HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: geary%cfa3.DECNET@CFA.HARVARD.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Coral death in the Turks
Date: 29 Jul 92 15:23:32 GMT

I was paging through some of the recent scuba-l files and came
across a nice piece on diving the Turks & Caicos on the Sea Dancer
(7 June, by Large Nassau Grouper Reef Fish, also known as Bob). I
too have recently dived this area and would like to comment further
on the coral destruction I observed, apparently similar to what
this earlier piece describes.

My wife and I spent 9 days on tiny Salt Cay, 10 miles south of
Grand Turk. The July issue of Skin Diver carries an extensive article
on diving there, especially on the undisturbed remains of the 40-gun
British frigate Endymion, which sank in 1790. This is indeed a
marvelous dive, despite the long schlepp over 16 miles of open
ocean in a totally unsuitable boat to get there.

But I digress. What I wanted to talk about here was the state of
the reefs in the southern Turks.  Almost all (at least 90%) of the
two most important reef-building corals, cavernous and mountainous
star coral, have been killed.  There were areas as wide as 50 yards
on the wall where I could find not a single living star coral head,
from the top at about 40 ft down to 100+ ft.  There was still a bit
of living star coral in the shallows, but most of the big star
coral mounds seemed to be dead on the bottoms, with only the topmost
tips alive.

Salt Cay has only 200 residents and almost no rainfall, so pollu-
tion or waste runoff are unlikely contributors.  Even out on the
Endymion site, 16 miles from the nearest inhabited land and as
pristine as it gets, the star corals were in bad shape.  What is
going on here?  I quizzed the divemaster extensively about the
possibility of high water temperatures causing this, but he said
that in the last two years he has never seen it above 82 degrees
(nor below about 79).  Scratch that.  Also, there have been no big
hurricanes for at least 10 years in these parts, maybe longer.

I have heard similar reports of reef mortality from San Salvador, to
the north of the Turks, and from the Caymans, although diver damage
may be a contributor here.  Has anyone else seen this in other
parts of the southern Atlantic and Caribbean?  I was in Bonaire in
March and everything looked fine, so whatever is going on farther
north in the Turks has not reached down there.

If anyone is thinking of visiting Salt Cay for a dive trip, they
should perhaps contact me first, especially if they are relying on
a very inaccurate description of the diving there furnished by In
Depth magazine a few months ago.  You expect this sort of overly
optimistic assessment from Skin Diver, but In Depth and Undercurrent
should do better (they cost enough).

John C. Geary
PADI DM-52283
geary@cfa.harvard.edu
From: dan@resonex.com (Dan Kell)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Are ther YMCA dive agencies in Australia ?
Date: 22 Jul 92 10:49:27 GMT
Organization: Resonex Inc., Sunnyvale CA

In article <9207221102.aa20535@hel4.HEL4.BRL.MIL> wall@HEL4.BRL.MIL (JEFF WALL) writes:
>In article <nj9v7cg@fido.asd.sgi.com> leej@sgi.com (Lee Jones) writes:
>
>>In article <1992Jul21.172342.5289@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com> peterson@hpl.hp.com 
>>(Chris Peterson) writes:
>
>>>Yeah, even some of us hard-core NAUI instructors have started to omit the
>>>forward roll from pool work (I've never seen anyone use it in OW classes).
>>>Consider it a slight bend back to reality... :-)
>
>>At the beginning of my teaching career, I taught the forward roll.  After
>>watching a number of my students bang their heads on tank valves
>>and *never* seeing anybody do one in real life, I stopped teaching it.
>>The only thing I've regretted about that decision is not making it earlier.
>>If you won't tell NAUI, I won't either :-)
>
>I was certified NAUI OW I in 1987 and was not taught the forward roll.
>
>Besides, everybody knows the forward roll is only used by instructors 
>to enter the pool when no students are looking :-).
>

I was certified NAUI Basic Scuba Diver in 1975, we were definitely taught the
forward roll. When my wife went through her OW1, the first class it was taught,
the second class it was not because of all the people *bangin* there heads on
tank valves, side of the pool, etc.

As an aside, My wife and I were sailing one day, in the lagoon of Diego Garcia,
and watched a SEAL team diving out of an inflatable. They would run into the
beach at about warp 9 and the individual divers would do this twisting head
first entry. Looked pretty scary to me, at least with full diving gear on.
I guess they would do this if making an assault. They always entered on the 
side away from the beach. Looked like the divers were going down at least 10 or
15 feet on the entry. Hard on the ears! 


