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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.095



3:  Where are good sources for mail order equipment?  All of the local
    shops seem to be very expensive.

3a: There are good reasons to pay retail for equipment from your local
    shop.  Some shops allow exchanges if the equipment does not fit,
    even if the equipment has been used.  Typically, the mail order
    places will replace equipment if defective or unused, but not if
    it just doesn't fit.  You must decide for yourself whether it is
    worth the risk to order mail order.  You should also consider the
    ethics of using your local shop to decide on brand and fit, and
    then mail-ordering.  Finally, dive shops make their money on gear
    and tours, mostly gear, and most do not make any money on fills,
    after considering all of the costs involved.  Do you dive locally?
    If you buy your gear mail order, someday you might be having to
    mail your tanks to your mail order house to get them filled.

    If you do decide to go with mail order, you might try the following
    sources:

    Performance Diver, Chapel Hill, NC.  1-800-727-2453.  They carry a
    wide variety of accessories and dive gear, including wetsuits,
    backpacks, regulators, spearguns, lights, cameras, watches, and
    books.  Overnight delivery via Federal Express for an extra fee.
    Their prices are not the best, but they have a lot of stuff.

    Diver's Supply, several locations, including Georgia, Alabama, and
    two shops in Florida.  Have roughly everything.  House brands and
    Beauchat.  1-800-999-DIVE.

    Berry Scuba, from Chicago.  Also in Atlanta.  800-621-6019.  Carry
    "packages", as do these other places, and seem to have most
    everything.

    American Water Sports, 6775 Wilson Blvd. Falls Church, Virginia,
    22044-3370    ph: [phone].  These people seem to have the
    absolute best prices on Poseidon gear around.  They will ship
    mailorder.  Mail order regulator repair.

    Adventure Divers, Inc., [phone].  For orders, 800-PLAN-FUN,
    faxes at 305-763-1873.  They prefer to use the fax only when
    people want quotes and can't get through to the 800 number, such
    as when they are ordering from another country.  They sell, at a
    discount, Parkway, Beauchat, Oceanic, Zeagle, SSA, and
    Poseidon/Viking.  They also fill orders overseas and carry metric
    gauges and computers.  They do mail order regulator work.  One
    year parts-and-labor guarantee.  One year price guarantee, but
    American Water Sports had better prices on Poseidon.

    Ador-Aqua.  NYC Mail order house.      1-800-637-6800.  Handles U.S.
    Diver's equipment mail order.

4.  Are there any archive sites for rec.scuba?  If so, how do I access
    the rec.scuba archives?

4a: There are two rec.scuba archives.  The first, and oldest, is
    maintained by Peter Yee.  Peter has collected travelogues,
    equipment reviews, and so forth into pre-organized files.  In
    Peter's own words:

      You can also use the SCUBA archives on ames.arc.nasa.gov.  Send
      mail to [e-mail] (or ames!archive-server)
      and use a subject with a line like "send scuba index".  This
      will get you an index of articles in the archive.  They are
      sorted by subject and you will that you get pretty much what you
      ask for.  To get Florida info, try sending a subject of "send
      scuba florida.txt keys.txt".

                        -Peter Yee
                        [e-mail]
                        ames!yee

    Advantages to Peter's archives are that they are organized by subject,
    allow instant access if you have FTP, and are actually about the
    subject in question rather than just randomly containing that word
    or phrase.

