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WELCOME TO RHEA'S DIVING SERVICES, INC.
Store hours: OPEN Tuesday-Friday 11 am-7 pm, Saturday 11 am-6 pm, CLOSED Sunday & Monday
The goal here is to provide you with a means to our shop information and activities. DIVE IN!!
Whether you want to cruise a shallow Caribbean reef or explore a deep shipwreck using mixed gases, we are THE shop for you!! We carry some of the World's best lines of diving equipment including: SCUBAPRO, Halcyon, DUI drysuits as well as many, many others! Our store is located 4 miles south of the Knoxville airport in Maryville, TN. (See physical address at bottom of page) Come dive with us!!
Register now to gain access to the Forum/Message board in order to participate diving discussions or start your own topic.
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Store News 2/21
Posted by rheas on Wednesday, February 21 @ 14:15:49 EST (469 reads) |
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 Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
UPCOMING BARRACUDA CLUB MEETING
The next Barracuda Club meeting will be Thursday, March 8th at Ye Olde Steak House on Chapman Highway. The presentation will be by our own Chris Honey. She will reveal to us some important information about how to avoid an all too often overlooked diving hazard: pressure related dental problems. We will start social & meal time at 7:00, with the presentation to start by 7:30. The meeting room is upstairs. Just tell them you are with the Barracuda Club. I hope to see you there, Leo.
RENOWNED UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER STAN WATERMAN TO BE AT TN AQUARIUM MARCH 10TH
Stan Waterman is a true pioneer in the discovery of the sea, our last frontier, which he has explored for more than half a century. The world renowned underwater film maker and photographer, and winner of five Emmy's, has been at the forefront of scuba diving since its inception. He may be best known for collaborating on the classic shark movie "Blue Water, White Death" and directing underwater photography for "The Deep." This is a rare opportunity to hear this legendary gentleman of diving who will share his adventures and encounters with wild animals, as well as some of his experiences as a movie & TV producer and film maker. He will introduce excerpts from three of his most popular films: "Three Thousand Years Under the Sea," "Blue Water, White Death" and a film on modern day diving. We invite you to meet Stan during a book signing with copies of his book "Sea Salt: Memories and Essays" for sale at the end of the evening. Stan's website is: http://www.stanwaterman.com The event is Saturday, March 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Seating is limited. Get your tickets while they are still available.
WEBSITE UPDATE FOR AMAZING FEATS OF EXPLORATION STORY FROM 1/31/07
Ouroboros rebreather diver Jerome Meynie has updated his website with detailed information and photos on his recent and amazing 624' exploration dive in Font D'Estramar spring. See our store news from 1/31/07 for more info.
DEMO AN X-SCOOTER FROM DIVE X-TRAS!!
Dive X-tras is the first and only underwater scooter manufacturer to offer the unique opportunity to demo their X-Scooter and receive a NAUI specialty certification for "DPV Pilot" all in one weekend! The two and one half day course will cost $475 and includes the rental of an X-scooter, course fees and c-card. The cost is $325 if you already have your own DPV but would like to take the class. Demo dives only will be available for $25 per 20 minute ride. A representative from Dive X-tras will teach the class to be scheduled on a Friday night from 7-10 pm and 9am-5pm on the following Saturday and Sunday. There are only 4 rental DPV's available and 6 spaces for the class. If you are seriously interested please contact Alan.
UPCOMING CLASSES.....
TECHNICAL NITROX & DECOMPRESSION PROCEDURES In session. Contact Alan for details. Learn how to extend your diving depth and time ranges using multiple nitrox mixtures and entry level trimix gases.
DRYSUIT DIVER February 24th & 25th Reserve your DUI rental drysuit now and guarantee your space in class. WE ONLY HAVE ONE XL AND ONE SMALL RENTAL SUIT LEFT!! Friends don't let friends dive cold!!
BEGINNING SCUBA Starts February 27th Private, semi-private and weekend classes available! Learn now in our 86 degree indoor pool and be ready for the local diving season this Spring!
NITROX DIVER March 10th Lecture starts at 10 am. Safely extend your no-decompression limits. Bottom time is the bottom line!
ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER Expand your diving education and experience with these six open water dives including: night, deep, compass navigation, light salvage, gas consumption calculations and diver rescue!