-- 
Dan Kell                  
email to dan@resonex.com
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."   A. Einstein
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: peterson@hpl.hp.com (Chris Peterson)
Subject: Re: There is a better magazine
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 16:02:32 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, California

Due to "popular demand", here's the address and subscription information for
_DISCOVER DIVING_ magazine.

   _DISCOVER DIVING_
   Watersport Publishing
   P.O. Box 83727
   San Diego, CA 92138 USA

   (619) 697-0703
   (800) 776-3483

_DISCOVER DIVING_ is printed every other month.
U.S. subscription is $16.50 per year.
All other countries subscription is $36.50 per year

-- 
Chris Peterson                                     Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
                                                    Research Computing Services
                                                              Palo Alto, CA USA 
(415) 857-6432                                              peterson@hpl.hp.com
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: sdodd@OES.ORST.EDU (Stephen M Dodd)
Subject: Re: more on sharks - a backward step for Hawaii?
Organization: Oregon Extension Service, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Or.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 02:10:26 GMT

In article <1992Jul28.184857.29400@news.Hawaii.Edu> michaelh@altair.net.hawaii.edu (Michael Hoffhines) writes:
>In article <1992Jul27.041426.2445@cs.su.oz.au>, Greg Ryan wrote:
>
>I'd like to know the names of the officials that responded. Even tho
>there is, as of yesterday, a state wide budget freeze there has already
>been $US150,000.00 allocated for research/removal of certain shark
>species following the death of a Maui woman this past winter due to
>a tiger shark attack (Some of you may be interested in reading the
>earlier posts and can find them through one of the scuba archives.
>In fact, I would encourage Mr. Dodd who posted the flame that started

    I merely commented on a previous post.

    Steve Dodd
-- 
- Stephen M. Dodd, System Analyst, Oregon Extension Service
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sdodd@oes.orst.edu          Internet          Oregon State University
503-737-0699                                  Corvallis, OR 97331
From: wall@HEL4.BRL.MIL (JEFF WALL)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Information Wanted for Instructor Certification Procedures
Date: 21 Jul 92 15:05:00 GMT
Organization: U.S. Army Human Engineering Lab, Aberdeen, MD

In article <1992Jul20.141417.9547@resonex.com> dan@resonex.com (Dan Kell)
writes:

>In article <9207201346.aa12538@hel4.HEL4.BRL.MIL> wall@HEL4.BRL.MIL (JEFF WALL)
> writes:
>>In article <CARL.92Jul17141705@atlantis.Cayman.COM> carl@Cayman.COM
>>(Carl Heinzl) writes:

[stuff deleted]

>>gave everbody in the class a set of Navy Decompression Tables.  PADI
>>probably would have died.  Although, I just found out PADI is now offering
>>a Nitrox certification, so maybe thier coming around :-).

>When did this happen? I read in two different magazines recently that NAUI
>allowed this if the instructor was EAN certified but that PADI wasn't
>doing this since EAN is "outside the realm of recreational diving".

I was suppose to do my Nitrox certification dives on the 4th of July
but we got blown out.  The instructor certifying me said that PADI was
now offering a Nitrox specialty.  I believe it is one of those generic 
specialties where the instructor submits an outline and is allowed to
teach the material under the PADI structure.  Anyway it's been real 
recent (after the magazine atricles, which I also read) I think my Nitrox
instructor heard about it a week or so before he told us, but I don't 
know the details on how he found out.  I'm going this saturday to 
finally get the dives done (unless we get blown out again) I'll let you
know if I find out more details.

Jeff Wall
wall@hel4.brl.mil
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: njs@scifi.uucp (Nicholas J. Simicich)
Subject: Re: Re: truk lagoon trip - How many dives a day!!!
Organization: Nick Simicich, Peekskill, NY
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 03:55:40 GMT

