Started diving in Canada in 1968. YMCA certification. J-valves were the best safety device around. You had to know your air consumption rate because there were no underwater pressure gauges. The classes lasted for 10 weeks. It was a very macho sport then, and the instructors wore long dive knives strapped to their shins in the YMCA pool every week. Thank God there was another girl in the class, we weren’t treated well at all, I suppose we wrecked the manly-sport image. Of course there were no Octos, no BCs, and the masks and dive watches were made for bigger faces and wrists. The dive vest inflated by mouth underwater! The sport keeps improving, and I try to improve with it! The gear that lasted longest are my jet fins, and Poseidon side breathing regulator from 1978. Still diving at 70, and I hope you all will be as well. Cheers!
Sister-Diver Maureen, hate to think ya'll had to put up with that? Back in '68, I was only about 11-12 years of age AND living landlocked. But had I been a little older, + around you good Ladies, I would have made the following suggestions: #1> Put some temporary (but realistic) tattoos on both arms, #2> During your class-time (+ whenever.... ) just do a few LOUD burps, #3> Occasionally flatulate (loudly) when convenient, #4> Don't take a bath/shower for at least 3 days before pool instruction, and finally #5> Reach down & scratch your privates (even though women don't have as much to scratch....). So in sum, perhaps if you + your fellow female diving student would have acted kinda more like us "uncivilized, 1st grade bathroom-humor" BOYS.... well? Maybe they would have accepted you more, + been more friendly? I don't know....
I am a 1975 YMCA class alum as well. I have to agree that it was a much more macho atmosphere at the time. I became a member of the cuda club. Chattanooga underwater divers association. We had women in there as well. I always thought everyone should dive. Seems like guys were either nerds or jocks. We all looked out for each other and safety was key. I was 15 at the time and my dad drove me there and the dive master said he'd keep an eye out for me since I was the youngest of the group.
I got certified in 1974 by the Manitoba Underwater Council. I still have the card and PADI instructors have let me take advanced courses based on it. I am planning to get my Advanced Open Water as I couldn’t dive deep wrecks in Florida last week as PADI now has a 60’ max depth for Open Water cards. Pretty adventurous for a 68 year old.
@@fruitloops3718 Also 1975 YMCA grad (instructor also gave us NAUI cert - Took a 35 year break but just go re-certified with SSI - now have 25 recent dives and off to Roatan next month. I hope to keep diving as long as I can climb that damn ladder back onto the boat
Well I also thought it was great and didn't understand why not everyone uses them.... It took me a while to figure out why my compass was suddenly 'broke' on my first dive with it...
A large number of the gear referred in this video as "Worst Dive Gear in the World" were simply evolutionary. For instance, the J-Valve was used, in part, because many of the pressure gauges at the time weren't nearly as reliable or accurate as today's gauges. As equipment advanced, the need for the J-valve was reduced/eliminated. So saying that some of the older gear on this list is among the "worst" is like saying that the plane the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk in 1908 was a total POS because they didn't first invent a fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
J valves were very useful in their time. I understand not using them now, but are all the redundant air systems any better an excuse for not monitoring your gas supply?
Hi Matt, you are right - J Valves, properly used (and checked) before a dive were very useful in the "old days". These are part of the equipment that I trained with with the Navy (ca late 70s). This video may sound "funny" for a newer generation but the use of the "J" valve as opposed to the "K" valve saved a few if not a lot of divers in its days prior to reliable dive computers - and that includes me. Ciao, L
Bee Sss ... the J valves RULE and I have been using my two tanks for 43 years ! If you are FOOLISH and suck your tank empty - you would still have 300 to 500 psi for and emergency ! the other good thing about them is IF you don't need that extra air - your tank isn't 100% empty when you return to the dive shop for a fill . If you completely empty your tank , the dive shop will be charging you $20 dollars to do a visual inspection before they refill your tank . And if you really need the tank for a dive - you may need to also pay to rent a tank until they find the time to inspect and fill yours = $$$ I also got a YMCA certification way back in 1979 and still only use the ole dive tables and never bought a computer !
Shark Shields. Been electrocuted by more blissfully unaware divers that swim overhead not paying attention to where the antenna is dangling than I'd like if they're not kicking up the sediment instead. They're also most likely just a placebo anyway because seeing or not seeing sharks tends to be completely unaffected by whether or not there's a shark shield in the area. Oh, and sharks are awesome.
Never heard of these electrical things. I remember seeing a TV show on killing sharks by jabbing them with a pole with 12 gauge shot shells in it, blowing a big hole in the shark. Good shark conservation technique - not!
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“Early dive computers” must not enter in the same category. It is exactly how you will say “early plains” or “early cars”. Every time when a new invention is make is look horrible after few tens of years.
Exactly. Which is why I thumbed down this video. He listed way too many items that were completely appropriate for their time period but were eventually replaced or improved by advances in technology. I guess its time to dig up Orville and Wilbur Wright from the grave and tell them that their aircraft was a complete POS.
I was diving in Papua New Guinea and had brought my own regulator, a Poseidon JetStream. But my buddy had to rent equipment and his regulator looked like something that had fallen out of a cornflake package! The dive went well however, in one of the most magnificent dives I ever have made. In the Solomon Islands, the Dive Master was annoyed over bringing my own equipment and not renting it from him. But then he spent one hour to get his regulators to work on land before the dive! I was glad I had my equipment!
Brother-Diver Patrick, YES! I'm the very same way Sir! My own reg + other gear, I work on + repair myself. As for dive-masters, instructors, "instructor-instructors.... " being mildly upset about that, as our English brothers & sisters would say, "Just p-ss OFF!"
I remember fins that flip up against your shin to make it easier to climb the ladder on the boat. You'd often see the diver do a giant stride into the water and their fins would flip up against their shins making them useless.
@@markgiltner7358 Why bother? If your main (only) computer fails all you have to do is make a safe accent to the surface with your usual safety stop along the way and end the dive.
@@lordgman1 i should have given more information as to why i use two computers. ive been scuba diving for 34 years, and commercial certified for the past 18 years. about the same time as my commercial cert. i started to get into Tech Diving deeper and longer bottom times that kinda thing. my profiles can run down to 180ft more or less i have touched 201ft on two occasions, just because I wanted it in my logs as a 200ft profile. i have redundancy built into my equipment, i wear twin steel 95 cu. ft. and carry as many as 3 sling tanks, 1 tank (80 cubes) carries standard air mix, 1 tank (80 cubes) a carries EAN 40% give or take. and 1tank (30 cubes) if i think its necessary of 90% O2. the EAN and 90% are strictly decompression gas. i would absolutely agree that two computers for NDL dives is not necessary and overkill. but ive been doing these kinda profiles a long time and have never had an issue with DCS, hense my redundancy. hope that explains it better, cheers
@@rimfirejunkie7427 yeah me too, they was just starting to come out, I think it was mares that first came out with them, pretty basic compared to today's dive computers. my open water was in 1986 how bout you
Custom regulator mouthpiece fitted for the owner teeth and mouth. During the master course my "buddy" had a regulator like that. All the "out of air" exercises which I had to do with him were a nightmare.
@@CavZippo Actually you don't see much more and here is why: - A low volume mask with the glass close to your face has a very wide field of view. It simply feels different to some people because the space INSIDE the mask is smaller and you can sense the sides. - Full face masks are only rated for surface snorkeling. At the surface there is precious little to see to the sides - usually only the siltier top layer. - Many of these full face masks have curved surfaces, which distort what you are actually seeing, like a fish eye lense would. - The reason people who are keen to actually spot sea life use masks with dark silicone is that it helps you focus, especially in sunny conditions. It is usually not an advantage to be flooded by reflected lights if you want to see what other people tend to miss. - Because full face masks are not made of tempered glass they are more prone to getting scratches and fogging up. - Because your entire face is enclosed, it heats up with exertion and sweat and sun screen is more likely to stain the "glass" further adding to fogging (and an unpleasant oppressive heat). - A regular snorkel is also behind your head if you know how to place it properly. That's the proposed visual advantages out of the way - anything else?
For that use, absolutely, and as long as you are trained as a diver. Taking random tourists 30ft underwater with little to no training as he was talking about? Dangerous.
@@echonovember636 I agree. There are too many people who think SCUBA diving is pretty safe. But that's only true if you know the rules and follow them.
Very recent OWD here. In my OWD training I used two octo holders. One was a plastic "bubble" you'd squeeze the mouthpiece in, and the other was a plastic clip you'd have to force around the mouthpiece sideways. Especially the latter was horrible to use. I hated setting it up. On vacation I had a basic Aqualung BCD that had a strap on the right shoulder where you'd simply put a loop of the octo hose through. Super simple to set up and easy to pull out. I see zero problems with this but few BCDs seem to have this shoulder strap. I wonder why. It's so easy.
Damn man..... Wanna buy me one? Ill promise to travel with you, i was a lifeguard for years, then worked in dog day cares, where i would break up fights between 10 pitbulls at a time without losing my hands. Pay for my dives, I'll keep you safe. No matter what. 👍👍👍
I am old enough to have dove with J-valves. Nothing inherently wrong with them. No more dangerous than a K-valve. Just like your pressure gage, if you didn't check it to confirm it was in the correct position periodically, you could run out of air.
