Tech Diving Newbie Needs Start

smcmullan

What's the story on an independent diving scene in Dublin these days? I've been off the scene (if I was ever "ON" it) for a few years but have recently re-awakened with lots of regular dives and some tech training on holiday in Cyprus. I'm not affiliated to any club or specific centre but have dived thru PADI centres like Flagship, Oceantec, NDS, Waterworld, Kilkee and Scubadive West in the past. I must say that I'm not overly tempted to join a CFT or BSAC club or have the wallet to keep diving via a PADI centre's organised trips. I just want to dive without the politics and expense!

Been diving on and off since 1999. I've got SSI Open Water Diver, PADI Advanced & Rescue, TDI Nitrox and Advanced Nitrox with about 90 "quality" dives under my belt (roughly 50:50 split between warm - GBR, Canaries, Mallorca, Cyprus and cold water - various around Ireland) and am basically looking for a group of divers who are interested in adventurous diving/tech diving around Ireland. I have my own scuba kit which I'll be converting to tech kit if and when I can get going here.

Any pointers? Anybody diving or training over the autumn/winter? Would love to practice my newly acquired decompression diving techniques etc., keep the skills up over the off season etc.

Cheers, Stephen

smcmullan

By the way - did 4 dives on this baby (Zenobia) over the last two weeks. Its located just outside Larnaca port in Cyprus. Its on its side on the sand at 42m. The shot line goes down to the side at 18m. It's 170m long - WOW. On the last dive I did a 70m swim through the lower car deck inside the wreck which was fanastic.

http://www.divetekcyprus.com/gallery8/index.htm (Not my photos or photos of me by the way).

Did about 6 shore dives in and around Protaras. Grand but not spectacular. Not much life. A night dive was far better for spotting the critters.

The dives above were on a regular scuba set up with a single 12litre ali cylinder.

Then did my Nitrox/Adv Nitrox and 4 deco dives down to 40m with Dive-Tek Cyprus (http://www.divetekcyprus.com) who I can't recommend highly enough for tech training. Those dives were on 2 x 10litre twinset with a 7 litre stage cylinder with various gas mixes depending on the day.

Whilst the Zenobia is rated as one of the ten best wreck dives in the world (apparently) the rest is not exactly Great Barrier Reef but all in all Cyprus is a great place to train or get some winter warm water.

Cheers, Stephen

Evil Phil

'Lo Stephen,

Not a tech diver myself but I'm hoping to have a full(ish) kit for next season and would fancy diving the upper lake in glendo just to have done it.

smcmullan

Blecch - diving Glendo would be like bog snorkelling. Still it would be funny to use your boulder mat as an SMB

Not much feedback from the query I see. Read through some of the older postings on the forum. Lots of good info there. Probably will try to suss out a CFT club - I used to know someone in Dalkey Scubadivers a few years back - are they still going? I'm based in Dun Laoghaire so that could be handy.

Apparently I'm also eligible to join DUSAC based at TCD, they are BSAC affiliated. Thats also an option.

Its a b*tch not having the contacts. Too much time spent hanging around with climbers Phil!

Evil Phil

Yeah bleedin' climbers! Keep an eye on this thread though, I know Peace and a few of the lads have the same qualifications you have.

Peace

I would have replied earlier but I'm a lazy ****...

Anywho welcome to the board Stephen!

Phil is correctamundo when he says there are a couple of us doing some techie stuff. Myself and another couple of lads are diving in abouts the 45-60m range. Typical kit config would be 2x12's (usually air) and whatever in your stage (or multipile stages) to do your deco on... if you really really love the water you could deco on air but you'd be finding it a bit lonely after a while!

Regards qualifications, we're IANTD Advanced Nitrox and a couple of us are taking the IANTD tech nitrox at the end of september.