DIVER PROPULSION VEHICLE (DPV) PILOT TBA Why swim when you can fly?!?
EQUIPMENT SPECIALIST Learn to troubleshoot and do field repairs on your SCUBAPRO dive gear!
INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC SAFETY DIVING TBA
INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL DIVING TBA Learn some of the skills required in technical diving courses and fine tune your fundamental recreational diving skills too! If you have intentions of going into the Tech EANX or Trimix training this class will make the transition from Recreational to Technical diving much easier.
TRIMIX DIVER Contact Alan for details. Safely explore beyond the recreational depth limits using helium based breathing gases.
GUE CAVE & TECHNICAL TRAINING & SCHEDULES: Learn from the best!! Contact David Rhea at david.rhea@cox.net
SWIMMING Call us for the class schedules and times!
UPCOMING TRIPS.....
PENSACOLA, FL (USS ORISKANY) Scheduling for early May... Dive the World's Largest Artificial Reef: the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. See Store News 5/23 for more info.
AUSTRALIA!!!!! June 1st-15th Two week adventure of a lifetime!! 7 days of diving in the Coral Sea aboard the Spirit of Freedom and 4 days of mainland activities. $5,100 TWIN CABINS AVAILABLE!!!!! SIGN UP CUT-OFF DATE IS MARCH 29TH.
NASSAU, BAHAMAS April 25th-29th Shark dives, wreck dives, wall dives! Something for everyone at a great price! 4 nights at the Orange Hill Beach Inn, 3 days of diving with Stuart Cove's. Only $1,175 from Knoxville!! $955 for non-diver or $650 w/o airfare. Learn more at www.dive-bahamas.com and www.orangehill.com THERE IS A SINGLE MALE ROOM AVAILABLE!!
COCO VIEW, ROATAN, HONDURAS June 23rd-30th Yep, we're going back for an 8th time!! It's a pretty decent place to dive.....:-) $1,043.00 per diver + $773.00 airfare from Atlanta ALL 16 SPACES HAVE SOLD OUT WITH A WAITING LIST STARTED..."
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Shop News: Store News 2/06
Posted by rheas on Tuesday, February 06 @ 16:04:06 EST (1521 reads) |
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Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
RHEA'S DIVING SERVICES FEBRUARY SALES SPECIALS
SCUBAPRO DIVE CERTIFICATION REBATE FROM NOV. 1ST, 2006-MARCH 15TH, 2007-Receive $50 cash back with purchase of mask, fins, and snorkel plus an additional $150 cash back with purchase of SCUBAPRO regulator, BC and dive computer!
RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT WHEN PURCHASING ANY COMBINATION OF MASK, FINS, SNORKEL AND BOOTS!
USED HELIUM ANALYZER WITH FLOW METER & DRYCASE FOR $500.00 (ORIGINALLY SOLD FOR OVER $1,000!)
10% OFF SCUBAPRO BALANCED POWER INFLATORS-completely serviceable with lifetime parts warranty. $85.50
10% OFF SCUBAPRO K3 KNIVES-2.5" blade makes great BC knife or small leg knife. $54.00
20% OFF SEALIFE REEFMASTER DC500 PRO KIT-everything you need to shoot great, digital, underwater pictures! Includes camera, housing, strobe kit and carrying case. $616.00
20% OFF CRESSI-SUB EDY DIVE WATCH & NITROX COMPUTER COMBO-stylish & comfortable dive watch with full nitrox computer capabilities. $448.00
20% OFF ANALOX OXYGEN & HELIUM ANALYZER-gas analyzer that displays O2, He & N2 content at once and comes built into it's own carrying case. $852.00
50% OFF CLOSEOUT ITEMS (IN STOCK ONLY)
ALL BRASS HARDWARE
ALL RHEA'S DIVING T-SHIRTS $9.00
AERIS & UWATEC INSTRUMENT FACE PROTECTORS $4.00
AEROSKIN POLARTEC SKIN (LADIES, SIZE LARGE) $125.00
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA & CHANNEL ISLANDS GUIDE BOOKS $9.00
CRESSI-SUB CHILDRENS ARM FLOATS $4.00
LONELY PLANET TAHITI DIVE GUIDE BOOK $8.50
NAUI AIR DIVE TABLES $8.00
SCUBAPRO FLEECE PULL-OVERS & SWEATSHIRTS $20.00-$36.00
SCUBAPRO SWIM GOGGLES $16.50
TRIDENT U/W NOISE MAKERS $12.00
TYR REVERSIBLE SWIM SHORTS (MENS 34" WAIST) $16.00
XCEL 5MM DIVE BOOTS (SIZE 5) $19.50
8" TANK BOOTS $9.00
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Shop News: Store News 1/31
Posted by rheas on Wednesday, January 31 @ 12:19:22 EST (437 reads) |
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Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
AMAZING FEATS OF DIVING EXPLORATION
Here are a couple of recent and amazing feats of diving exploration that I thought many of you would be interested in! What have you done lately?!?
