peter A. Simon) writes:
>>
>>In a post re: BSAC vs. SAA training, the term "semi-dry suit" was used.
>>
>>Could some knowledgable person tell me what these things are?  (My site
>>doesn't keep many old posts on hand).
>>

I had thought that a semi-dry suit is a dry suit with cuffs at the ankles
wrists and neck so that your hands, feet and head get wet but your
torso and extremities do not. I could be wrong.

I don't know how well they work. It seem like they would leak when
you put air in them.

-- 
  David R. Jones                                      drj@chevron.com
  Chevron Oil Field Research Co.                      (310) 694-7105
  SCUBA.... KAYAKING.... Parallel Processing....   What more is there?
From: dbrown@newssun.med.miami.edu (Daniel Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Nitrox Diving
Date: 11 Dec 92 18:39:07 GMT
Organization: University of Miami, School Of Medicine

In article <1992Dec11.173748.15773@u.washington.edu> parker@cac.washington.edu (Michael Parker ) writes:
>In article <1992Dec10.160247.11863@newssun.med.miami.edu>, dbrown@newssun.med.miami.edu (Daniel Brown) writes:
>
> > 	2) Nitrox diving is clearly appropriate for special
>|> 	   circumstances (as it has been used for -- who knows --
>|> 	   how long in commercial and research diving situations).
>
>	This statement is partially true.  NITROX "can" be used for
>	special circumstances.  Actually, I dive with NITROX whenever
>	possible - it is a considerably safer gas to dive with than
>	air.  NITROX is used for shallow dives (<130fsw) and allows
>	for possible extended bottom times.  If and when using NITROX
>	on standard air tables and following standard air depths and time
>	NITROX can actually reduce residual nitrogen build up and
>	lessen the risks of Nitrogen narcosis and excess Nitrogen
>	bubbles (bends).

There is nothing "partially" true about my statement: Nitrox is clearly
appropriate for special circumstances -- that doesn't preclude it from
being appropriate for regular diving situations.  (I just wanted t
clarify this.)  In fact, "what is appropriate is still something I'm
trying to decide myself -- that's why I still want to take the course.

>|> 	6) For me, the risk and the equipment restrictions are enough
>|> 	   not to make it a regular endeavor.  I've rarely come across
>|> 	   a dive that I needed to stay down longer than those limits
>|> 	   prescribed by your typical dive tables.  On the other hand,
>|> 	   I would not be entirely averse to doing a nitrox dive if
>|> 	   there was an appropriate situation (I'm not sure what would
>|> 	   be appropriate ...)
>
>	But think of the risks you are saving by not having as much Nitrogen
>	hanging around in your body after a dive.  I personally know
>	many Instructors and Divemasters who are very grateful for NITROX
>	after a full day of teaching OWI students.

I don't think my risks for getting DCS are too great because I dive 
conservatively (ignoring, for the moment, this "silent bubble" issue).
On the other hand, I wholehearedly agree that Nitrox would be ideal
for instructors/divers who do prolonged dives several days a week.

I don't think I said much about what I assumed was pretty obvious (and
I shouldn't have assumed that because a lot of divers haven't heard 
about nitrox diving).  Nitrox diving definitely reduces the risk of
DCS, so long as you dive conservativel with it.  (If you push the
tables using nitrox, you're no better off than you were originally.) 
But, the new risk is O2 toxicity occuring at shallower depths.  I think
this is much greater risk, and that's my primary reservation for 
doing nitrox dives.

Dan
NAUI #13366
From: hdavies@rx.xerox.com (Hugh J.E. Davies)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Marine Biology and related studies
Date: 16 Dec 92 14:08:29 GMT
Reply-To: hdavies@rx.xerox.com
Organization: Rank Xerox Ltd.

