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Scuba Forum / General / September 2008Palm Beach, FL
I posted this question on scuba locations and didn't get any replies. So, I'll try here. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments concerning dive operations in the Palm Beach area? We will be staying on Singer Island and will be going in April. Thanks On Aug 29, 9:39 am, "Jeff & Kathy Brown" <jjeffbro...@comcast.net> wrote: > I posted this question on scuba locations and didn't get any replies. So, > I'll try here. > > Does anyone have any suggestions or comments concerning dive operations in > the Palm Beach area? We will be staying on Singer Island and will be going > in April. Thanks I've done some good dives with Splashdown out of Boynton. You can rent tanks and get air/nitrox from their shop and they provide great dive munchies and even a lunch if you're diving all day with them. Jeff & Kathy Brown wrote: > I posted this question on scuba locations and didn't get any replies. So, > I'll try here. > > Does anyone have any suggestions or comments concerning dive operations in > the Palm Beach area? We will be staying on Singer Island and will be going > in April. Thanks The better diving is to the south, on the Boynton Reefs, and the dive boats are much better and operate quite differently: the Palm beach operations are geared to tourists, the Boynton operators are geared to locals. Starfish is closest to you, on Ocean Blvd in Lantana, and Craig runs an excellent boat. 561-212-2954, www.idivestarfish.com There are several very good boats operating out of the Seamist Marina in Boynton, including: Leo Sand's Deeper, deeper@flinet.com dci@deeper-dci.com 561-271-2085 Loggerhead 561-588-8686 Lynn Simmons' Splashdown, lynn@splashdowndivers.com 561-736-0712 Explorer, 561-577-3326 All these phone numbers and emails are kind of old, so you may have to do some additional research. I dive mostly with Larry Pearce on the Manta, who docks at a secret site north of Seamist, and who is not for the weakhearted. Plan on very cold water in April, but good viz. esg >I dive mostly with Larry Pearce on the Manta, who docks at a secret site >north of Seamist, and who is not for the weakhearted. > >Plan on very cold water in April, but good viz. > >esg Cold as in "drysuit" or "7mm" or something lighter? :-) ____________________________________________ Regards, Arnold >>I dive mostly with Larry Pearce on the Manta, who docks at a secret site >>north of Seamist, and who is not for the weakhearted. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Cold as in "drysuit" or "7mm" or something lighter? :-) A lot of the locals will be in drysuits. The truly brave will be in 7mm plus body warmers and hooded vests. Curtis will be in a bathing suit. I'll be home drinking hot buttered rum. esg > A lot of the locals will be in drysuits. The truly brave will be in 7mm > plus body warmers and hooded vests. Curtis will be in a bathing suit. I'll > be home drinking hot buttered rum. and I may have to join you afterwards for some hot buttered rum....... > A lot of the locals will be in drysuits. The truly brave will be in 7mm > plus body warmers and hooded vests. Curtis will be in a bathing suit. > I'll be home drinking hot buttered rum. I've been perfectly comfortable in a 5mm there in April, even on longer dives. I guess only diving in really warm water is what keeps you so handsome. El Stroko Guapo <omgray@earthlink.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :The better diving is to the south, on the Boynton Reefs, and the dive :boats are much better and operate quite differently: the Palm beach :operations are geared to tourists, the Boynton operators are geared to :locals. So a tourist would be better off in WPB? Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > El Stroko Guapo <omgray@earthlink.net> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > So a tourist would be better off in WPB? If you like diving in large groups with a guide to hold yer hand and find something interesting on dull reefs, yes. esg > > El Stroko Guapo <omg...@earthlink.net> pounded away at his keyboard > > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > esg They make you stay with the group and the guide? > El Stroko Guapo <omgray@earthlink.net> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > So a tourist would be better off in WPB? If you like diving with tourists, sure. Or don't know the difference. > Dan Bracuk > Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Newsgroups > ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =---  Signature-- Popeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: : If you like diving with tourists, sure. : : Or don't know the difference. I am almost always a tourist when I dive as are most of the other people on the boat. Quite clearly I don't know any better so here is everyone's opportunity to tell me why it's so bad. When someone says a dive op caters to tourists, the first thing I think of is that they provide tanks and weights. For me, that's a positive. As far as diving with tourists, I see a bunch of people enjoying their vacation. Those are the type of people who are fun to be around. What's the other type again and why is it better? Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> > pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > think of is that they provide tanks and weights. For me, that's a > positive. I don't personally know of a dive op that doesn't. But then you're always a positive guy. :-) > As far as diving with tourists, I see a bunch of people enjoying their > vacation. Those are the type of people who are fun to be around. There again, I don't know any avid diver that -has- to be on vacation to enjoy diving. They seem to be fun to dive around as well. > What's the other type again A boat that caters to local regulars. > and why is it better? Because they tend to do more advanced dives, and accomodate hunters and DPVs. They tend not to require hand holding. And because customers are frequent repeats, they tend not to hurry you in and out of the water. Signature-- Popeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com On Sep 1, 9:49 am, "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Pop...@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote: > Because they tend to do more advanced dives, and accomodate hunters and > DPVs. That's a strike against them, as far as the hunter accommodation goes. It's tough enough watching out for killer sharks and eels, now I have to watch out for bad shots as well? On Sep 1, 9:49 am, "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Pop...