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| Bruce's Tip Archive. Previously featured tips of the month from our "Hints from Helouise for divers", Bruce Paul
This tip is about things that the DIVERS can do to help make the Captains life a little easier.1. Dive with a dive flag, and STAY WITH IT! The only real indication that the Captain has on where you are is the dive flag. If the flag gets away from you, safely surface and get the Captains' attention. It's no fun for him to follow an empty flag for an hour or so, finally figure out that there's no one under the flag, retrieve it, and then play the "I wonder where my divers are?" game! 2. If you are diving at night, please put a small light (with fresh batteries) on your flag. It makes it visible at night. Also, when surfacing at night, point your dive lights toward the surface. You will look like a mother ship rising from the deep. It's very visible and also alerts the Captain that you're coming up. 3. As you surface, wind up the flag line so it doesn't get tangled in other divers, lobster pots, or worse yet, the props. 4. Realize that the Captain is going to try to position the boat upwind and slightly ahead of you. If there's something in the way (another boat, lobster pot, other divers...), help him out by swimming (together) to a place where he can safely accomplish this maneuver.
From June 1999 As always:
Nitrox divers:
Directions: fill out everything above the button, then click on the "Calculate xxx" button. Tech support's GONE DIVING, so don't bother to call!
How to repair a broken band. We've all had speargun bands fail "prematurely" - one side of the band breaks just above the wishbone, and the rest of the band is in great shape. Here's what to do: 1. Remove the remaining broken rubber & ring from the wishbone. It's easy to crush metal rings with pliers, otherwise you'll have to improvise. 2. Cut a little bit of the broken band to make the end "nice". 3. Moisten the inside of the band with a little spit or water & push it back on the wishbone. Push it all the way up to the bend. 4. There are many variations to this next step, but I'll stick with my favorite. Using waxed twine (or electrician's twine) tie an overhand knot with 4 twists in it (4 times through) about 1/2 inch from the end of the band. Pull this tight, then turn the band over and tie another 4 times through overhand knot. Pull tight. Repeat this 8 to 10 times, then cut the twine near the band. Slide the now mended band up tight against the wishbone stop and you're done! A word or two about these repaired bands: They may be a little stronger than the new ones, because they're a little shorter. Also, I wouldn't recommend repairing them more than once. You can also use this technique to make your own, brand new custom bands, but measure the lengths carefully as you want consistent power from your gun for consistent accuracy!
Here's something simple you can do to ensure a long life and stick-free performance from your brass clips. Oil the springs with CRC or WD-40 before you first use them, and yearly after that (yearly maintenance). It really makes a difference.
Time to start thinking of ANNUAL SERVICE! You should have your regulator serviced at least annually. While you're at it, check (or replace) your fin straps & mask straps. This is also a good time to *REALLY* check out the rest of your gear. When was the last time you lubricated the "O" rings on your flashlights and camera? Do you wait for the "O" rings on your tanks to leak before replacing them? It wouldn't be a bad time to lubricate knife snaps, brass clips, etc. on your gear to ensure that everything is in top notch working order.
For you NIGHT LOBSTER HUNTERS out there, here's a hunting technique that works really well. I carry a 4 "C" cell flashlight with a RED lens in addition to my main night diving light ( a UK D8R ). When I spot a lobster, I signal my buddy and illuminate the lobster with the RED light. I then hold my light to my chest, effectively shutting it off. My buddy does the same. Now, the lobster is illuminated with a beam of RED light - WHICH THE LOBSTER CAN'T SEE! Then my buddy swims over to the lobster and catches it in a net - no "tickling" required... As soon as it's in the net, I illuminate the scene with my D8R, and the bug is measured and bagged. {from the webmaster: Are you wondering what a D8R is? Well from what I hear it's a handheld aircraft landing light that you take underwater! If used for long periods of time it's known to increase the surrounding water temperature by 2-3 degrees! (just kidding, but it is a monster of a flashlight!)}
OK guys - this month's tip is to wear your SCUBA mask while cutting the red onions for my special Lobster Salad:
------- Stop here for the faint of heart! -------
It's done when you taste it and say "Damn that's good!" Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 30 Minutes. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy! Visit the RECIPE page for more of these gastronomical delights!
September's Tips: Lobster hotels - those catch bags with the one-way trapdoor in them - they're great but they are a bit of a nuisance when there's only one or two bugs in them. To keep them from getting tangled in your fins, try attaching a dog clip to the bottom of the bag and clipping it to the top of the bag. You are basically folding the bag in two. You can still stuff up to 4 or 5 bugs in the bag like this, and then unclip the bottom to fill it the rest of the way up ( if you're lucky! ). The clipped bag doesn't seem to interfere with your fins or legs nearly as much, and it reduces the amount of stuff dangling from your body. This is the year of the predator. We have seen a great increase in the number and boldness of sharks and barracuda this year. Many times, they are just curious. Occasionally, they will get aggressive and try to take your catch. Aggressive actions, like swimming toward them, and even "swatting" them will almost always drive them away. Almost always; it is with great reservation that I am passing on this tip. Use it only as a last resort when dealing with these great predators. If the time has come when you feel that you must shoot one, first unscrew your spear tip. The bare shaft will penetrate them and you can easily pull it back out and reload. I don't advocate shooting these magnificent animals, but sometimes it is the only option.
