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  #26  
Old 09/01/2007, 11:45 AM
billsreef billsreef is offline
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Lime green shows up really well under water, even in murky waters. I was diving with a couple of friends in murky Long Island water the other weekend and one of my dive buddies was wearing lime green fins and a lime green tank, she was real easy to keep track of. I've also been told my old white Mares Power Planers are easy to spot in the murk.
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  #27  
Old 09/01/2007, 12:09 PM
mikeguerrero mikeguerrero is offline
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David,

You are funny, LOL, I can see myself signing autographs since I'm the sexy one on the dive boat. LOL..

From my openwater book I have learned that my colors on the surface will be lost at deeper depths.

The acronyms of ROYGBIV help me recall that reds and oranges will be lost rather quickly while just below the surface. Most everything in the deeper depths will be blue to violet in appearance.

Dave maybe if you would've taken down a strong light, you would've recognized the member you recall from the surface since the light would have restored the lost colors.

Anyways, nice to know you also have a black and red suit. I will be purchasing the new ME7 wesuit from Pinnacles that is also black and red but more importantly it has Merino linning.

The gloves and booty that I choose are from Pinnacles and both have the Merino linning.

Here is a pic of the wetsuit:


Last edited by mikeguerrero; 09/01/2007 at 12:21 PM.
  #28  
Old 09/02/2007, 08:40 AM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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Nice.... I have a couple wet suits....but am looking at the Mares semi-dry... for some of my Southern Cal dives and for diving some of the lakes here in AZ in the winter...water temps get into the mid to upper 40's here....
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  #29  
Old 09/03/2007, 10:36 PM
David P David P is offline
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ya know those Pinnacle suits are pretty damn nice! the seals on the wrist and ankles, the chimney in the ankle under the zippers, the wear patches under your sholder straps, the stress discs at all 3 or more corner joints.... if I were to buy a wetsuit again (I dive dry now) and fit off the shelf... I would seriously consider pinnacle!
Really wouldn't even need a POWERFULL light, just any light. With any light source you can see red again. If ever you come down south to LA area, give me a holler, we'll go dive!
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  #30  
Old 09/05/2007, 01:33 PM
mikeguerrero mikeguerrero is offline
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David and Ron,

Thanks for the feedback on wetsuits. Yesterday I went to my dive shop and ended up ordering the Polar wetsuit from pinnacles. That is there semi-dri suit with built in hood. It comes in 7mm and 5mm in the extremities.

After I drove home I called Pinnacles in Livermore and got some feedback. He asked me what type of dives I would be making and I told him recreational.

The ME7 is better suited for the recreational type of dives that I will be making for quite some time, nothing really beyond 100 feet.

The polar is designed for the diver that hits the water a lot more than myself in deeper water. But for shallower type of dives that I will be making the ME7 will cover me.

The ME7 is 7mm all over the suit and he suggested that I purchase the hooded vest at 7mm. That would give me an extra 3mm in the chest and protect my head at 7mm. I would then have a total of 10mm in the chest.

He also said when I go down to southern CA I can remove my hood and do some diving there. He told me that southern CA is not as brutal as up here in NorCal.

If I stick with the polar I cannot remove the hood. Both suits are equipped with Merino linning so they are both really warm.

ME7 gives you way more movement than the other suit and I'm going to enjoy that, I don't want to be too stiff down there.

I figure I will go with a dry suit in the near feature and use my ME7 around the shallows exploring all the coastal shores and leave the deep water dives to a dry suit.

So off I go back to the dive shop to stop and switch my order, I hope I don't **** off the shop with all my questions.

I will post some more as I get more equipment...

Thanks,

MG

Here is a pic of the Polar:

  #31  
Old 09/06/2007, 06:55 PM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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I like the pinnacle suits....but they are a bit pricey.... Thanks for the information on what was recomended by piinnacle, that infor is helpful!!!

Right now I have a 3mm shorty from body glove...a 3mm full and a 7mm full from Akona.... These suites fit me very well and are working well....I have used the 3mm in the sub tropics and in the lakes here in AZ. during the summer... I use the 7mm in the lakes in the winter and in the southern cal waters year arround...I am happy with akona suits but am considering the semi-dry suites.... I like the looks of the mares issotherms...and the pinnacle...so far the mares is a a little less pricey....and I am hearing good things about this suite from some of my dive buddies that have it....
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  #32  
Old 09/06/2007, 09:57 PM
mikeguerrero mikeguerrero is offline
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Ron,

The shop called me back the next day to let me know the Polar had arrived. I drove down to the shop and tried it on and literally fought with my body for about 12 minutes trying to get that beast on my body.

No way, I even got claustophobic when I got the hood partially on. The dive shop had to come rescue me and ask if I was okay. I pulled out of the suit which was easier than getting it on.

I told them to place an order on the ME7 in medium, since I had tried on the Cruiser 7/5mm from Pinnacles I thought the Polar would be the same in medium, I was wrong.

When I called Pinnacles they told me that the Cruiser has the same design body frame as the ME7.