@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote: > Because they tend to do more advanced dives, and accomodate hunters and > DPVs. That's a strike against them, as far as the hunter accommodation goes. It's tough enough watching out for killer sharks and eels, now I have to watch out for bad shots as well? Hey. there's always the tourist boats. Ain't life grand? Signature-- Popeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com On Sep 1, 12:35 pm, "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Pop...@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote: > On Sep 1, 9:49 am, "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Ain't life grand? There's a great accommodation for people like me. Spearfishing is banned on more and more boats. Take Splashdown for instance. > On Sep 1, 12:35 pm, "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" > <Pop...@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > There's a great accommodation for people like me. Spearfishing is > banned on more and more boats. Take Splashdown for instance. No, she allows hunting. The ban cost her too much business from locals and the tourists don't tip. esg > > There's a great accommodation for people like me. Spearfishing is > > banned on more and more boats. Take Splashdown for instance. > > No, she allows hunting. The ban cost her too much business from locals > and the tourists don't tip. Just quoting her website. Apparently it needs updating. Are you still expected to tip if you get shot in the a.s by an errant spearo? >>>There's a great accommodation for people like me. Spearfishing is >>>banned on more and more boats. Take Splashdown for instance. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Just quoting her website. Apparently it needs updating. Once again, don't believe everything ya see on the internet. > Are you still expected to tip if you get shot in the a.s by an errant > spearo? The tourists don't tip. The locals know how to avoid hunters. esg >> Are you still expected to tip if you get shot in the a.s by an errant >> spearo? > The tourists don't tip. > The locals know how to avoid hunters. Truth be known, he's probably more afraid of a "good" shot. > >> Are you still expected to tip if you get shot in the a.s by an errant > >> spearo? > > The tourists don't tip. > > The locals know how to avoid hunters. > > Truth be known, he's probably more afraid of a "good" shot. Stay in your hole, lake boy. For someone who purportedly has me in a killfile, you sure hang on my every word. >>>>Are you still expected to tip if you get shot in the a.s by an errant >>>>spearo? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Stay in your hole, lake boy. For someone who purportedly has me in a > killfile, you sure hang on my every word. But ya gotta admit, it was a first class response. > >>>>Are you still expected to tip if you get shot in the a.s by an errant > >>>>spearo? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > But ya gotta admit, it was a first class response. I'd give it 4 out 5 stars. Not bad for a brick breaker. > But ya gotta admit, it was a first class response. I plead the Fifth on that one. ;-) >> Stay in your hole, lake boy. For someone who purportedly has me in a >> killfile, you sure hang on my every word. Naw, you hang yourself on my every post. Within minutes. You exist only through others to me, and barely at that. Think your only purpose in life is to degrade and insult good people. BTW, J.H. could probably do major damage to your lake fixation. You still cannot figure out what a "training dive" is, nor how to enjoy one, much less appreciate the value of them. Go back to bragging about your stupid little bought livaboards, I'll read better reports from the non-braggarts in the group. Guys like you are just one reason some choose not to share. Curtis last dive 1 Sept '08 124 FFW max for 101 minutes > >> Stay in your hole, lake boy. For someone who purportedly has me in a > >> killfile, you sure hang on my every word. > > Naw, you hang yourself on my every post. Within minutes. You exist > only through others to me, and barely at that. What's that you say, I own you? > Think your only purpose in life is to degrade and insult good people. Naw, that's way down at purpose #23 or 24, I forget which. And you ain't so good, asswipe. You're a bloated blowhard. Good people don't merit insults and degradations, but bloated blowhards do. > BTW, J.H. could probably do major damage to your lake fixation. You > still cannot figure out what a "training dive" is, nor how to enjoy one, > much less appreciate the value of them. Go back to bragging about your > stupid little bought livaboards, I'll read better reports from the > non-braggarts in the group. Guys like you are just one reason some choose > not to share. Huh? J.H. what? Training what? Hint: When you refer to my liveaboard trips as "stupid little bought livaboards [sic]", it demonstrates you reek of jealousy. Why don't you say the same about Lee's stupid little bought livaboards [sic]? In any case, my next two trips aren't livaboards [sic]. Surely you know that Bonaire is an island, not a boat? Same with Cozumel. So now you have no reason to be jealous. Find some interesting lake grass to watch, maybe you'll spot a minnow eventually. Enjoy! > last dive 1 Sept '08 > 124 FFW max for 101 minutes Big deal, braggart. Greg Mossman <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in news:209bbd1d-cab0-4050-9ab2- 1aa3f63f60dc@t1g2000pra.googlegroups.com: > In any case, my next two trips aren't livaboards [sic]. Surely you > know that Bonaire is an island, not a boat? Same with Cozumel. So > now you have no reason to be jealous. Find some interesting lake > grass to watch, maybe you'll spot a minnow eventually. Enjoy! You forget that in Florida, you have the chance of seeing various types of aquatic animals in fresh water that you don't usually get to see while diving in the ocean... Like gators... Last time I was at Blue Springs, we had to go past some gators to get to the spring head... OK, they were small gators, only about 4 ft at most, but they had to come from bigger gators, right? I'm not worried about the 4 ft gator that I *can* see... I'm woried about the 12 ft gator that I *cannot* see... SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. >> BTW, J.H. could probably do major damage to your lake fixation. You >> still cannot figure out what a "training dive" is, nor how to enjoy one, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Huh? J.H. what? Training what? Curtis must be referring to the live aboard I did 2 weeks ago to Isle Royale which, of course, is in Lake Superior. We had 39 degree bottom temps and current on nearly every dive. In fact, when we dove the stern of the Emperor (http://www.superiortrips.com/Isle_Royale_Shipwrecks.htm), we were fighting a 3 knot current. I volunteered to run a second line from the stern of the boat to the ball because 2 of the divers couldn't swim to it on the first dive and another had to be grabbed by her hubby/buddy in order to grab the line. Now I'm in pretty good shape but in my drysuit with double LP95 and an AL40 O2 Stage bottle, I could hardly get my breath after running the line out there, slipping it through the eyelet on top of the ball and then running it back to the mate. After pulling myself back out to the ball, it took almost 5 minutes for me to catch my breath. Then, we had current even down at 140 feet. It wasn't as bad as up at the surface, but there was a current nevertheless. In fact, when I did my gas switch at 20 feet, I had to kick back to the line in the second or two it took me to wrap the second stage hose around my neck. BTW Dan, I saw that strain of lake trout with the red coloration that you only find around Isle Royale. Oh, then, Saturday morning, we were going to do another couple dips on the Emporer but the weather report called for worsening conditions so with a due haste, we pushed off out of Tobin Harbor and made for Windigo, which is about a 45 mile ride (http://www.isle.royale.national-park.com/map.htm) around the north side of the island. Well, our 6-8 foot seas had increased to 10-12 foot seas about the last 10 miles of our trip with every 11th or 12th wave 16-18 feet. Today's trivia question: What is the largest island on the largest lake on the largest island on the largest lake (surface area) in the world? >>Huh? J.H. what? Training what? > Curtis must be referring to the live aboard I did 2 weeks ago to Isle > Royale which, of course, is in Lake Superior. Yeah, figure while mossman is fixated on lake dives, you could try to enlighten him. Of course, we do have some warm, crystal clear lakes in Florida also, but why bother trying to educate mossy? > We had 39 degree bottom > temps and current on nearly every dive. In fact, when we dove the [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > lake on the largest island on the largest lake (surface area) in the > world? Nice report. Just have to figure out if my next lake dive, the first of this century for me, is Superior or Jocassee. We'll talk. Curtis > "John Hanson" wrote > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Yeah, figure while mossman is fixated on lake dives, you could try to > enlighten him. I was fixated on your lake dive Curtis, the one where you spent 300 minutes doing nothing. I can understand why Hanson dives deep wrecks. The Great Lakes are just about the same as oceans as far as diving is concerned. They're no more like your warm clear Florida lake than the Pacific is like your warm clear Florida lake. > Of course, we do have some warm, crystal clear lakes in Florida also, > but why bother trying to educate mossy? Huh? You're the one confusing your warm clear Florida lakes with the Great Lakes. Perhaps you're the one who needs the education, Lake Boy. > Just have to figure out if my next lake dive, the first of this century > for me, is Superior or Jocassee. We'll talk. Yeah, right. You dive in 39-degrees when the coldest you've experienced is about 70? Keep talking, talker, you talk very well. Real divers like me and JH actually dive the dives we talk about. Enjoy your lake while I'm sitting here in Bonaire suffering through 84- degrees of real ocean. John Hanson <jhanson@northernlinks.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: : We had 39 degree bottom :temps and current on nearly every dive. In fact, when we dove the :stern of the Emperor :(http://www.superiortrips.com/Isle_Royale_Shipwrecks.htm), we were [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] :gas switch at 20 feet, I had to kick back to the line in the second or :two it took me to wrap the second stage hose around my neck. And you paid money to do this? Well, whatever floats your boat. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- >John Hanson <jhanson@northernlinks.com> pounded away at his keyboard >resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >And you paid money to do this? Well, whatever floats your boat. Paid good money too! The Emporer is now my favorite wreck. It's hard to describe the feeling as the wreck emerges out of the greenish glow. It's just so damned enormous. I went into aft steering on her and there lies a plaque in honor of the 12 men who died on her. It was very moving. There is even a spot closer to the bow (you pretty much have to drop on the bow ball for this dive) where you can swim completely under the ship and go from starboard to port (the logical way to navigate her). It's only about a 75 foot swim passed where she's split in two. Anyhoo, next year I'll be doing the Kamloops. That ship is the whole reason I got into diving, for the most part anyway. She sits in 255 feet of water. Many of her lost souls are still on her so I think it's going to be quite a somber experience. Did you catch the part about the fishies? John Hanson <jhanson@northernlinks.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Did you catch the part about the fishies? Of course I did. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- >John Hanson <jhanson@northernlinks.com> pounded away at his keyboard >resulting in: > >:Did you catch the part about the fishies? > >Of course I did. What about the part about the ghost in the crew quarters and my dive buddy free flowing when we got there and my computer bouncing down to 33 degrees F? That was on the first dive on the stern. John Hanson <jhanson@northernlinks.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :What about the part about the ghost in the crew quarters and my dive :buddy free flowing when we got there and my computer bouncing down to :33 degrees F? That was on the first dive on the stern. I missed that part. Did you get a ghost writer to post it for you? Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- >John Hanson <jhanson@northernlinks.com> pounded away at his keyboard >resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >I missed that part. Did you get a ghost writer to post it for you? I did but that was supposed to be a secret. > Paid good money too! The Emporer is now my favorite wreck. It's hard > to describe the feeling as the wreck emerges out of the greenish glow. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > way to navigate her). It's only about a 75 foot swim passed where > she's split in two. John - how far in advance did you book your trip. what was the cost. >> Paid good money too! The Emporer is now my favorite wreck. It's hard >> to describe the feeling as the wreck emerges out of the greenish glow. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >John - how far in advance did you book your trip. what was the cost. The dive shop I used booked it in March but typically it's a year. There are only 4 charters that run dive trips to Isle Royale. It cost me $800 for 4 days/11 dives and the boat takes 6 divers. We only got 8 dives in though. This was a recreational trip. The tech trips cost $1000 and are 4 days/8 dives and will only take 4 divers. That was through Black Dog (http://www.mn-blackdogdiving.com/). Ken Merryman (http://www.superiortrips.com/) also runs a service. I think with all of them, you pretty much have to book through a LDS. > On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 08:47:41 -0700 (PDT), step...@stephenweir.com wrote > in rec.scuba: [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > (http://www.superiortrips.com/) also runs a service. I think with all > of them, you pretty much have to book through a LDS. Well that leaves Curtis out for sure. He doesn't do dives you have to pay for; in fact, I'm surprised he's not mocking you right now. > Well that leaves Curtis out for sure. He doesn't do dives you have to > pay for; in fact, I'm surprised he's not mocking you right now. Bullshit... We dove Blue Springs and we definitely had to pay to get in the park... Same with Paradise Springs... Hmmm... Same with the SG dive... SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. >> Well that leaves Curtis out for sure. He doesn't do dives you have to >> pay for; in fact, I'm surprised he's not mocking you right now. > > Bullshit... We dove Blue Springs and we definitely had to pay to get in > the > park... Same with Paradise Springs... Hmmm... Same with the SG dive... So is Greg just wrong, or is he lying? Dennis On Sep 8, 4:10 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> wrote: > >news:2a56bf6a-d5bc-4f32-992a-ad01c9038741@79g2000hsk.googlegroups.com: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > So is Greg just wrong, or is he lying? How far is your head up Curtis's a.s, BTW? Can you tell what he had for dinner? Ask Curtis if I'm wrong since he's the one who dismisses my dives as "bought". Maybe he does "bought" dives too, but then that would indicate a form of self-loathing because he'd have to mock himself or else be branded a hypocrite. So which is it Dennis, maybe he can hear you from your head in his gut: Is Curtis a lying hypocrite or merely a confused self-loather? Or could he be both? Let me know what you find out. My head isn'tup anyone's "a.s". So were you wrong when you said Curtis doesn't pay for his dives, or just lying? Dennis On Sep 8, 4:10 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> wrote: > "Grumman-581" <grumman581+usenet-2...@gmail.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > So is Greg just wrong, or is he lying? How far is your head up Curtis's a.s, BTW? Can you tell what he had for dinner? Ask Curtis if I'm wrong since he's the one who dismisses my dives as "bought". Maybe he does "bought" dives too, but then that would indicate a form of self-loathing because he'd have to mock himself or else be branded a hypocrite. So which is it Dennis, maybe he can hear you from your head in his gut: Is Curtis a lying hypocrite or merely a confused self-loather? Or could he be both? Let me know what you find out. "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkmail@ever.invalid> wrote in news:e3cf0$48c5078a $4c49ae41$1519@KNOLOGY.NET: > So is Greg just wrong, or is he lying? Early onset of Alzheimer's? SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. >> Paid good money too! The Emporer is now my favorite wreck. It's hard >> to describe the feeling as the wreck emerges out of the greenish glow. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >John - how far in advance did you book your trip. what was the cost. And if you go with Blackdog, plan on gaining about 10 pounds. You will NOT go hungry! > And you paid money to do this? Well, whatever floats your boat. Yeah, you would think that it would be a lot cheaper to just go get a couple of bags of ice, fill up his bathtub and sit it it... Obviously the only reason that someone would dive in water that cold was because they liked the feeling of having those two lumps that quickly migrated all the way up to their throat... 39F? f.ck, that's *cold*... SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. >> And you paid money to do this? Well, whatever floats your boat. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >39F? f.ck, that's *cold*... It wasn't bad at all and in fact, once you get above the thermocline, it's actually too hot. Fortunately the air temps were in the mid 70s at the most so it wasn't too unbearable to suit up in the underwear and drysuit. It sure felt good to splash in. Heck, the water temps at the surface were in the mid to upper 60s. > It wasn't bad at all and in fact, once you get above the thermocline, > it's actually too hot. Fortunately the air temps were in the mid 70s > at the most so it wasn't too unbearable to suit up in the underwear > and drysuit. It sure felt good to splash in. Heck, the water temps > at the surface were in the mid to upper 60s. Mid to upper 60s around here is considered cold water diving... SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. >> But ya gotta admit, it was a first class response. > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > non-braggarts in the group. Guys like you are just one reason some choose > not to share. I dive quarries fairly frequently as they're my closest diveable bodies of water. I've met fellow