oldfatslut asked:

visualization with http://www.nullsoft.com/free/milkdrop/

mhorse15 asked:


I need to know what the gas content of a scuba diving tank is. I found somewhere that is was 78% N2 and 21% O2, but that doesn’t seem right to me. If anyone has any answers I would appreciate it soooo much!!

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

lachicadecafe asked:


It seems that scuba divers are divided on this issue. On one hand, they say (I can’t speak from experience) that it’s necessary to have one in order to do a surface swim in rough waters, or to conserve airwhile surface swimming in calm waters.
On the other hand, I’ve met some instructors who never wear it except when teaching class because they claim that they’ve never used it, apart from certification dives, not even in the conditions described above.
My person feeling is that I hate the thing; it’s uncomfortable, no matter how much I try to adjust it or what type of holder I use to hold to my mask, it whacks me in the head or gets in my way. Plus, the quarries here in the midwest are not exactly rough waters, and if I have to surface swim, I can do it easier by swimming on my back.
So, fellow divers, what’s your take on this?
Thanks!
If you’re not a SCUBA diver, then please don’t respond… you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Thanks, bob, that’s the kind of info I need… from somebody who knows what they’re talking about!

Sarah White asked:


The Republic of Panama, which is more commonly known as simply Panama is the southern most country of Central America. It borders Costa Rica to the west, Columbia to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

One of the most intriguing pieces of Panama and perhaps the most popular, is the world famous “Panama Canal”. The Panama Canal is a passageway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the country of Panama. Panama was chosen for this because it is the narrowest landmass between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is about 50 miles long and during the approximately 80 years that the canal has been in use, over 800,000 ships have taken advantage of it. Nearly 40 ships each and every day are passing through the Canal and the numbers are continuing to rise more and more each year.

Some of the big highlights that Panama has to offer are enchanting wildlife, dazzling rainforests, colorful underwater adventures, and charming white sandy beaches! What better way to enjoy all of these wonderful sites than by taking a charter yacht vacation. These tours give you a great feel for not only the Canal but Panama itself, as well as the many beautiful islands it has to share that are virtually uninhabited.

Cebaco Bay is located on the southern end of Isla Cebaco which is an uninhabited island made up of pristine, white sandy beaches and literally thousands of coconut trees. They offer trilling white water rafting, superb scuba diving, and big game fishing with some of the largest fish in the world. Not only are Panama’s islands well known for its deep sea fishing, but many world records have either been set or broken within these waters!

As always, almost all charter yacht vacation tours around Panama are all-inclusive. This includes all your gourmet meals and fine foods, beverages and open bar, along with your water sports. Scuba gear and state of the art deep sea fishing equipment are also available; if that’s the type of charter yacht you’re looking for. Remember, this may vary slightly from broker to broker so it is always a good idea to do your research first, depending on what activities are the most important to you and your family. The Pacific side of Panama is home to a wealth of tropical islands from the palm tree speckled beaches of the Archipelago of Las Perlas, to the notorious colony located on the pristine island of Coiba! Coiba to this day remains a prison for the country’s most hardened criminals and is comparable to America’s Alcatraz. This adds a bit of island adventure to the trip and is an amazing, historical site to see.

Panama’s islands are home to a wealth of beauty, history, vegetation and wild life. In the past, this destination was primarily used as a stop over and not really considered a destination to visit by travellers. These days, people who are wanting a relaxing and unique vacation experience are starting to realize just what Panama has to offer. So if you are looking for something exotic and fascinating that will give you an unforgettable experience to treasure for a lifetime, then behold the islands of Panama!

Ben Eliott asked:


While you’re preparing for your next warm waters charter, playing with the hand-held GPS and poring over the new cruising guide, spare a thought for the lowly art of snorkeling. Poor mans scuba-diving it is not. Good snorkeling skills can be a life-saver for the skipper and even if you’ve always thought you have the lung capacity of a hamster, with a few techniques at your disposal you can hugely improve your free diving skills.

Good snorkel skills can give manifold benefits: see whether your anchor’s set properly or get it out of a tangle, inspect the underside of your boat while it’s in the water, save precious time if you need to cut off a prop-wrap. You know you’re in business when you come to anchorage and worry more about finding your free-dive depth than trying to calculate what one fifth of your anchor chain is. And besides all that reef snorkeling down to depth is a lot of fun.

So, you’re floating in the water wondering what you’re getting yourself into. Take at least three long deep breaths before you think about diving. I know, not rocket science. Just relax and breathe as far in and out as you can three times, make sure you push the air right out when you breathe out and all the way around when you breathe in; down to the tummy and up to the chest. Be decisive on the breath at which you’ll dive and top yourself right up.

Next step? Bend over and start down for the sea bed. The sooner you can get your fins below the water level the better, since that’ll start to give you real power to get to depth. This is where most people think it’s time to head back to the ozone. Since you’ve taken a lot of breath you almost instantly feel fit to burst. The first and best thing you can do is to avoid the temptation to head straight back up and try something else instead.