1) Two of the premier cenote dives on our numerous trips to Akumal, Mexico have been at the caves of Sac Actun and Nohoch Nah Chich. Last week a team of cave diving explorers made a swimmable connection between the two massive cave systems producing what is currently the longest underwater cave in the World! Here is a copy of early released information:
"Dear Friends, On 25 January, 2007 Robbie Schmittner and I were finally able to connect Sistema Sac Actun (formerly the second longest underwater cave system in the world) to Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich (formerly the third longest underwater cave system in the world.) Sistema Sac Actun is now the longest underwater cave in the world overtaking the previously unrivaled Sistema Ox Bel Ha. Sac is now also the longest cave in Mexico and the 9th longest cave in the world (which includes all of the dry cave systems.) This accomplishment has been 4 years in the making. It has been an incredible adventure and at times an emotional rollercoaster as we have been close on several occasions but not been able to make the final connection. We were both confident at one point that we would have made the connection by December of 2004 as we had promising leads from both sides but they never quite made it and it ended up taking us another 3 years to achieve. The final connection between Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich and Sistema Sac Actun occurred between the Muul Ha region in Sac Actun and the Cenote Manati (a.k.a. Casa Cenote) region in Nohoch Nah Chich. Cenote Por One, an extremely small and uninviting cave, is positioned between these two areas. Following eight months of sidemount and no-mount exploration, Por One was connected to Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich on the 12th January. Seven more days of exploration dives following this led to the final connection between Sac and Nohoch. On the day of the connection Robbie started his dive from Muul Ha in sidemount configuration equipped with 5 tanks, a DPV and a bottle of champagne! I began my dive from Manati wearing my sidemount harness over my no-mount rig with 3 tanks, a DPV and a digital camera. The sidemount harness would be staged 45 minutes into the dive and another 45 minutes no-mounting would bring me to the end of the line. We timed our dives to arrive at the connection point at the same time, placed the bottle of Champagne between the 2 lines and used that to make the station for the final tie off between the two cave systems. It is now possible to traverse from the Pabilany cenote (W of the Calimba cenote on the Coba Road) around the Grand Cenote (Sac Actun), Cenote Esqueleto (Temple of Doom), Cenote Naval, Cenote Abejas, Cenote Nohoch Kin, bypass Manati, press on to Balancanche, Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich, pass by the Dinner Hole Cenote, and end up in the Dirty Dog or Pet Cemetery Cenotes. In straight line distance, that's a bit over 10 kilometers. But there's 152,975 meters (501,887 feet) of cave to look at on the way. As Sac Actun was 14,300 meters (47,000 feet) longer than Nohoch Nah Chich at the time of connection, following cave naming convention the entire cave will now be known as Sistema Sac Actun. When examining an area overview it is apparent that the last four years of exploration have had a radical impact on the appearance of the coastal drainage patterns and may well require a rethink on the hydrology of the area as well as showing the extremely high degree of connectivity in this karst aquifer. Robbie and I both hope that our work will be useful for scientists and conservationists seeking to learn more about this unique and fragile environment and get it the protection it deserves. Regards, Steve Bogaerts."
2) A fellow Ouroboros closed circuit rebreather owner in France (1 of less than 100 of us) has completed one of the deepest cave exploration dives on record! There is a bit of language lost in the translation but a few stats are incredibly correct: maximum depth is 190 meters, that's approximately 623 feet and the water temp of 18 C is approximately 64 degrees F! Here is Jerome's initial announcement; the full report should be posted on his website soon if not already. The European's definitely have a "different" idea for some equipment configurations and humor but one fact remains undisputed about the Ouroboros rebreather: it is a "Weapon of Mass Exploration!"
