saltydad

I know there are some divers here outside of Dave and me. Lets post our certification(s) and see how many of us there actually are. I hold YMCA/CMAS Basic and NAUI Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications, and have been diving in freshwater rivers and quarries, and the Chesapeake Bay, wreck diving in the Atlantic off of Long Island, Maryland and New Jersey, and the Caribbean (Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Martinique, St. Lucia). I started diving in 1965.

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Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and
http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad
http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/

Jack Daw

LOOOOOL. I just talked to Rick (rick2001) from Italy, he's a passionate scuba diver (currently diving in the Red Sea) and asked him to create a scuba thread. He thought it would be a nice idea to share his images, experience and stories and agreed to creating the thread after he returns from the vacation. I see you have beaten him to that date, Howard. Very nice thread, keep the pics rolling and all your experience and stories are more than welcome.
Rick also showed me some really amazing pics from his trips all over the waterworld, so when he returns, he might show us pictures as amazing as anyone could wish for.



Me myself I used to be a freediver and a good one for my age, but I stopped that activity due to no access to the sea.

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Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and Francesco for the plants I've received.



Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs)

Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

Caloosamusa

I'm a certified diver, PADI Rescue Diver, NSS-CDS Full Cave Diver, TDI Advanced Trimix Diver. I've been on the east and west coasts of Mexico, the Phillipines, Honduras, Belize, Caymans, Jamaica, Bahamas, California, North Carolina and of course Florida. I have several copyrighted films I used in teaching Environmental/Marine, Physical, and Earth Sciences, and I'm currently having another copyrighted now for publication and sale, as a classroom teaching tool.

I do a little diving. This time of year I cannot make it to the forum much for this reason.


This is a not so good picture of a Goliath Grouper I took in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jack Daw

How much do you pay for a good underwater camera?

__________________
Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and Francesco for the plants I've received.



Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs)

Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

Caloosamusa

The Camera is only a small part, the U/W casing is more than the camera and the U/W lights are five times as much as the camera. It really depends on what you need the system for. The price range is very wide beginning at $500, to get started. 'Hope this helps.

island cassie

Things have changed a lot since my day (when younger I promised I would never say that!!!) but my trusty Nikonos 5 with strobes is as good as the day I bought it. Now with digital and u/w casings - I think it boils down to how much you want to spend really. I was initially PADI certified in 1982 and dived the untouched Red Sea in Saudi Arabia and towards Sudan (down south where tourists can't go) for 9 years, Persian Gulf, Maldives. The diving here in the DR is poor (in spite of what the dive shops say) so I have hung up my fins!! (getting too old too I have to admit!)

Jack Daw

Why is it so? Lack of fauna and flora in the seas surrounding the island? Or just bad infrastructure and support?

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Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and Francesco for the plants I've received.



Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs)

Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

MediaHound

Just a plain old PADI open water diver here.
I was certified though when I was 12 years old, the youngest diver they certified. I started taking the course when I was 11 so when I turned 12 I could test and get certified (12 was the minimum age needed).
I love to dive and wish there was more time that I could find to do it. I have dove all around the Caribbean: Roatan (Honduras), Mexico (Cozumel), Jamaica, Florida Keys.. and also on the other side of the world in the Red Sea as well (Eilat).
Great thread, thank you saltydad for starting it.

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Apologies in advance if I am slow to reply to your PM. I suggest posting in the forums for support if you need something urgent.

island cassie

Jack - few fish and very poor coral/sponge around! The Americans say it is due to overfishing - but european environmentalists say that because of cold water clothes washing in the rivers releasing phosphates and the residue from the gold mining in the interior spilling mercury into the rivers, the reefs are dying and the coastal fish are not fit to eat - I know I wouldn't eat them!!

bencelest

I used to be a scuba diver a long time ago. I was certified YMCA when I was living at Lakeland Florida. I dove in many places in Florida Springs, lakes , Florida Keys, California, ahamas, Hawaii and the Philippines in a span of many years but I hang up my fins when I got a job in the desrt at Twenty Nine palms Calif. While there, I had a knee operation and I developed mild ashma. I just enrolled my 3 teenagers and become Padi certified last month. The instructor tried to convince me to get a refresher course when he found out I was a certified scuba diver. I told him I was too old to dive anymore. He said the best diver he had was a 85 y.o. man. But I am afraid to start because of all the things I have to carry and of course my ashma. I think someone has to push me hard for me to start again so I can dive with my kids. I plan to go to Cancun next Spring and the Philippnes for a vacation with my kids next summer. I already bought the package vacation in Cancun and I have about $450 air miles I can deduct from my plane ticket. I also can exchange my 2- weeks time share condo in Maui Hawaii to a 2-week stay in Palawan, Philippines.
So I am all set. What do you think guys, shall I go for it?

