|
Quoted: Oh it was a joke  Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: His name Rockwell?  Oh it was a joke  Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me (Official Music Video) |
|
Nope never did. What messed with my mind is that I'd be sitting at a deco stop at whatever depth at 3am, absolute pitch black. I'd see a shadow of something swim by at arms length. Couldn't tell what it was and I never tried to figure out what it was. Only thing that was really unnerving were the Great Barracuda. They were more curious than anything else, but it was a little unnerving to turn around and see a 5 footer staring at me. |
|
Quoted: Tell me you didn't grow up in the eighties without telling me you didn't grow up in the eighties  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYIJSSZYQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: His name Rockwell? Oh it was a joke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYIJSSZYLol I remember that song totally forgot about it. Thanks for bring back some great memories 
|
|
Quoted: I've been to what I feel are some stupid deep depths but nothing of substance to talk about there. Some "natural" shipwrecks off in the Gulf have yielded some cool stuff. I wouldn't classify it as weird though. Pulled these morphine ampoules off of a shipwreck sank in the Gulf by U-84. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/192579/baja1_jpg-3528291.JPG Did you have a brunette, very attractive, double breasted co diver? |
|
Quoted: Did you have a brunette, very attractive, double breasted co diver? Quoted: Quoted: I've been to what I feel are some stupid deep depths but nothing of substance to talk about there. Some "natural" shipwrecks off in the Gulf have yielded some cool stuff. I wouldn't classify it as weird though. Pulled these morphine ampoules off of a shipwreck sank in the Gulf by U-84. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/192579/baja1_jpg-3528291.JPG Did you have a brunette, very attractive, double breasted co diver? I understood that reference! Beware the moray eel. |
|
Most of my dives were in Alaska during the winter. Salvage Dives and Cucumber diving commercially. Seals suck. Sea Lions are worse. Killer Whales are scary as fuck. Maybe worst thing I saw was my dive partner peel away from our group during a very deep dive, roll over, and start going straight down near 200 ft.. disoriented as fuck, and I was the only one who saw it and could chase him down |
 DCN Diving Rescue Operation Action happens around 20 seconds in. It’s actually a very cool story but if I saw that coming at me underwater… |
|
Quoted: @Spiffums I've never seen a channel catfish over 4 ft long. They're nasty, STANKY and fight like hell. So do Gar. Neither one serve any purpose other than to keep you busy for a few minutes till you get them reeled in and the inevitable "AW FUCK". They're like big underwater wasps. |
|
Quoted: I've been to what I feel are some stupid deep depths but nothing of substance to talk about there. Some "natural" shipwrecks off in the Gulf have yielded some cool stuff. I wouldn't classify it as weird though. Pulled these morphine ampoules off of a shipwreck sank in the Gulf by U-84. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/192579/baja1_jpg-3528291.JPG  |
| My first solo dive at a freshwater mountain lake. The water was extremely clear down to the thermocline then went jet black. I had to swim with compass on 180* reverse course. Very remote area and kind of creepy dive. Week or two later was at the dive shop and a friend / instructor told me he was on the body recovery team at the same lake the weekend before I dove it. No sea monsters but it was a bad vibe I had no idea a diver had become entangled and had drown. |
|
Quoted: my uncle was on corvettes during WWII and he told me one evening he went on deck for a smoke and some kind of sea monster, with glowing red eyes,surfaced beside the ship and looked at him then submerged.  "Hawaiian Divers ENCOUNTER CRYPTID SEA CREATURES" - **TRUE STORY** / Episode 150 |
|
Quoted: I've been to what I feel are some stupid deep depths but nothing of substance to talk about there. Some "natural" shipwrecks off in the Gulf have yielded some cool stuff. I wouldn't classify it as weird though. Pulled these morphine ampoules off of a shipwreck sank in the Gulf by U-84. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/192579/baja1_jpg-3528291.JPG Did you find anything cool from the wreck under the wreck? ?? Took me a minute, was actually going to share a link. |
|
PSD here(Public Safety Diver, we don't "Rescue" anyone, just search/recoveries) I haven't been in the water in over a year Not much to tell, a whole lot of catfish/crappie beds, debris like rocks/tree limbs or stumps/trash/wrecks/nets/etc, the occasional shark/gator(gulf of 'merica), a few bodies, some evidence, mostly nothing while grid sesrching. Getting paid to be in the water we usually don't do much "deep work" (>80'), but rec diving I've been to 130'. Lulu off Orange Beach is a fun day dive if you're in the area. Still trying to get on U521(?) off Atlantic Beach. (PADI/SSI, 70+ dives) AOW PSD Night 0/Low Vis Wreck/Search |