My favourite octo holder is to wrap a thin o-ring round the house of the octo and then bolt-snap that to my BCD. If you're calm and want to just practice or whatever then yeah you can unsnap it but if you need it NOW then you'll easily break the o-ring
I went on a shark dive with my group in Roatan. We were told by the dive master to not use our hands to swim, it already somewhat of a no-no in the dive community to do so. But Lina, poor Lina. She did it anyways. Didn't lose a digit, but had a mild panic attack 70ft deep when a shark showed some interest in her hands flapping about and gave her a nibble. On the bright side, she still found some shark teeth to take home that dive.
Un civilized, ahHAHAHAHAHA!! Your comment really made my day, even if I laughed so hard that I accidentally choked + blew my iced-tea (out) through my nose?!! HURTS man, but still funny! And "poor Lina.... " I assume that NOBODY has EVER let her forget this episode perhaps?
Ah the Roatan shark dive on the south side. Yepper this is a caution dive, as the operators are a little "less" than that of the normal dive shop in diving operation on Roatan. but try to make up for it in the videos afterwards. use good judgement, know your air, watch what they are telling you to do underwater all times. as for flapping hands and attention, the sharks are looking for the treats that the dive shop have brought nothing more for the show. notice that the sharks leave as soon as the cookies are gone when you get to search for teeth. I did one of these wont do another with them, checked that off the box of things to do while diving in Roatan. FYI I'm an Dive Instructor and own a Condo there, spend three to four months every winter there.
i need to say. yeah the octo clip on my personal bcd is shait. BUT. when i was diving on holiday, the octo hose had a pocket in the bcd. This is quite a good solution.
Not really as sometimes trying to get it out of a pocket can be difficult especially when your buddy is thrashing about panicking, this pocket method could kill both of you. Bad idea.
I wear an Octo for looks so I keep it connected with a bolt snap to my BC. No, I will not share my air, now bolt for the surface... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Totally kidding... HAHHAA!!!
RN S.A.B.A. sets use a 'manual' version of the 'J' valve for safety reasons. The Swimmers Air Breathing Apparatus is an inverted twin set with the valves behind and below, where they can be reached by hand. The regulator is mounted between the cylinders and comprises a twin hose with full-face mask - all bubbles exhaust from behind. There is no contents gauge. The diver shuts off the r/h (reserve) tank and breathes from the l/h (main) tank only. When the air runs out, the tanks are 'equalised' by opening the reserve valve and then shutting it off. The diver continues to breathe from the main tank which is now half full. When the gas runs out for a 2nd time, the diver equalises again and shuts off the reserve tank. The main tank is now 1/4 full and it's time to return to the surface. The extra 1/4 in the reserve tank is the 'emergency reserve'. The only problem is if the diver forgets to shut off the reserve tank - then he's breathing from both tanks and has no reserve - it only happens once 😊.
Or people that remember the time when a J-Valve was the best option around. One just had to be aware of it´s potential to get snug in kelp or other entanglement and give false security.
I think primary donate is only a good idea with a hose that's either octo length or more ideally with a long ( 2.1m) hose. With a standard length primary hose donation is inhibited and the experience of moving on is less than pleasant. Putting a standard length occy on a neclase works
We just switched to primary donate with necklace for octo - both on standard length - my feeling is that in an out of air situation in open water, we're going up anyway so won't need longer hose - if this was cave diving I see the value of longer hose but figure in our case, if you're out of air, the dive is over and we're going up.
Worst I've seen is the MiniDive Scuba Tank - an accident waiting to happen. Let's give a Spare Air tank (we'll even throw in a compressor to the package) to non trained non divers and see how they get on. But who cares when someone dies - we're a startup and we'll just run off with the money and file for chapter 7 bankruptcy.
@@Khamcity That's when you learn to wrap your compass round the back of your hand and keep it in fornt of you, well away from teh OctoHolder... It does work :-)
Bad : The pump up stuff (similar to snuba but bicycle pump and bottle), eg www.indiegogo.com/projects/minidive-mini-scuba-tank-refilled-by-the-user#/ Disagree with your octo holder, eg: Octo holder like scubaonline.de/media/image/product/14978/lg/velcro-octopus-holder.jpg is good. Primary donate is only good for experienced divers who won't panic when a regulator is pulled out of their mouth.
On my last dive in mexico, as the rest of the group was hugging the coral/rocks, I ventured just a short way out onto the sandy flat bottom to check out something. I think it was a complete seal skeleton, that just had a few starfish finishing off the last of edible stuff. I sure wish I had a rattle, banger or some kinda noise maker as the group continued on. I caught up with them and when back on the boat everyone of them said they wished Id been able to show it to them. It looked pretty cool. I used to do a lot of photography but a few years back, I stopped packing it as I was always getting some pretty awesome shots' that looked just like everyone else's awesome shots. This would've been photo-worthy.
No such thing as a real BCD when I was certified. Instead I was sold a VOIT Swimaster Vest. It had a connection for an inflator on the back of the neck, but we just used the oral inflator on the front. Of course it also had an emergency rip chord that would fire a CO2 cartridge to rush you to the surface!! Wouldn't it be cool for that chord to get snagged and tripped at depth? :)
I use the best octo keeper on the planet and it never breaks or drops my octo and only cost $1.00. curious, it’s a snorkel keeper ie double loop rubber, stretches over mouth piece snuggly yet pulls off with little effort but won’t pull loose when you back flip of side of boat
Sorry, have to contradict opposition to rattles. First, most rattles now have covers that prevent them from making unintended noise. Second, I purchased a rattle after a situation of trying to stop a diver I'd been paired with by a divemaster to escort to the surface. I wanted her to make a safety stop, but she just took off and never looked at me and I had no idea what was going on. I've tried other signaling devices, but just as rattles are annoying they're also the best at getting someone's attention. I've never had the occasion to use mine yet and wouldn't use one casually, but how many times have you wanted to get someone's attention quickly who's three meters away and have no way to do it? What if you're in an out-of-air situation and your buddy is kicking away from you? Wouldn't it be good if you could get them to stop and turn around?
@@muhammadadibabwahab2446, Problems with bangers is that unless you've got side mounts you can't see them and they can be hard to find and manipulate. They make about a 1/4 of the noise of a rattle and like all safety equipment it's got to be easy to use and effective when you need it. Also, bangers make a single sound and then need to be retracted and released again (they're "discrete"); rattles can make almost "continuous" noise until you can finally annoy someone enough to turn around. Also, if you're on a boat and using their tanks they're easy to forget.
@@michaelatherton826 Brother-Diver Michael, agree! For me, if I were needing to get someone's attention quickly/fast, I'd just pull (carefully) out my small Akona-knife & bang the butt-end against my tank(s). I believe that the older PADI Openwater/Advanced-Openwater manuals suggest to do the very same. But then again, we must remember.... "some" people (all thumbs or not willing to learn/practice) should NOT be handling knives of any kind, even when in the kitchen??
@@martinbachmann6283 That wouldn't quite work for me. These days I only carry a 2" folding Spider. I won't trouble you with my old diver dangerous knife accident story. ;-)
@@michaelatherton826 Lol My Akona knife is maybe 3 inches long? I keep it affixed to my bcd, & NOT to my calf! Very rarely ever take the thing out - only to clean & properly coat with silicone oil!
I've been watching for less than a year and have learned a lot from y'all Mark love the videos and your side comments/jokes with Sean please keep doing what y'all are doing
Thank you Simply Scuba for the ❤ from the time I made the comment I've signed up for classes and hitting the pool working on clearing mask and snorkel still love y'alls videos
I remember adverts for shark darts back in the day :) Always wanted one, never could afford it - didn't want to use it whilst diving, but thought it would be fun down the pub on a Friday niight (ONLY KIDDING HONEST). Howvever, I first learned to dive when I was 18, back in 1971 (maybe 72) and dive tables were what we used. Recently, just relearned to dive on a holiday when I did the PADI open water course, and I must say that I am not impressed by the reliance on dive computers. What if the darn thing goes wrong? I was watching a video today when a tech diver said he always dives with two dive computers... Should he maybe have three or four of sixty-six of them???
Let us not forget the early integrated bcd weight pockets with velcro that barely stuck and more than likely threw your weights out just when you didn't need them. Some dives it was literally raining weight pouches. Also the Aqualung sidevalve octopus second stage, as it was sidevalve, the first breath was certainly almost a wet one, not too bad if you are expecting it but if you are not its bolt to the surface time.
People wearing the Octo up under their armpits is a bad habit that still exists. My clip is off of a D ring on the lower edge of my BC, and it is a simple open snap-in clip for the hose. I used to have 2 J-valve tanks, but always dove with them open (no reserve), and they were great. Heavy duty ScubaPro valves on steel tanks. Also, I had a buddy who had an EDGE computer when they first came out (yeah, I've been diving since 1983). That thing was rock solid and he had it for 10 years. At that time the EDGE was considered one of the best made.
Wireless air transmitters. Nothing like checking your air mid dive to see "error". Still use mine for logging purposes and quick checks, but I always use a gauge as a backup.