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Banana Nut

rick2001

Hi, just a quick note from El Quseir... (fishes are waiting for me)
I'm a padi instructor and scuba is one of my many interests , togheter with surf/windsurf, 'bananas (of course) animals, nature, travels and ecology.
I'm also an underwater photografer and I use a Canon eos 350D with a Sea&sea case , an yS110 strobe and two lenses (a 18-55 and a 60mm macro).
I'll put uop some pics of this vacations ASAP... for the moment you may want to look at other pics I took on past scuba travels:
Indonesia subacquea pictures by rick2001 - Photobucket
Indonesia pictures by rick2001 - Photobucket
Marsa Alam pictures by riccardo_d - Photobucket
marsa alam maggio pictures by riccardo_d - Photobucket
Dahab pictures by riccardo_d - Photobucket

This one is one of my favourite.... I took it at Elphistone :


I'have to go ..... my buddy is going to the diving without me !!!

Bye

Rick

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island cassie

Great picture Rick!!!

Caloosamusa

Excellent picture Rick!

One Video I made was of Caribbean Reef Sharks and Bull Sharks off Florida's east coast. It was a rush. I kept an eye on their pectoral fins the entire time, except when they were behind me. It was intense.

My students that got to see it really liked it.

MediaHound

I've seen a regulator that you put your asthma inhaler inside and it can spray it for you if needed.

Wow, Rick, that is an amazing photograph. Thank you for posting it.

__________________
Apologies in advance if I am slow to reply to your PM. I suggest posting in the forums for support if you need something urgent.

rick2001

You defintely should..... sharing such emotions with your kids is priceless...
I've been in Philippines and if you tell to the diving center you have problems with carring heavy weights such as scuba gear they will be more than happy to detach a young boy to help you so that would be of no concern.

I've been in Moalboal, (Cebu) and I liked it a lot, but I've been told that Palawan is much better...

My only advive would be to go for it but before going to cancun I'd ask an instructor to refresh you the basics in a pool , so you can enjoy Cancun's best spots and cenotes without loosing time to refresh there and being sure that your diving skills are already checked .

I think it's never too late to get back to diving .
Bye

That's a great new.... technology can help a lot nowadays.
So Bencelest, you have no excuses.... go for it !

Just got back from the third diving of the day (waiting for the night dive within 3 hours) and I spent 20 minutes with three turtles eating and relaxing in the coral reef...... I took some pics of it but I guess my girlfriend took a better movie with her UW camera... I hope to be able to upload the movie soon.
Here are some of her movies:





Bye

Rick

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saltydad

Rick- I have to show my sister-in-law, the dental hygienist, the vid of you getting your teeth cleaned. That's great!

Benny- I had a refresher course when I went back after around 15 years; highly recommend it. Boyle's Law hasn't changed, but it does wonders for your confidence and muscle memory. The only caveat I would raise is you should be cleared by a scuba-trained physician. If (s)he gives you the OK, definitely go for it!

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and
http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad
http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/

Jack Daw

Amazing Rick, I might as well reconsider my retreat from this field of joy.
Btw. is any of those guys in those videos you? Like the one having his dental hygiene done by those lovely blue fish?

__________________
Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and Francesco for the plants I've received.



Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs)

Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

rick2001

Yes, jack the cleaning fishes' patient it's me...... :-D

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bencelest

Thank you Jarred, Rick and Howard for the big encouragement. For all those reasons you guys stated, who could not convinced anyone hearing some encouragements like that.
I am going to try again. But first I have to get my body in good physical fit. I am going to be a member again at YMCA where I can do some exercising and lap swimming. I thought I am doomed to just sit out till my old age catch me (that's my way of thinking) but with your encouragement I am going to try again.
I keep on postphoning them for years so years passed by and my muscles were stagnating. The only exercise I got is working in my yard . But thanks fellas, I will become a member as soon as I can.
Again thanks for the encouragement.

Benny

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Banana Nut

rick2001

Hi there.....

I'd like to share a few pics I made in Egypt last week...
They were made almost exclusively with my 60mm macro .

1) Cleaning Shrimp on a bubble coral.... (a lucky shot since you can see even the eggs inside of the shrimp


2) 3 NUDIBRANCHES




3) a really tiny fish living on a whip coral (you can even see the coral's polips)


4) turtle:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_kLS3p5cNB3k/TJ...seir%20042.jpg

I hope you'll like them

Bye

Rick

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