DSS Thumb Loop Part Deux

After I bitched and moaned publicly that the DSS thumb loop didn't fit the old Halcyon warmwater Goodman handle, Tobin from DSS was so kind to send me a smaller offset plate to rectify the problem. I fitted the new piece to my Halcyon enclosed 10W lighthead. It looks like this:

Fitting it was a breeze and it looks great.

DSS Goodman Handle Thumb Loop

I just installed a DSS Goodman handle thumb loop to my Halcyon 18W light. You can buy it here.

It came nicely packaged and with instructions. Here are the illustrated steps:

1. Remove bulb and ballast from Goodman handle.

2. Unscrew reflector from Goodman handle.
3. Screw the offset plate into the reflector. The screws came too long so I used a metal file to file them down. If they are too long, they stick into the barrel of the reflector, getting in the way of the bulb.
4. Screw offset plate into the Goodman handle. Notice how the reflector is offset from center.
5. Voila! Here's the finished product. Seems pretty robust. Unfortunately, it might be a few weeks before I get to try it out.
Btw, I was rather annoyed to find that the DSS thumb loop does not fit the older Halcyon warm water Goodman handles. The handle is simply not wide enough to fit the thumb loop. Should I offload the thumb loop or should I buy a new Goodman handle? Decisions.

Hibo Wall

Here's the profile of our Tech 2 experience dive on Hibo Wall:

GUE Tech 2 - May 2008

My team just completed our Tech 2 class with Gideon Liew at Puerto Galera. The class was hosted by Tech Asia. Leon and I are still here until Sunday evening but Gideon and Michael already took off. We are doing an additional 2 days of diving before heading back to Singapore.

Leon and I arrived on Sunday afternoon from Singapore, after each paying about S$150 in excess baggage on our Jetstar flight (note to self: good example of the false economy of flying budget airlines). Michael arrived in PG a couple of days earlier and Gideon had just finished teaching another Tech 2 class, also with Tech Asia.

Throughout the class, the Tech 2 configuration that we dove consisted of double AL80s for backgas, one AL80 stage (with backgas), one AL40 with 50% and one AL40 with oxygen. On days 1 and 2, we used nitrox 32% in all the bottles, as we were not diving deep. We would start each dive with the stage and 50% chest clipped and the oxygen bottle on a leash. At some point along the dive, once we had switched off the stage, we would move the stage to the leash and the oxygen bottle to the front for the deco.

The class officially started on Monday morning. We did a series of shore dives in front of Tech Asia. We went down to about 12m and spent several dives doing valve drills, s-drills, and Tech 2 ascent drills (which consists of 1m/min stops, gas switches, and bottle movement). The current picked up at one point and we had to move to a more sheltered spot. After several ascents and descents, we did 2 scenario dives, where we laid line and simulated a dive, complete with simulated failures. All in all, we spent 5 hours in the water and exited at about 3.30pm. Since we were already wet, we jumped back in for our swim tests. We finally broke for lunch at 4.30pm… what a start to Tech 2! Fatigue and hunger were setting in and it was a relief to get some food and water. We reviewed video of our dives and debriefed over lunch. We all had definite points for improvement but overall our performance was decent, which was encouraging. We finished the day with a lecture on gas management and a late dinner.

Day 2 consisted of a series of drills and scenario dives again in shallow water. We spent about 3 hours in the water before getting out in time for lunch. The day was spent on dive debriefs, video review and the bulk of the lectures.

On day 3 we were using 21/35 for backgas and actual 50% and oxygen in our deco bottles. We did 2 Tech 1 type scenario dives at Sinandigang, which is a sheltered reef in a small bay. We did them back to back as we had plenty of gas with us and they were short dives. We got out in time for lunch. The afternoon was spent on dive debriefs, video review, and a lecture on contingency planning. After dinner, we did the quiz as a team.

