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RabbieBurns

By RabbieBurns
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soveryapt

soveryapt

Posted
Posted

I did my PADI Open Water about 7 years ago for my DofE Gold, and it was great fun. Sadly, I've not done a huge amount of diving for all the family / financial reasons mentioned above, but I'm just now looking at getting back into it doing a refresher and then my Advanced Open Water and see where that leads.

 

The great thing is that my daughter (who is 7 .. funny how that ties in with the no finance thing huh! lol) is nearly at the age where she can do a bubblemaker course and I can get her involved too!

 

As for the whole what suit in the UK, I've used both Dry and Semi-Dry suits, and although yes, you can be warmer in a dry suit just simply due to the fact you can wear your clothes under it and all that, the semi-dry I found a lot easier to dive in (you've not got the air pocket situ, and you can get your hover a lot neater). Now, that might just be my inexperience - though I was taught with the dry suit for my OW - but it's how I see it.

 

I think though that if it came to it, I'd probably go dry suit as it's more of a year round thing, where as semi-dry isn't suitable for all season diving and all condition diving.

 

I guess, end of the day it's swings and roundabouts .. lol ..

timzim

timzim

Posted
Posted
what kind of suit do you use for the UK waters?

 

I nearly froze to death in Wraysbury a few summers ago, wearing a 7mm full with a 5mm shorty over the top (such a wuss!) but, since you're a Scot Rabbie, you can probably just dive in your pants. Enjoy your diving though - it's a great sport.

plexer

plexer

Posted
Posted

I'm waiting for my daughters to be old enuogh to incrporate them into outdoor activities such as scuba and clay pigeon shooting as well.

 

Then I'll never be stuck for someone to go with :)

 

Ben

HarryMonkey

HarryMonkey

Posted
Posted
As for the whole what suit in the UK, I've used both Dry and Semi-Dry suits, and although yes, you can be warmer in a dry suit just simply due to the fact you can wear your clothes under it and all that, the semi-dry I found a lot easier to dive in (you've not got the air pocket situ, and you can get your hover a lot neater). Now, that might just be my inexperience - though I was taught with the dry suit for my OW - but it's how I see it.

 

I think though that if it came to it, I'd probably go dry suit as it's more of a year round thing, where as semi-dry isn't suitable for all season diving and all condition diving.

 

I guess, end of the day it's swings and roundabouts .. lol ..

 

Not necessarily. With a neoprene drysuit you just need a t shirt/shorts underneath. A membrane suit requires an undersuit.

 

Neither of them are going to be comfortable/practical/effective wearing your clothes underneath.

 

As for bouyancy, this is purely down to experience and having the correct amount of weight in the right place. Being able to maintain a depth to within 0.5m either side of a given depth for 3-5 minutes is what you should be aiming for. This is achievable regardless of suit.

RabbieBurns

RabbieBurns

Posted
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coupla photos from today

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs291.snc4/40892_449292546002_595356002_6054696_2051710_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs444.ash2/71738_449292681002_595356002_6054703_7489125_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs462.ash2/73530_449292466002_595356002_6054691_5331143_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs005.ash2/33599_449292511002_595356002_6054694_5275809_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs920.snc4/73369_449292526002_595356002_6054695_2055193_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs786.snc4/66653_449292616002_595356002_6054699_2466336_n.jpg

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  • 5 months later...
RabbieBurns

RabbieBurns

Posted
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Posted
decided it was time to get back under the water.. Ive booked myself onto the Advanced PADI course for this weekend... hopefully the weather will clear up a bit this weekend.
HallX

HallX

Posted
Posted
Been a bsac instructor for 10 years and a Padi assistant instructor for 5 years.

Done very little warm water diving, prefer to dive in the UK as wreck is my thing.

This will start something....

As an instructor of bsac and padi I much prefer to teach bsac. Just think it makes for a more complete well rounded diver when you out on your own.getting your open water in the nice clear warm water then returning to the uk to dive is a recipe for trouble. Not to say padi is bad just horses for courses

 

A similar thing happens in aviation. Folks go to Florida\California for a month to complete PPL (Private Pilots Licence) and never have to miss a day's flying due to bad weather, or indeed give the weather much thought. They then come back over here and get the anal half crown/threepenny bit moments when flying into a front or cloud.

