It was pretty awesome

I got to go diving in the neutral buoyancy tank they have here at work.

3/29/2008 4:25:32 PM

Quote :

"at work."

no fair, you work at NASA



right?

3/29/2008 4:27:18 PM

yep

3/29/2008 4:29:26 PM

nice.

3/29/2008 4:30:32 PM

3/29/2008 4:30:52 PM

oh man I want to scuba dive

3/29/2008 4:31:49 PM

It wasn't quite as awesome as in that picture, chembob, but it was damn fun.

3/29/2008 4:53:53 PM

^^^hahaha

3/29/2008 4:54:34 PM

I went diving today -- water was 55ºF, air in the mid 40s, had a ~1hour dive. Vis was actually decent at 20-30ft (depending on location) but that's to be expected since its colder right now.

Also went diving Wednesday evening...here's the info from that...

3/29/2008 5:04:28 PM

if this wasnt a scuba thread youd be like the evan of scuba diving

3/29/2008 5:12:58 PM

???

3/29/2008 5:14:09 PM

[evan was an EMT and would post very technical data about EKGs and other emergency/ambulance stuff]

3/29/2008 5:16:04 PM

^^^^ Will the temp gauge spike when you pee?

I keep trying to talk my boss into putting in a neutral buoyancy tank but he won't.

3/29/2008 5:18:32 PM

Quote :

"^^^^ Will the temp gauge spike when you pee?"

Hehe, no...
This is where that info is coming from -- it's clipped off on my left-hip D-ring:
http://reefnet.ca/products/sensus/

My current wetsuit is so thick, tight, and restrictive that when I pee, it essentially stays inside the wetsuit. I usually rinse both the wetsuit and myself off when I get out of the water. There's almost no water movement in my wetsuit (good for thermal reasons, bad for peeing since it's stuck in the suit). Very warm though!

3/29/2008 5:35:08 PM

Scuba diving is so much fun. there is no better feeling than dipping underwater and knowing you dont have to come back up for a while!

3/29/2008 7:54:56 PM

Quote :

"if this wasnt a scuba thread youd be like the evan of scuba diving"

lol

3/29/2008 8:04:05 PM

Maybe I should start a thread where I post about all the dives I do, including depth/time graphs.

3/29/2008 8:55:59 PM

^There's a Scuba diving 2008 thread already in the lounge. You can just add to that.

3/29/2008 9:07:33 PM

still surprised to not see a MUFF diving thread

3/29/2008 9:09:56 PM

anyone take their qualifying dive at that damn quarry like an hour away from raleigh. that shit sucks. its cool that they do have sunken cars,busses, and whatnot though

3/29/2008 9:55:15 PM

scuba diving is awesome

are the scuba classes at state any good/ worth my time?

3/30/2008 12:56:02 AM

yeah the class at state is awesome. it lasts the entire semester so at times it seems very redundant and unnecessary, but i felt SO prepared when i actually went diving by myself. plus coach rever is awesome.

3/30/2008 1:42:47 AM

make sure your pack is tight or else your tank can slide down and clock you on the back of the brainstem if ya decide to dive strait down

passing out underwater = bad

3/30/2008 2:01:25 AM

well I saw online that you could skip the 1st level class if you're already certified, which will be nice for me :^D

3/30/2008 2:26:00 AM

I got certified with Matt Rever...one of my best experiences at NC State, if not THE best. It's one of those classes that left me with memories I'll be telling my kids about.

That said, SCUBA diving is something everyone should do before they die. Some of you know that surreal perspective you get when you fly a few thousand feet above the earth in a small plane; breathing under water at depth for an extended time gives you a similar high...just with a little more adrenaline

3/30/2008 3:04:36 AM

Quote :

"well I saw online that you could skip the 1st level class if you're already certified, which will be nice for me :^D"

I don't recommend skipping PE 226, unless you are REALLY proficient in diving. If you aren't, you'll slow up an entire class of Rescue Divers waiting for you to catch up. Where were you certified? If you do think you should skip the lower level class, I would suggest emailing Coach Brown and showing him what level you are diving. He will be honest, and tell you which class you belong in. It's better to get a review of the basics if you need it, than struggle to catch up in a higher level class.

3/30/2008 8:54:04 AM

^?7maybe

ive been to that quarry, wasn't miserable, but no where near as beautiful as gulf/ocean diving.



sunken boats/cars were cool, and the creepy huge pipes you can swim through at like 85ft down that are pitch black through most of the way, and i there were lots of fish while i was there 5 years ago.

but i def would not spend money on that shit if it hadnt been part of my certification.

3/30/2008 9:05:25 AM

^It's Fantasy Lake Scuba Park in Rolesville. We go up there all the time. It's obviously not the best diving, but it'll get you wet when you can't afford a trip to Florida, or diving off the coast gets blown out. It's convenient, it's close, and it's diveable. Later in the year, when it's warmer, it's actually quite nice.

^Where were you were there were dark pipes you were swimming through at 85 feet?

http://www.fantasylakescubapark.com/

[Edited on March 30, 2008 at 9:17 AM. Reason : ]

3/30/2008 9:15:18 AM

thats not the same quarry im talking about.

this one is around exit 100 on I85, i'll find it. . .



i think this may have been it, blue stone quarry in thomasville. . .


and yea, looks like pipes were more shallow than mentioned.?

[Edited on March 30, 2008 at 9:24 AM. Reason : map]

3/30/2008 9:22:18 AM

Ah, I haven't been there before, but I've heard good things about it! It's a little more commercialized than Fantasy Lake, i.e. it has real bathrooms as opposed to port-a-potties

3/30/2008 9:27:54 AM

yea the rental area here was real sharp, vis in the quarry was fantastic, workers super friendly, etc.

3/30/2008 9:29:58 AM

Quote :

" Fantasy Lake Scuba Park in Rolesville"

the visablity there is consistantly horrible. Anyone whos freaked out by diving in low visability wouldn't enjoy this place.

3/30/2008 9:44:19 AM

bluestone quarry in thomasville actually looks decent. Found a photo gallery of the place

http://www.pbase.com/jasonquickel/blue_stone_072207

[Edited on March 30, 2008 at 9:51 AM. Reason : as]

3/30/2008 9:51:48 AM

Quote :

"the visablity there is consistantly horrible. Anyone whos freaked out by diving in low visability wouldn't enjoy this place."

Vis in Fantasy Lake isn't consistently horrible -- during the cooler months, it clears up quite nicely. Yesterday it had ~25-30ft of vis. Besides...people who are freaked out by diving in low vis probably shouldn't be diving in the first place...

In the warmer months, a few things happen:
1: More people go diving. Since most divers have pathetically poor diving technique, they silt the place all to hell.
2: More people learn how to dive. Unfortunately in 99% of basic OW classes, good diving technique isn't taught so they dive vertically in the water, wave their hands around, and kick up silt everywhere.
3: Algae bloom, so the quarry tends to take on a 'greenish' tint during the warmest part of the summer.

Quote :

"well I saw online that you could skip the 1st level class if you're already certified, which will be nice for me :^D"

DO NOT go into the rescue class (PE227) without taking the basic class (PE226) at NCSU. I PROMISE it is different and more difficult than you think. We consistently get people coming into the rescue class who have 8 million certifications and have been "diving for years", and they're always the worst people in the class, because their minds are closed and refuse to learn a different way of diving -- they were taught differently and old (bad) habits are hard to break.

I usually volunteer for both classes at NCSU, so if you have questions about our training curriculum you're welcome to ask me.

[Edited on March 30, 2008 at 11:18 AM. Reason : ]

3/30/2008 11:14:57 AM