So I'm waiting to try on the ME7 and if it's anything like the Cruiser I have a match. I'm excited since the ME7 is the wetsuit of choice 2007.

My gloves came in yesterday, I went with the Merino karbonflex 4mm Pinnacle. I went with a small since my fingers are short. I found that I could feel my pulse in my hand.

So I got scared and called the shop and looked all over online. According to divers, you want to go with a snug fit that doesn't restrict blood flow.

So is the pulsing restriction? I called and found out if your fingers begin to tingle then it's too tight. So I left them on for about 15 minutes and they started to feel better.

I also read that in the water they will become a little looser. According to one review on this glove that was the case, he thought it was too snug but in the water it let out just a tad and was perfect.

The medium which I also tried on did not pulse my hand but the digits where too long leaving a gap at each finger. Not a good dexterity feel.

The small that I have is the best dexterity I could want but just a very snug fit. So Ron, does your gloves have a snug fit and do you feel you pulse in the beginning?

MG
  #33  
Old 09/07/2007, 10:12 AM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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Thanks for the info...when you get the me7 in and if it works for you take a pic and post it....

I have the akona 5 mil gloves and they are snug...but I can't say that I feel my pulse with them on... You don't want your hands turning numb or being without blood flow for a whole dive....May be you should put them on and do a pool dive and see how they feel during the dive??? Or at least put them on and hold your hands underwater in a sink and see if they loosen up a bit under water....
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  #34  
Old 09/13/2007, 08:08 PM
Origami2547 Origami2547 is offline
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Hey Mike. Just a quick note to you. Remember to keep diving. There's nothing quite like blowing bubbles regularly that keeps you fresh and in touch with your skills and your equipment. Getting certified really only means that on a particular day you performed your skills adequately to meet basic requirements. The next day's not always as good, you know? Find a good dive club or a reliable dive buddy and have fun. Enjoy!

By the way, I try to dive San Diego about once a year in the summer and I still choose to wear a hood there. Sure, you can do without, but why deal with the stress of being cold if you don't have to? Stress = more air used = less bottom time.
  #35  
Old 09/17/2007, 11:10 AM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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Hey Mike....any progress???
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  #36  
Old 09/25/2007, 05:00 PM
mikeguerrero mikeguerrero is offline
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Well,

I finally did it and it was an awesome experience... Things I saw...

Arriving on location in rain slick training our instructor waisted no time getting us orientated with the entire location, dive shops, bathrooms, compass navigation on land and beach entrances.

We suited up and practiced our snorkeling first with our jackets on, dove down and picked up sand in our hand and brought that back up for the instructor; a pike dive.

Then we placed our entire gear on and I brought the wrong regulator set that would not fit my Malibu BC back inflate and had to rent a jacket inflate instead; I noticed that the majority of rentals at Monterey are practically all jacket inflate.

Quite the opposite from our LDS which promotes nothing but back inflate; I was kinda of very ****sed that I had to rent out the Jacket inflate since I had my sites on really mastering the back inflate which I had practiced in the pool.

Well, the visibility was very bad as we swam to our bouy to begin our mask clearing; maybe 1 foot at the surface, but down to the bottom of the rope the visibility was about 8 feet at most so I was encouraged when the first set of divers came back up and told us.

As I went down my buddy had a hard time equalizing the ears because she was a little sick before the dive and the instructor had to keep taking her up 2 feet which made me wait a while just below her. That makes you use up more air waiting for the others to clear.

Once down in that super cold water I read my depth at about 20 or so feet and once those ears were cleared I was feeling great down there. the only thing that bothered me was the cold water on my fingers, I have to get use to that cold surge.

I read temps as low as 54 degrees with one diver in our group saying he saw it drop to 47 degrees at one point; as long as I kept the hands close to my torso or moving them around I would generate some heat but could notice the cold water moving around in them when I would flex the hand.

I used a 4mm karbon flex Merino Pinnacles glove. The rest of me was at 7mm at the head, torso at 13mm, groin at 10mm, boots at 6mm and the extremeties at 7mm legs and arms. My suit is all Merino linen on all items, I use a three piece suit not counting the boots or gloves.

I didn't feel any cold what so ever as I entered the blizzard water, nothing at all goes down that seal at the back not with that new neck seal that the M-E 7 from Pinnacles promotes.

Just the hand and on my last dive on Sunday my arms just the arms could feel a hint of cool but not cold, and absolutely nothing in the groin and zero at the chest.

My bouyancy was done with just 28 lbs on the jacket inflate which I really didn't like since trying back inflate BC the Malibu.

Man was our faces really cold when we did a full mask recovery and had that cold water hit our cheeks and nose. It's literally amazing how warm that area stays with your mask, just amazing.

We saw lots of sea lions all over the rocks on the wall with an occasional seal cruising about 10 feet away from us, they move so fast and are extremely agile, no wonder they are hard to catch via predators like the shark.

As much as I wanted to block out the shark he kept entering my mind when ever I surfaced and floated on my back to exist the beach. I would always try to stay close to my partner just for security in mind. Visibility is just zero from looking down to the floor as your swim on the surface, that really sucked.