    The second archive is maintained by (me) Nick Simicich.  This is
    sort of a minimalist archive.  There are over a years worth of
    articles in the backlog, and you can run an "egrep" against them
    and the responses will be organized and sent back to you.  To use
    the archive, mail to uunet!bywater!scifi!scubasearch or
    bywater!scifi![e-mail].  You place the search
    pattern you want in your Subject: line.  The search is CaSe
    InDePeNdEnT.  Up to 10,000 result lines will be sent to you if you
    put in a general enough search pattern.  As an example, to find
    articles which contain the string "dive watch", "diving watch" or
    close approximations, send mail to scubasearch with "Subject:
    div.*watc".  "div.*wat" would not be good because that would get
    you "dive...water".  Another bad search pattern is "cuba" because
    that will select every article, because cuba is part of scuba.
    Try "\<cuba\>" instead.  Multiple level searches: Supposing you
    want to find a posting that mentions accidents in the Cayman
    islands.  You could search for "accident.*Cayman|cayman.*accident",
    and that would tend to find some of them, but it wouldn't find
    postings where caymans was mentioned in the subject line (for
    example) and "accident" was mentioned somewhere in the body.  To
    get around this, I've added a syntax that the shell script will
    use to run multiple grep passes.  You just separate the arguments
    to the successive grep passes with an &.  For our example above,
    you could code "Subject: cayman & accident".  The shell script
    will run grep against all of the files with the argument "cayman"
    as he search string, and then run grep again with the search
    string "accident" against the files that result from the first
    pass.  You can stack these to an arbitrary depth.  You can also
    get as complex as you want using this feature.  For example, you
    might want to do a search for articles that I didn't write with
    cayman in the subject.  This pattern might do it:

        Subject: ^Subject:.*cayman & -v ^From:.*njs

    -v can be specified on a second or subsequent grep pattern (after
    the &, as shown above) and eliminates all articles that contain
    the grep target.  This is not a hook for general grep options.
    This is a special option that changes the action of the shell
    script.

    You can limit your searching to a particular date range by
    specifying a line as follows:

    Searchdates: [fromdate] [;todate]

    The format of the date is pretty liberal, and can include patterns
    such as "01 Jan 91" as well as "1 year ago".  You can leave out
    the todate, or leave out the fromdate just by starting with a
    semicolon.

    You can get further information about egrep patterns by sending
    mail to scubasearch with "Subject: help".  There are more detailed
    instructions regarding the date and the inverse searching in the
    help file, as well.

    You can get a copy of this FAQ by sending mail to scubasearch with
    "Subject: FAQ".  You can do a search for someone else by naming
    them in a reply-to line, either in your mail header or the
    message body.

    Advantages are that every posting is there.  Disadvantages are
    that you will get random stuff which happens to mention your
    search string if it is not specific enough, and you might get tons
    of stuff you don't want.  If you do make a successful scubasearch,
    consider editing the result and mailing it to Peter Yee for
    inclusion into the organized rec.scuba archives so that the next
    person has instant access to the information.

    I'm on a uucp path, so a scubasearch will take either several
    hours or overnight.

5:  What can anyone tell me about diving in [Florida, Cozumel,
    Belize, Bonaire, Great Barrier Reef, etc.]?

5a: Seriously consider doing a scubasearch or looking in the archives
    at ames before asking your question.  If there hasn't been any
    conversation on your destination recently, then by all means ask.

6:  I'm thinking about buying a [wetsuit/drysuit/diveskin/Darlexx
    skin].  What are the differences between them, and what are they
    good for?

6a: Diveskins are typically made of Lycra or some other stretchy
    fabric.  The warmth supplied is minimal.  Typically, they are used
    to prevent stings from jellyfish, and to protect from accidental
    coral contact.  Sport divers tend to wear skins in water warmer
    than 80F degrees, or under wetsuits, so that the wetsuit will
    slide on easier.

    Next up in warmth is the Darlexx suit.  This is a suit that is
    similar to a diveskin, but which is made out of a fabric that
    slows water flow.  There have been reported problems with the
    Darlexx fabric "delaminating" or coming apart.  An alternative is
    made by Aeroskin, and uses polypropylene and lycra.  Depending on
    how warm blooded you are, you might be able to wear Darlexx
    comfortably down to 72F.  A Darlexx suit is a wetsuit.  It does
    not fit like a diveskin, and is not really a substitute for a
    skin.

    Wet suits are made of neoprene rubber.  The suits serve two
    purposes: They reduce water circulation over your skin, and the
    air impregnated neoprene insulates you from the cold water.  At
    the worst, a poorly fitting wetsuit can ruin your dive by letting
    you get so cold that you get hypothermic, or by being so tight
    that it cuts off your circulation.  If you are not well fitted by
    stock wet suits, you can have one custom made.  Custom made
    wetsuits are not that much more expensive than stock ones, and fit
    much better.  Wet suits come in several thicknesses and styles.
    People wear different styles of wet suits between 32F-85F.  Most
    people find that temperatures below 45-50F are not comfortable for
    longer than a few minutes in a wetsuit.