divers here who don't care to do so - personally I think it's good practice. That way, you're ready for game day. Dennis >>> But ya gotta admit, it was a first class response. >> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Dennis I agree with you. My dive skills, short of advanced tech, are as good as anybody's here, and I learned a significant amount of it in quarries and mountain rivers. SignaturePopeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com >>>> But ya gotta admit, it was a first class response. >>> [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > I agree with you. Thanks! > My dive skills, short of advanced tech, are as good as anybody's here, > and I agree with that. > I learned a significant amount of it in quarries and mountain rivers. Well if that's where the water is.....:-) Dennis > I dive quarries fairly frequently as they're my closest diveable bodies of > water. > I've met fellow divers here who don't care to do so - personally I think > it's good practice. To clarify, when I said "here" I was referring to my locale- not the newsgroup Dennis >> BTW, J.H. could probably do major damage to your lake fixation. You >> still cannot figure out what a "training dive" is, nor how to enjoy one, >> much less appreciate the value of them. Go back to bragging about your >> stupid little bought livaboards, I'll read better reports from the >> non-braggarts in the group. Guys like you are just one reason some >> choose not to share. > I dive quarries fairly frequently as they're my closest diveable bodies of > water. > I've met fellow divers here who don't care to do so - personally I think > it's good practice. > That way, you're ready for game day. The lake comment refers to the Great Lakes, obviously an area to ignore because it is boring to mossman, the ultimate connoisseur of lazy, pampered diving. He's free to a lousy home, no longer wish to own him, he needs housebreaking. We still need to have a quarry get-together. Curtis >>> BTW, J.H. could probably do major damage to your lake fixation. You >>> still cannot figure out what a "training dive" is, nor how to enjoy one, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >> it's good practice. >> That way, you're ready for game day. <snip> > We still need to have a quarry get-together. C'mon up. Our local quarry (with the space stuff) is open again - at least for a little while. Dennis > "Dennis (Icarus)" wrote > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > diving. He's free to a lousy home, no longer wish to own him, he needs > housebreaking. No, you don't dive the Great Lakes, you dive some shitty little lake in Florida. I wouldn't be bored diving the Great Lakes, nor would I complain about you being such an idiot if you too dove the Great Lakes. Instead, you don't dive the Great Lakes. You dive some weak POS lake and that's why I mock you. > The tourists don't tip. Probably because they keep getting shot in the a.s. I tipped on Splashdown. I didn't tip the Silent World ijit who forgot the water refill and kept us to an inflexible time schedule even though we "owned" the boat. Was I supposed to tip him? > The locals know how to avoid hunters. How is that? I've never figured out to avoid them on local boats out here, except by staying out of the water. (Although I've seen enough near accidents on deck to know that option isn't entirely safe either). Your viz in Boynton ain't much better than ours out here. Do you wear a blinking light on your head or something? >>The tourists don't tip. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > either). Your viz in Boynton ain't much better than ours out here. > Do you wear a blinking light on your head or something? Skills development. > >>The tourists don't tip. > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Skills development. Sounds like something those DIR nutters do, practicing their helicopter turns and S-drills while the rest of us are busy looking at the fish. Me, I dive to look at the fish. I don't need no stinkin' skills. >> The tourists don't tip. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > either). Your viz in Boynton ain't much better than ours out here. > Do you wear a blinking light on your head or something? my right knee clinks oh sorry you said blink > >> The tourists don't tip. > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > oh sorry you said blink- Your right knee sticks out of your head? Explains a lot. On Sep 1, 3:59 pm, El Stroko Guapo <omg...@earthlink.net> wrote: > The tourists don't tip. Probably because they keep getting shot in the a.s. I tipped on Splashdown. I didn't tip the Silent World ijit who forgot the water refill and kept us to an inflexible time schedule even though we "owned" the boat. Was I supposed to tip him? Silent World is a tourist boat. Nice to see you get it. Signature-- Popeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com > I didn't tip the Silent World ijit who forgot the water > refill and kept us to an inflexible time schedule even though we > "owned" the boat. No they didn't. You kept to an inflexible schedule. The rest of us dove as we chose. > > I didn't tip the Silent World ijit who forgot the water > > refill and kept us to an inflexible time schedule even though we > > "owned" the boat. > > No they didn't. You kept to an inflexible schedule. The rest of us dove as > we chose. Bullshit. Our surface interval was severely limited for back-to-back deep dives. We were told we had better get in to start our second dive or we wouldn't have time to complete it. The only way you dove as you chose was to ascend well away from the boat, downcurrent, requiring a rescue. If the captain says "be back on the boat at X time" then I'm back on the boat at X time because I don't want to have to swim home. It's also a matter of common courtesy to your fellow divers who respect the captain's wishes and are back on the boat waiting for those who can't follow the briefing and the captain's directions to ascend and/or get rescued. My job is to obey the captain when I'm on his boat, then ream him good when I later review his performance. >>>I didn't tip the Silent World ijit who forgot the water >>>refill and kept us to an inflexible time schedule even though we [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > captain when I'm on his boat, then ream him good when I later review > his performance. The boat ran a tourist trip for a group that was, for the most