Day 4 was 2 experience dives to 50m, using 18/45 for backgas. On these dives, I tested out Gideon’s Evolve wing, which I liked very much. I had to shift gas side to side a lot while using my Explorer wing due to the changing weight of the bottles on the left side. The morning’s dive was meant to be at Sweetlips Corner, but the current was counter to what we expected, and we ended up with a long sandy swim and at Marcus Cave instead. We attempted the same dive after lunch but the current had really picked up and there were washing machine currents at Sweetlips Corner. The team was at risk of being split up so Gideon called the dive early.

Our experience dive on Day 5 was a 63m dive for 25 min at Hibo wall. Hibo is about a 30 min boat ride from Tech Asia and consists of a small ledge around 18-21m, a sloping reef to about 30m, and a relatively steep wall down to about 88m. We had a nice drop and found the wall pretty quickly. There was a slight current that kept us moving along the wall. After breathing the stage down, we switched to backgas for a few minutes before calling the dive. We ascended along the wall through our deep stops and did a gas switch at 21m. By then, we were on top of the ledge and the current was quite strong, so we drifted and shot a bag. Total deco from 21m and up was 45 min. It felt like ages because we spent it all in blue water. On the boat, Gideon shook our hands one by one and congratulated us on passing the class.

PG is a great location for tech training. Deep sites are within a few minutes’ boat ride from shore. The currents can be unpredictable but there are always reasonable dive sites available; current and unpredictable conditions can sometimes be a boon to tech training, anyway.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that Tech Asia is a well run outfit well suited to supporting technical training and dives. They are knowledgeable about local sites and conditions, the staff and boat crew are very well trained and take their jobs seriously, and they are a nice bunch of people. This is why I keep going back.

After I completed Tech 1, I said that I was content diving in the Tech 1 range and wasn’t interested in Tech 2. After 4 years of diving in the Tech 1 range, my dives were approaching the Tech 2 range and further training was needed. Tech 2 was the perfect class for me because it made clear the skills, planning, knowledge, and mindset necessary to undertake more aggressive dives. The more GUE training I take, the more I realize that everything comes back to the fundamentals. With about 50 Tech 1 dives apiece, our fundamental skills were generally good and therefore we were receptive to the training and lessons that Gideon taught us.

Thanks to Gideon for not only having the knowledge and experience to be a qualified instructor, but for having the skill and teaching style to educate effectively. Gideon is a great ambassador for GUE.

GUE Dive Extravaganza, April 24-27, 2008

I just got back from another GUE trip on the Black Manta, organized by Living Seas. The whole Living Seas crew (Gideon, Leon, Matilda, Andrew, Thomas) was on board and as usual, they planned a good trip. We departed Singapore on Thursday night and got back on Sunday evening. Thursday night was spent traveling and we arrived at Pulau Aur in the morning.

Leon and I are going to be buddies on our Tech 2 class that starts in a weeks' time, so we spent the first day doing drills in preparation for the class. We spent most of the first day doing ascent and descent drills, including lots of gas switches and bottle movement. We did drills solely during the first two dives and got pretty fed up after more than 2 hours in the water. For the third dive, we did a relaxing dive at Raynor's Rock, with 3 bottles just for the ride. The fourth dive of the day was again spent doing drills. Somehow, we managed to squeeze a fifth dive in, a night dive a Turtle House. We had slight current on all the drills dives, meaning that we had to face into the current and maintain our position relative to the line.

Day 2 was at the Seven Skies. Recreational divers did 3 dives and the technical divers did 2. To conserve backgas and minimize gas filling, we dove stages for the day's dives. Backgas was 18/45 and we used 50% for deco. There was a mild current and vis was quite poor (maybe 10m) due to lots of white particles in the water. A 2-3m white manta was circling the wreck for most of our dive, and all the divers saw it at some point or other. It was even around when some people did their second dives. We did a tour of the wreck and found a big hole in the front area, where the wreck was cut off. We made a mental note to return there on the second dive. The dive ended up being shallower than planned, but we stuck to our original deco plan of about 25 minutes.

On the second dive, we made a beeline for the hole. I tied in a reel and went in to explore. The area was huge and full of pipes. It did not go very far horizontally, but went quite deep. We stopped around 53m and it looked like the bottom was close to 60m. By the time we turned around, the silt and rust dislodged by our bubbles had reduced visibility markedly. Yet, I found the darkness and stillness peaceful and relaxing. I miss cave diving. The profile below is that of our second dive on the Seven Skies. We spent slightly longer at depth and completed 30 min of deco.