"Ouroboros: 190 m in Font Estramar Cave Friday I had the pleasure to continue to investigate deeper the Cave of Font D'Estramar with a 100% working Ouroboros (before, through and after the dive), it was FANTASTIC to concentrate on finding my way between ~185 and ~190m in such complex cave by just keeping an eye on the HUD (heads up display.) The way down was found but having 11 hrs TTS (total time return to surface) I decided to continue the exploration another day. 6 hrs in the water (18 cel deg) enjoying the decompression by exploring new side passage (little shaft and galleries) before abandoning Boris to my safety diver and refuging myself in the habitat for another 5 hrs. Heliox 6/94; 1,4 bottom ppo2 on the way in +/- 700 m and 1,5 on the way up from ~158 m and the way back. Many thanks to all at Delta P and CCR Ltd team for there help and support, it's a real pleasure to dive that unit! Pictures and full report end of the week on Snoopyloop Deep Cave Explorations website: http://www.snoopyloop.com Regards to all, Jerome."
NEW WRECK DIVER MAGAZINE IN STOCK
We have received the latest issue of Wreck Diving Magazine! Issue #11 includes great articles and photography on some of our favorite dive sites: the German submarine U352 off Morehead City, NC and other Great Lakes wrecks including the Daniel J. Morrell (similar but shallower version of the Carl D. Bradley & Edmund Fitzgerald"
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Shop News: Store News 1/11
Posted by rheas on Thursday, January 11 @ 11:39:53 EST (297 reads) |
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Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
NEW EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER ON BOARD: DIVE-XTRAS
Rhea's Diving is proud to have become a dealer (a.k.a. X-Men!) for Dive-Xtras! Very much like Halcyon, Dive-Xtras came about due to inadequacies with certain technical diving items. The primary product offered is a series of Diver Propulsion Vehicles called the X-Scooter; come see one for yourself. Along with the DPV's there are Divers U/W Notebooks and a set of training aid DVD's all keeping with their DIR/Global Underwater Explorers heritage. You can learn more at www.dive-xtras.com
The DVD series compliments 3 levels of training offered through Rhea's Diving Services. They are especially helpful for divers interested in continuing their diving education and include fantastic video, instructor voice-overs, "grease pencil" illustrations and other support materials.
"Essentials of Recreational Diving": Get started on the right path by mastering these 15 skills! Essential for any level of diving!
"Introduction to Technical Diving": An in-depth look at foundational skills for technical diving.
"Technical & Trimix Diving": A closer review of skills & knowledge required for safe, effective tech & trimix diving. 27 skills covered in just over 90 minutes!!
MORE NEW PRODUCTS ARRIVING FROM HALCYON
New DIR 5,000 psi mini pressure gauge. This is a durable, reliable, small, metal pressure gauge with a glass face that makes a great stage bottle or compact primary gauge.
Heavy-duty Stage Bottle Rubber Bands
FREE 2007 HALCYON catalogs & stickers"
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Shop News: Store News 10/31
Posted by rheas on Tuesday, October 31 @ 17:28:59 EST (575 reads) |
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Alan writes "2007 AUSTRALIA TRIP INFORMATION
The 2007 Australia trip details have been completed! Reserve your space now with a $200 deposit.
