The Summer Doldrums

[Randy Randerson]

My wife and I are going to Europe for 6 weeks this summer we will stop in Dublin for 5 days and then go to the Amalfi coast for 10 days then to Venice for 4 days then a 7 day Mediterranean Cruise . Then Crete for a week then a few one or two days in Rome etc.

Looking for a gun and a mask to help pay for this trip.

just booked Crete for late July, the AirBnB options were pretty incredible for the money

 

[member 300185]

Normally, yes but I’d managed to make a mess of both over the years and decided injifor a penny in for a pound. It is going to bo a challenge.

I have to get my right Knee done. Been putting it off for over 3 years. But I dont want to waste the summer. I think I will opt for January or February. Too many things going on.

 

[member 300185]

The compressor makes your mix? I never even thought of getting my own - it’d be great for the cottage. Numerous times I’ve had friends want to try and just didn’t have air or a sober enough driver.

I’m going to Europe for 24 days and NY for 10.... aside from that it’s cottage, beach, and playing with my daughter. She’s become a basketball prodigy so we’ll spend a lot of time working on that.

A regular compressor cannot fill air tanks for diving. You will die. You need a proper compressor and Kiwi likely has one. They are very expensive. The air in a tank is the same as air at sea level. 21% oxygen, 79% nitrogen. You can dive deeper and faster with just Nitro but there are dangers.

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

The compressor makes your mix? I never even thought of getting my own - it’d be great for the cottage. Numerous times I’ve had friends want to try and just didn’t have air or a sober enough driver.

I’m going to Europe for 24 days and NY for 10.... aside from that it’s cottage, beach, and playing with my daughter. She’s become a basketball prodigy so we’ll spend a lot of time working on that.

No, I just dive air, not mixed gas. Has special filters on it.
Mixed gas is for serious stuff and as I said I just normally dive for my belly.
My compressor doesn't give as good a fill as I can get at a dive shop but usually I get 40-50 mins at 40 feet or so on 2400 psi or 150kpa.

 

[member 300185]

Not too expensive here. I replaced most of my gear recently for around 2k Nz.
Approx $40 CAD

I have a compressor to fill my own tanks. So the only cost to me apart from yearly hydro and tank checks is fuel for vehicle and boat.
As for planning I just have a look at the conditions and if they're good, I go and get wet.

My local fire station fills my tanks for free. I own 3 sets of dive gear. I have a set at an ex girlfriends house in Florida. I have a set in NZ at an ex's house and my set here. Really sucks too because my gear in NZ cost close to 10k. I had Atomic regs and they ran me close to $2500. But they were just like you were breathing regularly up top.

I am about to buy some split fins, many people say I will love them. But its hard to change something that you are used to. I rented a full mask once in Florida and let me say, that will be my next purchase. The full mask was so amazing. A lot more relaxed when you dont have to worry about something snagging your regs out of your mouth. I had to use a lot of vaseline to make the seal though. Have you ever tried a full mask?

 

[member 300185]

No, I just dive air, not mixed gas. Has special filters on it.
Mixed gas is for serious stuff and as I said I just normally dive for my belly.
My compressor doesn't give as good a fill as I can get at a dive shop but usually I get 40-50 mins at 40 feet or so on 2400 psi or 150kpa.

What kind of filters? I tried mine a few years ago and it got me very sick. Exhaust leaks into the holding tank.

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

I've never used a dry suit. I wear a top but no pants. And, you can get away with no top either in certain spots but once you go down below 10 meters it gets pretty chilly. The south side and open Atlantic side of Nova Scotia is much colder than the Northumberland Strait. Most wrecks that are worth diving are below 10 meters so a top is recommended. There is a place off NS called Sable Island. Some of the best wrecks in the world are there including old pirate ships. But you need a permit to dive there. I am going there in a month. Sable Island is home to about 400 wild horses. Sometimes those numbers go up or down depending on the winters.

As for the coffee, I have been to 32 countries including Columbia and no one makes coffee like NZ. There is a coffee shop outside of Blenheim towards the harbour about mid way and it is the best I have ever had. The mocha's are extremely creamy and tasty.

Not a big fan Lamb though and the family I was staying with ate it almost every day. I worked there building a dog kennel for VinView kennels. The place was huge. The kennel I build holds 50 dogs. There were already 2 others there.