Leon checking out a crack

Day 3 was at the Maritime Fidelity. It was my first trip to this wreck. We arrived early in the morning but it took a while to tie in to the wreck. The Quest was also present and they had the same issues tying in. Eventually we tied 2 lines into the middle of the wreck. Vis was quite poor (max 10m) and there was a decent current on the wreck. On our first dive, we went into current towards the bow. There wasn't a whole lot there, but we spotted a big hole on the way back, which we went in to explore. I am not sure what was in there, perhaps a boiler room, but there were lots of pipes and machinery. The dive was a lot shallower than planned so we cut the deco short and spent about 10 min breathing 50%.

On the second dive, we pulled the lines and went towards the stern. We entered a huge cargo hold and poked around for a while. The rest of the dive was spent looking around and staying out of the current. We shot a bag and drifted for the 10 min deco. On the way up, there were tons of schooling batfish and we had a close encounter with a school of barracuda. They circled us several times, getting closer with each pass and giving us the eye.

With that, the trip was over and we motored back to Singapore. It was a fun trip and great preparation for Tech 2.

They Don't Call it Pulau Hantu for Nothing

I just got back from an eventful day of diving in Pulau Hantu. Because of my ridiculous work schedule of late, I missed 2 prior opportunities to do some training dives with my Tech 2 team. Today was a last ditch effort and our only chance to dive together before the actual class in May. Michael flew all the way from Korea just to do this morning's dives - kudos to him for taking one for the team and putting up with the crappy conditions.

The last time I dove Hantu, the vis was so bad I could barely see my gauges, much less my buddy, so I approached today with some apprehension.

The day started at the ass crack of dawn and I made my way down to Living Seas, where I met up with Leon and Michael. We loaded all our tanks (1 set of doubles, 1 stage and 2 deco bottles each) and gear into Leon's borrowed car. We drove over to the Singapore Yacht Club, where the boat was waiting. I've got to say, loading and unloading tanks and gear has to be the least fun part of technical diving. It took a while to get all of our stuff on the boat and soon we were underway. The sun was up and it was VERY warm and uncomfortable on the surface.

It took about 30 min to get to a nice and secluded spot in Hantu. On the way, we analyzed all the tanks and found them mostly safe for consumption, but 2 tanks had to be toppped off with air. We anchored in about 12m of water. Then we jumped in in full Tech 2 gear - doubles, 1 stage and 2 deco bottles. The tanks were borrowed from various people and some of them had less than optimal setups (like small bolt snaps, bad inner tube, or stage kits that were too long or short - this made bottle handling interesting).

Vis was pretty bad, probably around 2-3m. The green water gave me flashbacks of my quarry exploration days in the Northeast US. Hey, at least the water wasn't brown. There was also a slight current, which forced us to be in wing-on-wing formation throughout the dives. We shot a bag and used the line as a visual reference. We spent about 2 hours in the water, mostly doing valve drills, s-drills, gas switches, bottle rotation, and ascent and descent drills. My first attempt at bottle rotation turned out to be anticlimactic - moving the bottles wasn't difficult but highlighted the importance of trim, buoyancy, and situational awareness. We all got the drills done but our buoyancy could have been better. We were varying by about 2m, instead of the 1m that is the standard for Tech 2.

It was a day of failures. It started on the boat when one of the deco bottles had a faulty valve that wouldn't take a regulator, so we dove the bottle without a reg. Leon's primary light failed first, followed by Michael's. My E/O cord was playing up and my light would go off if I put too much pressure on the cord.

After about 2 hours in the water, it was time to go. We packed up our gear and got way too much sun on the way back. This was followed by my favorite part - unloading the boat and humping all the tanks and gear back to the car.

Let me see:
Bad vis - check
Green water - check
Manual labor - check
Current - check
Unpleasant surface conditions - check
Faulty gear - check

Another great day of technical diving!