Best octo holder is a rubber snorkel holder... put it on the D ring lower right side of your BCD and put octo mouthpiece through the other rubber end. BETTER than neck - WHY? I don't want a diver going for my neck when they need air.
Have my magnetic clip for my octo for years. I think so far it's the best option for me. It holds the octo securely, but very easy to release...just a little pull. With one condition: stay away from iron sand
Well... shakers... I've got one with me all the time. Stored away in a pocket, but still fast at hand. I had two dives now where I really needed them to stop the guide and make him turn around to help/wait. Can't figure out how else to gap a few meters fast enough to trigger underwater communication in dangerous situations.
Ridiculous SMBs that are either not visible (at all) or that tempt people on boats to get closer to check out what that ridiculous piece of floating plastic is.
I disagree about Snuba, but I'm probably biased. I dreamed of becoming a scuba diver for over 25 years since reading a fictional mystery adventure book about sunken treasure back when I was 9 or 10 but don't live near the ocean and also ran into some health problems right after high school. At 35 years old, I was healthy and able to take a vacation to Atlantis in the Bahamas. I saw Snuba advertised on their website and immediately knew I was going to do it. And by doing Snuba, which was okay, I found out about Discover Scuba. So my next vacation to Atlantis, I did the Discover Scuba course. And then did Discover Scuba again in Key West last Spring and my divemaster in Key West told me about how I can do the E-Learning and confined dives up where I live and then do the open water dives when I go back to the Bahamas. I did my first two open water dives on my Atlantis trip back in February but wasn't able to do dives 3 or 4. However, my dive instructor was amazing and we became friends. So three weeks ago, I flew back to the Bahamas to stay with him thinking I was only going to get to do my last two open water dives and then do the shark dive that the company he works for is famous for. I lucked out beyond belief and Duiken (scuba diving magazine in the Netherlands) was doing an article on the dive company and the owner tasked my friend/dive instructor to take care of the reporter, photographer, and the photographer's girlfriend was with them. All five of us stayed together day and night over the 5 days and I say I tagged along, but they became life long friends. I got to do 7 private charter dives over 3 days, including two private shark feedings, for free and am not a PADI certified open water diver. And it all started with Snuba. Check out my videos on my page from the shark dives and I also posted some of the turtles we got to swim with. But I still need to upload videos from some of the other dives. A bunch of shipwrecks, some stingrays. Don't hate on Snuba!
During a family trip to Roatan West's Tabyana Beach, we had me and the guide on Scuba and 6 family members on 2-person raft/tank flaoting Snuba rigs. 30' hoses. for a 25' deep reef. Great trip for a large family with non-divers. Thanks discoverroatan.net/roatan-snuba-diving-excursion/
Snuba seems aimed at people who perhaps can barely swim, don't want or can't get certified or somehow 'feel' uncomfortable wearing scuba gear; just as like the people who choose to try those often deadly full-face snorkels are.
I can't relate an opinion without knowing the injury rate. What happens if the reg (?) gets knocked out of their mouth? Do they know to "blow and go?" What if they lose their mask?
@@michaelatherton5761 The reputable company I did it with teach you regulator recovery and clearing your mask. Check out their video: ua-cam.com/video/-9mBhWRbENk/v-deo.html
I am still diving at 68 & started when I was 13 before an agency exusted. I too dived from 1969 with J-valves until they were fazed out. The J-valve saved my butt several times with reserve air to bail out on. I have done many a free accent from 25m for traing & free accent from 45m following my bubbles. Not easy but I wss young, fit and very bold. I agree with resetting issue which was part of our buddy checks and feel that the steel rod is not the best method of operating the valve. J-Valve and UOV is the way I will go, if I can find a set of twin-set J's. Best of the old and new.
Actually in my ow course we learn to primary donate. Kinda weird with the really short hose tho, but still good that we do it. It's not really simulating a real out of air scenario, you knee on the bottom right next to your buddy, take a deep breath and then you're "out of air"....
Most overrated piece of dive gear is the dive buddy !! In my opinion and one that I've developed over the past 30 years doing 1000's of dives is that a dive buddy is more hindrance than help. On a shallow dive i'd prefer to go to the surface than go for my " Buddy's" occy . And down deep if you have to rely on your " Buddy's " air to save you rather than your own redundant systems well lets just say your probably both dead ! Now if you dive with the same buddy over and over again and you know each other well i'm sure there is some merit in the system ,but that guys you meet on the boat who you just got paired with is likely to have a most detrimental effect on your health during the imminent dive. Learning about self reliance and redundancy is the best solution and dive with a buddy for the company not for the back up air supply.
@@scubababy3410 Hey there..Sorry i missed this.. Yep i always have an exit , it just isnt my buddy. On a shallow dive i'd make for the surface every single time , down deep or in a cave i'd go for my redundant air supply . And that redundant air supply could be 300L but could also be 10,000L or anywhere in between depending how much gas i would need to safely return to the surface for that particular dive profile
power head or smoky highly effective 12 gauge or 303 against things that want to eat you bought my first gear with steel tank in 1974 never stopped diving
Somewhere in the eighties....i dived with a j valve, and the second stage regulator was on the cilinder...with double lines to the mouthpiece. Just as in Cousteau's days! Equipment from the fire brigade....
People with rattles are the reason why shark darts are actually an excellent idea. My worst dive gear has to be the Scumball. It's such a great idea in theory, but I've never had it hang on to my octo for more than about three seconds. I just gave up and velcroed the stupid thing to my BC.
I despise compasses when Tec diving; twin steels or rebreathers have a habit of messing with them and the computerised ones are rarely accurate. Always fun to have a nice long surface swim.
@@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98 use a perdix as the back up to my ostc, haven't been massively impressed as of yet but haven't used it on many dives! I also prefer a good old fashioned compass as they're quite hard to kill by electronic failure
@@timholgate6639 i saw ostc implode at 120 meter. Shearwater had no issue at 150... try and use your oerdix in the compass mode and you will be amazed on how accurate it is.
@@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98 I'll give it a go next time! I never really go below 70m so imploding ostcs ain't a problem, but I do prefer the layout on it
@@timholgate6639 about the layout it is just everyoanes preference. You can customize the layout on shearwater alse. What i find best at thd shearwater is the 2 button operation. .....just like the poseidon M28. Very easy menus. Cheers.
Worst dive gear I have found. Anything made by cal pacific or cindi walters. Specifically any product of theirs that uses the forte brand corrugated inflater hose. The fittings don’t mount together correctly and the corrugated hose can pop off. After buying 2 bcds on flea bay. I figured out what a terrible product they were. I bought them for pool training for my kids. So luckily no one was hurt. It’s unfortunate that major companies are capable of such a terrible product. Cal pacific made forte bcds and durapro bcds. These were produced in the mid 90s so hopefully less and less of them exist today. But the fabrics and tags were identical to the major brands adding further deception to the product.
Worst for me is being a guest but having the DM/guide to ask me to help with the guiding when they know I have lots of experience. This has happened to me a few times funny enough in Thailand. Now if I go on a dive holiday (which is rare) I show my open water card haha (which is a bit old and from an agency that is long gone, which raises otters questions)
Brother-Diver Craig, same thing with my brother. He's an instructor, + has eons of "extra-specialties," BUT! When we go diving just to relax? He too, just shows his o-water card, and always keeps his mouth shut about his professional certs when around others.
I've found that the biggest problem with rattles is that from more than about 10' away, they sound very, very similar to pistol shrimp, waves crashing against rocks, or any number of crackling noises that you constantly hear underwater.
Yes necklace and primary donate is faster safer and way more clean , but you see some instructors now when they see me with longhose on a recreational scuba always say : " why are you mixing tech and recreational equipment. If you whant a course with me I will not accept this setup during the training. "..... and I had no luck in convincing them that actually longhose and neckalce setup is by far better than stupid octo and normal hose... during a donate air situation none of the hosses is long enough for the other person to breathe properly and not slamming into the donating diver..
Can I ask some questions? (History: I will be completing my OW checkout dives in about four weeks. My LDS is a PADI center. Since making the decision to become certified, I've practically watched every video on UA-cam from Simply Scuba, Alec Pierce, ISE, and 50ft Below as well as having read through the entire Navy Dive Manual and a handful of other books on the subject. To say I'm excited is an understatement, but I want/need all the theory available). I agree that a primary donate on a long hose with a necklace secondary setup is a better option. My wife (and dive buddy) does not agree. She ascribes to the LDS and instructor's point of view. "If my buddy is in an out-of-air situation if the secondary isn't yellow and somewhere in "the triangle" they are going to panic. If they know my primary is what they need to donate and they rip it from my mouth while I'm not looking, then I'm the one in trouble." What is the best way to educate either my wife or my instructor as to the benefits of a primary long hose and necklace set-up? (That said, I understand the instructor's response in your comment. They want to teach everything uniform and not confuse newer students, but it's still a little harsh.)