In article <1992Jul21.034155.15114@herboid.uucp> adb@herboid.uucp (Anthony DeBoer) writes:
>In <148cgjINNnuf@darkstar.UCSC.EDU> jdale@cats.ucsc.edu (Jonathan Dale) writes:
>>In article <1992Jul16.125441.1080@scifi.uucp> njs@scifi.uucp (Nicholas J. Simicich) writes:
>>>The standard on the Thorfinn is: Deep morning dive (130'-200'),
>>>shallower midmorning dive (60'-100'), lunch, deeper early afternoon
>>>dive (this was your long surface interval) (100'-120'), late afternoon
>>>dive (40'-100'), dinner, night dive (40'-100').  ...
>>
>>I suppose this kind of comment may be ridiculous to someone diving 5 times a
>>day, 5 days in a row, but a profile like this is just asking for it.  
>>At least your deepest dive is first and shallowest last, but the shallow
>>dive between the deep dives is a bad idea.  All the tables expect you to do
>>deepest to shallowest, in order, and you are at greater chance of getting
>>bent if you do it otherwise.
>
>What I think (/hope) they may be intending with this schedule is to squeeze
>in a dive during what should be the surface interval for the deeper divers,
>intending that the people who did dive #1 could sit out #2 and then go on
>#3 and maybe skip #4 or #5 if their group letter was getting too high.

We did 28 dives in six diving days.  Skipped one late afternoon dive
and one night dive.  Just about everyone else made all of the dives as
well.  No one was doing the 'skip dive 2, do dive 3, skip dive 4, do
dive five' sort of schedule while I was there.

>If you're putting people in the water all day, you can run a lot more
>dives than any individual diver can do without a whack of a lot of
>decompression, although it seems evident they're not standing in the way
>of anyone who's willing and capable of going that route.  A good computer
>can correctly figure out shallow-to-deep as well as deep-to-shallow,
>although the tables are a lot more simplistic and you have to be nice to
>them and do your dives their way.
>
>On the other hand, if you're an NDL diver, it looks like the second,
>fourth, and night dives might be your package.  You're hopefully not doing
>that first dive on an OW-I card anyway (or really anything short of AI or
>DM, with a fair bit of deep experience), and even the third dive is really
>an advanced dive.

I agree with you.  The two OW-I divers in our boat might have
disagreed, though.  If you are an NDL diver, you probably go someplace
other than Truk.


-- 
Nick Simicich - uunet!bywater!scifi!njs - njs@watson.ibm.com
SSI #AOWI 3958, HSA 318, NAUI #14065
Join the movement ---  turn 'to bush' into a verb.
From: leonglaw@hpsgm2.sgp.hp.com (Lawrence Leong)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 14:50:54 GMT
Subject: Re: U.S. Divers Scan 4
Organization: HP Singapore
Newsgroups: rec.scuba

In rec.scuba, martin@dvorak.amd.com (Martin Schuessler) writes:

|In article <nhoobbk@fido.asd.sgi.com> leej@diver.asd.sgi.com (Lee Jones) writes:
|>I just came across a flyer for the U.S. Divers Scan 4 - a new computer
|>they've put out.  It looks a lot more like a Delphi than a Monitor II.
|>It has integrated tank pressure, a nitrogen loading bar like the Delphi,
|>and some other whizmos (it *still* doesn't have a temperature display which
|>really bugs me).  Does anybody know anything about these puppies?
|
|The Data Scan 4 is the SAME (internal) computer as the OCEANIC DATAMAX PRO.
|The outside packaging is slightly different, but other than that, they're the
|same computer !!!
|
|Martin

How about the price?  Do they compare?  I assume warranty and conditions are 
set by each vendor.

lawrence
From: dan@resonex.com (Dan Kell)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Ikelite Aquashot
Date: 24 Jul 92 12:25:30 GMT
Organization: Resonex Inc., Sunnyvale CA

The Kodak cameras are just junk IMHO. Even after the mod was done on my housing
I have had problems with kodaks. I personally have been recycling four fujis 
since I learned how to re-load them. I have *never* had a problem with fujis.
I've used them as deep as ~95fsw with no problem. I did have one camera that
the flash quit half way through the roll but a new battery fixed that. This
was a new (fresh from the store) camera. Ikelite is and has been a very 
responsive and responsible company. I can't remember anybody ever saying bad
things about them. 


-- 
Dan Kell                  
email to dan@resonex.com
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."   A. Einstein
From: narad@nonsequitur.Eng.Sun.COM (Chuck Narad)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Skin Diver Magazine
Date: 28 Jul 92 02:45:32 GMT
Reply-To: narad@nonsequitur.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems
NNTP-Posting-Host: nonsequitur


their resort reviews seem to follow the same unbiased, nothing-but-help-for-
the-diver attitude.  I happened to read their review of Club Med St. Lucia the
week I got back from self-same place; the only thing I recognized in the ad...
er, article was the wide-angle photo of the pool that club med uses in *their* ads.