    Dry suits are used by prople between 70F-28F.  (For extended
    commercial operations at near freezing temperatures, heated water
    is pumped through a special suit or underwear set.)  (Temperatures
    below 40 require special environmental protection for regulators,
    controlled use of inflators, and (hopefully) redundant breathing
    systems.)  You should consider getting special training before you
    wear a drysuit.  Even fitting the drysuit is not quite as
    straightforward as fitting a wetsuit.  A drysuit is useful at a
    wide range of temperatures because you can vary the amount of
    warmth by wearing different underwear with the suit.

7:  I just saw a really great movie called the Abyss.  In it, they had
    a rat breathing liquid.  Is that really possible?  Is there
    equipment like that for humans?

7a: Yes, it is really possible.  The rat was breathing liquid in the
    scene you saw in the movie.  No, it is not done with people
    (except possibly with premature babies to replace missing
    surfactants).  A widely cited study involved a single adult
    subject who had one lung filled with the liquid, but who had
    problems with pneumonia afterwards.  It is considered highly
    risky.  To pull an old thread on this from rec.scuba, send mail to
    scubasearch with the subject: ^subject:.*liquid scuba

    The liquid is a chloroflourocarbon, like freon, but with a higher
    boiling point.

8:  I want to learn more about diving, and read a lot of diving
    magazines.  My local newsstand only carries Skin Diver Magazine,
    which I hear a lot of derogatory comments about on the net.
    What other Magazines/periodicals are there, how do I subscribe,
    and what is the orientation of these magazines?

8a: There are many, many magazines and journals.  I've created a file
    called scubamag, which I have placed in the archive at ames (see
    question 4).  This file, too long to place here, reviews many of
    the magazines which are around.

9:  Can I dive in contact lenses (contacts)?  Is it safe?  Will I go
    blind?

9a: The safety of contacts revolves around several issues issues:
    1.  Will nitrogen absorption affect the contacts?
    1a. It is possible that non-gas-permeable contacts will get
        bubbles under them.  For this reason, if you do wear contacts,
        they should be gas permeable or soft, or they should have
        holes drilled in them.
    2.  What is the likelihood of losing a contact under water?
    2a. If you get water in your mask, and you open your eyes, you
        might lose a contact.  It might stay in your mask, in which
        case you can possibly recover it.  If you will be dangerous to
        yourself without contacts, (not able to see well enough to
        find the boat, and not used to dealing with things by sound)
        then this could be serious.  You also have to consider the
        possibility that your mask will come off underwater, and that
        you will have to open your eyes to find it and replace it, and
        that your contacts might come off during this process.  Losing
        contacts in the water has happened to a number of people.
    3.  What about the possibility of infection?
    3a. You are always at increased risk of eye infection when you
        wear contacts.  There is some possibility that there are
        bacteria in the water that will increase the risk of eye
        infection.  Quick treatment in the case of contact related
        infection is important, and you are not likely to get that
        treatment on, for example, a liveaboard.
        At least one study has indicated that there is an increased
        possibility of Acanthamoeba infection when swimming with
        contact lenses.  Other practitioners, who do prescribe soft
        contacts for swimmers, claim that there is no proof that the
        contacts were the proximate cause of the infections, but give
        no arguments as to why they feel that there is no correlation.
    4.  Are there any special considerations regarding soft contact
        lenses?
    4a. Yes.  Dr. Soni, Associate professor of Optometry at Indiana
        University has participated in a study which showed that 100%
        of soft contact lenses used in pool swimming were
        contaminated, when cultured.  Normally, soft contact lenses
        are made up of a certain percentage of water.  They absorb
        this water from your tears, and the amount of water they
        absorb is at least partially dependent on the salt content of
        your tears.  When you swim with contact lenses, and you open
        your eyes, the lens readjust to the water content of the
        liquid you are swimming in.  This causes them to stick to your
        corneas.  It is claimed that it takes 1/2 hour after swimming
        for the lenses to equilibriate to tears, and that removal of
        the lenses before they equilibriate can damage the cornea,
        creating a "clear passage into the cornea for the bacteria
        from the contaminated lenses, which will cause infection."
        Even practitioners who strongly believe in swimming with
        contact lenses feel that disclaimers should be given when
        prescribing the lenses for this purpose.  The lenses are not
        approved by the US FDA for swimming, but this may be just
        because no tests have been done.  Some of the above
        information was extracted from an article from "Eyecare
        Business" magazine, the June '91 issue.

