Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd

**sfldiver** · 3rd May 2008, 19:44

Saturday morning, a few of us Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s decided to go out with Scubayme in Pompano Beach, Florida and do a couple of dives. In attendence was Tony (Tienuts), Don (Dsix36) and myself of course. The plan was to dive the Wreck of the Captain Dan and a local reef, but as a result of the rough seas, solid 3 to 4 footers with occassional rollers coming through, the plan was changed to the Wreck of the RSB-1.

I wish I could say much about the dives, but my diving for the day ended abruptly when, after approximately 12 minutes underwater, I realized my oxygen SPG was leaking and was already down to 1400 lbs from the 3000 lbs. I started the dive with - needless to say I immediately ascended and called it a day. However, prior to my ascent, I did manage to see very respectable sized Bull Shark off in the distance circling the wreck, but I never got close enough to take a decent picture of it. Fortunately, the S.C.R.U.B.'s have a great 2 to 3 hour drift dive planned for tomorrow afternoon, so I defintely plan to make up for lost time then.

While topside, I kept myself entertained by chatting with the friendly dive crew (Enzo the owner, Captain John and Divemaster extrordinaire Amanda) aboard the boat, and snapping lots of pictures. Consequentely, I felt it appropriate to post a few pictures of the trip for your viewing enjoyment:

**Dsix36** · 3rd May 2008, 20:53

Tony and myself finished the dive just floating around and penetrating in a couple of spots. I was trying to concentrate on trim and bouyancy while being a diligent buddy (not really in my nature, but I am trying). At the end of the dive we unhooked the upline and did a drifting ascent on the line. (I need to work on my ascents too, not very smooth).

After a short SI Tony and myself jumped in for a drift dive on a reef. Tony had the flag and tied it to a rock. He then practiced running line and I followed. At the end of the reel we stopped and did some practice drills and shifted weights around etc. Basicly just trying to get ready for our cave class in June. I was trying to learn how to frog kick. I got some instruction from Tim (Netmage) previously and it really paid off. I still need practice, but at least I can do it now. Thanks Tim!!!!!!

We then returned to the flag and ascended.

I finally had the great privledge to bailout to OC for real. In other words it was not just practicing drills again.

I was finning rather hard to keep up with Tony on the return to the flag and got a little winded. I figured that a nice easy ascent would give me time to catch my breath, but at 20' with my deco obligation cleared, I was still breathing much too hard. I finally bailed out and surfaced.

Thinking back on it, I probably should have bailed sooner.

Naturally I will have to blame all of this on the new fins instead of myself being out of shape!

jkaterenchuk · 3rd May 2008, 22:57

Looks like a Diverite poster AD. Glad you had a good time.

Adrian, not sure if its on your check list but you might want to consider adding it. Presurize the O2 and Dil hoses, note the pressures and turn the tank valves off. Do some of your other checks like pos and neg loop then check pressures again to see if they have dropped and hence a leak. Its a check i have found useful in the past. I know you do not have a Kiss but on that CCR its a good check to see if the MAV is operating properly, not clogged and the 1st stage IP has not changed. I actually time the pressure drop to confirm it is the same as I would expect.

John

Tienuts · 3rd May 2008, 23:18

Actually, Adrian's gauge turned out to be an odd failure - the SPG was working properly, the face and plastic housing had just seemed to come apart, and the face had rotated about 90 degrees clockwise. As a result it looked like it was displaying 1100 PSI when really there was around 2700 in his cylinder. There was a slight dribble of gas from the spool though, so we ended up just replacing the entire gauge.

netmage · 4th May 2008, 00:11

Quote: (Originally Posted by Tienuts)

Actually, Adrian's gauge turned out to be an odd failure - the SPG was working properly, the face and plastic housing had just seemed to come apart, and the face had rotated about 90 degrees clockwise. As a result it looked like it was displaying 1100 PSI when really there was around 2700 in his cylinder. There was a slight dribble of gas from the spool though, so we ended up just replacing the entire gauge.

Nice GQ pose there Tony.... send it off to Lamar for a poster....

**sfldiver** · 4th May 2008, 00:19

Quote: (Originally Posted by jkaterenchuk)

Looks like a Diverite poster AD. Glad you had a good time.

Adrian, not sure if its on your check list but you might want to consider adding it. Presurize the O2 and Dil hoses, note the pressures and turn the tank valves off. Do some of your other checks like pos and neg loop then check pressures again to see if they have dropped and hence a leak. Its a check i have found useful in the past. I know you do not have a Kiss but on that CCR its a good check to see if the MAV is operating properly, not clogged and the 1st stage IP has not changed. I actually time the pressure drop to confirm it is the same as I would expect.

