HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bill@blubblub.uucp (Bill Crandall)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: General Sting Ray Question
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 01:53:12 EDT
Organization: Disorganized, mostly

faith@wam.umd.edu (Jerome V. Smith) writes:

> Hello Everyone!  I am new to this group and will be participating soon, but f
> right now I have another question.  I have a Sting Ray in my aquarium and
> right now I feed him black worms. I want to give him something else and was
> wandering if you guys/girls would know what they eat when you go scuba diving
> I don't know if you see them eating or not.
> 
> I really like to know.  Thanks!    Jerome!
> 

In Grand Cayman, at Stingray City, they commonly eat squid.
Their natural food is mollusks.  Maybe clams or mussells, or
oysters, shelled and *fresh*.  I worry that you will foul
your aquarium.

Bill
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: mjs@hubcap.clemson.edu (M. J. Saltzman)
Subject: Two unrelated incidents: Nurse shark attack (!?!) and cave rescue.
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson SC
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 13:29:47 GMT

Two Assoc. Press articles in the last two days report Scuba incidents.

Today's paper reports an incident in Lantana FL, in which a diver was
bitten by a 3-foot nurse shark.  Apparently, the diver found some
fishing line at about 15 ft.  He pulled on it and the shark came up,
bumped his chest, and latched onto his arm.  (It is not clear if the
shark was hooked on the line.)  He dragged the shark to shore, where
police officers, paramedics and others tried to pry the shark off, but
couldn't, even with a knife.  They finally shot the shark three times.

The article does point out that nurse sharks are not usually
considered dangerous, and that some divers even feed them.

Yesterday's paper reported an incident in Chattanooga TN, in which the
TVA dropped the level of Nickajack Lake to rescue a trapped diver, who
was breathing from an air pocket 1200 feet back in Nickajack Cave.
The diver and his buddy went into the cave to fish for catfish, and
became separated.  The TVA lowered the lake level 2-3 feet on Sunday
morning, flushing the cave with fresh air, and the diver made it out
after 6.5 hours.

The entrance to the cave is sealed off (apparently not very well) with
a chain-link fence, but divers go in anyway, because the catfish
inside run up to 6-8 feet in length.

-- 
		Matthew Saltzman
		Clemson University Math Sciences
		mjs@clemson.edu
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: dave@hpdstma.ptp.hp.com (Dave Waller)
Subject: Re: periodic re-certification (was: anyone heard of PDSI?)
Organization: Hewlett Packard
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 00:08:50 GMT

Karl Schutz makes some excellent points regarding this whole issue of
"recertification". I must agree completely that no action should be taken
without a careful study of the actual data, and as far as I know, such
data is incomplete at best.

Lacking compelling statistical data, I don't think that the industry should
move in the direction of recerts blindly. However, given the appalling lack
of "well" trained divers I am increasingly encountering (to the point of
being downright unsafe to others), and the increase in, how can I put it,
vacation-only divers (?), I am concerned for the safety of these individuals,
and more selfishly, for maintaining a self-regulated industry.

As I mentioned before, I am a libertarian in political ideology and
affiliation. The LAST thing I want to see happen is the government getting
its filthy, corrupt, ignorant hands in our beloved sport. What little
regulation they do impose on us (mainly through DOT certification of tanks)
is already messing things up, putting us years behind our European buddies
in technology. Why do you think there isn't widespread use of 300 bar
( >4000 psi) tanks in the U.S.? Part of the fault lies with the caution of
the industry itself, but much of the blame lies with DOT as well.

So, my chief motivation for discussing this topic, and favoring some sort
of regular competency evaluation is to keep government OUT of diving.

Karl mentions that _Alert Diver_ talks about a decrease in diver fatalities.
I'll check the issue tonight when I get home. However, was this "statistic"
as a percentage of the certified divers, or a raw number that has decreased
over the years?

Further, what concerns me just as much as fatalities is non-fatal injuries,
and of course, high on this list are DCS and pulmonary barotraumas. I'll
give DAN a call tomorrow and see if there are any statistics available for
these.

