Scuba With Bill

Scuba Diving Magazine reviews some popular backplate buoyancy systems. While I was impressed with the number of systems reviewed I was surprised that they chose not to review anything from the Halcyon line of scuba products. Halcyon is one of the best known and most used backplate systems so it’s absence leaves one to wonder exactly why Scuba Diving didn’t include them. Regardless, they do a pretty good job explaining the strengths and weaknesses of the products they review and it’s well worth the read.

Bias Alert: I own a Halcyon backplate and wings which I have used pretty much as my main BC for the last few years. I’ve always had good experiences with their products and recommend Halcyon to anyone thinking of going backplate.

THIS REVIEW ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR THE DIVER2DIVER MESSAGE BOARD GEAR REVIEWS.

I guess I should start off this review with some disclaimers:

I am not pro or con in regards to DIR. There seems to be some friction and high-emotions on D2D when DIR subjects come up. I read this book with an open mind and with the hope that I may be able to transfer some of the skills learned in the book into my personal diving style.

Unfortunately, what I found was a tendency by the author, Jarrod Jablonski, to dart in and out of subjects with an inconsistant style that sometimes beat subjects over your head and other times barely skim the surface. The book is 164 pages including the index and either should have been 1064 or 64. For instance, Jablonski spends 5 1/2 pages on hand signals and a mere 6 pages on diving with mixed gases. Either he could have skipped explaining the “Ok” sign or he should have spent far more time going over mixed gases. It’s quite obvious that Jablonski isn’t quite sure of who his audience is at times and so he seems to switch back and forth. Another example, this time going the other direction is in the Rescue section where he basically glosses over rescue procedures telling the reader that this should be learned in a rescue class and then describing how to ventilate an apneic victim with a SCUBA regulator, a process that he notes is “experimental, and has only been tested on a very small population.” Sounds to me like just enough information to make most people dangerous (and isn’t that the opposite of what the book is supposed to teach?). Should someone who needs this book to explain the out of air signal be doing experimental medical procedures?

Other parts of the book just seem absurd. I was somewhat amused by the physical fitness standards for technical divers. It asks you where you rate on several activities with “Advanced Fitness” as being defined as being able to swim (continuously) 5000 meters (that’s over 3 miles) and being able to jog for 26.2 miles. Who came up with these metrics? Are they based on any sort of medical or scientific recommendations? I don’t argue, in any way, with the fact that all divers (actually, everyone) should be in good physical condition but are these reasonable metrics for diving? Based on this standard, Carl Lewis (9 time winner of the gold medal in the Olympics) would be in “Medium Fitness” shape since he doesn’t train for distance. I think this point extends beyond physical fitness into other areas of the book where the author defines a standard yet gives absolutely no indication of how the standard was arrived at. There’s a distinct difference between, “I (we) feel that . . .” and “It is a fact that . . .” A difference, IMHO, that the author should be more careful of.

I will give Jablonski credit for explaining, and not preaching, the DIR ideology. Unfortunately, again, had I wanted just that I could have saved the $24 and simply read the GUE website. And I guess that’s my main issue with the book. If you’ve gone to the trouble of finding the GUE website, spent enough time reading about DIR or talking to DIR divers to actually want to order the book, then a good chunk of the book seems aimed at below your level. As mentioned previously, he could have spent 64 pages getting real in depth on the DIR ideology and made it a sales/marketing tool for $5.00 or it should go into depth on each of the subjects discussed and be 1064 pages and cost $50 (or been a 10064 technical diving encyclopedia for $500).

I’ve come away with the impression that this book was meant for those already practicing DIR diving. I say that because I have seen many DIR divers praise this book. It seems to preach to the choir while leaving the rest of us (or perhaps just me) with just enough knowledge for it to be useless. I think it’s a shame too because it seemed like everytime the author was about to get into something of value, he jumped to the next section. I would find it very hard to justify purchasing another GUE/Jablonski book again due to this. I might take a GUE class in the future, but if this is an example of what the rest of the books are like, I can learn more searching the internet than I can from the books.

Bottom Line: If you’re interested in learning more about DIR, skip this book and take one of the demo or fundamental classes. If you’re unsure about DIR, read the GUE website and do a search on D2D and Google for DIR and talk to some DIR divers.