part, highly experienced. The boat was aware of the fact that we were looking for a trip tuned to our experience, and neither delivered nor informed us that the schedule would be a tourist schedule. But that's always a danger in the Keys. I was unhappy, but not real surprized. esg >>>>I didn't tip the Silent World ijit who forgot the water >>>>refill and kept us to an inflexible time schedule even though we [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >>>as >>>we chose. >> Bullshit. Our surface interval was severely limited for back-to-back >> deep dives. I thought we were talking diving, not sitting. They did dictate when we got in the water the first time, but did not dictate to me, when we got out. They did not specify a surface interval, they specified the start time for the second dive. The amount of interval depended on when you got out of the first dive. I did both by my schedule. Sorry you didn't enjoy yours, but it was your choice to let them set the standards for you. >> We were told we had better get in to start our second >> dive or we wouldn't have time to complete it. A hollow threat at best. What were they going to do, leave us? >> The only way you dove as you chose was to ascend well away from the boat, >> downcurrent, >> requiring a rescue. Were you taking halucinatory drugs that day? >> If the captain says "be back on the boat at X >> time" then I'm back on the boat at X time . . . We know. Like I said, you chose to allow yourself to be limited. Others chose otherwise. >> . . . because I don't want to have to swim home. I didn't see anybody swimming. More of your halucinations? > The boat ran a tourist trip for a group that was, for the most part, > highly experienced. The boat was aware of the fact that we were looking > for a trip tuned to our experience, and neither delivered nor informed us > that the schedule would be a tourist schedule. It wasn't . . . except for you. > But that's always a danger in the Keys. That, unfortunately, is true. It's also why so few of us locals bother to make the trip except when accomodating tourists visting from other places. Lee > I thought we were talking diving, not sitting. They did dictate when we got > in the water the first time, but did not dictate to me, when we got out. > They did not specify a surface interval, they specified the start time for > the second dive. The amount of interval depended on when you got out of the > first dive. I did both by my schedule. Sorry you didn't enjoy yours, but > it was your choice to let them set the standards for you. "they specified the start time for the second dive" No, they specified the return time for the second dive. Perhaps that's why you're so confused. Obviously you were confused that day from where you popped up. > A hollow threat at best. What were they going to do, leave us? Why not? > Were you taking halucinatory drugs that day? Are you now denying that you had to be picked up by the boat when you surfaced downcurrent? I definitely don't remember you swimming back to the boat. > We know. Like I said, you chose to allow yourself to be limited. Others > chose otherwise. I guess some people obviously have a problem with authority. If a cop tries to arrest me, I'm going to let him. You'll argue your second amendment rights and draw your gun on him. If a boat captain tells me to be back on the boat at a certain time, I'll be back on the boat. If the captain decides to leave at that time, I'll be on the boat. It's always better to be on the boat than off the boat when the boat is headed back to land. > I didn't see anybody swimming. More of your halucinations? No, you had to get picked up. The current was too strong for you to swim against. Fortunately the rest of us were already on the boat, so you could get picked up in a timely manner. Lucky for you. > > The boat ran a tourist trip for a group that was, for the most part, > > highly experienced. The boat was aware of the fact that we were looking > > for a trip tuned to our experience, and neither delivered nor informed us > > that the schedule would be a tourist schedule. > > It wasn't . . . except for you. You're talking to Mike. Hasn't your confusion gone away by now? > > But that's always a danger in the Keys. > > That, unfortunately, is true. It's also why so few of us locals bother to > make the trip except when accomodating tourists visting from other places. You have Spiegel Groves off Ft. Lauderdale? "Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :>> If the captain says "be back on the boat at X :>> time" then I'm back on the boat at X time . . . : :We know. Like I said, you chose to allow yourself to be limited. Others :chose otherwise. I'm with Greg on this one. If you are on a dive cruise that is known to be fixed duration, and you stay longer, you are being rude to someone. It could be the divers waiting to go on the afternoon dive, or it could be the crew who now have to work longer than expected. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > I'm with Greg on this one. If you are on a dive cruise that is known > to be fixed duration, and you stay longer, you are being rude to > someone. It's my money. > It could be the divers waiting to go on the afternoon dive, > or it could be the crew who now have to work longer than expected. It's till my money. If the crew thinks I'm being rude, they're free to decline my tips. If other divers think I'm being rude, they're welcome to pay for my dives. We owned that boat. We filled it beyond what the operator would normally expect to get and most of us tipped generously. Nobody related to the operation had any complaint at all. Greg didn't tip at all. Want to bet which one of us is more likely to be welcome back? Lee > > I'm with Greg on this one. If you are on a dive cruise that is known > > to be fixed duration, and you stay longer, you are being rude to [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Greg didn't tip at all. Want to bet which one of us is more likely to be > welcome back? Why would I care about being welcomed back by a lousy operation intent more upon making a tight time schedule than providing safe dives and water, especially when there's plenty of worthy competition? Heck, why would I care about being welcomed back anywhere in the Keys or even Florida for that matter when there's so much better diving just a little bit further away in the Caribbean? But that's a different issue altogether. (Still, I doubt I'd