Ryan Neely I think the short answer is simply this, in an OOA situation the panicked diver doesn’t care about golden triangles, yellow octo’s, or even your personal safety. They want air and they want it now. The quickest place to look is in the eyes of their dive buddy for help, and the first thing they see is your breathing apparatus. So if they rip yours out of your mouth and you’re not expecting it, your octo is already close to your mouth and easy to put in. I’m on a standard setup, but am seriously thinking about going the necklace route.......if for no other reason than to not have another #FlappySnagHazard
Thanks,@@paulwhite3637. I think you're right. I will likely go that direction myself, but it will take time to convert my wife/buddy. I love #FlappySnagHazard (the hashtag, not the actual flappy snag hazard).
Paul White You're exactly right. During Rescue training I learned that a panicked diver will do anything to survive, no matter what happens to their buddy initially. I probably wouldn't try to convince my instructor during OW training but just switch to long hose afterward. Get into the tek practice of doing an S-drill before every rec dive and you'll be much safer off than those 'triangle' proponents who never practice OOA after they het certified. Maybe some of you'll get into sidemount diving and have an even better excuse not to use that yellow octo anymore.
Ryan Neely Take a look at the video courses at sidemounting.com, created by some really experienced divers. There are courses there for backmount, sidemount, tech. Well worth the money. I used it to prepare for my sidemount course. I can get you a discount code if you're interested.
That's the whole point... you don't take it out of your mouth. That makes it super easy to manually fill your BC if you need it and just use a BC dump valve to release air if you don't
Anti-fog products in bottles. You've got the best product, readily available. Plus I love the horrified look on the average yankees face when I put a few gobs in my mask 😈
Washing up liquid works good. Just make sure to get it all out with a cloth before you dive. Dont want soapy bubbles in your eyes when your mask floods. Or just use spit.
Yes! I always spit profusely in my mask while others use johnson's baby shampoo or other fancy defoggers for their masks. Only once, during a pool session, I had to use a fancy defogger, because the water had a high concentration of chlorine, it was neutralizing my saliva, and the mask kept fogging up.
Im not in favor of the octo clip. quite the oppostite. I am about to get my harness and wing set up. But you can just loop your octo and stick the loop into the little opening in the front of your bcd vest. tigh, not dangleing and easy to remove without it falling out
I had an IDC center for a few years , sold and personaly serviced just about every make of scuba gear sold. There was only one reg I would not touch, it was American and Robin Hood used to hide in their forrest. I think the best bit of gear I sold was the little Sea and Sea serated knife that clamps on your demand or HP hose. You never know when your gonna bump into that bit of fishing net. I would never go into the water without a knife. The other bit of gear I loved was Mares regulators, expecially the little MR12. Costs peanuts and never goes wrong. I have two friends who are the wrong side of 70 and still do 700 + dives a year each harvesting scallops, between 25 and 45 meters. I got them both on Mares mr 12s and they love em.
I'm trying to find an image of it, but there was this sounding device one of the sales reps tried to push on the shop, looked like a flashlight without the window, sounded loud above the water, thought it might be useful if the instructor trailing the group needed to alert the one at the front. Turns out with a 5mm hood on, can't hear them at all. Useless.
What about warm water regs being sold all over the world; use them in cold water and, hey presto, you have a nice little free flow. I'm pretty sure they have lead to a fatality or two. I will only ever dive with Apex or Poseidon regs in UK and they have served me well for many, many, years.
Scuba mask with a water purge valve near the nose to clear the mask. I bought one thinking it would be a cool way to clear the mask. Ended up being a nice way to have a slow mask leak pretty much every dive.
I happen to love my octo clip it is made of silicon and just fits around the mouthpiece. it clips to my chest on my bcd, very easy to reach, not in the way and detaches easily. I also love my regulator necklace holder.
All great points but i respectfully disagree on the octo holder.... Tecnomar's magnetic octo holder is great! The magnet is strong enough to reliably hold in place the octo yet a "determined yank" will free it easily..... best divers magnetic holders on the other hand are pure trash...
@@philippe9789 Agree completely. And those of us old-timers who still insist on wearing a dive-watch.... magnets screw those up too; doesn't matter if its an automatic self-wind, OR a quartz either.
Once saw someone wearing one of those while I was searching the bottom of the Chicago river for lost jewelry and designer sunglasses. They seemed a bit _tied up_ with having somehow lost the rest of their scuba kit.
My octo pocket in my aqua lung pro HD bcd is perfect nothing holds it you just slide part of the hose in to the pocket and you can easily grab the octo and it slides out
I agree... that pocket makes it easy to stow and trivial to use your octo in an emergency. I use mine for teaching and it's sooo simple for students to use
No issues with a J-valve but I also always had an SPG. Worst for me were: 12"+ Aqualung dive knife, capillary tube depth gauge, heavy rubber snorkel & rocket fins.
Some early manufacturers made J valves that were not reliable. That gave all J's a bad rap and that was further enhanced by SPG's that were less than accurate at low pressures. Having the pull rod in the up position isn't a brain tease and if you can't handle that, well I would not take up flying either. Younger divers like Maureen... you got it right :-)) I'm 73, diving since 13
Went diving and was low on air during the safety stop, and so went to my buddies to ask for an octopus only to find out that one of the buddies gear just didn’t have one and the other buddies gear had a broken one, needed to swim over to the dive leader to get more air
*The Subaqua Tifon X regulator is the most dangerous piece of dive equipment I have ever had the displeasure of diving with.* The purge button is designed so that, if you press it with a bit too much force, it will unclip which results in a flooded regulator. After making a complaint to the shop where we bought it from, a mechanic them came down to "teach" me about them and proceeded to tell me that they were ment for professional divers who arnt prone to panicing only - what a load of BS. Its worth mentioning that store where I was working at the time was recommended these regulators by the seller after we told them that were being bought specifically for DSDs.
Started diving in Canada in 1968. YMCA certification. J-valves were the best safety device around. You had to know your air consumption rate because there were no underwater pressure gauges. The classes lasted for 10 weeks. It was a very macho sport then, and the instructors wore long dive knives strapped to their shins in the YMCA pool every week. Thank God there was another girl in the class, we weren’t treated well at all, I suppose we wrecked the manly-sport image. Of course there were no Octos, no BCs, and the masks and dive watches were made for bigger faces and wrists. The dive vest inflated by mouth underwater! The sport keeps improving, and I try to improve with it! The gear that lasted longest are my jet fins, and Poseidon side breathing regulator from 1978. Still diving at 70, and I hope you all will be as well. Cheers!
That’s awesome. Good for you. I am 40 and just now getting ready to get into it.
Sister-Diver Maureen, hate to think ya'll had to put up with that? Back in '68, I was only about 11-12 years of age AND living landlocked. But had I been a little older, + around you good Ladies, I would have made the following suggestions: #1> Put some temporary (but realistic) tattoos on both arms, #2> During your class-time (+ whenever.... ) just do a few LOUD burps, #3> Occasionally flatulate (loudly) when convenient, #4> Don't take a bath/shower for at least 3 days before pool instruction, and finally #5> Reach down & scratch your privates (even though women don't have as much to scratch....). So in sum, perhaps if you + your fellow female diving student would have acted kinda more like us "uncivilized, 1st grade bathroom-humor" BOYS.... well? Maybe they would have accepted you more, + been more friendly? I don't know....
I am a 1975 YMCA class alum as well. I have to agree that it was a much more macho atmosphere at the time. I became a member of the cuda club. Chattanooga underwater divers association. We had women in there as well. I always thought everyone should dive. Seems like guys were either nerds or jocks. We all looked out for each other and safety was key. I was 15 at the time and my dad drove me there and the dive master said he'd keep an eye out for me since I was the youngest of the group.
I got certified in 1974 by the Manitoba Underwater Council. I still have the card and PADI instructors have let me take advanced courses based on it. I am planning to get my Advanced Open Water as I couldn’t dive deep wrecks in Florida last week as PADI now has a 60’ max depth for Open Water cards. Pretty adventurous for a 68 year old.
@@fruitloops3718 Also 1975 YMCA grad (instructor also gave us NAUI cert - Took a 35 year break but just go re-certified with SSI - now have 25 recent dives and off to Roatan next month. I hope to keep diving as long as I can climb that damn ladder back onto the boat
Magnetic octo holder seemed as a good idea until I went of a wreck dive. Brought about 1lb of rust with me to the boat 🤣🤣
Well I also thought it was great and didn't understand why not everyone uses them....
It took me a while to figure out why my compass was suddenly 'broke' on my first dive with it...
same here, used it once, went to the bin right after
:-D :-D :-D
Bro I laughed so hard, hahaha
😅
Karen just wants to speak with the manager at depth...
Shark! Why are you swimming away! I want to speak to your manager!
A large number of the gear referred in this video as "Worst Dive Gear in the World" were simply evolutionary. For instance, the J-Valve was used, in part, because many of the pressure gauges at the time weren't nearly as reliable or accurate as today's gauges. As equipment advanced, the need for the J-valve was reduced/eliminated. So saying that some of the older gear on this list is among the "worst" is like saying that the plane the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk in 1908 was a total POS because they didn't first invent a fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Yeah, but the DIY and snuba are both bad and dangerous, not evolutionary.
@@echonovember636 Yeah, that's why I said "A large number..." and didn't use the word "all."
I thought that as well, about the J-Valve.