First, let me just start off by saying that preference in BC’s is completely a personal issue. Some people love jacket BC’s. I’m not a huge fan. Some people may hate back inflated BC’s. I feel the most natural in the water with a back inflated BC. The reason I mention this is because regardless of what I say about the Zeagle Ranger BC, ultimately it’s your choice and your comfort that dictate whether or not it’s right for you.

With that out of the way, I do have to say that the Ranger is one of the toughest, most versatile BC’s I’ve ever used. It’s a workhorse. Zeagle makes some of the highest quality products on the market and the Ranger BC is their flagship offering.

First off, it is a back inflated BC. That means that instead of air entering various parts of your BC to provide buoyancy, the Ranger has a single bladder on the back. There’s much debate on whether this is dangerous due to tendency for back inflated BC’s (in general) to force a diver forward which would put them face first in the water if they were unconscious. The only time I’ve really noticed this is when I’m teaching a class and I have to stay completely upright in the water for extended periods. Normally, I give one good kick and I’m laying flat on my back on the water and I can stay that way for hours if need be. When I attempt to stay completely vertical on the surface the Ranger does have a tendency to keep tipping me forward which puts me at an uncomfortable angle. I’ve also been able to neutralize this problem quite a bit by using the optional tank-strap mounted weight system which puts more weight in the back and pulls you backward allowing you to stay vertical with minimal effort.

Other than that, this is a perfect BC for me. It’s tough, it’s got plenty of lift (44 lbs), and it’s versatile. The Ranger comes has what is called a custom fit feature which actually means that every single part of the BC is interchangeable. If I damage the shoulder straps, I can easily remove the shoulder straps and order new ones. You can mix and match parts to create the perfect fit. This also means you can upgrade your BC to the next highest model (the Tech) by swapping out key parts. All of these are held together by non-corrosive screws that make assembling and disassembling your BC a snap. For instance, I have the optional lumbar support pad in my BC. I use if when diving with a lot of weight (dry suit or 7mm) but I don’t really need it when I go to tropical dive destinations. It simply adds bulk to my gear bag. So, in 5 minutes I can simply unscrew the bolts holding the lumbar pad in and remove it.

Would I buy a new Ranger if I had the choice today (mine is 3 years old with more than just a few dives on it and it looks and feels brand new)? Probably. The only question in my mind would be whether I would buy the Ranger or go with a backplate and wings system used by technical divers. I don’t do any technical diving but I’ve heard some very good things about the setup from experienced divers. To be honest, I would probably own both

NOTE: Originally posted on Scubadiving.com’s website 11/01

I needed to get away and the recent specials being offered by the airlines screamed, do it! Do it! So I did a little research on Scubadiving.com and after reading trip report after trip report on how great the diving is in Cozumel I decided to bust my cherry and give it a try.

Despite the beefed up security, I got to Coz without incident and here is my story:

The Lodging: Hacienda San Miguel

HSM is at the far north end of the main strip. It’s far enough away from the main plaza that you aren’t kept awake at night by rowdy drunk tourists trying to find Carlos and Charlies but it is close enough so that you’re a 10 minute walk from most everything. Note: Give the cab driver the street address if you’re staying at HSM (10 Calle Norte #500) otherwise you may end up being dropped off at Hotel San Miguel overlooking the plaza. Not a bad hotel (from what I could tell from the lobby), but it’s not the same place.

As I was on this trip alone and planned on diving most of the time, I booked the studio room (The Girasol Suite). When I arrived, Nicole greeted me with a “You must be Bill” which somewhat shocked me as I’m used to having to spell my last name out 3 or 4 times before my reservations can be found. The room was very nice. A kitchenette, tv, and just about everything else you might expect in a hotel room . . . except for a telephone, which seemed strange but there was a pay phone in the courtyard so I guess that makes it ok. Besides, I’m not going to Coz to receive phone calls.