    Now, many people wear contacts in the ocean without problems,
    whereas others prefer prescription masks.  If you have simple
    myopia, there are several brands of masks with snap in lenses that
    can be made up quickly in your dive shop.  If you have a more
    complex prescription, there are optometrists who can glue lenses
    into your mask.  Many people seem to really like these.

    Whatever you do, please avoid asking this question in rec.scuba.
    It is a very frequently asked question.  Do a scubasearch on
    "contacts" or "prescription", and you will get many thousands of
    lines of opinion.  People should follow up to this question by
    email if it is asked again [IMHO], unless they have new study
    information or something to quote that is substantive.  (If it is
    substantive enough, I'll put it in as part of the FAQ answer.)

10: I'm thinking of getting a redundant breathing system, in case I
    have a hose failure or run out of air, and can't find my buddy.
    I've heard about something called "Spare Air", and also "Pony
    Bottles".  Should I buy one?  Or is there something better?

10a:First off, carrying a redundant breathing system is a good idea.
    There are a couple of important questions.  (1) What are the types
    of redundant systems, and how much do they cost?  (2) How much air
    do you need to be safe in case of a problem?  (3) How likely are
    you to carry your redundant system with you when you dive and
    vacation?

    What sorts of redundant systems are there?  First, by "redundant
    system" I'm referring to a system that will continue to work no
    matter how catastrophic the failure of your main system.  Thus, I
    won't consider a Y valve a redundant system because of the fact
    that a burst disk could rupture or an O-ring could fail and
    exhaust your entire air supply, or, that because of an error or a
    bad gauge, you could exhaust your entire air supply.  The three
    most frequently used redundant systems are (1) the bailout bottle,
    (2) the pony bottle and (3) the independent twin tank.

    Some British BCs have a small air bottle attached to the BC.  With
    proper training and practice, it is possible to use this air for
    breathing.  But since this isn't a straightforward regulator
    system, we won't discuss it here either.

    The bailout bottle is available in sizes as small as 1.2 cu ft,
    and as large as 3 cu ft.  The best known brand is "Spare Air".
    The bottle has a regulator that must be switched on before use.
    Bailout bottles can cost between $200-$300.  The ones sold at a
    discount by mail order houses are typically smaller bottles of
    older design.

    The pony bottle is a smaller spare tank that is actually a small
    standard scuba bottle, and attaches to a standard regulator.  Many
    people use an inexpensive regulator on their pony bottles.  You
    also need some sort of mounting system.  Pony bottles can cost
    between $250-$350 depending on the regulator selected, the size of
    the pony, and the care you take while shopping.  You can get a 13
    cubic foot pony (in 2000 PSI and 3000 PSI models), a 17 cubic foot
    pony, a 30 cubic foot pony, a 40 cubic foot pony, and some other
    sizes.

    The independent twin tank is a second tank which is the same size
    as your first tank, and which has its own regulator.  Since the
    two tanks fit into a single double tank bracket, they may look
    like a set of doubles, but, in fact, they are two separate tanks.
    The independent twin tank is a good option for certain specialty
    diving, like wreck penetrations or extreme deep diving, but I
    won't discuss it further here.  Costs vary widely depending on how
    much the mounting costs, the type of tank, and so forth.