WHEN: June 1st-15th, 2007
WHERE: Cairns/Port Douglas, mainland Australia and liveaboard to the Coral Sea
INCLUDED: r/t airfare from Atlanta to Australia, airport & hotel transfers, accommodations, meals on the liveaboard, mainland tours, taxes & service charges
NOT INCLUDED: r/t transfers from Knoxville to Atlanta, meals on Australian mainland and departure tax
ITINERARY:
June 1st-3rd: travel from Knoxville, TN to Houston, TX, to Guam, to Cairns, Australia
1 night at the Tradewinds Esplanade
7 nights aboard the liveaboard Spirit of Freedom including all meals & diving
4 nights at the Tradewinds Esplanade
Kuranda Ultimate Tour: Kuranda Train & Skyrail with Tropic Wings, Army Duck Tour & BBQ lunch, Pamagirri Aboriginal Dancers & Dreamtime Walk, Koala & Wildlife Park and Kuranda Levy tour
60 minute Hot Air Balloon ride & champagne brunch
June 15th: travel from Cairns to Guam, to Houston, to Atlanta & Knoxville
COSTS:
$5,100: Double Occupancy for liveaboard Twin cabins
$5,500: Double Occupancy for liveaboard Stateroom or Oceanview cabins
$5,800: Double Occupancy for Deluxe cabin
$4,675: Quad Occupancy cabins
LEARN MORE AT: www.spiritoffreedom.com.au"
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Shop News: Store News 10/18
Posted by rheas on Wednesday, October 18 @ 13:57:02 EDT (264 reads) |
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Alan writes "WHY YOU NEED A DRYSUIT DIVER SPECIALTY CLASS.....
Learning to dive in a drysuit is not difficult to do. However, for the good of the drysuit and your safety it is best to take a specialty class; it is much better than learning something the hard way! We sell the World's premier line of drysuits: Diving Unlimited & International. Better known as simply "DUI" they are the largest American manufacturer of drysuits and the leader in recreational, military and industrial markets. DUI has been an innovator of many cutting edge exposure suit technologies including self-donning suits, weight & trim harness' and recently the Zip-seals & gloves. We have invested in over a dozen DUI drysuits and accessories for our rental & training program so you can dive with the best! Here are just a few reasons why everyone should dive dry:
1-Obviously it is much warmer this time of year. The current local water temperature at depth is 50-55 degrees and the surface is dropping quickly too! Even the best 7mm wetsuit is no match for these temperatures, especially on repetitive dives. Drysuits enable you to comfortably and safely do 2-3 dives a day as opposed to a wetsuit. There are few situations more miserable than having to put on a cold, damp, wetsuit for a repetitive dive!
2-"Real" drysuits do not compress. Wetsuits and foam neoprene "semi-dry" suits are victims of Boyle's Law; as you descend the wetsuit compresses rapidly. By the time you have reached 33' your 7 mm wetsuit is crushed to 3.5 mm and it is barely a dive skin by 99'! Would you want to wear a Caribbean style suit in freezing cold water?!? Shell drysuits with appropriate undergarments will not compress as you dive deeper. Over time, compression will "crush" a wetsuit making it very in-effective insulation; shell drysuits will not so you stay warm at any depth as well as many more years of service life.
3-A lot of people find buoyancy control is easier with a drysuit. Drysuits don't compress so the need to compensate for wetsuit compression at depth is not a factor. Most suits are also equipped with auto-exhausting valves which help deflate expanding air as you ascend!
4-It's more cost effective. Most people think I'm crazy but if you look at the expense of a drysuit vs a wetsuit over time it's true. Drysuits allow you to dive all year, more dives per day, and the "wearable" parts (seals, zippers, etc.) can be replaced or repaired."
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Shop News: Store News 10/17
Posted by rheas on Tuesday, October 17 @ 14:33:47 EDT (775 reads) |
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Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
USS ORISKANY DIVE TRIP REPORT
On May 17th, 2006 the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Oriskany became the World’s largest artificial reef ~22 miles off shore Pensacola, FL. See the Store News 5/23 at www.rheas.mbdc.net for more historical information on the Oriskany. Jeff Burchfield and Sam Duncan made the 8-hour trip to join me for a reconnaissance dive on Tuesday, October 10th. We arose bright and early for a 7 am departure aboard the dive boat "Y" Knot. Captain Dave Mucci agreed to let the three of us do a "technical" dive while his two other customers made a typical "recreational" two-tank dive. Our double tanks and 40 cf stage bottles were loaded along with four 80 cf aluminum cylinders. The "Y" Knot is made for speed, not roominess and the equipment for five divers filled every available deck space. Fast she is though as we arrived on site in a little over an hour! Most other dive boats make the trip off shore in 2-3 hours depending upon the sea state. Mother Nature thankfully co-operated with us; the sun beamed brightly and the mooring sub-floats attached to the Oriskany’s island were easily seen from the surface!