Please understand, folks, that I'm NOT interested in milking you for a few
more $$ in any way I can as an instructor, nor am I interested in restricting
your freedoms. Quite the contrary, I see this issue as one that we need to
be constantly vigilant about, and take pre-emptive action to put in place
policies that will keep the government off our backs.

Look at what's going on in Australia -- and I predict that our Aussie buddies
are only witnessing the beginning, now that SCUBA has caught the eye of the
regulators down under.

Stay tuned...
-- 
Dave Waller
YMCA Instructor
From: munz@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Frank Munz)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Sharm-el-Sheikh info
Keywords: Egypt
Date: 19 Aug 92 19:53:21 GMT
Followup-To: rec.scuba
Distribution: world
Organization: Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany

In article <1992@eru.mt.luth.se> 
hardell@cad.luth.se (Christian Hardell) writes:

>I'm planning a trip to Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, in January.
>Any information about the diving there will be appreciated.
>Christian
>

Hello Christian!

I've been to Sharm this year in april. I came there after diving
one week in Hurghada, because it was very windy there and because
everybody told me that I had to see Ras Mohammed.

There are a lot of things to say about Sharm. First of all it is
the most expensive spot in Egypt. If you're planning a cheap trip
to Egypt you probably won't stay a long time there. I spent there
about a week, including 4 days diving. And there is nothing you
can do except diving (or working on a tan at the beach). This
might be a point if you take a non-diving friend with you.

Ras Mohammed: I'm not quite sure anymore if it's one of the world's
best places to dive. It was an interesting dive (I just did one
there). There is a wreck (spelling?) to see with hundreds of
toilets arround it in about 15 meters, that's really exiting.
And of course there are all the fishes and coralls you can expect
in this region. But I didn't see more: no sharks, no mantas etc.
I presonally found out after this dive that there are some more
points which make a dive special: a dive buddy you can rely on
(and no random buddy), good weather, good crew, not too many
divers at the same place (actually there are at least 3-5 boats
any time you'll go there)...

Other sites: there is a huge number of them. Summary: it's easy to
spend some weeks diving there... And compared to other places in
Europe they are excellent of course.


Accomodation: If you're looking for a cheap place to stay try
'Safety Land' with the 'Tentoria' diving centre. It's not really a
recommodation but it's one of the best cheap places and it's not
to far away from the harbour. They rent small bungalows and tents
and also offer (edible) dinner. This is also a good place to meet
interesting people. Please check your equippment very carefully if
you intend to rent one.


Please feel free to ask for more. It's always easier to answer
special questions than to write summaries ad hoc.

I'd also appreciate any feedback from you and other people who
have been in Sharm.

I wish I had such a teleporter as in Startreck, just to beam me
there and go for two dives tomorrow...  :-))


Take care,

frank


--

******************************************************************
e-mail:	munz@informatik.tu-muenchen.de
  mail: Frank Munz, Kunigundenstr. 61, 8000 Muenchen 40, Germany
   irc: framu

phone : +49 - 89 - 3611480 (voice)
fax   : no, sorry!
******************************************************************
From: faith@wam.umd.edu (Jerome V. Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: General Sting Ray Question
Date: 18 Aug 92 21:29:54 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park

Hello Everyone!  I am new to this group and will be participating soon, but for
right now I have another question.  I have a Sting Ray in my aquarium and
right now I feed him black worms. I want to give him something else and was
wandering if you guys/girls would know what they eat when you go scuba diving
I don't know if you see them eating or not.

I really like to know.  Thanks!    Jerome!
From: morrison@sbctri.tri.sbc.com (Gerald Morrison)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Camera housing help....
Date: 20 Aug 92 18:00:02 GMT
Organization: Southwestern Bell Technology Resources, St.Louis, MO


Howdy neters...