John

Hi John,

I appreciate the advice, however, that is an item currently on my checklist and I did succesfully perform that test when I assembled my equipment on Thursday evening.

As Tony indicated, the problem with my gauge was an unusual one! The guage appeared to be damaged in a way that allowed the face to rotate, so I acutally had much more gas than it appeared I had. Besides the slow leak during the dive, it only became visible when we depressurized the line and noticed the needle went WAY BELOW zero, which is something it did not do prior to the dive - Weird. I replaced the and I'm now good to go for tomorrow afternoon!

Fortunately, I dive often enough, practically every weekend, that a missed dive or two is not that big a deal. I also live approximately 5 minutes drive from Fill/Dive Rite Express, so going there to seek assistance with any problems with my Optima may have is no inconvenience.

I know it may sound silly, but I'm always happy when I have any type of problem underwater and I make it back to the surface! The way I look at it, problems can escalate and compound very quickly with a closed circuit rebreather, so when I have any type of problem, whether I terminate the dive and/or bailout, I'm happy my training taught me to deal with the problem in a safe an timely manner and successfully make it back to the surface!

**sfldiver** · 4th May 2008, 00:24

Quote: (Originally Posted by netmage)

Nice GQ pose there Tony.... send it off to Lamar for a poster....

I was thinking the same thing Tim!!! If I had the ability to put music in the background to accompany that picture, I'd add Madona's Vogue song to it, because the words in the song that state, "Strike a pose," apply so perfectly!

swadiver · 4th May 2008, 01:45

oh my god................. hollywood is calling tony........... the next action hero

Tienuts · 4th May 2008, 03:06

Thank you all for noticing.

You know the second after that shot was taken, I was wondering if I would regret it....

mempilot · 4th May 2008, 03:27

Sorry I missed today, but I spent the morning working on the new Golem BOV setup. I'll be giving it a good test run on tomorrow's dive.

Tim,

What's with the mempilot = optima tag line on your avatar???

Traitor!

3rd May 2008, 20:53	#2 (permalink)
Dsix36 Going Down? Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Deerfield Beach, Florida Posts: 891	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Tony and myself finished the dive just floating around and penetrating in a couple of spots. I was trying to concentrate on trim and bouyancy while being a diligent buddy (not really in my nature, but I am trying). At the end of the dive we unhooked the upline and did a drifting ascent on the line. (I need to work on my ascents too, not very smooth). After a short SI Tony and myself jumped in for a drift dive on a reef. Tony had the flag and tied it to a rock. He then practiced running line and I followed. At the end of the reel we stopped and did some practice drills and shifted weights around etc. Basicly just trying to get ready for our cave class in June. I was trying to learn how to frog kick. I got some instruction from Tim (Netmage) previously and it really paid off. I still need practice, but at least I can do it now. Thanks Tim!!!!!! We then returned to the flag and ascended. I finally had the great privledge to bailout to OC for real. In other words it was not just practicing drills again. I was finning rather hard to keep up with Tony on the return to the flag and got a little winded. I figured that a nice easy ascent would give me time to catch my breath, but at 20' with my deco obligation cleared, I was still breathing much too hard. I finally bailed out and surfaced. Thinking back on it, I probably should have bailed sooner. Naturally I will have to blame all of this on the new fins instead of myself being out of shape! __________________ THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!
(Offline)

3rd May 2008, 22:57	#3 (permalink)
jkaterenchuk . Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Megalodon Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lititz, PA Posts: 652	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Looks like a Diverite poster AD. Glad you had a good time. Adrian, not sure if its on your check list but you might want to consider adding it. Presurize the O2 and Dil hoses, note the pressures and turn the tank valves off. Do some of your other checks like pos and neg loop then check pressures again to see if they have dropped and hence a leak. Its a check i have found useful in the past. I know you do not have a Kiss but on that CCR its a good check to see if the MAV is operating properly, not clogged and the 1st stage IP has not changed. I actually time the pressure drop to confirm it is the same as I would expect. John
(Online)

3rd May 2008, 23:18	#4 (permalink)
Tienuts The man from Nantucket Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Fort Lauderdale Posts: 149	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Actually, Adrian's gauge turned out to be an odd failure - the SPG was working properly, the face and plastic housing had just seemed to come apart, and the face had rotated about 90 degrees clockwise. As a result it looked like it was displaying 1100 PSI when really there was around 2700 in his cylinder. There was a slight dribble of gas from the spool though, so we ended up just replacing the entire gauge.
(Online)