|
Quoted: I'll take "the rest of the crew ate that guy" for a thousand. Seems unlikely that something with tentacles big enough to pull a man off a boat, and whose hunting routine would include attacking stuff floating on the surface, would be unknown to us. Giant squid is the only thing I can think they live at >1000ft. ...most of the time. Well hi there big fella! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZxGGQc_hRIIf memory serves, there are ~ 6ft Humboldt squid in the Sea of Cortez that normally are deep, but approach the surface at night to hunt. The fishermen go out in clapped out small boats. They have a glow in the dark lure with hooks the squid attack, and are pulled in by hand. |
|
One of the coolest dives I did was in Apra Harbor, Guam where I was able to touch two shipwrecks from two world wars at the same time - the SMS Cormoran a WWI German cruiser that was scuttled by the crew in WWI and the Tokai Maru a Japanese cargo/passenger ship sunk by the US in WWII. There is also an area nicknamed "The Junkyard" where stuff was (if I remember the story correctly) thrown off a sinking cargo ship to lighten the load so it could make it to the pier. The ship was bringing back US military equipment from the various islands shortly after WWII ended and the stuff dumped, that I saw, included landing craft, bulldozers, trucks, pipe and other cool stuff. I have a photo somewhere of me sitting in the driver's seat of a dozer looking like I was driving it. All of the dumped pipe were loaded with lionfish. On a different dive in Apra Harbor I had a similar experience to Cinccinatus where at around 100' I couldn't take a draw from the regulator even though my pressure gauge showed 300 psi so I initiated an emergency swimming ascent and I swear I sucked the leaves off the trees once my head broke the surface. Turned out the pressure gauge would register 300 psi even off the tank. One of the reasons I hate rental gear. I was a PADI Instructor/Master SCUBA Diver Trainer for several year and worked part time in a dive shop in Kailua, Hawaii. |
|
Quoted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FkbfMk0wCIAction happens around 20 seconds in. It’s actually a very cool story but if I saw that coming at me underwater… exactly my first thought when i saw the thread! imagine being that rescued man, being stuck in the pitch black.. i wonder how often that happens when ships sink? just terrifying. in his case it was a miracle though! |
|
Quoted: Twilight dive. Saw a flashing dive strobe light in the distance. Away from shore from us. So, deeper than we were. Way deeper. Like 200' deep. Never figured out what or who was down there. Night dive.... looking at random stuff with our flashlight. My buddy was about 10' to my right. Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. Holy shit! A 5' long Tarpon was following us, and using our light to find sleeping fish. He sucked up a little fish hiding behind a coral head using our light. Scared the crap out of me, and hilarious, too. I had a light implode over 100' down right as I watched my partners glow stick disappear....  Late 80's. No lighted gauges. I'm lucky I wasn't bent when I surfaced. We hadn't been down for long. On a night snorkel in pretty shallow water in the USVI there was cuda that would appear and stare at my light every time I turned it on. I couldn't do much about it so I turned it off for a while. When I turned it back on, I was over a shit load of some kind of long legged crabs that were reaching up for me.. |
|
Quoted: What is a "safety stop?" Thanks It's when you are done with your dive, and hang out at 15-20 ft below the surface for five minutes, giving yourself some time for the nitrogen to off-gas out of your bloodstream, and give yourself an extra layers of safety to not get the bends. If you were diving near the limit of the dive tables, then it's a really good idea. Regardless, it's a good habit. On some dive boats, they'll have a bar they lower down, and you can hold onto it. If not, the safety stop is an excellent opportunity to practice controlling your buoyancy for five minutes. Some dive boats will even have an extra tank hanging down there, so if you REALLY need some time to let the nitrogen out, you have enough air. |
|
Quoted: Since some of us are posting photos, I'm going to post a few more.  Manga ray. Those things can be huge, and are very graceful in the water. This one is from Hawaii, near the old Kona airport. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/9297.JPG I'm pretty sure manga rays are from Japan, not Hawaii. |
|
Quoted: I'm pretty sure manga rays are from Japan, not Hawaii. Quoted: Quoted: Since some of us are posting photos, I'm going to post a few more. Manga ray. Those things can be huge, and are very graceful in the water. This one is from Hawaii, near the old Kona airport. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/9297.JPG I'm pretty sure manga rays are from Japan, not Hawaii. 