This is another attempt to get some help for a friend of mine.  The info listed
below is what I sent in an earllier post a couple of days ago, but neither he
nor I have have had any responses.  Maybe no one out there has used the Ikelite
SLR-AF housing??????  But I am sure somebody has.... so please step forward
and give this guy a hand....  it would be appreciated very much!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a friend that is looking for some expert help with underwater camera
housings.  He is very interested in buying an Ikelite SLR-AF Case for his
Canon EOS camera and would like to visit with someone who has used this
combination before.  He is a very experienced user of Nikonus equipment
but is now ready for the land-based SLR underwater...  SO, if you have such
knowledge and would like to help my friend, please contact him at the following
numbers:

Don Mack
(314) 235-8450 (tele)
(314) 235-1604 (FAX)

or, you can send me your tele info and I can have him call you..

Cheers (as Dave would say)..

Jerry Morrison
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: adb@herboid.uucp (Anthony DeBoer)
Subject: Re: periodic re-certification (was: anyone heard of PDSI?)
Organization: Linda's Dragon Memorial Society
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 03:18:25 GMT

deviate@lipschitz.sfasu.edu writes:
>I emphatically disagree with periodic re-certification. ...
>
>(1) If someone wants to endanger their own life, so be it.  I've had it up to  
>my ears with people trying to protect me from myself.  (Read that as: run
>every g_d_ aspect of my life.)
>(2) I was taught to take care of problems without involving someone else
>(if at all possible).  I accept complete responsibility for my own
>safety, especially when I dive with an unfamiliar buddy.  (This is *NOT*
>to say that I wouldn't help someone, or seek help, in an emergency.)

Dave Waller <dave@hpdstma.ptp.hp.com> writes:
>... do you support the periodic re-evaluation of private pilots to
>operate small aircraft, or do you view this in the same light that you do
>the prospect of re-establishing scuba certification?

If an individual's actions could only harm that individual, then letting
them do whatever they felt with no certification or anything would be
perfectly alright.  However, that's not always the case.  Dave's analogy
of pilot's certification should bring this to light, as IMHO the
requirements there are not so much for the pilot's own benefit as for the
safety of his/her potential passengers and the people he/she flies over. 
An aircraft augering in through the roof of my house could violate
something a bit more essential than just my civil liberties.

The case of scuba divers is not quite so extreme, but the same argument
applies for the safety of one's buddy.  This is why the NAUI bottom line
is not "Is this guy going to go out and get himself killed?" but rather
"Would I trust this person to go diving with one of my loved ones?".
Buddies depend on each other, and even if you become more capable of
taking care of yourself as you gain experience, you do more ambitious
dives too.  When an instructor signs somebody's card, they're not just
letting that person dive, they're also telling other divers that this
person is safe to go diving with and is a buddy they can turn to in an
emergency.  Or at least that's the way it should be.

That aside, I don't consider myself in favor of mandatory re-certification.
I think the logbook already serves/should serve the role of identifying
what a diver has been doing, whether they should be doing a given dive,
or even if they're current at all.  However, there comes a point where
recertification or some form of review would be a good idea, if somebody
has let diving lapse for any great length of time.
-- 
Anthony DeBoer   NAUI # Z8800, D5482 | Why watch TV, when Netnews provides
adb@herboid.uucp | adb@geac.com      | 100% of your daily requirement for
uunet!geac!herboid!adb               | trivia and meaningless entertainment?
From: boykin@gte.com (Joseph Boykin)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: VIP/HYDRO & air fills?
Date: 19 Aug 92 18:48:48 GMT
Reply-To: boykin@gte.com
Organization: GTE Laboratories

In article <1992Aug18.183435.1@sscvx1.ssc.gov>, schludermann@sscvx1.ssc.gov writes:
|> 
|>    I have a Question regarding visual inspections and hydrostatic testing.
|> Well when I have the tanks filled, some
|> air stations refuse to fill the tanks that had just been hydro'd.  Because
|> the tanks were not visualed.  As I was later informed by the hydro facility,
|> they visual all the tanks they test.  So why must a tank have a visual sticker
|> for the first year after hydro?  The new tanks I've seen typically don't have
|> a visual sticker on them. What gives?  Is there a technical reason or an
|> ecomonic reason or no reason?  My usual air station is aware of the visual
|> aspect of hydro testing and does not require a visual sticker in the first
|> year.