4th May 2008, 00:11	#5 (permalink)
netmage Hello Kitty...... Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coconut Creek, FL Posts: 352	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Quote: (Originally Posted by Tienuts) Actually, Adrian's gauge turned out to be an odd failure - the SPG was working properly, the face and plastic housing had just seemed to come apart, and the face had rotated about 90 degrees clockwise. As a result it looked like it was displaying 1100 PSI when really there was around 2700 in his cylinder. There was a slight dribble of gas from the spool though, so we ended up just replacing the entire gauge. Nice GQ pose there Tony.... send it off to Lamar for a poster....
(Online)

4th May 2008, 00:19	#6 (permalink)
sfldiver Team Optima Diver Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pompano Beach, FL Posts: 664	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Quote: (Originally Posted by jkaterenchuk) Looks like a Diverite poster AD. Glad you had a good time. Adrian, not sure if its on your check list but you might want to consider adding it. Presurize the O2 and Dil hoses, note the pressures and turn the tank valves off. Do some of your other checks like pos and neg loop then check pressures again to see if they have dropped and hence a leak. Its a check i have found useful in the past. I know you do not have a Kiss but on that CCR its a good check to see if the MAV is operating properly, not clogged and the 1st stage IP has not changed. I actually time the pressure drop to confirm it is the same as I would expect. John Hi John, I appreciate the advice, however, that is an item currently on my checklist and I did succesfully perform that test when I assembled my equipment on Thursday evening. As Tony indicated, the problem with my gauge was an unusual one! The guage appeared to be damaged in a way that allowed the face to rotate, so I acutally had much more gas than it appeared I had. Besides the slow leak during the dive, it only became visible when we depressurized the line and noticed the needle went WAY BELOW zero, which is something it did not do prior to the dive - Weird. I replaced the and I'm now good to go for tomorrow afternoon! Fortunately, I dive often enough, practically every weekend, that a missed dive or two is not that big a deal. I also live approximately 5 minutes drive from Fill/Dive Rite Express, so going there to seek assistance with any problems with my Optima may have is no inconvenience. I know it may sound silly, but I'm always happy when I have any type of problem underwater and I make it back to the surface! The way I look at it, problems can escalate and compound very quickly with a closed circuit rebreather, so when I have any type of problem, whether I terminate the dive and/or bailout, I'm happy my training taught me to deal with the problem in a safe an timely manner and successfully make it back to the surface! __________________ *Currently piloting & shooting...* Dive Rite O2ptima FX Rigged w/ a Dsix Custom Aluminum Frame, Nomad Wing, Transpac Harness and VR3 Computer w/ VPM-B/E & a 4th Cell Sensor Link.* Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera *Rigged in a Patima-PDCH 2008 G9 Aluminum Housing w/ an Inon UWL-100 Achromat Wide Conversion Lens, 2 Inon UCL-165M67 Close-Up Lenses and 2 Inon Z-240 Strobes.
(Online)

4th May 2008, 00:24	#7 (permalink)
sfldiver Team Optima Diver Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pompano Beach, FL Posts: 664	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Quote: (Originally Posted by netmage) Nice GQ pose there Tony.... send it off to Lamar for a poster.... I was thinking the same thing Tim!!! If I had the ability to put music in the background to accompany that picture, I'd add Madona's Vogue song to it, because the words in the song that state, "Strike a pose," apply so perfectly! __________________ *Currently piloting & shooting...* Dive Rite O2ptima FX Rigged w/ a Dsix Custom Aluminum Frame, Nomad Wing, Transpac Harness and VR3 Computer w/ VPM-B/E & a 4th Cell Sensor Link.* Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera Rigged in a Patima-PDCH 2008 G9 Aluminum Housing w/ an Inon UWL-100 Achromat Wide Conversion Lens, 2 Inon UCL-165M67 Close-Up Lenses and 2 Inon Z-240 Strobes. Last edited by sfldiver : 4th May 2008 at 00:37.*
(Online)

4th May 2008, 01:45	#8 (permalink)
swadiver New Member Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2006 Location: southeast florida Posts: 75	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd oh my god................. hollywood is calling tony........... the next action hero
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4th May 2008, 03:06	#9 (permalink)
Tienuts The man from Nantucket Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Fort Lauderdale Posts: 149	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Thank you all for noticing. You know the second after that shot was taken, I was wondering if I would regret it....
(Online)

4th May 2008, 03:27	#10 (permalink)
mempilot What is this..terrafirma? Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Megalodon Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,179	Re: Trip Report: Florida S.C.R.U.B.'s Aboard Scubatyme On May 3rd Sorry I missed today, but I spent the morning working on the new Golem BOV setup. I'll be giving it a good test run on tomorrow's dive. Tim, What's with the mempilot = optima tag line on your avatar??? Traitor! __________________ MEM "Da Pilot" Black holes are where God divided by zero. "If at first you don't succeed, don't dive silent." "Would you mind not shooting at the thermo-nuclear weapons." ~ Vic Deakins "Donkey's kill more people annually than plane crashes."
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