August's Tips: Ever need just a little WD-40? Here's a convenient way to stash a drop or two in your spares kit. Get one of those little glass PERFUME/COLOGNE SAMPLERS that you get barraged with at the mall. Clean it out and recycle it with my favorite cologne: WD-40! It's small, compact, and best of all FREE! It won't corrode or leak - those samplers are impervious to oil and alcohol.
July's Tips This month I've tried to take on the "mysteries of the tanks" by including a SCUBA Tanks link. All this table does is relate how much air is in a given tank at a given pressure. As an example, a tank rated at 120 Cu Ft. at 3500 PSI has only 103 Cu Ft. in it at 3000 PSI, and a tank rated at 87 Cu Ft. at 2650 PSI has 98 Cu Ft. in it at 3000 PSI ( Overfilled ). The standard Aluminum 80 contains 80 Cu Ft. at 3000 PSI, and 93 Cu Ft. at 3500 PSI (Overfilled). Remember: you measure PSI, but you BREATHE cubic feet.
June's Tips: Sticking DIN fittings. Happens to everyone sooner or later; you can't get yourDIN fitting off the tank. Try this: first, make sure that the air is "off" and that you have purged the system. Then, use your softest regulator hose (usually the low pressure inflator) as a strap wrench. Just wrap the hose around the DIN fitting, "pinching" the hose tight with your hand, and turn the fitting COUNTER CLOCKWISE as you are facing it. Next time, don't tighten it so much! Regularly used equipment is usually very reliable 'cause you notice (and hopefully, fix!) any of the little problems as they come up. How about your octopus? You really want it to work if it's ever needed. Try making a regular habit of switching to your octopus at your 15' safety stop. This makes it fall into that "regularly used" category without sacrificing the performance features of your regular regulator.
May's Tips: Ever shoot at a fish only to have your line release jam? The problem may be in your finger... On some guns, including the famous A. B. Biller, the line release is "free" only while the trigger is pulled back. If you release your grip on the trigger too soon (before all the line has pulled out), it will "lock up" again and the line will jam. Aim, shoot & hold, and this problem will go away. A lot of us hook up reels to our dive flags. If you do, you can mark your line. I mark my line every 30’ with a permanent magic marker. One mark for 30’, two marks at 60’, etc. This is useful when you are letting out the flag prior to your actual dive. You could also put a mark at 15’ for use if your dive computer dies, and you want to make a safety stop. A gentle reminder to all you Nitrox divers out there: Spearfishing may be construed as a sometimes strenuous or working dive. Use a max PO2 of 1.4 ata while spearfishing. This means 110’ max for EAN 32, and 95’ for EAN 36. You can wrap the weight on your dive flag with heavy tape to keep from leaving lead marks all over someone’s nice, clean boat. It gets noticed, and is appreciated. You can send "Postcards from above" (messages) to your buddies down below by writing your message on a slate, and attaching the slate to the line on the dive flag with a heavy clip (so it sinks). Be sure to tug on the line a little to help it sink, and so your diver buddy knows to look up.
April's Tips: Tired of loose speargun tips? Tired of constantly screwing them back on, or tightening them up during the dive? Have I got a tip for you: Disassemble the tip and take it off the shaft. Now coat all the threads lightly with some clear, silicon sealer (like bathtub calking). Re-assemble and let dry. Now you have a tight, vibration resistant "glue" that is weak enough for you to unscrew by hand whenever you need. Re-apply after disassembly. Under water signaling: There are a myriad of under water signaling devices, most of which make some sort of clicking/taping/banging noise. These are great for getting your buddy’s attention, and with a little practice, a method of long distance communication. I like to keep it simple: a couple of clacks for "look at me", a couple of loud, frantic clacks for "danger" or "this is really important". My favorite: when you lose sight of your buddy, and clack twice for "where are you?", and he clacks back twice for "here"...repeat as necessary and, if I can’t find him, I clack constantly - this means "I’ve given up trying to find you. I’m going to the surface and will look for you there."
March's Tip: Get yourself an old pair of panty hose and cut off the foot. Throw in some "O" rings, and maybe a Low Pressure plug. Tie it shut and put it in your weight belt (those zippered mesh ones are ideal for this). While you’re at it, shove in a fin strap, a mask strap, and a couple of tie-wraps. Now you have a save-a-dive kit that takes up no room, and that you can’t forget... WARNING: Never put anything valuable in a weight belt. They should be considered as disposable equipment.
February's Tip: Boat Snaps. Boat snaps are marvelous devices for attaching the various implements we carry with us underwater but they can be dangerous. Too many divers have been snagged with a hook or snap hanging from their b/c or weight belt. The key to avoiding becoming hopelessly snagged is to attach these snaps with a small black tie-wrap to your weight belt or b/c. The black tie-wraps are u/v resistant and have a break strength of about 75 pounds. These provide enough strength to hold almost anything yet will break off if pulled with moderate effort.
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