    How much air do you need to be safe?  The following chart was
    produced by Dave Waller, and presents a picture that I feel is
    conservative.  You should probably assume that, in an emergency,
    you will be breathing at one of the higher breathing rates.  It
    also assumes a 60 fpm ascent rate, which is considered too fast by
    many computer models and some training agencies.  Therefore, these
    numbers should be considered minimums, and any deviation from
    these conditions would be likely to cause these numbers to
    increase.

                                     #
       Total consumption (ft^3)      #   Total consumption (ft^3)
       without 15_ft Safety Stop [1] #    with 15_ft Safety Stop [1,2]
                                     #
         Consumption rate (ft^3/min) #   Consumption rate (ft^3/min)
Depth |  0.5 |  1.0  |  1.5  |  2.0  #  0.5  |  1.0  |  1.5  |  2.0
 -----+------+-------+-------+-------#-------+-------+-------+------
  60  | 1.66 |  3.32 |  4.98 |  6.64 #  2.75 |  5.50 |  8.25 | 11.00
  80  | 2.33 |  4.66 |  6.99 |  9.32 #  3.42 |  6.84 | 10.27 | 13.69
 100  | 3.10 |  6.21 |  9.31 | 12.41 #  4.19 |  8.39 | 12.58 | 16.78
 130  | 4.45 |  8.90 | 13.36 | 17.81 #  5.54 | 11.08 | 16.63 | 22.17
 150  | 5.48 | 10.95 | 16.43 | 21.91 #  6.57 | 13.13 | 19.70 | 26.27
 200  | 8.48 | 16.96 | 25.45 | 33.93 #  9.57 | 19.14 | 28.72 | 38.29

Notes:
    [1] Total consumption includes 30 seconds at indicated depth, and
        a 60_ft/min ascent rate.

    [2] Assuming a 1/2 consumption rate during a 15_ft safety stop
        for 3 minutes.

    The numbers beyond sport diving depths are here only for
    reference, and not to encourage you to dive those depths.
    Redundant air only reduces one of the dangers you would face in
    diving to those depths.

    The largest Spare Air holds just under 3 cubic feet.  The smallest
    available pony bottle holds 13 cubic feet.  You can look at the
    chart, estimate your surface consumption rate, try to estimate
    what it would be in an emergency, and see where you fit in.

    It is almost certain that if you were diving deep, you'd want more
    air than the chart shows, as you might need to make a longer
    decompression stop.

    While some people have tested bailout bottle ascents from as deep
    as 100 fsw, it should be emphasized that these tests were not
    performed under stressful conditions.  Typically, they are already
    neutrally buoyant, ready to ascend, and are consuming less air
    than they would in an emergency.  Referring to the above chart,
    you can see that this would be possible for a diver who had a
    consumption rate of 1/2 cubic foot per minute, and who left
    immediately upon switching to their bailout bottle rather than
    taking time to get settled.

    People who prefer bailout bottles to pony bottles say that a pony
    bottle is too cumbersome to transport and wear and in fact is not
    carried, making it a useless boat decoration.  Pony bottle
    proponents who carry their pony bottles with them when they travel
    say that they don't have a problem carrying them, and many wear
    them all of the time when they dive.  They disagree that it is too
    hard/painful/time consuming to dive with a pony bottle.

    Opponents of bailout bottles believe that bailout bottles are
    useless diver decorations, mainly because the bailout bottles do
    not contain enough air for an emergency.  They argue that from the
    time you switch to the bailout bottle, you have only enough air to
    ascend directly to the surface.  You have no time to solve
    problems and little or no air to make yourself positively buoyant.
    A final argument is that a bailout bottle might actually give you
    a false sense of security, and make you less safe than you might
    be without one.

    Perhaps the final judgment should be made using the above chart,
    and the depth to which you plan to dive.  If $$/cubic foot is a
    consideration for you, then you would probably prefer a pony
    bottle to a bailout bottle.  Many people do all of their diving
    between 15-40 feet, and never dive deeper than 60 feet.  These
    people would probably find the largest bailout bottle useful.  If
    you go deeper, or if you might go deeper someday, consider a pony
    bottle of the appropriate size.

