Posts filed under 'Puget Sound'
Well, this afternoon my good dive buddy Nailer and I (and our new buddy Larry) threw up our caps (hoods?) as we graduated from Advanced Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) Trimix class (I believe this is called Mod 3 in Europe). This means that I can use hypoxic amounts of oxygen (less than 16%) mixed with helium and nitrogen, in various amounts, as diluent when mixing with pure oxygen in a closed breathing loop. I am now certified to dive to 330 feet, which opens up a lot of diving options.
It seems like forever ago, but just 7 months prior I started my first CCR class, Air Diluent CCR cert. It did take me months to find the groove on the Meg, but sometime along the way it just clicked. I’m glad I stuck with it because honestly, those first dozen dives or so had me thinking, what have I done?. Now I feel pretty natural in the water again, not as carefree as on OC before I made the switch, but definitely confident, which is huge.
Continue Reading June 16th, 2008
My dive buddy Josh, aka Nailer99, offers up his account of our recent COPIS Megalodon CCR training from Silent Scuba instructor Mel Clark. All day, every day for a week solid - this was some of the toughest dive training I’ve ever done - but the end result is that we can now stay down for hours on end, and this opens up our NDLs tremendously so that we can stay deeper for longer. With virtually no bubbles, fish and other marine life came right up to us. I can’t wait to shoot some stills and video with the mCCR. I’m looking forward to doing many dives with my new COPIS. It wasn’t cheap (in terms of time or money) but the training corresponds to the higher level of proficiency and diligence needed to dive a Closed Circuit Rebreather like the manual Megalodon from Innerspace Systems.
Continue Reading November 23rd, 2007
Tuesday evening a couple of dive buddies and I came across an 8 foot SixGill shark in Cove 2. We followed the shark for about five minutes (which seemed like an eternity). The two SixGill sharks I’ve encountered thus far both didn’t exhibit aggressive behavior (actually, the first one seemed sluggish). The shark swam gracefully while I captured the video of her. It looked as though she had been tagged at one point, but that the tag had since been dislodged. Also on this dive, I found a mask belonging to a diver who passed away the night before in a dive accident that is still under investigation.
Continue Reading August 4th, 2007
The jellyfish are invading the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Not the life-threatening type, like the box jellyfish, but still venomous enough to provide an unpleasant sting on the upper lip as you run into a translucent tentacle during your safety stop. Though the tiny box jellyfish is one of the most deadly in the world, the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest are home to some of the largest jellyfish on Earth, including the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish and the Egg-Yolk Jellyfish. Growing up to a massive diameter of 7 feet, with tentacles up to 120 feet in length - these aren’t creatures you want to tangle with.
Continue Reading June 6th, 2007
I finally was able to capture a stubby squid (rossia pacifica) changing color from reddish purple to iridescent. The small (3″) squid held its pose for just long enough for me to snap a couple shots. They typically change to the lighter-pale iridescent colors when they feel threatened. My dive light gave little squiddy just enough of a scare to change his color for a fraction of a second, but not enough to make him flee. These small molluscs are cute, ever-elusive and are actually more closely related to the cuttlefish than squid - despite the common name. They’re relatively abundant in the temperate waters of Puget Sound, but you have to look closely to find one.
Continue Reading March 29th, 2007
Last night a few dive buddies and I went diving at Seacrest (Alki) Cove 2. The dive started as a ho-hum dive, not much to see and one of our buddies didn’t have enough weight so he turned back and the rest of us descended. It was relatively poor visibility for this time of year, mostly due to the harbor seals that were zooming around and stirring things up. At around 100fsw or so I turned around and was shocked to see a 14-foot Sixgill shark, about a dozen feet in front of me. I fumbled for my trusty Casio EX-Z1000 and flipped it into video mode to catch a few minutes of the prehistoric looking shark swimming slowly and gracefully before sinking down to the bottom - apparently strange behavior for a shark of this type.
Continue Reading January 19th, 2007
It’s almost that special time of year again: The Underwater Sports Diver’s Fair. This will be the 28th year in the tradition of the Nation’s largest sale of SCUBA equipment and instruction. Year after year this thing gets bigger and better, with all the folks around the country (and world) who make the equipment that makes diving possible, under one roof (tent) to answer question and to showcase the newest technology in SCUBA. I won’t be missing it and I thought I’d share the info.
Continue Reading June 24th, 2006
This site is our trusty old standby. Nearly every Wednesday night we have a NorthWest Dive Club meeting at Cove 2 to keep our appetites for diving at bay. Though it’s close to home and sometimes forgotten for that reason, this is one of the most beautiful dive sites anywhere in the world, topside. With stunning views of the Seattle skyline directly across from the staging area and many places to eat nearby, this site is as convenient as it is unique. Below, the site does not disappoint: a couple small wrecks, some I-beams and harbor seals that often playfully follow divers around. I’ve also seen adult Giant Pacific Octopus here and several juveniles. It’s so easy to head on over the bridge to West Seattle, a mere 20 minutes from Downtown, which is why this remains one of the best dive sites to speak of for us Seattlites.
Continue Reading March 15th, 2006
This dive site is well worth the grueling walk from the car to the dive site, and even better if you can dive it from a boat. There’s plenty to see among some concrete formations that form an artificial reef. Octopus, rockfish and a healthy anemone population are standard sights. Careful planning should be done though, due to the current-intensive nature of the site. Vashon Island is a short ferry ride from West Seattle, and the KVI Radio Tower is not far from the ferry terminal.
Continue Reading March 13th, 2006
Sorry for the departure from all things SCUBA, due to the recent launch of Newsvine.com to the general public. Now that the launch is behind us, I can get back to writing about my underwater adventures again. In this entry I’ll be detailing Sunrise Beach, an amazing dive site near Gig Harbor that has recently captured my attention and favor. Even though I haven’t been writing much about diving lately, I have been in the water quite often and have tried out a smorgasboard of new equipment, with buddies from the NorthWest Dive Club. Now, onto the goods….
Continue Reading March 6th, 2006
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