Success

After going to several scuba shops, I finally found some lead shot at a fishing store. Dive Xtras recommends using lead shot to fine tune the weight/orientation of the scooter. The scooter comes with velcro weight pouches that attach to the inside of the nose and the motor area. Then I tested out the scooter in the pool to check the weighting and length of the tow cord, freaking out some kids and swimmers in the process.

The leak test, weighting, and tow cord adjustment all went well. Now I will have to tweak the weighting slightly for salt water, but so far so good.

My Scooter

My scooter arrived earlier this week. So, today, while I could not join my buddies on a weekend dive trip due to work commitments, I have been quite productive.

Here is my brand new, never-been-wet, piece of art:


I am now off to find some lead shot to weight the scooter. I plan to test it out in the pool later today.

Scooter Art

I don't know about you, but I think the shark teeth and eyes in the picture below are the coolest thing ever. So much so that I just ordered a pair of those decals from this website.

My scooter is currently in Los Angeles and (slowly) making its way to me. That's what I get for free shipping, I guess. I am waiting impatiently and checking Bax Global's website every few hours to see if there's been any progress.

Finally Did It

After all these years of dreaming about buying a scooter, I finally bit the bullet and placed an order for the X-scooter. Dive-X is currently offering free shipping with subscription to Wreck Diver Magazine. And with the weak US$, I thought it was about time.

I ordered the travel package, which comes with a hard case and compass mount. I don't know how long it will take to arrive but I'm hoping a couple of weeks.

RB80

See below for some very interesting RB80 class reports. Both were taught by David Rhea (who is one of only two instructors who can teach the RB80 class). I'm a long way away from wanting or needing to dive an RB (I don't like to say never but I will probably never have a need for one), but these reports are very informative anyway. They just prove that the more advanced the training, the more important the fundamentals.

From reading these reports, all I gots to say is RESPECT!

Graham Blackmore's report
Clare Gledhill's report

Scooter Time

After much deliberation and agony, I've finally decided to commit to buying an X-scooter. I've decided that the X will suit my needs best. All the diving we do around here is from boats and none of it is really close by, so a small and light scooter is ideal. To be honest, I am suspicious of NiMH technology (I still use an SLA primary light) but I figured that if I got a full size scooter, I would never use it.

I plan to use the X for diving in the South China Sea and the occasional trip, if I can figure out how to transport it without costing an arm and a leg. Having a scooter will make offshore and deep wreck diving a lot safer. We are planning on making a group order soon; this will give us a better price as well as create a community of divers who can share parts, spares, etc.

Tech 2 Update

So we have finally nailed down our Tech 2 class and booked the flights. Tech 2 will run from 4-9 May, followed by a scooter class until 11 May. The instructor is Gideon Liew and the class will be conducted at Tech Asia in Puerto Galera. I am really looking forward to our class! It's been quite a journey leading up to Tech 2 and at this moment I'm not interested in diving beyond the Tech 2 range, so it might be the last class I do for a while. With Tech 2, I should be well prepared for most of the diving in this region.

Our team is planning on getting together in March and April to do some training dives, most likely in Aur or Tioman. In the meantime, I am practicing swimming for the Tech 2 swim test.

Here's another Tech 2 trip report.

Puerto Galera, Philippines trip with Tech Asia - January 1-6, 2008

I just got back from another trip to Puerto Galera with Tech Asia. This makes it my fourth trip in 3 years; I seem to be settling in to a routine of visiting Tech Asia twice a year. Some people ask me why I keep going back. It’s a long list of reasons, but if I had to summarize, it’s because Tech Asia is a squared away dive operation. They have the experience to get things done efficiently, correctly and safely. They take care of all the logistics flawlessly. And they follow DIR principles, so everyone is on the same page. Nowadays they even rent Gavins. I could go on, but why not just go check it out for yourself?

This trip, GUE Tech 2 diver Serko came with me. He was my buddy on all the dives. We rented Gavins for all 7 dives. The dives were done using 21/35 for backgas and 50% and 100% for deco. Profiles were generally 25-30 min at 45-54m, followed by deco of 25-35 min. Because we had scooters, all the deco was done by ascending slowly up the reef. This wouldn’t be possible without the scooters as the currents can be strong and unpredictable and most times we would just do blue water ascents.