I have to say that while the rooms are inexpensive (compared to other rooms in Coz), they are not cheap. Cheap would imply that you are making some sort of sacrafice in quality and I did not find that to be the case at HSM. It’s not a resort. There are no olympic sized swimming pools (actually there are no swimming pools). There is no 24/7 room service. What there is, is very personal and friendly service. In fact, HSM feels more like a B&B or a small condo community than it does a hotel. I mean, how much personal service can you get than when they bring by your breakfast (juice, coffee, and Mexican pastries) based on what time in the morning they see the lights going on in your room?

If you can’t tell by now, I loved the place. I’ve stayed in hotels in London and Paris at 10x the cost and received rooms 1/2 the size and nowhere near the personality of HSM. I highly recommend HSM for anyone who is looking for something different. Nicole and Angela make HSM like staying in at a friend’s house.

Diving: Deep Blue

I based my decision to dive with Deep Blue on two things:

1) A review on Scubadiving.com and misc positive comments.

2) The friendly and prompt replies by Debbie the co-owner.

After checking into HSM, I walked down to Deep Blue to check in with them. Again, instead of the typical “Who are you?” reception, Debbie’s husband (and co-owner) Matt almost jumped around the desk and said, “Ah, you must be Bill”. I filled out the disclaimers and such and Matt explained how Deep Blue works. Tell them where you want to go and they try to get you there. The dive sites are picked each evening based on the input of the divers who will be on the boat and there’s almost no site they won’t go to if the divers want to go there. I told Matt I was a drift diving virgin and wanted to do an easy checkout dive before anything heavy and so he booked me on a trip going out to Palancar the next morning.

We dived with DM Raul, who was simply an excellent DM. You could tell he had spent a lot of time doing OW courses just by his briefings and his emphasis on safety. That was fine. In fact it was great and spoke a great deal about Deep Blue.

Matt asked me where I wanted to go the next day and I told him I would leave it in his hands since I didn’t know jack about the Coz sites. When I arrived the next morning, Debbie told me that we were going to Maricaibo. The DM was Pepe and he was perfect for the advanced divers on this trip. Very professional and treated everyone like divers with a few dives under their belt. Excellent dive and had a great time.

The next day, we were told we were going to Baraccuda Reef. The DM was Pepe again and the other divers were mostly the same bunch as the day before. A wind had come out of the north and the sea wasn’t just rough, it got downright hostile. Pepe had us take a vote, try to go on to Baraccuda or give Punta Sur a try. It was a fairly quick vote, we decided to go to Punta Sur. Again, I didn’t know a whole lot about the dive sites and when Pepe gave the briefing, I decided to opt out of the dive. With a 120 fsw profile (in an overhead environment), and reservations on a flight to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza early the next morning it didn’t seem like the right way to go. Pepe respected my decision but said that he really, really, really recommended this dive. He said the Devil’s Throat was a dive worth doing. Pepe hadn’t steered me wrong so far and I’m fairly confident that Chichen Itza will be there the next time I go to Mexico so I took Pepe’s advice and did it. Man! Was that the right decision! One of the most spectacular dives of my life!

When I went back to Deep Blue that evening to settle my bill, Matt and I ended up chatting for quite a bit. When I finally got ready to leave, Debbie came out, wished me goodbye and gave me a hug.

All I can say is that both the dive op and the hotel were exceptional and I cannot give them enough praise. Both earned my respect and my future business.

Recently I was reading California Diving News and I stumbled across a story about a DVD Journal that a small company was offering. To my surprise the owners of the company were none other than two dive buddies of mine Bobby and Anat. I had been diving with the both of them on a few occassions and I even did taught a dry suit class with Anat as a student.

I highly recommend checking this product out. The journal is published quarterly and Bobby and Anat travel the globe to some of the best dive sites in the world and share them with you. Both Bobby and Anat were involved in video production and photography in the non-underwater world long before this venture so the quality is top notch. As an added bonus, Rachel, the marine expert is also a good friend and a fellow scuba instructor and has always provided a wealth of information about marine life on our dives.

I ran into the crew, Bobby, Anat, and Rachel at the LA Scuba Show last weekend down in Long Beach. They had a small exhibit space set up but they were attracting a lot of traffic from other divers and dive shop operators. It was one of the more busy exhibits that I ran across that wasn’t affiliated with a major industry player.

Again, check it out. If you’re new to diving it’s fun and instructional and if you’re an old diving dog even you might learn something