 

Believe me, them cumulus aint like fluffy cotton wool inside.

  • 5 months later...
HarryMonkey

HarryMonkey

Posted
Posted

It's full of silt and it is very easy to lose your viz and your bearings and become trapped. I know many experienced divers who won't dive it for that very reason.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a good dive and as it's got older the amount of wildlife has increased dramatically but the dangers are not appreciated by many of the people that dive it. There are a lot of levels way down within the hull that are dark, confined and full of silt.

 

Far better to go an dive the James Egan Layne before it breaks up completely ... one of the best dives I have ever done, to be sat on the seabed looking up at the bow with the light filtering through .... Awesome.

  • 4 months later...
MYK-IT

MYK-IT

Posted
Posted

Great photos RabbieBurns, I'm usually made up to see just my hand/buddy whilst diving in my local quarry!

 

Did have great time diving 5 days in the Isle of Man last Summer though.

  • 7 months later...
RabbieBurns

RabbieBurns

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Dived this place recently http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/images/fish-rock-shallow-gns.jpg (not my photo)

 

http://fishrock.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cavediagnew-570x247.jpg

 

Its a swimthrough cave, full of sharks. Was great :)

 

anyway im heading back to the UK soon and gonna get myself some gear, everything is too expensive here. Gonna get a BCD to start with, where is a decent place to order from? Is it better to get one from a real shop so I can try it on first? Found this place which is local - how do its prices compare?

 

Aquatron Dive Centre - Online diving equipment store, scuba servicing, scuba diving training and instruction, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

 

Looking to spend 200-300UKP whats a good brand? Cheers!

pete

pete

Posted
Posted (edited)

anyway im heading back to the UK soon and gonna get myself some gear, everything is too expensive here. Gonna get a BCD to start with, where is a decent place to order from? Is it better to get one from a real shop so I can try it on first? Found this place which is local - how do its prices compare?

 

Aquatron Dive Centre - Online diving equipment store, scuba servicing, scuba diving training and instruction, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

 

Looking to spend 200-300UKP whats a good brand? Cheers!

 

If I were a terrible person, I'd check the stuff out at ProDive Sydneycity for fit and finish, then buy the same in .UK on the Internet. My BCD is a ~10 year old Mares wing and I've used rented kit from Cressi, ScubaPro and various others. Stick to the brands you're seeing in the dive shops down under for parts availability.

 

If you know what you want to buy try: http://www.watersportswarehouse.co.uk

Edited by pete
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  • 1 month later...
RabbieBurns

RabbieBurns

Posted
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Posted

ended up just buying a BCD from prodive :)

 

was up diving the HMS Adelaide recently, pretty decent for only 18 months since being scuttled..

 

still need the Reg set though, they aint cheap!

pete

pete

Posted
Posted (edited)

I started off with a secondhand set of regs - one of the instructors was trying to justify buying new shiny by selling off his existing gear.

 

But I knew they'd been well-maintained (though I still swapped all the o-rings), ymmv.

 

While I was down there, dive computers qualified for the 40% depreciation that normal computers did on the tax return. Which almost makes up for the "hey, it's Australia, let's jack up the price".

Edited by pete
  • 1 month later...
pete

pete

Posted
Posted

Anyone got a recommendation for a good fish identification book?

 

Ideally all-round-the-world (or at least Med, Asia-Pacific, UK waters) and say A5-ish* size? I've got per-region ones, but $present_recipient could do with a good all-in-one.

 

*so it can be carried in luggage.

  • 1 month later...
pete

pete

Posted
Posted
I quickly discovered that there isn't a good all-in-one. They exist, but they're either massive or they miss out a lot or are factually incorrect. Bought them a good Asia-Pacific guide (name of which escapes me) and I've got another picked out for their birthday.
  • 5 months later...

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