J valves were very useful in their time. I understand not using them now, but are all the redundant air systems any better an excuse for not monitoring your gas supply?
Hi Matt, you are right - J Valves, properly used (and checked) before a dive were very useful in the "old days". These are part of the equipment that I trained with with the Navy (ca late 70s). This video may sound "funny" for a newer generation but the use of the "J" valve as opposed to the "K" valve saved a few if not a lot of divers in its days prior to reliable dive computers - and that includes me. Ciao, L
Bee Sss ... the J valves RULE and I have been using my two tanks for 43 years ! If you are FOOLISH and suck your tank empty - you would still have 300 to 500 psi for and emergency ! the other good thing about them is IF you don't need that extra air - your tank isn't 100% empty when you return to the dive shop for a fill . If you completely empty your tank , the dive shop will be charging you $20 dollars to do a visual inspection before they refill your tank . And if you really need the tank for a dive - you may need to also pay to rent a tank until they find the time to inspect and fill yours = $$$
I also got a YMCA certification way back in 1979 and still only use the ole dive tables and never bought a computer !
That’s an automatic like for the Alec pierce reference 👍
Chris He is the best!!!
+1 indeed!
+100 for Alec Pierce
Worst thing I’ve ever dived with is Karen
Did she take the kids underwater?
im a karen so
GIVE ME YOUR TANK BCD REGULATORS OR ELSE ILL CALL THE COPS
Who's Karen!?
@@nolanolivier6791 A Karen is when a mom or dad are pure assholes and when the kids want something they get or get the cops called on you.
@@Unfortunate-raven a dad is a Ken
Shark Shields. Been electrocuted by more blissfully unaware divers that swim overhead not paying attention to where the antenna is dangling than I'd like if they're not kicking up the sediment instead. They're also most likely just a placebo anyway because seeing or not seeing sharks tends to be completely unaffected by whether or not there's a shark shield in the area. Oh, and sharks are awesome.
Never heard of these electrical things. I remember seeing a TV show on killing sharks by jabbing them with a pole with 12 gauge shot shells in it, blowing a big hole in the shark. Good shark conservation technique - not!
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Can it be that shark dart were in one of the Bond movies?
“Early dive computers” must not enter in the same category. It is exactly how you will say “early plains” or “early cars”. Every time when a new invention is make is look horrible after few tens of years.
Exactly. Which is why I thumbed down this video. He listed way too many items that were completely appropriate for their time period but were eventually replaced or improved by advances in technology. I guess its time to dig up Orville and Wilbur Wright from the grave and tell them that their aircraft was a complete POS.
The worst thing I ever dove with is an assigned buddy who immediately swims off. Okay......
I thought you were going to rate actual dive gear. Not very helpful to knock gear that was very early in its development either.
I was diving in Papua New Guinea and had brought my own regulator, a Poseidon JetStream. But my buddy had to rent equipment and his regulator looked like something that had fallen out of a cornflake package! The dive went well however, in one of the most magnificent dives I ever have made. In the Solomon Islands, the Dive Master was annoyed over bringing my own equipment and not renting it from him. But then he spent one hour to get his regulators to work on land before the dive! I was glad I had my equipment!
Brother-Diver Patrick, YES! I'm the very same way Sir! My own reg + other gear, I work on + repair myself. As for dive-masters, instructors, "instructor-instructors.... " being mildly upset about that, as our English brothers & sisters would say, "Just p-ss OFF!"
Spare Air. Most unsafe invention ever. About equally as expensive as a pony bottle and extra reg but only a small fraction of the air...
I will not allow one in my classes.
I remember fins that flip up against your shin to make it easier to climb the ladder on the boat. You'd often see the diver do a giant stride into the water and their fins would flip up against their shins making them useless.
When I got my PADI certification, my instructor taught us exclusively on tables
That's the way it should be, when I dive, I dive with two dive computers and I carry a set of tables just in case, you can never be prepared
@@markgiltner7358 Why bother? If your main (only) computer fails all you have to do is make a safe accent to the surface with your usual safety stop along the way and end the dive.
@@lordgman1
i should have given more information as to why i use two computers. ive been scuba diving for 34 years, and commercial certified for the past 18 years. about the same time as my commercial cert. i started to get into Tech Diving deeper and longer bottom times that kinda thing. my profiles can run down to 180ft more or less i have touched 201ft on two occasions, just because I wanted it in my logs as a 200ft profile. i have redundancy built into my equipment, i wear twin steel 95 cu. ft. and carry as many as 3 sling tanks, 1 tank (80 cubes) carries standard air mix, 1 tank (80 cubes) a carries EAN 40% give or take. and 1tank (30 cubes) if i think its necessary of 90% O2. the EAN and 90% are strictly decompression gas.
i would absolutely agree that two computers for NDL dives is not necessary and overkill. but ive been doing these kinda profiles a long time and have never had an issue with DCS, hense my redundancy.
hope that explains it better, cheers
@@rimfirejunkie7427
yeah me too, they was just starting to come out, I think it was mares that first came out with them, pretty basic compared to today's dive computers. my open water was in 1986 how bout you
Odd 😂
Custom regulator mouthpiece fitted for the owner teeth and mouth. During the master course my "buddy" had a regulator like that. All the "out of air" exercises which I had to do with him were a nightmare.
I think that split fins are the worst thing I have dove with, split fins don't actually work as good as people say.
Snorkelling full-face masks.... wtf?!
death traps for noobs
I like mine.
@@CavZippo What's to like?
@@whynottalklikeapirat for starters the visibility and having the snorkel straight behind my head.
@@CavZippo Actually you don't see much more and here is why:
- A low volume mask with the glass close to your face has a very wide field of view. It simply feels different to some people because the space INSIDE the mask is smaller and you can sense the sides.
- Full face masks are only rated for surface snorkeling. At the surface there is precious little to see to the sides - usually only the siltier top layer.
- Many of these full face masks have curved surfaces, which distort what you are actually seeing, like a fish eye lense would.
- The reason people who are keen to actually spot sea life use masks with dark silicone is that it helps you focus, especially in sunny conditions. It is usually not an advantage to be flooded by reflected lights if you want to see what other people tend to miss.
- Because full face masks are not made of tempered glass they are more prone to getting scratches and fogging up.
- Because your entire face is enclosed, it heats up with exertion and sweat and sun screen is more likely to stain the "glass" further adding to fogging (and an unpleasant oppressive heat).
- A regular snorkel is also behind your head if you know how to place it properly.
That's the proposed visual advantages out of the way - anything else?
As a boater, the use of Snuba or Hookah is to clean the bottom of your boat with out going a ton of tanks...
For that use, absolutely, and as long as you are trained as a diver. Taking random tourists 30ft underwater with little to no training as he was talking about? Dangerous.
@@echonovember636 I agree. There are too many people who think SCUBA diving is pretty safe. But that's only true if you know the rules and follow them.
Very recent OWD here. In my OWD training I used two octo holders. One was a plastic "bubble" you'd squeeze the mouthpiece in, and the other was a plastic clip you'd have to force around the mouthpiece sideways. Especially the latter was horrible to use. I hated setting it up. On vacation I had a basic Aqualung BCD that had a strap on the right shoulder where you'd simply put a loop of the octo hose through. Super simple to set up and easy to pull out. I see zero problems with this but few BCDs seem to have this shoulder strap. I wonder why. It's so easy.
I am watching this while in the bath, wearing my suunto D5 🥰
Damn man..... Wanna buy me one? Ill promise to travel with you, i was a lifeguard for years, then worked in dog day cares, where i would break up fights between 10 pitbulls at a time without losing my hands. Pay for my dives, I'll keep you safe. No matter what. 👍👍👍
Better safe than sorry! Don't forget to set the altitude first...
Best place for a suunto computer.
Suunto algorithms can kiss my Aunt Fanny
I am old enough to have dove with J-valves. Nothing inherently wrong with them. No more dangerous than a K-valve. Just like your pressure gage, if you didn't check it to confirm it was in the correct position periodically, you could run out of air.
The j valve is where our modern day low on air signal comes from right?
My favourite octo holder is to wrap a thin o-ring round the house of the octo and then bolt-snap that to my BCD. If you're calm and want to just practice or whatever then yeah you can unsnap it but if you need it NOW then you'll easily break the o-ring
That works actually pretty well. Just don't forget to make it part of your buddy check, so you're not the only one to know the trick.
I went on a shark dive with my group in Roatan. We were told by the dive master to not use our hands to swim, it already somewhat of a no-no in the dive community to do so. But Lina, poor Lina. She did it anyways. Didn't lose a digit, but had a mild panic attack 70ft deep when a shark showed some interest in her hands flapping about and gave her a nibble. On the bright side, she still found some shark teeth to take home that dive.
Un civilized, ahHAHAHAHAHA!! Your comment really made my day, even if I laughed so hard that I accidentally choked + blew my iced-tea (out) through my nose?!! HURTS man, but still funny! And "poor Lina.... " I assume that NOBODY has EVER let her forget this episode perhaps?
Hope the teeth weren’t embedded in her hands!