Our dive:
After back-rolling from the "Y" Knot my first sensation was: warm, salt water! Our usual Great Lakes wreck diving conditions are the opposite of this requiring bulky drysuit undergarments and dry gloves for the cold, fresh water! Drysuits were still worn to serve as redundant lift sources for our twin cylinders and to provide adequate exposure protection at the deeper depths. However, wearing only thin insulation and no gloves was a pleasant change! While waiting for Jeff and Sam to enter the water I could see the top of the Oriskany’s super-structure some 80’ below. In the past it bristled with communications antennae and radar dishes. After a brief equipment check and dive plan review we began our descent. Visibility was a fantastic 100’+ and a gentle current drifted tiny jellyfish by us. The Oriskany emerged from the turquoise water looking more like a massive, steel city than a shipwreck! Soon the flight deck came into focus at 130’ but disappeared into the blue to the North and South. This vessel is gigantic!! As I descended past the flight deck the water temperature dropped to a cooler 72 degrees and unfortunately the water clarity decreased too. I shot video of the draft depth markers on the hull at 180’ but decided conditions did not warrant continuing any deeper so swam up to the lights of my dive buddies waiting patiently above. A hangar elevator gaped like an enormous black hole but presented a very intimidating sight even for my trimix clear mind and was by-passed as well. The first sight that greeted us as we swam to the port side of the island was a lone American flag flying from a mast! You can sense the military history exuding from the once proud ship! Upon closer inspection we found that life is already on duty aboard the Oriskany! Marine life seems to be everywhere. Barracudas now patrol the deck where A4 jet aircraft once screamed off to attack North Vietnam. Smaller animals hide among gauges and controls in the flight center. A veneer of corals and algae are already beginning to transform the warship into a tranquil home. Our 45 minutes of bottom time ticked by too quickly and it was time to begin our decompression. As we relaxed in the warm shallows future dive plans were already being developed! Hope you will join us!!"
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Shop News: Store News 8/08
Posted by rheas on Tuesday, August 08 @ 19:27:03 EDT (415 reads) |
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Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
CARL BRADLEY TRIP REPORT
What is the Carl D. Bradley Project?
Last year I was asked by my good friend (and owner of Shipwreck Adventures in Two Rivers, WI) Greg Such to shoot the underwater video footage for a series of dives on the shipwreck of the Carl D. Bradley. The "Bradley Project" would consist of five divers from the Inland Sea Corporation, Shipwreck Adventures and myself from Rhea's Diving Services. The intent of the dives would be to document the Great Lake's second largest and deepest shipwreck.
The "long-ships" of the Great Lakes:
The Edmund Fitzgerald and Carl D. Bradley are two of the most famous and tragic names in Great Lakes maritime history. They are the largest vessels to sink in the Lakes; the "Fitz" in Lake Superior and the Bradley in Lake Michigan. Both were the most advanced and biggest limestone carriers of their day but were no match for the fury of Mother Nature. The Fitzgerald at 729' x 75' x 39' is the larger of the two and lies in 529' of Lake Superior's icy waters. The monstrous freighter broke in half during a violent storm on November 10th, 1975; all 29 crew members perished. A ballad by Gordon Lightfoot tells the haunting story of her loss. The wreck victim's families have asked that no one visits the grave of the Edmund Fitzgerald and their lost, loved ones. The 650' x 65' x 30' Carl D. Bradley plied the Lake's waters from April 9th, 1927 until November 18th, 1958. A ferocious winter gale caught the Bradley 25 miles off-shore Manistique, MI in upper Lake Michigan and ripped her in two! Tragically, 33 of the 35 crew members would loose their lives that night as the stricken freighter sank in nearly 400' of water. Her sinking would devastate the small town of Rogers City, MI where most of the crewmen and their families lived. The Bradley would lie unseen by human eyes until July 6th, 2001 when a trimix diver (Mirek Standowicz) made the first SCUBA dive and viewed her nameboard atop the pilot house in 310'.