The water temp this time of the year was a lot colder than I remembered. I froze pretty badly the first day with my old beat up wetsuit so I ended up buying a new one. The weather was perfect for a light drysuit like a 30/30.

I flew into Manila from Hanoi, where I was on vacation. Serko met me at Manila airport and we took a 2 ½ hour car and 1 hour boat ride to PG. By the time we got in, it was after midnight. We stayed at El Galleon, as usual. El Galleon is simple and clean and convenient for diving with Tech Asia.

The first day, we did a scooter introduction workshop, covering basic procedures. We then did a 30m dive on a small wreck in the bay, followed by a long scooter up the beach. The second through fourth days were similar, with one dive in the morning and one in the afternoon.

We saw some pretty interesting things this trip. Some of the highlights were a pair of pipefish that looked like this, a black and brown patchy seadragon, 2 huge reef sharks in a cave, and 2 banded sea snakes. This was in addition to the usual stuff like lionfish, trumpetfish, snapper, batfish, bannerfish, sweetlips, puffers, etc.

All of our dives were longer than 60 min and were spent entirely along the reef; this was very different from the typical wreck diving that we do with 25 min bottom times and 30 min of blue water deco. It’s amazing what the scooters allow you to do!

No underwater pictures from this trip and my hands were full with the Gavin.

GUE Tech 2

Leon and I are now confirmed for Tech 2 in Puerto Galera on May 3-7, inclusive. Tech Asia will be hosting the class and Gideon Liew will be the instructor. We may follow Tech 2 with a scooter class.

More GUE Dive Extravaganza

Here are some additional resources on the GUE Dive Extravaganza:

Trip Report from Living Seas
My crappy photos (yes, I know they are too dark)
Video from Sean Cox

Next trip: Puerto Galera from January 2-6, 2008! 4 days of trimix diving with Gavins thrown in! Trip report to follow.

GUE Dive Extravaganza, October 19-21, 2007

Last weekend I was on the MV Black Manta for a weekend dive trip organized by Living Seas. Living Seas is home of GUE instructor Gideon Liew and he and his crew organized the first GUE Annual Dive Extravaganza 2007. The Black Manta is a large and pretty luxurious boat for this part of the world. We had somewhere in the region of 25 divers and we all settled comfortably in the cabins, dive deck, and saloon areas. Living Seas had been working on this trip for several months and organized all the logistics, including delivery of helium and oxygen bottles and the gas mixing. Over last several years, in no small part due to Gideon’s efforts, a sizable group of GUE trained divers has formed in the region. It’s remarkable that Living Seas was able to fill just about the entire boat with GUE trained divers. We even had 2 guys visiting from Australia and one from Shanghai. Probably the best thing about it was the fact that many people on board knew or had dived with one another; it was great to dive with old friends and make new ones.

We boarded the Black Manta at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal around 6pm on Friday. The first stop was the Seven Skies and it took an overnight sail to get there. We stayed there until late afternoon, then went to a shallower reef for a night dive. Saturday night was spent traveling to the Igara. Sunday we did 2 dives on the Igara and headed back to Singapore in the afternoon. By the time we were done with immigration it was evening.

Saturday we arrived at the Seven Skies around 9am. I’ve described the Seven Skies before (here and here) so I won’t describe it again. The current was ripping when we arrived and it took several tries to tie in to the wreck (trouble tying in seemed to be the theme of the weekend, together with strong currents). We staggered the groups’ entry into the water to make entry and exit smoothest. My team, stage diving 18/45 and using 50% for deco, went in last. By the time we were to go, other teams had already surfaced and reporting a whale shark sighting! We quickly jumped in. The current was indeed very strong and we pulled ourselves hand over hand down to the wreck. And whaddya know, the whale shark was there! It was a nice specimen, more than 5m long, with 4 cobias and a bunch of remoras hanging out with it. We enjoyed some time on the bottom with the whale shark but the real treat was having it hang out with us for almost our entire 20 min deco as we were flapping on the line like flags. At one point it looked like it started coughing and later we joked that it looked like it had swallowed a remora by accident… hilarious stuff that I will share once my buddy’s video has been edited. Despite the enjoyable whale shark sighting, I asked for the deco to be cut short a few minutes as were really getting tossed around by the bouncing boat at the 6m and 3m stops. This was no big deal as our bottom time was spent shallower than planned.

