SCUBA and the small boat Sailor

[Frank]

in the sand

[Frank]

Judy on deck. Our 'dive boat'. We have since gone smaller and smaller.

[s/v Faith]

FWIW,

  PADI (aka Pay Another Dollar In) just sent me a rebate offer that anyone who is considering getting certified can use.  It is for a $50 rebate on the openwater course.

  Here is the link

[s/v Faith]

FWIW,

  Getting certified this time of year (winter) may seem nuts (and probably is) but having gotten certified in December, myself my last two openwater diveves were at a 37degreeF water temp.  This has the distinct advantage that every dive since seems warm

  Just something to think about. 

 

[Fortis]

Sounds like my sea safety survival certification. The first one was int he dead of winter in 9C water....

My recent one for the coast guard was balmy by comparison...I actually got so comfy floating around in a solas jacket that I went to sleep...drifted off, you might say.

The inside of modern liferafts smell better then they did a few years ago too.


Alex.

[s/v Faith]

  Some of you might recall the original plan was to have Rose certified before we left on our trip.  That did not work out too well, the instructor I hired allowed a newly certified instructor to handle Rose's pool dive... and he forgot to take her and the other girl down slowly to remind them to equalize.  Rose perforated both of her eardrums, and has just finished surgery to repair them.... 

  Anyway, while most of my dives have been solo (as tutored by solo diver, I still do not recommend this to anyone) I did not want to dive solo in unfamiliar waters... so while we carried the dive gear onboard it only got used once on the trip.

  The wonderful thing about the Bahamas is that the water is so clear, and everything is so accessible that snorkeling is good enough for most everything you could want to do. 

  I did go on one dive with a dive boat, Rose talked me into it, and it was my birthday present.  Lots of fun, and well worth the price of admission.    Looking at this thread I am reminded I have one of those disposable underwater cameras I still need to get developed.  Of course I could have rented the gear, but was still glad I had it onboard in case I had some significant underwater repair to do (rudder repair comes to mind).  It would also have been handy if I had come across some dive work.

  The BC laid in it's bag on the bottom of the cockpit locker, and the fins and mask I needed for snorkeling anyway.  The only real space concern was the tank and I just carried one of my 30's anyway so that was not too bad.

  I do plan to do some diving here, Pensacola is known as one of the best dive spots on the gulf coast... some say the US.  It is not very easy to get into and out of the boat, but much better then paying to fuel to ride a dive boat IMHO.

  Any one else carry / use dive gear on their boat?

[Gerald A. Gotts]

I am so glad to hear you have at least some jobs cleaning hulls etc. as I wanted to do the same thing.  I have not been diving in  a couple of years.  I too learned the  " hard way " from a Naui course in 1973.  I did my open water checkout in a gravel pit in Ohio .  I am from Michigan where the water is not quite as clear in most areas as it is down in parts of Florida. 

When I take off for parts unknown I will certainly have all my gear in the cockpit locker.  I too had thought about a hookah or a 50' regulator hose for bottom cleaning.

Thanks,
Jerry

[Gerald A. Gotts]

I just realized that faith you were writing  about diving back in 06 .  That's what I get for not paying attention.

     Do you still dive and do you still find small jobs often?  I don't need much money to help out the cruising kitty,not that I am well off it's just that I don't have many bills and don't require much $. 

I plan to sail Florida,Bahamas and perhaps Eastern Caribbean.

[s/v Faith]

I just realized that faith you were writing  about diving back in 06 .  That's what I get for not paying attention.

     Do you still dive and do you still find small jobs often?  I don't need much money to help out the cruising kitty,not that I am well off it's just that I don't have many bills and don't require much $. 

I plan to sail Florida,Bahamas and perhaps Eastern Caribbean.

  Diving in the Bahamas is going to be a bit of a harder trade to peddle.  The professional diving I did was in a silty environment (near zero vis), and my best business was when the water temp was cold enough that I needed a wet suit, or when the alligators were seen about.   The other reason was because the job was just too technical, or too involved (or too un-fun) for someone to do themselves.

  The water in the areas you mention is much much nicer.  The water temp is better, and the visibility is much better.  Most everyone who has a boat will do their own simple cleaning, or will know someone who will do it for them.

  Of course there are legal issues related to 'working' in the Bahamas, but that said... if you brought a variety of zincs (shaft zincs, and a few common strut zincs) you may be able to pick up some change, but I would not rely on it for your meals.

[newt]

I was done on the docks yesterday in Seattle. Some stud comes by in a drysuit with two handlers and gear, looking down on all the sailors that needed their help. I would have liked to don my drysuit at the time and dive just to give him competition. But the water is about 46 degrees...hmmm.... Maybe the attitude is OK

[dnice]

I am looking into getting certified this summer. We'll see how it goes...

I just ran across this little site, and thought it was interesting.
I would call it the "sailfar approach to scuba" - SATS diving

[chris2998]

I got certified when I was about 15 or 16 years old it was alot of fun but have forgotten everything since then haha I'm sure a refersher course is all that is needed

[newt]

I think scuba is a natural extension of the spirit of adventure we all share in small boats. The only problem is that it takes a fair bit of stuff to do it right. I think diving in the Caribbean with a good knowledge base and off the back of your own boat must be pretty great. I just haven't gotten to that level yet. I want to go with rebreather, probably a KISS sport. But that is just me. The idea of carrying a months worth of gas were before you would only carry a couple of days worth appeals to me.
On the other hand, extreme sports placed together I believe is synergistic to the risk involved. Take small plane flying and diving. I feel the risk is of death is a multiple of the risk of small planes and the risk of diving. I do not know about sailing and diving, but I am keeping an open mind. One thing that would certainly put more risk in the equation- the ability to get help quickly in a small sailboat out somewhere in some remote islands would be diminished.