In article 12911@trentu.ca, pstonge@TrentU.CA (cmdr keener) writes:
>In article <zawada-151292122506@ottawa.eid.anl.gov>, zawada@athens.eid.anl.gov (Dave Zawada) writes:
>
>[Bryan's request for info... answered below]
>
>>When I was looking into marine science graduate programs back in 1987,
>>I got information from the following schools:
>>
>>Florida Atlantic University
>>Florida Institute of Technology
>>Scripps Institution of Oceanography
>>Texas A&M
>>University of Delaware
>>University of Florida
>>University of Hawaii -- Monoa
>>University of Miami -- Rosenstiel Institute
>>University of New Hampshire
>>University of Rhode Island
>>
>Anybody out know of any Canadian schools offering similar (marine or 
>freshwater studies) programs?
>
>	-- Pete
>
>>Hope this helps,
>>
>>Dave
>
>THANKS!!!!!!!!  8-)


Judging by the number of Marine, Freshwater and Ecological biologists I know who are currently working in the computer industry, don't expect to get a job once you graduate.

Of course, if all you want is an excuse to dive while you're at college, then go for it!
---


Regards,

Hugh.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't speak for Xerox, nor they for me.

Rank Xerox European Systems Centre, Welwyn Garden City, Herts., UK.
Mail to; Huge.wgc1@rx.xerox.com, whatever it says in the header.
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: andrewt@watson.ibm.com (Andrew Taylor)
Subject: Re: sharks in general
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 16:09:52 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

In article <1992Dec14.135208.10666@gssec.bt.co.uk> awright@gssec.bt.co.uk (Alan Wright) writes:
>Do tigers give birth to more than one baby at a time (i.e. does one embryo
>eat the others in the womb)?

I believe the answer to both is yes. Intra-uterine cannibalism does occur
but multiple offspring are born. My only ref. says they have litters of 10-82.
I presume these numbers come from preganant females that have caught.
I doubt many actual births have been observed.

>In summary, IMHO it would be relatively simple for man to accidently
>make the tiger extinct in a short period of time.

Probably not, marine fish seem much less vulnerable to the effects of man
than other groups.  The Tiger Shark's size and age of sexual maturity
do make it more vulnerable but its huge range should make it secure.

Andrew Taylor
From: narad@nonsequitur.Eng.Sun.COM (Chuck Narad)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Coco View, RoatanCoco View at Thanksgiving
Date: 15 Dec 1992 00:51:15 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Distribution: world
Reply-To: narad@nonsequitur.Eng.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: nonsequitur

One other comment on Roatan; Skin-so-Soft repels the no-see-ums as 
well as or better than DEET, and might be better for your bod.

Thanks for the great writeup!

cheers,
chas/

Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: walter@optimla.aimla.com (Walter Hunt)
Subject: Re: missing deco stop ... re-entering
Organization: OptImage Interactive Services Co., L.P.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 22:24:35 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.011816.2685@wam.umd.edu>, carrie@wam.umd.edu (Carrie Lynn Leonard) writes:
|> In article <Bz7zF1.AFw@optimla.aimla.com> walter@optimla.aimla.com (Walter Hunt) writes:

|> >	Reminds me of when I was sitting at a table with a guy (FOAF) who had
|> >just returned from a trip with a local diving-knowledgable doctor to a small
|> >tropical country. Seems they were fishing (lobstering maybe? the details slip
|> >away) deep on SCUBA with much the same game plan. They would drop to the bottom,
|> >stuff their game bags till they were out of air, and then shoot to the surface
|> >to get another tank. No decompression, no tables, no chamber within any
|> >reasonable distance. Villagers had a habit of pucturing their eardrums so they
|> >wouldn't even have to clear on the way down. Most of the former divers were
|> >bent, and many of the working ones felt symtoms on a frequent basis! 
|> >
|> >-- 
|> >Walter Hunt					walter@optimla.optimage.com

|> What country was this?  I spent the month of August in Fiji doing some research
|> diving, and learned some interesting things about local diving practices.  The
|> Cousteau society had just donated a chamber to the islands, and it had been in
|> place since March, and since then six people had used it - all local Fijians.
|> I think this was more a result of the tourist industry - the locals watching the
|> tourists dive and then taking on the sport themselves with no training or
|> understanding of the dangers.
|> 
|> Carrie
|> 
|> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|> |   Carrie Leonard                         |                               |   
|> |   Marine-Estuarine-Environmental-Science |   Respect the Beach           |
|> |   University of Maryland                 |                               |
|> |   carrie@wam.umd.edu                     |                               |
|> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Well, unfortunately memory ain't what it used to be, but I think it was
Honduras. The friend who was with me at the table seems to think it might have
been Paraguay or Belize (which is part of Honduras? Geography never was my
strong point). I do remember that the nearest chamber was far enough away to be
inaccessable.