The whale shark hung out for most of the day and others saw it again on their second and third dives. We did another dive on the Seven Skies on 18/45 and 50% in the afternoon when the current had died down a little.

We then motored to a shallower site to do a night dive. It was a nice, relaxing no-deco dive. The highlight was disturbing a congregation that consisted of a HUGE marble ray and a bunch (almost 10) of big cobias. There was a lot of commotion as they sped off into the distance.

Sunday morning found us on the Igara wreck. See here for a previous description of the wreck. Again, we had some trouble tying in due to the ridiculous current. This current was something I’d never seen before and I came up from the first dive drawing comparisons to the highest flow areas of Ginnie Springs. Yes, it really was that strong! Several divers on board jumped in and went part way down the line before calling the dive due to the current. We dove 21/35 and 50% and spent our dive averaging 39m off the side of the wreck to get shelter from the current. We ended the dive crawling across the top of the wreck to get back to the line and again flapping line flags on the deco. Deco was uneventful but the current got even stronger at the shallow stops to the point where it was difficult to turn around and see my buddies. No problem there, being last in line, I rested my fin against my buddy and kept time so I knew when it was time to move on the next stop.

During the surface interval, the line tying us to the wreck snapped and had to be tied in again. We were the last team in the water and pulled the line as we arrived on the wreck. By this time the current had died down significantly. Our short deco was uneventful as we shot a bag and drifted.

With 5 good dives, the trip came to an end and we started the long ride back to Singapore.

The weekend was a lot of fun. It is remarkable how smooth things go when planned properly. Despite challenging conditions, everything went according to plan and everybody had a good time.

Thanks to Gideon and the Living Seas crew: Leon, Matilda, Andrew, and Thomas for the hard work organizing the trip, sorting the gas logistics, filling tanks, guiding dives, and generally taking care of the trip participants. If anyone is considering GUE training in the region or anywhere else, I’d highly recommend considering Gideon.

My Housing Arrived

I picked up my Ikelite housing for my Nikon D40 yesterday. Today I took it into the pool to mess around with it. Two things became clear to me while messing around in the pool: (1) underwater photography is going to be a lot of fun and (2) underwater photography is going to be a bitch to learn. I had another realization yesterday in the camera shop: underwater photography is going to cost me a lot of money.

The clear housing was good for peace of mind as I could see that the camera was dry the entire time. When the camera is enclosed in the housing, it's difficult to see what button is what, so familiarity with the camera is going to be key. I would also imagine not wanting to mess with the settings too much while underwater.

Here's a self portrait I took today:



I am quite looking forward to trying the camera out on my next dive trip, which will be on the Black Manta, October 19-21, where we will be going to the Seven Skies and Igara.

Nikon D40 Housing

I just ordered an Ikelite housing for my Nikon D40.




I chose Ikelite because it's my first underwater housing and I didn't want to spend too much and go high end (like Aquatica). Considering the camera costs under US$600, it was hard to justify getting a US$2,000 housing. For a first timer, it's also nice to be able to see through the housing to spot leaks early. Besides, Aquatica only plans to release their housing for the D40 late this year.

The downsides of the Ikelite are that it is not as durable as a metal housing, is kind of large, and has a 60m depth limit.

The housing arrives in 7-10 days. I'll only get to test it in the pool as my next dive trip is not until October.

Underwater photography is a bottomless pit. Next, I'll have to invest in different lenses, dome ports, and strobes (ouch!).

You can read more about the housing here.

Tech 2 Trip Reports

Here are 2 recent reports of Tech 2 classes with Gideon. I've been studying these with interest. As the time gets closer, I hope our team is able to get together to do some of the Tech 2 drills, especially the bottle handling drill.

Dev's report

Graham's report