|
|
Quoted: Dove a few times by rigs out in the Gulf of America… spear fishing one time and yeah, there’s weird fucking species out there, and when they’re close to my size or bigger, fuck it, they can have my catch, I’ll just go to McDonald’s and get a fish sandwich! Was snorkeling around on a beach north of Camp Pendleton, trying to decide if I wanted to dive, and saw something come at me the size of a Volkswagen, got the fuck out of there, later buddy told me that area is known for Orcas There’s a weird story behind that…driving north from the base and found a public beach turn in. Wife gets out and sets up chairs and I stay to get my gear and tank out of the truck….a surfer dude walks by and he like bra, can’t shore dive here, they’ll give you a ticket and take your gear. I make it to beach and my wife is like, I thought you’re going to do some diving, I told her about the surfer dude with the beard and long hair and what he told me. She said, I didn’t see anyone but you up there. Ok, but when I nearly get eaten by an Orca, I realize that was no ordinary dude, it was Surfer Jesus, telling me to stay out of the water! Quoted: Quoted: Buddy of mine worked on a oil rig as a underwater welder. He did it for a year. He quit because he said he was to freaked out by things he saw down there. He said he always had a feeling something was watching him. Dove a few times by rigs out in the Gulf of America… spear fishing one time and yeah, there’s weird fucking species out there, and when they’re close to my size or bigger, fuck it, they can have my catch, I’ll just go to McDonald’s and get a fish sandwich! Was snorkeling around on a beach north of Camp Pendleton, trying to decide if I wanted to dive, and saw something come at me the size of a Volkswagen, got the fuck out of there, later buddy told me that area is known for Orcas There’s a weird story behind that…driving north from the base and found a public beach turn in. Wife gets out and sets up chairs and I stay to get my gear and tank out of the truck….a surfer dude walks by and he like bra, can’t shore dive here, they’ll give you a ticket and take your gear. I make it to beach and my wife is like, I thought you’re going to do some diving, I told her about the surfer dude with the beard and long hair and what he told me. She said, I didn’t see anyone but you up there. Ok, but when I nearly get eaten by an Orca, I realize that was no ordinary dude, it was Surfer Jesus, telling me to stay out of the water! @XNARC That’s a funny story!  |
|
Quoted: Giant cuttlefish. Photo taken in the Coral Sea. These things are freaky and amazing, and much bigger than I expected them to be! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/9324.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/8630.JPG There is some great shore diving near your future homestead. |
|
Quoted: Same thing at two lakes here in Missouri. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Everybody heard that one story about a friend that dives dams and went face to face with catfish the size of a Volkswagen. Maybe even that the whisker was the diameter of his arm. *Cool story bro. Same thing at two lakes here in Missouri. I’ve heard the same. Biggest catfish I’ve seen caught in Missouri was caught by an old friend. 95lb blue on a smaller lake. Closest one to that was a 55lb flathead. I really don’t get spooked in freshwater like I do salt water |
|
Quoted: What about the big trench just north of La Jolla cove near the Scripps Institute? Doesn't it disappear at least a diver a year? I’ve dove there. It gets deep quick. Myself and 2 friends hit 150 ft on compressed air there. We were young and not smart then. |
|
Quoted: There is some great shore diving near your future homestead. Quoted: Quoted: Giant cuttlefish. Photo taken in the Coral Sea. These things are freaky and amazing, and much bigger than I expected them to be! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/9324.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/8630.JPG There is some great shore diving near your future homestead. If we manage to build on our lot, we've already identified two spots where we could shore dive. 
