This is just the opposite of the Florida keys. No problem getting nitrox 
in un-labled tanks, but got hassled big time on the boats.

When are you dive shop/boat operations out there going to get your 
collective shit together? Don't you morons all have SOP's? Don't you all 
get together to compare notes and dispel the witchcraft bullshit insofar 
as mixing buffoonery and crap gear confingurations/buddy garbage? What 
the fuck is the matter with you guys? Are you ALL a bunch of half-wits?

I walked into my local dive shop and one of the guys there proudly showed 
me a new product: A lead belt weight with a suicide clip welded into 
it... I could not believe the stupidity. 

But at the same time, he told me that the same dumbass company was taking 
old handgranades, filling them with lead and selling those as belt 
weights. Well now, _there's_ something I might go for! Imagine on my next 
Florida Keys dive whipping out a weight belt with a string of those on 
it! Once everybody jumped overboard in a panic, I could take the dive 
boat and do whatever I wanted...

   Jim

On 7/31/97 10:03 AM Underwater Outfitters wrote:

>Just got back from North Carolina where we dove the wrecks off of Morehead 
>City from the dive boat Pelican.  If you plan on diving there, this is the 
>boat to take.  No hassles on profiles or checking your gauges when you get 
>on the boat. Warm water (80F) and over 100 feet of vis.   
>
>The hassles came when we tried to get our tanks filled.  The Olympus dive 
>center would not fill doubles with nitrox unless both tanks had a nitrox 
>wrap, although one visual sticker would do for both tanks. Nitrox wraps 
>could be on the tank boots for all they care as long as you have them.  (A 
>nitrox fill is $12.00 per tank for premix 30%).  My duals were marked with 
>a IANTD sticker that read: "Caution, breathing gas other than air".  Since 
>I use my doubles for mix and nitrox this seemed the proper wording for 
>them.  But not for these inbreeds.
>
>So totally pissed off, we went to Discovery diving for a top off of air so 
>that the nitrox in our doubles would be diluted, but still have a mix.  We 
>came back when they told us to and they were draining our tanks.  Olympus 
>called them and notified them that our tanks had nitrox and since they 
>were not certified blenders they could not add air on top of our nitrox.  
>One set of duals had absolutelty no stickers or indication that they 
>contained nitrox.  They also took the liberty of removing my sticker that 
>read "Caution, Breathing gas other than air" from my duals.  In the 
>filling process, they also managed to close the isolator valve to fill 
>each tank separately with air and never re-opened it.  (Still trying to 
>figure out the reasoning behind that!)    
>
>The diving is great, but if you plan a trip, beware that the dive shop 
>operators  (ALL 3 OF THEM THAT WE WERE AWARE OF) are working together to 
>make you comply with THEIR set of rules, regardless of standards.
>
>By the way, thinking about staying at Discovery's fine accommodations?  
>Think again, our group killed 6 extra-large cockroaches and we found the 
>skeletal remains of two more in a 24 hour period.
>
>Mike McKay
>
>-- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. 
>Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
--
Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]