BTW, I haven't seen reviews of other resorts on St. Lucia; club med was too far
from the dive sites (10 minute bus ride plus 1-1.5 hours each way on the boat);
the boat was a mix of experienced divers and folks with one club med pool 
session ("oh, you mean that you can put AIR in the vest?  Wow!") and worse.
The diving was just fine, tons of life, vis 40-80 ft (rainy season), but it was...
well, a club med.  Has anyone reviewed the other resorts there, like An Chastene?
We didn't get in to look, but they are *right on* the bay with all of the dive sites...

chuck/
From: sracer@cecelia.media.mit.edu (Andy Hong (Go Speed Racer!))
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Skin Diver Magazine
Date: 28 Jul 92 01:28:23 GMT
	<1992Jul27.131515.22666@scifi.uucp>
	<1992Jul27.110031.22383@resonex.com>
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory Music Group

In article <1992Jul27.110031.22383@resonex.com> dan@resonex.com (Dan Kell) writes:

   BTW, Am I the only person who thinks that the article about Monterey in
   the latest issue of Scuba Diver was done by someone who called and talked
   to people rather than actually diving there. My wife and I both thought
   there were some real booboos in the article. I hope this doesn't become
   the norm for them.

Yeah, me too.  I was looking forward to the article, but after reading it,
realized that the little it actually mentioned about diving in Monterey
was pretty misinformed.

--andy (who has been diving just about every month since being certified
        four years ago in Monterey, still ranks Monastery Beach as one of
        his top ten cool places to dive, and manages to trek across the
        country at least once a year to get wet (and cold) in Monterey)
From: joseph@shogun.smos.com (Joseph Crunk)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Sea Wasps
Date: 24 Jul 92 17:52:54 GMT


# But no one ever saw or encountered any during our week on-board.  The crew
# said that if someone was stung, they would be taken directly to a hospital
# on Grand Cayman as a precaution.  They also were checking to see if anyone
# was allergic to bee stings, since such folks would be more sensitive to
# stings from sea wasps as well.

Anyone allergic to bee stings needs to be concerned with sea wasps, as they
can create a severe allergic reaction that can be fatal.

If you have EVER experienced swelling from a bee sting that is any more than
normal you need to assume a 'full-body' reaction to even a brief, minor
encounter with a sea wasp. Be prepared. There's no way to know if or when
you will go to a 'full-body' reaction (Vasogenic Shock, refered to as
Anaphalactic Shock). It's not a pleasant way to go. It rates up there with
burning to death as my favorite way to die :-(

If you do react, and it's quite possible if you're in any way allergic to
bees, it will probably be fatal without immediate/prompt medical attention.

When boat diving in areas where sea wasp are expected, make sure the boat
has a working 'diver recall' system. If someone surfaces with sea wasp wounds
and are headed toward Anaphalactic Shock, the boat will need to go NOW!!!
All divers need to get on that boat ASAP!!!

From a preventitive angle, these critters usually hangout within 10-15 feet
of the surface. When ascending to the surfacing, purge a regulator for a couple
of seconds (from a depthof 25-30 ft).  The rising/expanding air will harmlessly
push these fellows away, making a 'hole' for you to ascend in :-)

-Joseph Crunk
From: sdavis@laforge.ksc.nasa.gov (Steve Davis)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Skin Diver Magazine
Date: 27 Jul 92 19:44:20 GMT
Organization: NASA

Peter Rigsbee writes
> I don't remember seeing SDM ever presenting themselves as providing objective
> and comparative evaluations of equipment or locations (or if they did, I
> knew enough to ignore it! ;-)  And I haven't tried to use it as such.  I
> realize that some people will, and that is unfortunate.

  IMHO, the fact that they label an article as an equipment review, including  
accounts of actual use by the magazine staff, blatantly presents the image of  
objectivity.  What I'm looking for is a Consumer-Reports-style journal that  
lists the good with the bad, comparing equipment between brands rather than  
within one brand.  The fact that many divers take the word of infomercials in  
SDM as responsible evaluations is not only unfortunate; it's potentially  
tragic.