I spent 3 weeks in Auckland. We went up the tower there. Some amazing Tai restaurants there. I have pictures of the entire Weta workshop and museum. And of course you dont go to NZ without seeing Hobbiton. lol

Sounds like you enjoyed it here.
I venture up the sounds a fair bit diving scollys and chasing snapper.
A good mate has a nice bach (cottage) there we use.

Ha. I thought it would be a lot colder there. We dive in water temps around 22-23c in summer and 16-18 in winter. I always wear a full 7mm wetty. Dont remember ever being too hot

I have dived around PNG and the Soloman islands. WWII wrecks and planes. Pretty sobering.

 

[member 300185]

Sounds like you enjoyed it here.
I venture up the sounds a fair bit diving scollys and chasing snapper.
A good mate has a nice bach (cottage) there we use.

Ha. I thought it would be a lot colder there. We dive in water temps around 22-23c in summer and 16-18 in winter. I always wear a full 7mm wetty. Dont remember ever being too hot

I have dived around PNG and the Soloman islands. WWII wrecks and planes. Pretty sobering.

I sure did. The 6 months I spent there were the best times of my life. Its amazing how many people there like to sit at their cottages, party, drink beer etc. Its like every night. And while I was there, I drank for free. Not one Kiwi wanted me to pay for beer. That said, I owe a lot of Kiwi's a good time when they come here. My friends I made there in 2010 came to visit here and we went diving and I showed them many awesome places in NS and a tour around our province. We have become good friends now. We have an open ended invitation. Love those hot summer nights.

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

What kind of filters? I tried mine a few years ago and it got me very sick. Exhaust leaks into the holding tank.

If the compressor was here at home I would take a pic for you.
It is in the sounds at the moment.
It is a plastic cartridge, some special charcoal. I just buy a replacement filter every 50 fills.
The oil I have to use in the compressor is costly. Special synthetic and is manufactured locally. Price goes up depending on the mood of the guy selling it

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

My local fire station fills my tanks for free. I own 3 sets of dive gear. I have a set at an ex girlfriends house in Florida. I have a set in NZ at an ex's house and my set here. Really sucks too because my gear in NZ cost close to 10k. I had Atomic regs and they ran me close to $2500. But they were just like you were breathing regularly up top.

I am about to buy some split fins, many people say I will love them. But its hard to change something that you are used to. I rented a full mask once in Florida and let me say, that will be my next purchase. The full mask was so amazing. A lot more relaxed when you dont have to worry about something snagging your regs out of your mouth. I had to use a lot of vaseline to make the seal though. Have you ever tried a full mask?

Get the spit fins. So much easier especially in current.
No. I haven't tried a full mask. Very interested in one.
I umbilical dive a few places here gold dredging. Being able to talk to someone topside would be good.

 

[member 300185]

Get the spit fins. So much easier especially in current.
No. I haven't tried a full mask. Very interested in one.
I umbilical dive a few places here gold dredging. Being able to talk to someone topside would be good.

How do I send you a personal message? Do you have FB? I have a lot of dive pics there.

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

How do I send you a personal message? Do you have FB? I have a lot of dive pics there.

Na, no book face sorry. I am a boring fart. This forum is the only media I am on.

I will try and pm you my email.

 

[sparxx87]

No, I just dive air, not mixed gas. Has special filters on it.
Mixed gas is for serious stuff and as I said I just normally dive for my belly.
My compressor doesn't give as good a fill as I can get at a dive shop but usually I get 40-50 mins at 40 feet or so on 2400 psi or 150kpa.

Does this special filter have a name? I don’t dive Nitrox, I’d just want the regular 21/79 mix.

I’ve since googled and found the entire setup for $6-8k CAD but that seems steep considering how much I’d actually use it.

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

Does this special filter have a name? I don’t dive Nitrox, I’d just want the regular 21/79 mix.

I’ve since googled and found the entire setup for $6-8k CAD but that seems steep considering how much I’d actually use it.

I dont have the compressor here
But off the top of my head it is an x-pendable filter. A replaceable cartridge that drops into the filter housing. I usually take a used one in and ask for a replacement as I am hopeless at writing shit down and then losing it.
My compressor is powered by an electric motor.
It didn't cost me more than 2k Nz if I remember the price right.
Takes an hour at least for a good fill.
If going away on a long trip I fill my tanks at the firestation here first and power the compressor on a 5kva generator if remote.
Just plug in to a socket if not.