While I suppose someone *could* do a hydro without doing a visual
first, I don't know of anyone who would.  When you are taught how to do
hydros, you are also told to do a VIP first (including inspection and
getting rid of any surface rust).  After all, you're about to pump up a
3000 PSI tank to about 5000 PSI so you really do want to know that the
damn thing doesn't have any obvious problems.

Every shop I know that does a hydro automatically puts a VIP sticker
on the tank.  If your shop didn't, just ask them for one, they
will probably give it to (and *should* give it to you) no charge.
Why didn't your shop do it?  No reason that I can think of.

I can't say that someone who refused to fill a tank which is within
one-year of hydro is wrong, but that is only technically true.
Personally, I wouldn't think twice about filling the tank.

Joe Boykin
PADI Instructor

----

Joseph Boykin
Principal Investigator
	Distributed Computing Systems
	GTE Laboratories, Inc.

Vice-President of Technical Activities
	IEEE Computer Society

Internet: boykin@gte.com
Phone: 617-466-2803
FAX:   617-466-2137
From: young@ursa.UUCP (Eric Youngblood)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Instructor Certification...advice?
Date: 13 Aug 92 23:34:02 GMT
Organization: Bear Stearns, NY
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

I have OW certification and am seriously considering going
further...even as far as instructor.
I would appreciate any comments / advice anyone has on this
subject.                

Thanks

Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: davidw@cie.uoregon.edu (David Weingarten)
Subject: scavenging
Organization: University of Oregon Campus Information Exchange
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 21:16:42 GMT

I'm just curious, does anybody out there regularly scavenge an area
for lost stuff?  I went cliff diving a couple weeks ago, and lost my
watch (it was a long fall, probably broke the pin).  
Two weeks later, I went down with my scuba gear to look for it.
I didn't find my watch (I suspect somebody else got it, 'cuz I made
a pretty thorough search), but I found 3 other watches (all of them
still work!), a lighter, an earring and 2 $20 bills.
Needless to say, I'm thinking of making relatively regular trips to 
this site.  Does anybody else do that sort of regular scavenging
in their area?
				-- David

Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: sharonc@meaddata.com (Sharon Crichton)
Subject: Re: Mask straps
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 19:19:12 GMT
Reply-To: sharonc@meaddata.com
Distribution: na

In article <1992Aug17.181317.20252@meaddata.com>, sharonc@meaddata.com (Sharon Crichton) writes:
|> Does anyone out there have anything positive/negative to say about
|> those fancy masks straps that you can buy to replace the regular
|> plastic straps that come on your mask?

Wow! What response from the rec.scuba community! Please stop - my inbox
is overflowing with email! I'm drowning in helpful replies! Thanks to
everyone who has replied so far.

I guess that this is a question that everyone feels like they can help
answer, since everyone has to become intimately familiar with different
styles of masks. Basically, the concensus has come down that I should
run, not walk, to my nearest dive shop and buy one. Then I can keep the
old strap in my toolkit. But all of the responses that have reached me
as of 8:45 this morning (I've had 35 messages!) have been positive.

The only problem is that most of the people have suggested that my current
mask doesn't fit me properly. Well, if that's true, then I'm probably
going to have a hard time finding a mask that fits. When I took my
lessons last fall, it was at a recreation center that supplied all of
our equipment, including masks, fins, snorkels, weight belts, BC's,
and regs. So I didn't have to buy my own personal equipment until the
certification trip to Panama City in May, and it gave me a chance to
try a lot of different equipment. The mask that I bought is, seriously,
the best fitting mask that I've used so far.

Near the end of the trip, it was seating better on my face. I actually
had 1 dive where it stayed completely dry, without a single drop of
water getting in. And another couple of dives it was just leaking a
little. But I did have one serious flood problem near the end where I
finally was able to figure out that it was position of the mask strap that
was causing most of my problems. No, I don't try to keep it awfully
tight - it's just that if the strap slips down off the back of my head,
I get the floods. So that's why I'm investigating the neoprene straps.

Now that I've rambled on endlessly, I want to say thanks again to all
the people who responded. I'm going to go buy a replacement strap this
weekend (or sometime soon).

