Archive for December, 2005
I’ve been seriously slacking lately on the photo gallery, but my recent post on Cozumel prompted me to get off my duff and upload my photos from Mexico. This album is made up of photos mostly from Cozumel, but a few from diving the cenotes on the Yucatan peninsula. Cozumel is a small island off the Eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is located opposite Playa Del Carmen on the mainland, a vibrant town full of party life and home to white sand beaches. Cozumel has long held the reputation of a diver’s paradise. Nearly every street in the small town of San Miguel has at least one dive shop on it. There are many dive operators there, ranging from those who run cattle boats to those specializing in taking experienced divers out for some challenging dives. The best thing about diving off of Cozumel are the strong currents.
Continue Reading December 26th, 2005
Cozumel is probably the top place in my mind for tropical diving anywhere close to home. This year the island got slammed by a coupla hurricanes. I was glad that I’d been there several times before the storm came through and got to see the stunning reefs and swim-throughs there. I’ve been slacking big time on writing up my Cozumel trip reports and uploading my galleries from there, due to my present commitments to Newsvine. I was finally prompted to write this short post on Cozumel by an email I received from my friends down at Deep Blue, the dive operator I did my PADI Rescue Diver with.
Continue Reading December 20th, 2005
The SeaQuest Pro QD is about as traditional of a BCD design as you can find. However, after using other new-fangled BCs, I’ve come to appreciate the proven model of a jacket-style buoyancy control device. For a brief description of the difference between the two styles of BCDs, read my post on the SeaQuest Balance. Though the Pro QD does not pack as tightly as the ultra-lightweight Zeagle Stiletto I wrote about earlier this year, it does have advantages that make it a better option to go with if you’re using it in the same locale most of the time, mostly due to its solid stability at depth and on the surface. Also, by giving up the compact form factor, this SeaQuest offers a plethora of attachment points and comfort padding in the right places.
Continue Reading December 19th, 2005
I’ve logged about 40 dives on my O’Neill 7000x drysuit thus far, and its treated me well despite a few annoyances among the many reasons I think this is a terrific suit for the money. Lets start off with the vitals. The O’Neill 7000x drysuit is a 7mm neoprene suit with neoprene seals. The suit has been overhauled for 2005 and sports an impressive set of features for a very reasonable price. It also looks sporty, as most O’Neill products do. Read on for the in-depth review.
Continue Reading December 13th, 2005
I’ve been quiet lately and I have a little explaining to do. There are two real reasons I haven’t had time to write any posts lately. One, I’ve been diving a bunch of new gear and some friends and I have found a group of seals who apparently like to dive with us, using our torches for finding food. Two, the company I co-founded has just been released on a limited basis to the public. More on the seals later but for now I’m going to take a departure from diving and tell you a little about Newsvine.
Continue Reading December 6th, 2005