Pre-dive preparations:
Divers Zach Demorest, John Janzen, John Scoles, Greg Such and myself would rendezvous in the small town of Manistique, MI on July 18th, 2006. This became our base from which we would attempt to conduct dives on the Bradley located off-shore in the freighter lanes. Our first day consisted of dive planning; some team members would use conventional open circuit SCUBA while others utilized closed circuit rebreathers. All contingency scenarios were weighed and considered; it was imperative that we were as self sufficient as possible in the event one could not get back to the mooring line and surface supplied deco/safety gases. A hazard of diving in active shipping lanes is the dive boat may have to move! Divers faced with the loss of their ascent line would deploy surface marker buoys and up-lines; the dive boat would then follow and retrieve each. At times each diver would manage a combination of up to 5 "stage bottles" (40-80 cu./ft. cylinders) in addition to their back mounted double tanks or rebreather. These extra tanks included bottom mix stages, rebreather bailouts, decompression gases and 100% oxygen. I would also handle the 56 lb. high-definition camera and light system. Another pre-dive chore was designing mooring lines and sub-floats that we hoped to install on the wreck. The extreme dive depth became very apparent when we spooled out and measured the required line! The Bradley does not have mooring lines like most recreational dive sights; Greg would drag a grapple line to snare the wreckage using only sonar. The team would descend with our new heavy-duty mooring line and chain it to a secure area. The evening was spent pouring over a 6'+ blueprint of the great ship; video targets were selected and discussed. Two camera systems were readied for the next morning's dive. I would shoot my Sony FX-1 HD camera housed in a massive Gates Underwater casing and dual 24 watt Halcyon high intensity discharge video lights. John Scoles designed an imaginative "diver's-eye-view camera!" He placed a Sony mini-DV camera in an old dive light canister with a Vio-Sport lip stick camera placed in the remote light head! It affectionately became known as the "Critter Cam." Now it was time to dive!!
Our dives:
We loaded and boarded Shipwreck Adventures dive boat Little Alexandria and left the harbor for open lake! Our first day of diving brought marginal conditions: 1'-3' seas, a bit of wind and stiff current. Greg grappled the shipwreck's bow. Plans began to fall into place and the dive was on! Descending down the line was surreal. At a depth of around 100' the surface disappears into an eerie green glow above us. The water gets progressively colder until we reach approximately 200' where it entombs us in 35 degree darkness. This area feels like Purgatory; we are suspended in a dark and cold zone with no view of the surface or the ship below. Thank God for DUI drysuits, Weezle undergarments and argon! 290': suddenly a white mountain appears in our dive lights! The down-line is hooked in the giant ship's "A" frame behind the pilot house. I fire up the camera and prepare to get on with the mission. John J. and John S. begin securing the mooring line; their conversations are easily understood through the hoses of their rebreathers. The high helium content of our breathing gas makes the voices comical; like diving with Donald Duck! The ship is spookily preserved. With the exception of a fine layer of a deep water strain of zebra mussels it looks as if she could steam away. The name boards are still in place above the bridge, ship's wheel frozen in time, gyro-repeaters and binnacle still on her last course from 1958! Everything is perfect; a fortunate result of being visited by only a handful of divers. I swim off the gigantic bow and look up the 3 decks to see my dive buddies huddled around the ship's bell; what an awesome shot! The water clarity is very good but I can't see the lake bottom at over 365'. Time flys and so does breathing gas! It's time to go; there is almost 2 hours of decompression ahead of us. Some days Mother Nature co-operated with us and some days she did not. We did successfully manage to dive the stern section twice joining John J. and John S. as the only divers to have done so. The Bradley's double stern wheel, flag pole, lettered smoke-stack, deck cabins and fantail are in pristine condition. However, it's evident why she sank as we swim forward to the cargo holds. The decks are pinched down to a mangled mess at 380'! It's a sobering testament to the force of the Great Lake's winter storms. The battered port lifeboat also reminds us that the Bradley is the final resting place for 33 of her crew. We were very pleased with the outcome of the dives and lot's of new mysteries arose. The starboard life boat davits were winched out and there was no sign of the boat! Did some of the stern crew make a futile attempt to abandon ship? We will be back next year with more modern technology to explore longer and add to the 45 minutes of HD documentation from this year!"
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Shop News: Store News 5/23
Posted by rheas on Tuesday, May 23 @ 15:19:37 EDT (546 reads) |
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Alan writes "HELLO DIVER !!
LEARN TO DIVE THE USS ORISKANY !!