Ah the Roatan shark dive on the south side. Yepper this is a caution dive, as the operators are a little "less" than that of the normal dive shop in diving operation on Roatan. but try to make up for it in the videos afterwards. use good judgement, know your air, watch what they are telling you to do underwater all times. as for flapping hands and attention, the sharks are looking for the treats that the dive shop have brought nothing more for the show. notice that the sharks leave as soon as the cookies are gone when you get to search for teeth. I did one of these wont do another with them, checked that off the box of things to do while diving in Roatan. FYI I'm an Dive Instructor and own a Condo there, spend three to four months every winter there.
Saved someone's life with a tank banger once.
i need to say. yeah the octo clip on my personal bcd is shait. BUT. when i was diving on holiday, the octo hose had a pocket in the bcd. This is quite a good solution.
Not really as sometimes trying to get it out of a pocket can be difficult especially when your buddy is thrashing about panicking, this pocket method could kill both of you. Bad idea.
Nice recommendation of Alex Pierce. He has some great videos on vintage equipment.
I wear an Octo for looks so I keep it connected with a bolt snap to my BC. No, I will not share my air, now bolt for the surface... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Totally kidding... HAHHAA!!!
The misused of pointers. I have friends called it banger. You can tell what they think the purpose of if by the name.
RN S.A.B.A. sets use a 'manual' version of the 'J' valve for safety reasons. The Swimmers Air Breathing Apparatus is an inverted twin set with the valves behind and below, where they can be reached by hand. The regulator is mounted between the cylinders and comprises a twin hose with full-face mask - all bubbles exhaust from behind.
There is no contents gauge.
The diver shuts off the r/h (reserve) tank and breathes from the l/h (main) tank only.
When the air runs out, the tanks are 'equalised' by opening the reserve valve and then shutting it off.
The diver continues to breathe from the main tank which is now half full.
When the gas runs out for a 2nd time, the diver equalises again and shuts off the reserve tank.
The main tank is now 1/4 full and it's time to return to the surface. The extra 1/4 in the reserve tank is the 'emergency reserve'.
The only problem is if the diver forgets to shut off the reserve tank - then he's breathing from both tanks and has no reserve - it only happens once 😊.
Brother-Diver Gavin, VERY cool! I'd love to try that apparatus, but only after having some excellent training on the system of course.
I bet the dislikes came from ppl who own that gear 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hellrazor or people named „Karen“ 😂
Or people that remember the time when a J-Valve was the best option around. One just had to be aware of it´s potential to get snug in kelp or other entanglement and give false security.
@@w.yolanda293 I was going to say, "No it's people named Karen."
Suicide Clips or any spring gate carbiner.
Banging your tank on your weight belt always worked for me.
I think primary donate is only a good idea with a hose that's either octo length or more ideally with a long ( 2.1m) hose. With a standard length primary hose donation is inhibited and the experience of moving on is less than pleasant. Putting a standard length occy on a neclase works
We just switched to primary donate with necklace for octo - both on standard length - my feeling is that in an out of air situation in open water, we're going up anyway so won't need longer hose - if this was cave diving I see the value of longer hose but figure in our case, if you're out of air, the dive is over and we're going up.
Worst I've seen is the MiniDive Scuba Tank - an accident waiting to happen. Let's give a Spare Air tank (we'll even throw in a compressor to the package) to non trained non divers and see how they get on. But who cares when someone dies - we're a startup and we'll just run off with the money and file for chapter 7 bankruptcy.
I have a magnet holder for my octo. Best option in my opinion
Until to the moment, when you want to navigate using a compass.
@@Khamcity That's when you learn to wrap your compass round the back of your hand and keep it in fornt of you, well away from teh OctoHolder...
It does work :-)
Bungee necklace with a 22 inch hose back up.
Bad : The pump up stuff (similar to snuba but bicycle pump and bottle), eg www.indiegogo.com/projects/minidive-mini-scuba-tank-refilled-by-the-user#/
Disagree with your octo holder, eg: Octo holder like scubaonline.de/media/image/product/14978/lg/velcro-octopus-holder.jpg is good. Primary donate is only good for experienced divers who won't panic when a regulator is pulled out of their mouth.
I cringe when I'm buddy'd up with someone carrying a huge machete knife strapped to their leg. Wtf are we going whaling bro? Sooo unnecessary
Actually, I like these knives. They make it easy to spot a clueless moron before getting buddied up with him.
On my last dive in mexico, as the rest of the group was hugging the coral/rocks, I ventured just a short way out onto the sandy flat bottom to check out something. I think it was a complete seal skeleton, that just had a few starfish finishing off the last of edible stuff.
I sure wish I had a rattle, banger or some kinda noise maker as the group continued on. I caught up with them and when back on the boat everyone of them said they wished Id been able to show it to them. It looked pretty cool. I used to do a lot of photography but a few years back, I stopped packing it as I was always getting some pretty awesome shots' that looked just like everyone else's awesome shots. This would've been photo-worthy.
No such thing as a real BCD when I was certified. Instead I was sold a VOIT Swimaster Vest. It had a connection for an inflator on the back of the neck, but we just used the oral inflator on the front. Of course it also had an emergency rip chord that would fire a CO2 cartridge to rush you to the surface!! Wouldn't it be cool for that chord to get snagged and tripped at depth? :)
I remember those…
Mine had "dual CO2 cartridges - in case one failed and only had oral inflation - dove 100 foot dives with it just fine
I use the best octo keeper on the planet and it never breaks or drops my octo and only cost $1.00. curious, it’s a snorkel keeper ie double loop rubber, stretches over mouth piece snuggly yet pulls off with little effort but won’t pull loose when you back flip of side of boat
The J-valve was great for its time, unless you forgot to reset the position. If you didn't like the dart, you probably didn't like the Bang Stick.
Sorry, have to contradict opposition to rattles. First, most rattles now have covers that prevent them from making unintended noise. Second, I purchased a rattle after a situation of trying to stop a diver I'd been paired with by a divemaster to escort to the surface. I wanted her to make a safety stop, but she just took off and never looked at me and I had no idea what was going on. I've tried other signaling devices, but just as rattles are annoying they're also the best at getting someone's attention. I've never had the occasion to use mine yet and wouldn't use one casually, but how many times have you wanted to get someone's attention quickly who's three meters away and have no way to do it? What if you're in an out-of-air situation and your buddy is kicking away from you? Wouldn't it be good if you could get them to stop and turn around?
Tank bangers are just fine
@@muhammadadibabwahab2446, Problems with bangers is that unless you've got side mounts you can't see them and they can be hard to find and manipulate. They make about a 1/4 of the noise of a rattle and like all safety equipment it's got to be easy to use and effective when you need it. Also, bangers make a single sound and then need to be retracted and released again (they're "discrete"); rattles can make almost "continuous" noise until you can finally annoy someone enough to turn around. Also, if you're on a boat and using their tanks they're easy to forget.
@@michaelatherton826 Brother-Diver Michael, agree! For me, if I were needing to get someone's attention quickly/fast, I'd just pull (carefully) out my small Akona-knife & bang the butt-end against my tank(s). I believe that the older PADI Openwater/Advanced-Openwater manuals suggest to do the very same. But then again, we must remember.... "some" people (all thumbs or not willing to learn/practice) should NOT be handling knives of any kind, even when in the kitchen??
@@martinbachmann6283 That wouldn't quite work for me. These days I only carry a 2" folding Spider. I won't trouble you with my old diver dangerous knife accident story. ;-)
@@michaelatherton826 Lol My Akona knife is maybe 3 inches long? I keep it affixed to my bcd, & NOT to my calf! Very rarely ever take the thing out - only to clean & properly coat with silicone oil!
@Simply Scuba, What about full-face scuba masks and emergencies? How's that been working out?
I've been watching for less than a year and have learned a lot from y'all Mark love the videos and your side comments/jokes with Sean please keep doing what y'all are doing
Thank you Simply Scuba for the ❤ from the time I made the comment I've signed up for classes and hitting the pool working on clearing mask and snorkel still love y'alls videos
I remember adverts for shark darts back in the day :) Always wanted one, never could afford it - didn't want to use it whilst diving, but thought it would be fun down the pub on a Friday niight (ONLY KIDDING HONEST).
Howvever, I first learned to dive when I was 18, back in 1971 (maybe 72) and dive tables were what we used. Recently, just relearned to dive on a holiday when I did the PADI open water course, and I must say that I am not impressed by the reliance on dive computers. What if the darn thing goes wrong? I was watching a video today when a tech diver said he always dives with two dive computers... Should he maybe have three or four of sixty-six of them???
Let us not forget the early integrated bcd weight pockets with velcro that barely stuck and more than likely threw your weights out just when you didn't need them. Some dives it was literally raining weight pouches. Also the Aqualung sidevalve octopus second stage, as it was sidevalve, the first breath was certainly almost a wet one, not too bad if you are expecting it but if you are not its bolt to the surface time.
People wearing the Octo up under their armpits is a bad habit that still exists. My clip is off of a D ring on the lower edge of my BC, and it is a simple open snap-in clip for the hose. I used to have 2 J-valve tanks, but always dove with them open (no reserve), and they were great. Heavy duty ScubaPro valves on steel tanks. Also, I had a buddy who had an EDGE computer when they first came out (yeah, I've been diving since 1983). That thing was rock solid and he had it for 10 years. At that time the EDGE was considered one of the best made.
