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Capt. Steve wrote: > An 80 and >a pony is a nice simple set up for around here .It is a "REAL WORLD SOLUTION" >for what actually go's on instead of a utopian vision of proper air >monotoring , perfectly maintained equipment and attentive and skilled buddy. >If you think about it its really just dissimilar sized tanks as doubles. **** What is the difference between theory and reality: Well, in -theory- they are the same, but in -reality- they are different. In -theory- all divers are properly trained, properly motivated, and have unlimited funds to purchase equipment that allows some minor improvement at the cost of cash. In reality, divers come in many different varieties of ability, and end mission requirements. For -many- a poney is properly safe and efficient. For others, it is not. So what's the big deal with agreeing that -one- technique is not suitable for -all- divers? >*** Shot line diving is not a new technique , Steve Bielenda can tell you >storys about how they wreck dove like this in the fiftys . This is where >the dive boat stays "free" and " live" and the divers jump off and swim down >to the wreck with only a guide line and no rope to pull your self down. Its >a challanging type of diving you must have good boyancy control and swimming >ability or you can hurt your ears on the way down . This is the kind of thing >the mate has to do every time they "set the hook" . You must mean the -boat monkey- who is held in such contempt by so many. Shot-line is the way we dive all of the new hits on the sounder, just throw a bleach bottle with a sash weight on the hit and the diver goes. Lots of fun. Efficient too. But not when you are jumping a group and especially not when you are repet diving the same wreck. >***Last winter when i went to Florida , George and Bill and I went lobster >hunting with scooters. Robert kindly dumped a set of his mix doubles and >refilled them with nitrox and loned me his scooter . We three got dropped >off at a reef in around 100 feet of water and scootered down to it , Bill >had a reel and a free diving surface float ( looks like those bay watch >orange things ) he towed that so the dive boat could find us . Yup. The Riffe float tows best (IMO), and the Sporasub one second best (it's a bit light on construction, though). >Can you also tell Sutton ( he has a filter on my messages so can not see > them), that Dr. Benjamin came up with the dual outlet manifold in 1969. We all called them "Benjamin Manifolds" as we were making them up using fittings tapped into the blowout disc ports and SS tubing run between AN fittings. And we learned about them from taking the time to read Tom Mount's (1970's???) book 'Safe Cave Diving" and especially his chapters on gear mods. I think this was one of the first times that cave techniques were brought to NE wrecking, and it's run ever since. This is one of the reasons I got so down on GI's ragging Tom, who was instrumental in the evolution of these techniques long before most of the critics were even diving. So many of the thinking Jersey divers knew what a 'Benjamin Manifold' was even if they had never heard of cave diving. If I might make a small claim, I brought Tom's book home from college in Florida and made up a manifold which was the first one seen on GH's boat, and which was copied by about 5 or 6 other guys. I abandoned my 24 cube pony in about 1975 and was reviled by my peers for diving an -unsafe- dual outlet manifold. The more things change...... OK diving this weekend, not wasted on SCUBA, but it's almost the end of Striped Bass spearfishing here and it's good. Hold yer breath, guys. (and winter digging season is just around the corner). The best time of the year is just beginning. Dave Sutton -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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