Did you know that the World’s largest artificial reef now exists less than a day’s drive from us?!? Finally, on May 17th, 2006 the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Oriskany was laid to rest twenty-two nautical miles off shore Pensacola, Florida. The "Mighty O" as she was affectionately known as by many, survived the Korean and Vietnam wars as well as the hurricanes that battered the Gulf coast in 2005! Other historical notes for CVA-34 Oriskany include: serving as a member of president Kennedy’s fleet blockade during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Senator John McCain flew from her decks before being shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 and surviving five years as a prisoner-of-war. Her last battle was between five states competing for the right to secure the reef project. It is ironic that the warship that once rained over 10,000 tons of ordnance on 20,000 combat sorties will now become a peaceful home to countless marine creatures for an anticipated 100 years!! The Oriskany joins the Saratoga in becoming one of only two US aircraft carriers accessible to SCUBA divers! To dive the Saratoga one must travel half way around the globe to Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
How can you dive the Oriskany?
The massive Oriskany came to rest upright in ~220’ of water with the flight deck at ~130’ and the ship’s "island" at ~70’. The 70’-130’ depths offer extremely limited no-stop dive times on air (only 8-45 minutes.) Nitrox mixtures can almost double these dive times. To completely explore the shipwreck divers should have "technical" training and at very least Nitrox certification.
What is "technical" dive training?
"Technical" diving is generally defined as diving deeper than 100’-130’and/or requiring mandatory decompression, penetrating overhead environments (shipwrecks, caves, ice, etc.), breathing gases other than air or utilizing semi & closed circuit re-breathers rather than conventional SCUBA. There are four primary levels of technical training: Nitrox Diver, Introduction to Technical Diving, Advanced/Tech Nitrox and Trimix Diver.
NITROX and Intro. To Tech Diving courses
Nitrox Diver and Intro. to Tech courses are very beneficial for improving your recreational diving. The Nitrox Diver course involves a short lecture and two open water dives. There are no special equipment requirements beyond that of your recreational gear but you greatly expand your no-decompression dive times! As the name implies, Introduction to Technical Diving prepares you for some of the skills that one learns in the more advanced classes. Some of these include: streamlined & efficient equipment configurations, refinement of fundamentals (i.e. gas management, buoyancy control, overall awareness, buddy responsibilities, surface maker buoy and up-line usage.) The course consists of a classroom lecture and pool session followed by a day of open water diving. This course helps ease the transition from recreational diver to technical diver.
Advanced Nitrox and Trimix Diver training
To safely explore the Oriskany you should educate yourself in Advanced Nitrox and Trimix usage. These courses do require a substantial commitment to complete. What you get in return is the capability to perform staged decompression dives using multiple gas mixes. The equipment redundancy also makes diving to deeper depths much safer and easier. Imagine a single dive time of over 90 minutes exploring the aircraft carrier without having to return to the surface! With Trimix (helium, oxygen, & nitrogen) the helium alleviates the nitrogen narcosis that occurs as you descend below 80’ as well as the onset of oxygen toxicity. There will be parts of the Oriskany that no one will see without the use of trimix! For more information stop by and talk to us about getting in one of the above mentioned courses!"
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WHY HALCYON BACKPLATES ARE BETTER
Posted by rheas on Friday, January 20 @ 10:18:08 EST (796 reads) |
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| Alan writes "The back plate is not as simple as one might think. Each Halcyon back plate features a host of subtle finishing details that enhance the in-water performance and sets them apart from the ordinary. Available in either highly-finished stainless steel or milspec hard-coated aluminum, the Halcyon back plate resists the oxidation and marring common in other less finished, yet similarly priced, plates. Each Halcyon back plate features attachment points for Halcyon’s standard or Convertible Weighted Single Tank Adapters, MC Storage Pak, Active Control Ballast Systems, and the low profile (6 cu ft.) dry suit inflation bottle mounting straps. Halcyon’s webbing slot angles have been designed to provide optimal comfort for the diver. During a dive, webbing slip is mitigated by the inherent grip of the slot on the webbing. Harness comfort is essential to diver performance. Webbing selection should not be an afterthought. Manufactured exclusively to Halcyon specifications, the 2” logo webbing has the necessary stiffness for support, yet is soft enough to allow a complete range of motion at shoulder and waist flex points. Crotch strap 2” webbing is selected for its specific softness, to mitigate potential wear points and prevent pressure points."
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