    There have been rare occasions (one reported, at the Hong Kong
    airport only) where people have been told that they simply can't
    bring their scuba bottles on their flight, valves on or off, and
    have had to abandon them at the airport.  This would probably
    equally apply to bailout bottles and pony bottles.  You should
    plan on draining your bottles of any type completely before flying
    to comply with airport regulations, and you may have to remove the
    valves to prove to the airline's satisfaction that the bottles are
    completely drained.  It is a violation of US FAA regulations to
    transport a bottle on an airliner pressurized to more that 41
    PSIA.  Airlines may have more stringent regulations.

11. My Casio dive watch flooded.  It was rated to 50M and I was only
    at 15M.  What gives?

11a.The Casio dive watches are supposedly rated in static pressure,
    not dynamic pressure.  The act of swimming, moving your wrist,
    bumping the watch, using the controls, etc., causes large amounts
    of dynamic pressure, which can flood your watch.

    Casio used to rate their watches by activity.  100M watches were
    rated for snorkeling, and only 200M watches were rated for scuba
    diving.  50M watches were for showering.

    Net experience seems to indicate that your 50M watch is quite
    likely to flood if you use it for diving, your 100M watch is
    somewhat likely to flood, although some people have used 100M
    watches for diving successfully, and your 200M watch is probably
    not going to flood.  A few people have used 50M watches for
    diving, but pushing the buttons at depth, accidentally or on
    purpose, may flood the watch.

    Given that a Casio G-Shock is only about $50 at a discount store,
    and that a regular 200M Casio is likely to be around $40, many
    people seem to think that skimping further than that (since that
    is about the cost of a dive) is false economy, since, if your
    watch was your only timing device, you'd have to abort if it
    flooded.

12. I've lost my C-card.  What do I do?

12a.Um, how long has it been since you have done any diving?  And
    how much diving did you do when you were current?  If it has been
    a long time, maybe you should consider taking a new certification
    course.  Your old certification card may still be good, but
    equipment changes all of the time, diving practices and techniques
    change all of the time, and unless you've been keeping up, you may
    find yourself either at a loss, or not diving as safely as you
    might without current training.

    Now, the first step in replacing your C-card to consult your
    instructor, or the dive shop you were taught through.  They should
    have a copy of your records.  If you can't contact them, calling
    the certification agency might well be your best bet.  Here are
    some certification agency numbers.

    Scuba Schools International (SSI)
    [phone]

    National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI)
    (800) 553-NAUI (USA) or [phone]
    NAUI Canada (416) 493-NAUI

    Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA)
    [phone]

    Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)
    USA [phone]

    National Young Men's Christian Association SCUBA Program (YMCA)
    [phone]

    American Nitrox Divers Inc. (ANDI)
    [phone]

    International Diving Educators Association (IDEA)
    [phone]

    National Association of Scuba Diving Schools (NASDS)
    [phone], Fax [phone]

    Professional Diving Instructors Corp. (PDIC)
    [phone], Fax [phone]

13. I'm going to somesmallisland, and I'm looking for a shop that will
    complete a referral from (NAUI/PADI/SSI/etc).  Can someone suggest
    one?

13a.It depends.  If you're looking for a referral, try talking to your
    instructor, or to your dive shop.  Alternatively, a dive travel
    agent might be able to help you get into a good place, and arrange
    your checkout dives for you as well.  Finally, do a scubasearch
    for your area, and then maybe ask on rec.scuba.

    Also, the certification agencies maintain referral lists.  See
    the answer to question 12, and call them.  They may be able to
    refer you to an instructor or a facility that can complete your
    referral.

14. Um, I got certified, and I'm reading the stuff on rec.scuba, and I
    think that I got a shoddy course from my instructor.  What should
    I do?

14a.Call your agency (see answer to question 12) and get the address
    to write to complain to them.  The general rule is that they will
    investigate (especially if they get several complaints) only based
    on complaints in writing, and that they will not contact you to
    tell you the results of any action that they take.  They will
    investigate one complaint, if it is really blatant.

15. They are cutting off my rec.scuba newsfeed.  What can I do to
    still get rec.scuba?