Wireless air transmitters. Nothing like checking your air mid dive to see "error". Still use mine for logging purposes and quick checks, but I always use a gauge as a backup.
I've had more SPGs (2) fail than wireless transmitters (0)
Rattle is bad.... but did you ever had a Karen with a quacker 🤬
Best octo holder is a rubber snorkel holder... put it on the D ring lower right side of your BCD and put octo mouthpiece through the other rubber end. BETTER than neck - WHY? I don't want a diver going for my neck when they need air.
Have my magnetic clip for my octo for years. I think so far it's the best option for me. It holds the octo securely, but very easy to release...just a little pull. With one condition: stay away from iron sand
Well... shakers... I've got one with me all the time. Stored away in a pocket, but still fast at hand. I had two dives now where I really needed them to stop the guide and make him turn around to help/wait. Can't figure out how else to gap a few meters fast enough to trigger underwater communication in dangerous situations.
Ridiculous SMBs that are either not visible (at all) or that tempt people on boats to get closer to check out what that ridiculous piece of floating plastic is.
I disagree about Snuba, but I'm probably biased. I dreamed of becoming a scuba diver for over 25 years since reading a fictional mystery adventure book about sunken treasure back when I was 9 or 10 but don't live near the ocean and also ran into some health problems right after high school. At 35 years old, I was healthy and able to take a vacation to Atlantis in the Bahamas. I saw Snuba advertised on their website and immediately knew I was going to do it. And by doing Snuba, which was okay, I found out about Discover Scuba. So my next vacation to Atlantis, I did the Discover Scuba course. And then did Discover Scuba again in Key West last Spring and my divemaster in Key West told me about how I can do the E-Learning and confined dives up where I live and then do the open water dives when I go back to the Bahamas. I did my first two open water dives on my Atlantis trip back in February but wasn't able to do dives 3 or 4. However, my dive instructor was amazing and we became friends. So three weeks ago, I flew back to the Bahamas to stay with him thinking I was only going to get to do my last two open water dives and then do the shark dive that the company he works for is famous for. I lucked out beyond belief and Duiken (scuba diving magazine in the Netherlands) was doing an article on the dive company and the owner tasked my friend/dive instructor to take care of the reporter, photographer, and the photographer's girlfriend was with them. All five of us stayed together day and night over the 5 days and I say I tagged along, but they became life long friends. I got to do 7 private charter dives over 3 days, including two private shark feedings, for free and am not a PADI certified open water diver. And it all started with Snuba. Check out my videos on my page from the shark dives and I also posted some of the turtles we got to swim with. But I still need to upload videos from some of the other dives. A bunch of shipwrecks, some stingrays.
Don't hate on Snuba!
During a family trip to Roatan West's Tabyana Beach, we had me and the guide on Scuba and 6 family members on 2-person raft/tank flaoting Snuba rigs. 30' hoses. for a 25' deep reef. Great trip for a large family with non-divers. Thanks discoverroatan.net/roatan-snuba-diving-excursion/
Snuba seems aimed at people who perhaps can barely swim, don't want or can't get certified or somehow 'feel' uncomfortable wearing scuba gear; just as like the people who choose to try those often deadly full-face snorkels are.
I can't relate an opinion without knowing the injury rate. What happens if the reg (?) gets knocked out of their mouth? Do they know to "blow and go?" What if they lose their mask?
@@michaelatherton5761 The reputable company I did it with teach you regulator recovery and clearing your mask. Check out their video:
ua-cam.com/video/-9mBhWRbENk/v-deo.html
I am still diving at 68 & started when I was 13 before an agency exusted. I too dived from 1969 with J-valves until they were fazed out. The J-valve saved my butt several times with reserve air to bail out on.
I have done many a free accent from 25m for traing & free accent from 45m following my bubbles. Not easy but I wss young, fit and very bold.
I agree with resetting issue which was part of our buddy checks and feel that the steel rod is not the best method of operating the valve.
J-Valve and UOV is the way I will go, if I can find a set of twin-set J's.
Best of the old and new.
Actually in my ow course we learn to primary donate. Kinda weird with the really short hose tho, but still good that we do it.
It's not really simulating a real out of air scenario, you knee on the bottom right next to your buddy, take a deep breath and then you're "out of air"....
Most overrated piece of dive gear is the dive buddy !! In my opinion and one that I've developed over the past 30 years doing 1000's of dives is that a dive buddy is more hindrance than help. On a shallow dive i'd prefer to go to the surface than go for my " Buddy's" occy . And down deep if you have to rely on your " Buddy's " air to save you rather than your own redundant systems well lets just say your probably both dead ! Now if you dive with the same buddy over and over again and you know each other well i'm sure there is some merit in the system ,but that guys you meet on the boat who you just got paired with is likely to have a most detrimental effect on your health during the imminent dive. Learning about self reliance and redundancy is the best solution and dive with a buddy for the company not for the back up air supply.
That's like having a fire alarm with no fire exit!
it is so just because all the good guys on the boat come with friends :)
@@scubababy3410 Hey there..Sorry i missed this.. Yep i always have an exit , it just isnt my buddy. On a shallow dive i'd make for the surface every single time , down deep or in a cave i'd go for my redundant air supply . And that redundant air supply could be 300L but could also be 10,000L or anywhere in between depending how much gas i would need to safely return to the surface for that particular dive profile
diving with well trained buddys is a blessing, especially in siutuations where a second set of hands is needed eg beeing entangled.
Brother Diver Ian eb, VERY well put Sir! Agree with you completely.
power head or smoky highly effective 12 gauge or 303 against things that want to eat you bought my first gear with steel tank in 1974 never stopped diving
Somewhere in the eighties....i dived with a j valve, and the second stage regulator was on the cilinder...with double lines to the mouthpiece. Just as in Cousteau's days! Equipment from the fire brigade....
I once went on a divetrip in turkey and our guide really took a freaking harpoon with him to "defend" us.
SNUBA can be a good idea if you are one on one with the instructor and you only use one hose.
People with rattles are the reason why shark darts are actually an excellent idea.
My worst dive gear has to be the Scumball. It's such a great idea in theory, but I've never had it hang on to my octo for more than about three seconds. I just gave up and velcroed the stupid thing to my BC.
I'll never understand a rattler when you've got a knife and a tank
@@TheApplicant150 that's actually a good idea 🤔
Yep, always keep a shark dart handy in case your dive buddy wants to speak to the manager.
pretty much anything made by beaver , even their plastic rusts.
some beaver very now and then when diving is great , but not in this context
How dare they not have today's modern equipment in the past! What were they thinking?!?
I despise compasses when Tec diving; twin steels or rebreathers have a habit of messing with them and the computerised ones are rarely accurate. Always fun to have a nice long surface swim.
Get a shearwater computer and you will be amazed on how accurate is the compass even with rebreather inside a tight wreck. :)
@@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98 use a perdix as the back up to my ostc, haven't been massively impressed as of yet but haven't used it on many dives! I also prefer a good old fashioned compass as they're quite hard to kill by electronic failure
@@timholgate6639 i saw ostc implode at 120 meter. Shearwater had no issue at 150... try and use your oerdix in the compass mode and you will be amazed on how accurate it is.
@@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98 I'll give it a go next time! I never really go below 70m so imploding ostcs ain't a problem, but I do prefer the layout on it
@@timholgate6639 about the layout it is just everyoanes preference. You can customize the layout on shearwater alse. What i find best at thd shearwater is the 2 button operation. .....just like the poseidon M28. Very easy menus. Cheers.
Worst dive gear I have found. Anything made by cal pacific or cindi walters. Specifically any product of theirs that uses the forte brand corrugated inflater hose. The fittings don’t mount together correctly and the corrugated hose can pop off. After buying 2 bcds on flea bay. I figured out what a terrible product they were. I bought them for pool training for my kids. So luckily no one was hurt. It’s unfortunate that major companies are capable of such a terrible product. Cal pacific made forte bcds and durapro bcds.
These were produced in the mid 90s so hopefully less and less of them exist today. But the fabrics and tags were identical to the major brands adding further deception to the product.
cant believe split fins didnt make the cut
Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your rattle shake your rattle 😂😂
Every piece of dive gear 'seems' like a good idea at the time until it isn't. But I whole heartedly agree that hookah diving was never a good idea.
Retractable gear retainers. Ridiculous.
Worst for me is being a guest but having the DM/guide to ask me to help with the guiding when they know I have lots of experience. This has happened to me a few times funny enough in Thailand. Now if I go on a dive holiday (which is rare) I show my open water card haha (which is a bit old and from an agency that is long gone, which raises otters questions)
Brother-Diver Craig, same thing with my brother. He's an instructor, + has eons of "extra-specialties," BUT! When we go diving just to relax? He too, just shows his o-water card, and always keeps his mouth shut about his professional certs when around others.
I have a rattle. Why? Because if somethings wrong I want to be able to make noise so my buddy looks at me. I've never used it so far 😄
A dive knife or a flashlight banging against the tank is more deliberate.