-- 
Sharon Crichton         *****************   Mead Data Central
sharonc@meaddata.com    **HAPPY! HAPPY!**   P.O. Box 933
uunet!meaddata!sharonc  **  JOY! JOY!  **   Dayton, OH 45401
                        *****************   FAX: (513) 865-1655


Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: 21329KAD@MSU (Kim Dyer)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: oooops ... sorry
Date: 14 Aug 92 21:09:08 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University

Sorry ... please ignore the reposts of other people's articles.
I hit the wrong key and sent them to the list rather then to
my A disk.

You expect me to keep my mind on my JOB when I'm leaving on
a DIVE TRIP soon???? ;-)
************************************************************************
*  KIM DYER                    *                                       *
*  208 COMPUTER CENTER         * Had I known this long ago,            *
*  MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY   * I might not have come this way at all *
*  E. LANSING, MI  48824       *                                       *
*                              *                          - Al Stewart *
* 21329KAD @ MSU.BITNET        *                                       *
* 21329KAD @ IBM.CL.MSU.EDU    *                                       *
************************************************************************
From: robs@charles-cross.poly-south-west.ac.uk (Rob Simpson)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Outer Hebrides
Date: 13 Aug 92 19:32:21 GMT

I am going the the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles, Scotland) in a few days and
 wonder if anyone can give me any info on diving here. We will be staying, and
 diving around, the Isle of Harris.

Rob Simpson (Plymouth, England)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: waflowers@quantum.on.ca (Bill Flowers)
Subject: Re: Dry Suit HELP!
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 17:44:36 GMT
Organization: Quantum Software Systems

In article <berzins.0637@nucleus.cuc.ab.ca> berzins@nucleus.cuc.ab.ca (David Berzins) writes:
>But I was not expecting him to tell me I could'nt get into an Ultra Light
>as there are no companies on the market that sell custom Ultra Light dry
>suits! He did however tell me that I could get a custom neopren suit. 
>Now the whole reason for me going dry is that I would like to get away
>from the neopren suits.  The suit I was looking and (and liked) was a
>White's.  Does anyone out there have and ideas or suggestions on what I
>should do? Any help would be apprecaited.

The store was either feeding you a line or was misinformed.  I know of two
people who had custom Whites ultralights made up through Kanata Dive
Supply, Kanata, Ont. (both custom sizes and colours -- neon pink and neon
yellow highlights on a bright blue -- yuk).  Either go back to the store
and suggest that he is mistaken and have him check while you are standing
their and listening or find another store.

Disclaimer: I have no connection with Kanata Dive Supply except as a happy
customer.  Me?  I bought a Nokia drysuit from them.

--
W.A. (Bill) Flowers                email: waflowers@quantum.on.ca
Quantum Software Systems, Ltd.     QUICS: bill     (613) 591-0934 (data)
(613) 591-0931 (voice)             mail:  175 Terrence Matthews
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: scribler@bnr.ca (Dennis Richards)
Subject: Boyancy control with drysuits
Reply-To: scribler@bnr.ca
Organization: BNR Ottawa, Fiber Systems Development
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 19:17:16 GMT

Goodday,

Can any of you drysuit experts explain how to handle
boyancy control with drysuits? I have only 25 dives
with my (shell) drysuit and have no problem with descent
nor with hovering but when I follow an upwards slope I
have to contort myself to release the air every once
in a while but I float upwards during this thus I need
to swim down to continue along the bottom. My exhaust
valve is at my left shoulder. When I reach about 10'
water I generally hit the surface before I can dump out
all my air. Well, suggestions??????

Thanx

The Mad Scribbler
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: egapmh@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Paul M. Hudy)
Subject: housing for Nikon 8008s
Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 14:59:20 GMT


Hi,
    I am about to make the decidedly stupid move of trying UW
photography. I already have a Nikon 8008s and am looking for a
housing for it. Any recommendations? Best places to shop? Least
expensive places to shop? Any used housings out there? etc.
The aluminum housings seem the most expensive while the plastic
housings are cheapest. Any advice, observations, etc would be
appreciated.
-Paul Hudy egapmh@ecsvax.uncecs.edu
Newsgroups: rec.scuba