--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Steve Davis                      | sdavis@laforge.ksc.nasa.gov |
| NASA, DL-DSD-32                  | (NeXT Mail preferred)       |
| Kennedy Space Center, FL  32899  |                             |
| (407)867-7582  fax:(407)867-2173 | #include <disclaimer.h>     |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
From: scribler@bnr.ca (Dennis Richards)
Subject: Anyone interested in diving Les Escoumins
Reply-To: scribler@bnr.ca
Organization: BNR Ottawa, Fiber Systems Development
Distribution: ont
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 18:09:27 GMT

To all you divers who read this column...
There is a trip planned to Les Escoumins this July31 - Aug.3.
The cost is $130 and includes 3 nights hotel, 3 meals a day
for 2 days and breakfast Monday morning plus air fills.
The diving is excellent..60' visibility (but cold). Mix of
salt/freshwater produces interesting life forms.
There also is whale watching available as Aug. is when the
whales come out to play..whales such as the Blue whale down to
the Baloga(sp?).
The trip is organized by Scuba Consultants (613)226-8805 but you
can talk to me for more details (Dennis (613)765-2359) too.
I gain nothing from this trip (except a cheap good time) and
I pay full fare (so if you go you aren't supporting me!).
Hope to see you there.

The Mad Scribbler
From: peterson@hpl.hp.com (Chris Peterson)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Diving in the Mediterranean
Date: 31 Jul 92 17:35:46 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, California

In article <1992Jul30.203528.7939@vax.oxford.ac.uk> ops@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:
>I'm interested in diving in the Mediterranean, especially Italy and Greece. Any
>of you out there have any experiences in this area? I'm interested in the
>wildlife side of things, and have a NAUI O/W 1 licence only.
>
>
>Tristan

I will be following replies to your query with interest.  I would like to
combine a tour of the Europe with some diving someday.

BTW, how well are US certifications (NAUI, YMCA, PADI, SSI, etc) recognized in
Europe?  I understand that a BSAC membership and certification (and a dry      
suit :-) are required to rent gear and dive in Great Britain.  Does CMAS have
a similar influence on the Continent?
-- 
Chris Peterson                                     Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
                                                    Research Computing Services
                                                              Palo Alto, CA USA 
(415) 857-6432                                              peterson@hpl.hp.com
From: peterson@hpl.hp.com (Chris Peterson)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 23:25:48 GMT
Subject: NAUI Cross-over
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, California
From: romo@netcom.com (Rafael Romo)
Subject: Re: Quayle a diver?
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 16:00:53 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 

rallan@gun.com (Robb Aley Allan) writes:

>BTW: there's another rumor floating around that Jerry Garcia of the Dead took up diving  
>not long ago. Maybe we should get Quayle to buddy up with Jerry ...?

From the mouths of dive masters who have worked boats that Jerry Garcia has been
on (he apparently likes Hawaii), he is an excellent diver and very informed
on marine ecology, fauna, and flora.

RR
-- 
Rafael Romo romo@netcom.com --- I don't work for 'em; I just use 'em.
From: teshima@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (A. Lani Teshima)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: more on sharks - a backward step for Hawaii?
Date: 28 Jul 92 23:13:01 GMT
Organization: University of Hawaii

In article <1992Jul28.184857.29400@news.Hawaii.Edu> michaelh@altair.net.hawaii.edu (Michael Hoffhines) writes:
>
>Interestingly, there was a report of a toothed-whale attack off of
>Kona (on the Big Island) by pilot whales (although I suspect that
>they were not pilot whales, but rather false killer whales). In any
>case, there hasn't been any cry to eradicate toothed whales from 
>Hawaiian waters. Yet. 1/2 :-)


This report was written in  a West Coast newspaper about a month ago.
The woman was in a boat, and according to the article was an
experienced scuba diver.Her companion saw the false killer whales and
so they stopped, and got in the water. She got "real close" to the
whales, and her camera "kept bumping into this one whale." All of a
sudden, her companion looked over to see that one of the whales had
grabbed hold of her foot and was dragging her underwater. This
apparently happened a few times, but they got out of the water okay.
The general impression we had at my office after reading this article,
was that the woman got too close to the animals and was "harassing"
them by bumping into them, even if she didn't mean to (there was
mention of a current in the water that pushed her into them). 

Duh---she has to realize that false killer whales, although they're
not Orcas, are still carnivorous big animals. It would be good for her
to learn about their behavior a bit, first. Frankly, I don't really
blame the animals--they were probably a bit miffed and decided to
tease her.

This story did not make news locally. Perhaps the local media didn't
consider it newsworthy.


--
A. Lani Teshima, UH School of Library & Info Studies   o | /_/_/ "Sea Hare"
A small mind is easily filled with faith.               o|<0_0>--------*
Blessed is a mind too small for doubt.                    \=^-| |____| | 
teshima@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.edu                                 \_}B   \_}B