Posted by Bob3 on October 17, 2001 at 12:02:34:
In Reply to: EZ to do it yourself... posted by Bob3 on October 14, 2001 at 13:19:25:
I'll just slap them here all in one place rather than posting several times in this thread.
On the topic of entanglement hazards:
My background as a commercial diver having spent thousands of hours rooting around in the Mississippi River has given me a great deal of experience with entanglement hazards. From construction debris to wrecks of vessels & vehicles, to the trees flying past during the spring floods, I'm well aquainted with them.
Add in black water and you might be able to imagine an appreaciation for wanting to adapt your gear configuration to minimize entanglement hazards.
Bungees: A failure point in something that has the ability to get fouled is a GOOD thing. Having the bungee zip tied right onto the mouthpiece will almost guarantee that both your bungee and mouthpiece is going to get stripped off your regulator when that big snag sneaks up & grabs ahold of it. Surgical tubing is admittedly a weaker bungee medium, and that is something in it's favor.
You may never encounter the same diving conditions that I'm at home in, but don't criticize me for wanting to dive a cleaner configuration than you do.
Long hoses & bug diving: Configuring your gear to the job you're doing is a good thing. As a commercial lobster diver in the Keys, I've probably caught more bugs in a single day than what many divers will catch in their lifetime. Part of that is due to the dedicated gear configuration, which happens to be using a long hose, 150 feet of it on the shallow water rigs. Go to a 300' hose for water over 45' deep.
When it comes to diving gear, you have the advantage if you're not stuck with one particular setup. One size does NOT fit all. Use the right tool for the job. Etc. etc. etc...
Fire up the flame throwers, I just had ear tubes installed & I'm on vicodin, so I won't feel a thing.
};-)~