-- 
Walter Hunt					walter@optimla.optimage.com
OptImage Interactive Services Company, L.P.	walter@optimla.aimla.com
11040 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #300		netcom!optimla!walter
Los Angeles, Ca. 90025				(310) 445-5718
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: gregr@joyce.cs.su.oz.au (Greg Ryan)
Subject: cylinder burst disks
Reply-To: gregr@cs.su.oz.au (Greg Ryan)
Organization: Basser Dept of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 04:47:53 GMT

Are burst disks required on cylinders in all parts of the world?  I ask this
as I recently brought two Faber 7 litre cylinders into Australia, and now
find that the supplied valves have no burst disk, and so aren't accepted for
filling locally?

(perhaps an email response might keep the noise level down in this group)

				Greg Ryan	gregr@cs.su.oz.au
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: schludermann@sscvx1.ssc.gov
Subject: Recomendations on inflatable accessories
Organization: Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 13:14:52 GMT

Can anyone make recomendations on useful inflatable boat accessories applicable
for diving out of a 12' achilles. All I've got is a spray dodger, boat,
two motors (7.5hp & 35hp) and a few fuel tanks. I'd like to be able to handle
3 divers and full gear. Is it feasible to tow a smaller inflatable to carry
tanks, gear & compressor?

kris
From: m16532@mwunix (Steven Bayer)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Diving at/near Playa Del Carmen
Date: 18 Dec 92 15:39:27 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: MITRE Corporation, Houston, TX

I believe you mean 60 miles *south* of Cancun!

Akumal is a very nice place to dive.  Lot's of turtles are seen around there.
I remember there were two dive operations there when I visited.  Also, there
are some sexy caves to dive in nearby.

Have fun.
                     __o                                          
                    ~\<,                                          
___________________()/ ()______________________________________________________
Steve Bayer                                       bayer@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov
The MITRE Corporation        
1120 NASA Road One, Suite 600                                    (713) 333-0978
Houston, TX  77058                                          fax: (713) 333-5147
_______________________________disclaimers ad nauseum__________________________
From: dkmiller@unixg.ubc.ca (Derek K. Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Marine Biology and related studies
Date: 16 Dec 92 01:47:35 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
NNTP-Posting-Host: unixg.ubc.ca

In article <1992Dec14.202056.25908@wheaton.wheaton.edu> alliso@david.wheaton.edu (Bryan Allison) writes:
>	I am graduating from college in May with a Computer Science degree
>and am thinking about going to grad school.  I am trying to decide
>what I want to study if I go to grad school.  I have been thinking about
>marine biology or something that has to do with that, but really have
>no idea about what is involved in these courses or what schools even have them
>in their curriculum.  If anybody knows anything about this I would be
>grateful if you could tell me what you know.
>
>	Thanks a ton.
>	Bryan Allison

I don't think you could leap straight from a Comp Sci degree into an M.Sc.
in biology, any more than I (with a B.Sc. in Marine Biology) could go
into Comp. Sci. You'd need to take a lot of qualifying courses (if not
a whole bachelor's degree) to get the botanical, zoological, ecological,
oceanographic, physical, and chemical background necessary even to decide
what you would like to specialize in.

That said, it is a very interesting (and still wide open) field of study.

I only wish that I hadn't been so lazy that I haven't gone diving for more
than a year.

      :=:=> Derek K. Miller                 dkmiller@unixg.ubc.ca
      Researcher, Alma Mater Society        thegrodd@tz.ucs.sfu.ca
      University of British Columbia, Canada
Newsgroups: rec.scuba

>>So, I need some advice on how & where to buy a dry suit, and what else
>>I'd need to start out.

>About a thousand dollars.... (for a cheaper one, with good underwear).  
>-- 
>Rod Rucker
>rrrucke@srv.PacBell.COM
>PADI DM-47240

  Lighthouse (Lynnwood) has the OS shell on sale (with woolies) for 500.  You   
  also need a new hose for chest inlet, weights for added bouyancy, and 
  possibly new hood and boots.
  As far as how - NEVER accept the price tag as the price - always 
  haggle.  

----------