The trick? Leek out a little air till that feeling of being fit to burst ceases. It won’t take much, just dribble out a little bit till it goes away. And it will. Suddenly you’ll find yourself floating around wondering why you didn’t come down here earlier. Again, you’ll get that fit to burst feeling. Don’t head top speed for the surface but leek out more air. By this stage you’re considering whether to make a second home down there. Just keep going like that till the air runs out; each time you’ll feel back to normal until finally it’s time to head back up.

Apart from that fit to burst feeling which tells you to leek a little air, while you’re heading south you’ll feel quite a lot of pain in your ears if you don’t start doing something about it. So be ready to hold your nose and blow out through your ears. If you’re heading to depth at any speed you’ll have to do that quite regularly.

An important side note is that since you’re not taking on-board any new air like scuba-divers do you don’t need to worry about pressure when you come back up. Just head straight back to the surface. If you see a scuba diver and feel like a gasp of air then avoid the temptation to grab his spare octopus and take a breathe since you’ll have to stay down there and return to the surface in controlled stages.

While we’re not exactly re-inventing the wheel here and I’ll understand if you won’t join me in lobbying the ASA and RYA to include it in their syllabus, for chartering in warm waters spare a thought for your simple snorkel set. Nestled in beside the hand-held GPS you might just find it’ll come in handy.

J Allen asked:


It was only by chance I discovered this optimum solution for solving the problem of always having to worry about keeping my digital camera protected from both the elements, and too much knocking around.

I’d been wanting a replacement for my dive camera and in the process of researching alternatives, came across this new generation of underwater cameras that work equally well out of the water. Even better is that they’re still compact and lightweight enough to make sense as a replacement for my land use only digital camera.

So what’s the point? Simply that I’ve gotten fed up with digital cameras that can’t take a little sand or water. When do we generally take the most pictures? How about while on excursions to new places or while vacationing or on holiday. Where do we often do these things? Beaches, snow-capped mountains, rivers, hiking trails - the list goes on.

The majority of our photographs are taken in environments where there’s a better than average chance that our camera will get wet, muddy, or banged about. Instead of worrying about splashes or a little rain, and dropping it in everything from sand to snow, wouldn’t it be handy if these technological marvels were just a bit hardier?

Well a handful of dive camera manufacturers have apparently gotten the message because they’ve produced some rugged multi-purpose digital waterproof cameras. Better still is unlike their predecessors, they can be had at a much more reasonable price.

By predecessors, I mean those super-expensive, special-purpose underwater cameras with special housings that scuba divers and underwater photographers used. They are bulky and awkward to handle out of water and while one could remove the camera itself from the housing, that sort of defeats the purpose, as we’re back to the original problem of having to take extra care with protecting the camera.

But these latest generation dive cameras are integrated units where the camera is made into a waterproof case comprised of impact resistant composite materials and armored with rubber at all the key places. Dropping them from several feet up leaves them unfazed.

They are lightweight (about a pound) and compact (less than 4 inches x 5 inches), and despite their small size, offer superb picture quality with ultra sharp, high-resolution images, even in low-light conditions such as those typically found underwater. Prices are comparable to a higher-end land use digital camera.

Of particular use are the settings that can be changed depending on whether you’re shooting above or under the water. In “undersea” mode the various settings improve colors underwater by automatically adjusting shutter speeds and aperture settings. For “land” use they work like other land cameras allowing the user to adjust to conditions encountered above water. Other features include face detection and image stabilization.

Bottom line is eliminating the need for more than one camera. The same one that’s perfect for scuba diving, now does double duty for hiking, mountain climbing, ocean kayaking, going to the beach, being out on the boat, and pretty much any other activity one might think of.

Even if you aren’t a diver there are models made for snorkeling, and even though waterproof down to just about 10 feet or so, are less expensive. This is especially good news if your primary concern is finding a more rugged digital camera that won’t give out after being splashed at the lake or left in the rain.

ToniBenz asked:

Just me having fun in a pool with scuba gear

telmnstr asked:

I finally got around to compiling all the various video clips I had recorded during the summers of 2006 and 2007 at Lake Rawlings. The music (Fishtro) is from an artist that goes by Purple Motion from Finland, and is from a PC demo/invite from around 1992 era, much thanks to him for allowing me to use the tune (visit purplemotion.net for more info, and check demoscene on wikipedia if you are curious.) Dive buddies Patrick and Joe make appearances in the video. Confession - I almost didn’t have enough footage to cover the whole song. I plan to cut a shorter version for HamptonRoads.TV. The video was taken with a Canon ELPH SD-550, not a camcorder. Lake Rawlings is a granite quarry, and has good visibility and is used by many dive shops for training.

rules asked:


I have heard there is diving off the Banana Islands of Sierra Leone, but can’t find a reputable dive shop to rent equipment from.

Jenny asked:


I was wondering what months out of the year offer the best scuba or snorkeling conditions in the Cayman Islands.