It was all fun exploring at the bottom with our instructor finding a lot of decorative crabs. Lots of stars and a couple super size stars the size of my chest. Some really big fish too, the size of basket balls, I mean the mask makes them appear 33 percent larger so maybe they were smaller.

On my last dive with my buddy, we decided to swim on the surface all the way out close to the end of the rocks and then dive down and explore and come back. We had a hard time dropping without the guidance of the rope on the bouy since the water at surface was so murky, but once we got to the bottom and equilized the ears it was all good, visibility was at best 10 feet in all areas minus the kicking of the sand from our lack of experience.

We followed baby flounders all over the rocks and before I new it we had dropped down to 37 feet and still dropping till we made it to 45 and we stopped. We had a BT of about 28 full fun minutes till our PSI dropped down to 1,000. We decided to return to the surface and swim back to shore.

That swim was the hardest since at times we hit some current but we finally made it back and removed our fins and lugged up that heavy gear up the stairs through the water drainage that poured right into break water, it had rained all day on Saturday from the parking lot, leaving us with a much better day of full sun on Sunday with no drainage.

Overall experience was a 10 on the scale, knowing that future dives should have a much better visibility than what we got, that will spoil us in the future.

Now it's time to consider what computer, regulator and BC I will purchase. I now know that I don't want a connected computer since I prefer seeing my data on my left arm, that wasn't something I considered before, but being a diver now, I know my desires and whats more practical for me.

They are so right about try it in the ocean first before you purchase, I just made sure I got a really nice wetsuit and mask and fins and the rest would be trial and error on rental equipment first.

We also camped out in our CRV cars Saturday night, that was a lot of fun, I brought all my camping equipment and the car stayed nice and toasty with waking up to divers in the morning for their Sunday dives.

Well, I can't say anything more other than thanking my dive buddy for getting me into scuba and of course our awesome instructor Erin, thanks...

MG

PS...
Beach dives suck when you get sand all over your suit and on your regulators. I can hardly wait to do the boat dives in Monterey, nice entry and exist no sand. I guess you just don't really appreciate some things in life until you've tried them all.

Oh yeah, my buddy purchased a underwater camera and took some pics of me underwater with the giant starfish, I hope they come out and I will post.
  #37  
Old 09/25/2007, 05:25 PM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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Sounds like you had a great time...and that your wet suite worked very well....That is good...glad to have another diver on board!!!! Congrats...
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  #38  
Old 09/26/2007, 06:20 AM
billsreef billsreef is offline
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Got a little tip for you on the swim back to the beach or boat. Do it underwater, you'll encounter less current and wave action and have an easier time Of course it's ok to pop up and check your orientation first if needed.

When you get nice and comfy diving during the day, do some night diving
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  #39  
Old 09/28/2007, 01:10 PM
ghcpa9 ghcpa9 is offline
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ssi since 1987
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  #40  
Old 09/28/2007, 10:22 PM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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ghcpa9....looks like you have been diving for awhile!!! It is great fun for sure!!!!
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  #41  
Old 09/29/2007, 12:29 AM
ghcpa9 ghcpa9 is offline
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well I've been certified for 20 years but certainly have not logged 20 years worth of dives, hehe.
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  #42  
Old 09/29/2007, 12:42 AM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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I do understand that!!! I have been diving for 15 years...but didn't really start logging them until last year!!! Go Figure!!! LOL
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  #43  
Old 09/29/2007, 03:44 PM
ghcpa9 ghcpa9 is offline
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Talking

I plan on it too, just got myself a drysuit so I plan on doing some late season / cold water dives!
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  #44  
Old 09/29/2007, 08:24 PM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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Yeah...I bought a semi-dry this summer and hope to get into some 40's water temps this winter!!!!
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  #45  
Old 10/13/2007, 02:09 AM
mikeguerrero mikeguerrero is offline
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Reefing just wasn't enough for me... I had to go down below and see where the critters really come from...

MG

  #46  
Old 10/13/2007, 07:45 AM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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There is a diver for you!!! Looking good Mike!!!! Congrats!!!
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  #47  
Old 10/17/2007, 05:27 PM
PSam PSam is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ron Leversee
I do understand that!!! I have been diving for 15 years...but didn't really start logging them until last year!!! Go Figure!!! LOL
Certified in '95 when i was 15, haven't really logged a dive since I was probably 16. I may scratch something down in a magazine or a book if it was interesting, lol. thats about it lol
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  #48  
Old 10/17/2007, 11:45 PM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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PSam.... I know several divers that didn't log until they were wanting to get dive-master or instructor certified...Most agencies require x amount of logged dives for those levels of instructors...
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  #49  
Old 10/21/2007, 04:43 PM
mikeguerrero mikeguerrero is offline
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My wife discovered scuba with PADI; the program was free and she loved it. She is now thinking about getting certified.

Here are a couple pics of her in the water...





  #50  
Old 10/21/2007, 05:57 PM
Ron Leversee Ron Leversee is offline
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Very nice!!! She looks like a natural!!! You both will be able to enjoy this great sport together!!! That is great!!!!

Tell her congrats...
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