I've found that the biggest problem with rattles is that from more than about 10' away, they sound very, very similar to pistol shrimp, waves crashing against rocks, or any number of crackling noises that you constantly hear underwater.
Yes necklace and primary donate is faster safer and way more clean , but you see some instructors now when they see me with longhose on a recreational scuba always say : " why are you mixing tech and recreational equipment. If you whant a course with me I will not accept this setup during the training. "..... and I had no luck in convincing them that actually longhose and neckalce setup is by far better than stupid octo and normal hose... during a donate air situation none of the hosses is long enough for the other person to breathe properly and not slamming into the donating diver..
Can I ask some questions? (History: I will be completing my OW checkout dives in about four weeks. My LDS is a PADI center. Since making the decision to become certified, I've practically watched every video on UA-cam from Simply Scuba, Alec Pierce, ISE, and 50ft Below as well as having read through the entire Navy Dive Manual and a handful of other books on the subject. To say I'm excited is an understatement, but I want/need all the theory available).
I agree that a primary donate on a long hose with a necklace secondary setup is a better option. My wife (and dive buddy) does not agree. She ascribes to the LDS and instructor's point of view. "If my buddy is in an out-of-air situation if the secondary isn't yellow and somewhere in "the triangle" they are going to panic. If they know my primary is what they need to donate and they rip it from my mouth while I'm not looking, then I'm the one in trouble."
What is the best way to educate either my wife or my instructor as to the benefits of a primary long hose and necklace set-up?
(That said, I understand the instructor's response in your comment. They want to teach everything uniform and not confuse newer students, but it's still a little harsh.)
Ryan Neely I think the short answer is simply this, in an OOA situation the panicked diver doesn’t care about golden triangles, yellow octo’s, or even your personal safety. They want air and they want it now. The quickest place to look is in the eyes of their dive buddy for help, and the first thing they see is your breathing apparatus. So if they rip yours out of your mouth and you’re not expecting it, your octo is already close to your mouth and easy to put in. I’m on a standard setup, but am seriously thinking about going the necklace route.......if for no other reason than to not have another #FlappySnagHazard
Thanks,@@paulwhite3637. I think you're right. I will likely go that direction myself, but it will take time to convert my wife/buddy. I love #FlappySnagHazard (the hashtag, not the actual flappy snag hazard).
Paul White You're exactly right. During Rescue training I learned that a panicked diver will do anything to survive, no matter what happens to their buddy initially.
I probably wouldn't try to convince my instructor during OW training but just switch to long hose afterward. Get into the tek practice of doing an S-drill before every rec dive and you'll be much safer off than those 'triangle' proponents who never practice OOA after they het certified.
Maybe some of you'll get into sidemount diving and have an even better excuse not to use that yellow octo anymore.
Ryan Neely Take a look at the video courses at sidemounting.com, created by some really experienced divers. There are courses there for backmount, sidemount, tech. Well worth the money. I used it to prepare for my sidemount course. I can get you a discount code if you're interested.
Scuba pro air 2. How are you gonna adjust your buoyancy without taking it out of you mouth?
That's the whole point... you don't take it out of your mouth. That makes it super easy to manually fill your BC if you need it and just use a BC dump valve to release air if you don't
Worst thing I have ever dived with, split fins.
I dive with split fins and have never dove with regular ones. What don't you like about the split fins? I may want to change..
@@2LStews splits are hard to do technical kicks like helicopter, reverse, ect
I had a guy scuba diving with free diving fins...
Enjoyed this episode 👍
Whats the deepeat you have gone WITHOUT a redundant system SOLO? Ive been to 28' solo without redundancy....then got scared!!
Anti-fog products in bottles.
You've got the best product, readily available. Plus I love the horrified look on the average yankees face when I put a few gobs in my mask 😈
Greener the cleaner!
I use a little bit of baby shampoo and it works just as good as the commercial stuff.
Washing up liquid works good. Just make sure to get it all out with a cloth before you dive. Dont want soapy bubbles in your eyes when your mask floods. Or just use spit.
Yes! I always spit profusely in my mask while others use johnson's baby shampoo or other fancy defoggers for their masks. Only once, during a pool session, I had to use a fancy defogger, because the water had a high concentration of chlorine, it was neutralizing my saliva, and the mask kept fogging up.
If they look horrified, just offer to do theirs for them.
Im not in favor of the octo clip. quite the oppostite. I am about to get my harness and wing set up. But you can just loop your octo and stick the loop into the little opening in the front of your bcd vest. tigh, not dangleing and easy to remove without it falling out
I had an IDC center for a few years , sold and personaly serviced just about every make of scuba gear sold. There was only one reg I would not touch, it was American and Robin Hood used to hide in their forrest. I think the best bit of gear I sold was the little Sea and Sea serated knife that clamps on your demand or HP hose. You never know when your gonna bump into that bit of fishing net. I would never go into the water without a knife. The other bit of gear I loved was Mares regulators, expecially the little MR12. Costs peanuts and never goes wrong. I have two friends who are the wrong side of 70 and still do 700 + dives a year each harvesting scallops, between 25 and 45 meters. I got them both on Mares mr 12s and they love em.
Certified in 2000. Octo clips and shakers were a big thing!!! LOL
Thanks for making these videos for us
I'm trying to find an image of it, but there was this sounding device one of the sales reps tried to push on the shop, looked like a flashlight without the window, sounded loud above the water, thought it might be useful if the instructor trailing the group needed to alert the one at the front. Turns out with a 5mm hood on, can't hear them at all. Useless.
Dive Alert or something like that
Replace second reg with intergrated alterate air like scubapro AIR2. 5-gen EC approved.
Lol i was using fire extinguisher as a cylinder and some used cousins regulator in my lake and swamp
What about warm water regs being sold all over the world; use them in cold water and, hey presto, you have a nice little free flow. I'm pretty sure they have lead to a fatality or two. I will only ever dive with Apex or Poseidon regs in UK and they have served me well for many, many, years.
Scuba mask with a water purge valve near the nose to clear the mask. I bought one thinking it would be a cool way to clear the mask. Ended up being a nice way to have a slow mask leak pretty much every dive.
I happen to love my octo clip it is made of silicon and just fits around the mouthpiece. it clips to my chest on my bcd, very easy to reach, not in the way and detaches easily. I also love my regulator necklace holder.
I honestly never found the octo keeper that bad.
All great points but i respectfully disagree on the octo holder.... Tecnomar's magnetic octo holder is great! The magnet is strong enough to reliably hold in place the octo yet a "determined yank" will free it easily..... best divers magnetic holders on the other hand are pure trash...
Hmmm... A powerful magnet usually isn't a great idea when you're relying on a COMPASS...
@@philippe9789 Agree completely. And those of us old-timers who still insist on wearing a dive-watch.... magnets screw those up too; doesn't matter if its an automatic self-wind, OR a quartz either.
Worst thing to dive with would be the mafia made cement kimono. Almost impossible to stay buoyant while wearing one scuba diving.
Agreed, their cement loafers are also very difficult to do swim with.
Once saw someone wearing one of those while I was searching the bottom of the Chicago river for lost jewelry and designer sunglasses. They seemed a bit _tied up_ with having somehow lost the rest of their scuba kit.
...and still dive instructors teach peoples is bad to not use the hands when in this situation that skill can save your life.
Brother-Diver Joshua, I don't know man.... perhaps we all should go ask Jimmy Hoffa (Sr) what his views are on this??
My octo pocket in my aqua lung pro HD bcd is perfect nothing holds it you just slide part of the hose in to the pocket and you can easily grab the octo and it slides out
Same for the Cressi Start Pro 2. I've got a longer octo hose and it stows away perfectly but is easily available when needed.
I agree... that pocket makes it easy to stow and trivial to use your octo in an emergency. I use mine for teaching and it's sooo simple for students to use
No issues with a J-valve but I also always had an SPG.
Worst for me were: 12"+ Aqualung dive knife, capillary tube depth gauge, heavy rubber snorkel & rocket fins.
Some early manufacturers made J valves that were not reliable. That gave all J's a bad rap and that was further enhanced by SPG's that were less than accurate at low pressures. Having the pull rod in the up position isn't a brain tease and if you can't handle that, well I would not take up flying either. Younger divers like Maureen... you got it right :-)) I'm 73, diving since 13
Went diving and was low on air during the safety stop, and so went to my buddies to ask for an octopus only to find out that one of the buddies gear just didn’t have one and the other buddies gear had a broken one, needed to swim over to the dive leader to get more air
Pre-dive buddy check would have prevented this. Just sayin'...
*The Subaqua Tifon X regulator is the most dangerous piece of dive equipment I have ever had the displeasure of diving with.* The purge button is designed so that, if you press it with a bit too much force, it will unclip which results in a flooded regulator. After making a complaint to the shop where we bought it from, a mechanic them came down to "teach" me about them and proceeded to tell me that they were ment for professional divers who arnt prone to panicing only - what a load of BS. Its worth mentioning that store where I was working at the time was recommended these regulators by the seller after we told them that were being bought specifically for DSDs.
Rattles, shakers and f***** signal horns... Definitely the most shitty gear. Just produced to destroy the wonderful and peaceful silence under water.