get any less "welcome" than you if I called to reserve future dives - the guy on the phone just cares about getting my credit card number) Your tips are your business. For me, if a dive operation wants to rip me off by cutting my paid dives short and forgetting the water, it's hard to dig even deeper in my pockets for a big tip. The captain, who was in so much of a hurry, was half the crew IIRC. I forgot what the other guy was there for. Did he do anything? Normally, when I dive as a tourist, I tip dive ops that provide a good dive experience, not merely motor out to a site and back on a time schedule like any bus or train, but actually do something to merit it. Almost every dive op I dive with does at least something to merit it, since, after all, my standards aren't too high. Maybe all this captain had to do to make up for cutting the dive short was to hand me a cup of water, but oops, he forgot to refill the water. I carried my tanks to and from the boat, I set up my own gear, and apparently I even should have brought my own water. All the crew did was drive and moor and I felt we were shortchanged, most likely because the captain had a date. You tipped him a lot, so he could afford to buy the movie tickets and maybe even some popcorn. Good for you. It's nice to know there are still a lot of suckers around that reward poor service, in case I ever decide to buy a dive boat and set up shop in the Keys. I can sit on my a.s getting a tan while you do all the work, then you reward me handsomely. Maybe I'll even have you fetch the mooring line and drive the boat if I'm really feeling lazy. I'll take a nap. Just leave the tip in the jar on your way off the boat and try not to wake me up, thanks. You're welcome back anytime. > The boat ran a tourist trip for a group that was, for the most part, > highly experienced. The boat was aware of the fact that we were looking [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > But that's always a danger in the Keys. I was unhappy, but not real > surprized. They half delivered. They did do give us two back-to-back dives on the Spiegel Grove, which I understand differs from the normal tourist experience. What they failed to do was vary in any way from their normal 2-tank 30-foot reef dive schedule. Maybe the captain was ordered by the shop to return to the dock by such-and-such time. Maybe he had flexibility, but had to get back by a certain because he had a second job to go to or a hot date. Whatever the case, it sure was rushed. Personally, I was OK with the bottom time since I had already done two dives earlier in the day. The fact that the idjit forgot to refill the water cooler bugged me the most. Are tourists supposed to bring their own water coolers on the plane with them? In any case, regardless of anyone's definition, what I look for in a "tourist" boat is a boat that allows for the sort of diving that locals and experienced tourists like to do, yet with nice tourist amenities like liquid refreshment (ice water at a bare minimum) and snacks, a knowledgeable and hopefully friendly crew that knows the sites and local fauna in case I need a briefing or information, and tanks and weights if I need them as well. I would classify Splashdown as a better tourist boat than Silent World's tub. Tourists shouldn't be expected to bring their own snacks and liquids and Splashdown complied very well in that area, plus met/exceeded all my other standards. Silent World seemed more like a do-it-yourself local operation, where a bunch of guys would get together and charter a boat for the day and bring their own cooler of drinks, food, tanks, air, etc. Far more bare-bones than Splashdown. What kind of tourist wants that, unless he's the kind of tourist that camps on the beach and catches his own fish? > No, she allows hunting. The ban cost her too much business from locals > and the tourists don't tip. I just called her to book a trip and she told me to leave the speargun at home. What's going on? Apparently the website was correct. I told her to forget about it since I only like diving off boats where I have a chance of getting shot in the a.s. Much more thrilling that way. > I just called her to book a trip and she told me to leave the speargun > at home. What's going on? Apparently the website was correct. I > told her to forget about it since I only like diving off boats where I > have a chance of getting shot in the a.s. Much more thrilling that > way. Caller ID works great... She saw that you were from California and realized that you were not to be trusted with a speargun... On the other hand, she was more than willing to let you be a target... SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. On Sep 4, 1:33 pm, "Grumman-581" <grumman581+usenet-2...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I just called her to book a trip and she told me to leave the speargun > > at home. What's going on? Apparently the website was correct. I [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > that you were not to be trusted with a speargun... On the other hand, she > was more than willing to let you be a target... You might not want to tell Jay Riffe that Californias can't be trusted with spearguns. "JAY RIFFE was ten years old when he started spearfishing off the Southern California Coast with a hand spear. At age fifteen he was spearfishing competitively, and by age twenty-two became the Pacific Coast Champion. Jay then placed in the Nationals, landing a spot on the World Spearfishing Team. Later, he set three World Records... all with his own handcrafted spearguns." http://www.speargun.com/history.htm RIFFE INTERNATIONAL, INC. 1214 Puerta Del Sol - San Clemente, California 92673 USA >> I just called her to book a trip and she told me to leave the speargun >> at home. What's going on? Apparently the website was correct. I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > that you were not to be trusted with a speargun... On the other hand, she > was more than willing to let you be a target... Or he's lying again. This is the first time I've heard of Greg suggesting he spearfishes. >> No, she allows hunting. The ban cost her too much business from locals >> and the tourists don't tip. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > have a chance of getting shot in the a.s. Much more thrilling that > way. or bitten by a moray ore surviving a tsunami or.... > >> No, she allows hunting. The ban cost her too much business from locals > >> and the tourists don't tip. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > or bitten by a moray ore surviving a tsunami or.... Tsunamis only attack when provoked, unlike spearfishers. "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: : Because they tend to do more advanced dives, and accomodate hunters and :DPVs. I'll stick to the tourist dive ops then. I like sissy diving. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> > pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > I'll stick to the tourist dive ops then. I like sissy diving. I've been wreck diving with you. I didn't think you were a sissy. Signature-- Popeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: : I've been wreck diving with you. : : I didn't think you were a sissy. That's because the remora didn't try to swim up my shorts. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > I am almost always a tourist when I dive as are most of the other > people on the boat. Quite clearly I don't know any better so here is > everyone's opportunity to tell me why it's so bad. Remember the pontoon boat trip to Looe Key? "Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Remember the pontoon boat trip to Looe Key? Yes I do. It's one of three dive ops I have dove Looe Key with. It appeared that all three catered to tourists. Of course one of them (the Jim Wyatt one) is no longer in business. The Pennekamp Park dive shop has one of those boats also. They're great when they're less than 2/3 full. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- Lee Bell pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: > :Remember the pontoon boat trip to Looe Key? > Yes I do. I knew you would. It typified all that's wrong with tourist oriented boats. Overcrowding, underserving, overcharging, underknowledgeable. I'm not sure you were around when I went to have my tank refilled, as the ship agreed to do rather than offer a discount to those that brought their own tanks. They fill tech tried to put an A clamp whip on my DIN valve without an adapter. Needless to say, it didn't work. Even more needless to say, I didn't give him a second chance. I took it to Halls, where somebody that knew what they were doing topped it off for free. One big point for Halls. Jim's shot was anything but a tourist operation. Many of us made a point of going out with him even when doing typical tourist type dives. Among other things, he was quite willing to let everyone dive as long as their air an deco status would allow. Still, the best way to dive Looe Key is to rent a boat locally. For about what it would cost you and your wife to do one two tank trip on resort boat, you could spend the day diving Looe Key and any other sites in the same general area. > The Pennekamp Park dive shop has one of those boats also. They're > great when they're less than 2/3 full. As long as you stay shallow and the seas stay calm. Charging more than everybody else in town, not giving a discount for people that brought their own equipment and charging for boiled hot dogs and bottled water are hardly things that will get my recommendation. Lee > Lee Bell pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I knew you would. It typified all that's wrong with tourist oriented boats. > Overcrowding, underserving, overcharging, underknowledgeable. and crawling with tourists. esg >> I knew you would. It typified all that's wrong with tourist oriented >> boats. Overcrowding, underserving, overcharging, underknowledgeable. > > and crawling with tourists. Actually, we met a rather nice couple on the boat and, of course, several people from this group. They were from up north, but unlike most, went back up north after giving the local economy some help. "Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :As long as you stay shallow and the seas stay calm. Charging more than :everybody else in town, not giving a discount for people that brought their :own equipment and charging for boiled hot dogs and bottled water are hardly :things that will get my recommendation. Pennekamp Park charged less than everyone else and had a separate charge for tanks, so those who brought their own would get a discount. They also tell you right up front that they only go to the shallow sites, so there is no excuse for not knowing in advance. By the way, Quiesssence also goes only to the shallow sites. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > By the way, Quiesssence also goes only to the shallow sites. Your experience differs significantly from mine. Quiessence is often recommended specifically because they cater to their customer's preferences, quite often, their local customers. Lee >> By the way, Quiesssence also goes only to the shallow sites. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Lee The Bibb and the Duane aren't shallow. Signature-- Popeye "If one does as God does enough times, one will become as God is." -Dr. Hannibal Lector. www.finalprotectivefire.com "Douglas W. \"Popeye\" Frederick" <Popeye@finalprotectivefire.com> wrote in news:LoadnVyvz-RaBiPVnZ2dnUVZ_rPinZ2d@supernews.com: > The Bibb and the Duane aren't shallow. 140 and 130 ft, repectively... I wouldn't call them 'deep'... Good enough for a light narc buzz, but nothing that couldn't be improved by a couple of shots of rum before the dive... Or some argon in your mix... SignatureSee NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email. "Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Your experience differs significantly from mine. Quiessence is often :recommended specifically because they cater to their customer's preferences, :quite often, their local customers. When I visited them in June, I said that I was only interested in shallow dives and they said that's all they do. Dan Bracuk Never use a big word when a diminutive one will do. ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- > "Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > When I visited them in June, I said that I was only interested in > shallow dives and they said that's all they do. Probably a definition thing. I, and at least one other poster, have both told you otherwise. Lee Thanks to all that offered suggestions. It seems my question got the ole debates going. We started off in the Palm Beach area and ended up in Looe Key....lol. One more thing I would like to correct and ask. Correction....April is the Do |
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