|
|
Quoted: Most of my dives were in Alaska during the winter. Salvage Dives and Cucumber diving commercially. Seals suck. Sea Lions are worse. Killer Whales are scary as fuck. Maybe worst thing I saw was my dive partner peel away from our group during a very deep dive, roll over, and start going straight down near 200 ft.. disoriented as fuck, and I was the only one who saw it and could chase him down Reminds me of... Attached File |
|
Quoted: It's when you are done with your dive, and hang out at 15-20 ft below the surface for five minutes, giving yourself some time for the nitrogen to off-gas out of your bloodstream, and give yourself an extra layers of safety to not get the bends. If you were diving near the limit of the dive tables, then it's a really good idea. Regardless, it's a good habit. On some dive boats, they'll have a bar they lower down, and you can hold onto it. If not, the safety stop is an excellent opportunity to practice controlling your buoyancy for five minutes. Some dive boats will even have an extra tank hanging down there, so if you REALLY need some time to let the nitrogen out, you have enough air. Plan your dive and dive your plan….Most everyone is diving a computer that calculates your safety stop but 3-5 mins is a good place to start. Depends on your actual dive profile but yes you need to hang out to off-gas and watch the follies of people getting back on the dive boat. Funniest time diving was watching a guy hang out at 15ft on his safety stop hanging off the rope in current. I watched him brewing up the vomit he spewed for a couple of mins, thankfully he kept his wits and grabbed his reg as he spewed. A giant feeding frenzy of chum he spewed and dozens of small fish gorging of the dude’s breakfast. My mask started leaking because I was laughing so hard. |
|
Quoted: Since some of us are posting photos, I'm going to post a few more. Manga ray. Those things can be huge, and are very graceful in the water. This one is from Hawaii, near the old Kona airport. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/9297.JPG ETA: A different manta, during a night dive. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/5141.JPG We stop diving when those appear. They’ve fucked up more than 1 diver. |
|
Quoted: That's awesome. My friends are trying to organize a trip but I haven't dove in a long time. Refreshers are in order for a dive like that I think. Definitely not a beginner or out of practice dive. You will be diving solo and need to use a reel. Most likely you will rent 120 steel tanks and be required to rig a bailout bottle if you are doing open circuit. You need a good tech computer that lets you go in deco if needed and unplanned. But mostly it takes a huge amount of discipline. Two people had died on the boat I was on the two years prior. It’s a fever…just one more tooth, and everyone feels it. But one more might be your last. |
|
Quoted: I've been to what I feel are some stupid deep depths but nothing of substance to talk about there. Some "natural" shipwrecks off in the Gulf have yielded some cool stuff. I wouldn't classify it as weird though. Pulled these morphine ampoules off of a shipwreck sank in the Gulf by U-84. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/192579/baja1_jpg-3528291.JPG I have found those things on the shore over time. Three IIFC. |
|
Huge respect for you ocean going guys. Been in freshwater my whole life. Used to go to the bottom of the lake I grew up on and bring back handfuls of mud and night with my buddies when we were kids, that was deep enough. Always been a strong swimmer but have no interest in strapping tanks to my body in fresh water or salt. Anyhoo, did my first snorkeling in the BVI last May. My first time in the water my body would not allow me to breath with my face down, almost like my body revolted. Full disclaimer, I am terrified of the ocean. Eventually got my body to work by laying face down with my face in the water while on the dingy. Glad I persisted, I swam with schools of fish of all types. Having a barracuda eyeball me isn't something I'll ever forget. Thing about the ocean is that everything, even the water, is trying to kill you. Going back in February and look forward to more snorkeling but I won't dive with tanks and there's no way I'm getting in that water a night. Deep ocean water at night, aw hell no. |
|
I was a search and recovery diver (not deep sea) and was pulling my wetsuit on to dive lake Seminole for a body that sits on the FL/GA line in about 2 feet of vis. An investigator radioed the helicopter pilot and said, "Do you see anything?" To which he replied, "Nothing but an alligator the size of this helicopter!" There are dinosaurs on that lake. Dove anyway and found a lawn chair. Guy was alive and well, hiding in the woods watching the whole operation. |
|
Quoted: Speaking of groupers... This was a job we were doing in the Med for Israel. Depth was around 800'. 2003-4 timeframe. Sorry for the low rez, but old tech at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74KnP52-3Z4That video made my day! Revenge is a dish best served...sharp. Lol. |