Depth and bottoms times.... could be anything, depends on the wreck. Last weekend diving was relaxing stuff... no deeper that 45 i think. Bottom times of 40minutes was the order of the day. Those dives were the Laurentic x2 and the U861. Total run times decoing on 50% were approaching 80+minutes. Some weekends we might dive the carthaginian/cumberland/U1217. These beauties are in 55-58 to the sea bed. Run times here would be 20-25 minutes bottom time with a total run time of about 70 minutes give or take.

We would throw a fair bit of business in the direction of www.divenorth.com . The wrecks up that direction are class stuff. You've got the above mentnioned plus others like the Arco Delos, Athenia, Audacious, Empire Heritage, Justicia, U89, Myrtle Branch....and many more.

On the board here diving with myself is donny (taking a wee sebatical right now) and NordicDiver [he's full trimix *drooolllll*]. <heheh, rereading this it sounds like i'm introducing my band!!!>

I've been posting a bit int he dive reports 05 thread... although the lazyness has taken over recently!

Stop hanging around with dirty smelly climbers.... they flash you in the toilets every freakin time, let your guard down for 3 seconds and bam.... there it is... the ole cylklops.

PM me if you're interested in a few dives and let me know what sort of depths you're interested in... unfortunately the season is winding down but there should be a few more trips before complete shut down...

bigfeller

Hey Stephen,

I'm a member of Dalkey and have been for the past 2 years. I'll try and avoid the usual propaganda but it's a fairly easy going club and the crowd in it are dead sound. There are a few techie heads (one with a yellow box - I waaaaaaaannnnnttttt!!! ) who dive regularly enough. If ya wanna know more PM me.

But as Peace said the season is winding down some. Finishing mid week diving tonight and Sunday dives in 4 or 5 weeks. We do have 4 more weekends away before the end of the year (Ballycastle, Mullaghmore, Kilmore Quay and Killary) but it'll be fairly quiet (apart from the few hardy souls diving Lough Bray) until March/April.

Cheers

bf

smcmullan

Cheers y'all!

I've been working my way through the back postings and getting a much better handle on things. The info in this board is great, just what I was looking for so congratulatory back slaps all around.

I'm very interested in the type of dive objectives you've been listing off Peace! However you've got the jump on me in terms of where I'm at at the moment. So I wouldn't be really ready to go to some of the depths and runtimes you mention. I'm happy in the 30m - 45m range but 45 - 60m? Soon but not yet

As I said I need to acquire kit above and beyond my basic scuba set and get some intro tech experience under my belt even if that means just reeling off DSMBs under "practice" conditions i.e. on no-deco dives but take 1min at 9m and 3mins at 6m, 1min at 3m type thing just for practice even if there is no gas switch etc.

If Phil ( c'mon Phil ) is organising another boards weekend then certainly I'll attend if possible and see whats happening so keep me in the loop (ok just post the board - I'll see it there).

So Phil if you're looking for a buddy to get some dives under your belt then no worries. They don't have to be deep. i'm just happy to dive at this stage of the season.

The whole nekkid Phil episode is a new one to me. I'll make sure his reputation is suitably destroyed in climbing circles also.

Cheers, Stephen

Evil Phil

I'm not ashamed of my body.

Peace

Evil Phil wrote:

I'm not ashamed of my body.

Lucky for us all...

smcmullan wrote:

I'm very interested in the type of dive objectives you've been listing off Peace! However you've got the jump on me in terms of where I'm at at the moment. So I wouldn't be really ready to go to some of the depths and runtimes you mention. I'm happy in the 30m - 45m range but 45 - 60m? Soon but not yet

Yeah dude. The deeper stuff takes a bit of working up to. I'll defo give you a shout if we're heading up to do the laurentic.

dublinbay

You doing Tech with Timmy Kev?

Peace wrote:

I would have replied earlier but I'm a lazy ****...

Anywho welcome to the board Stephen!

Phil is correctamundo when he says there are a couple of us doing some techie stuff. Myself and another couple of lads are diving in abouts the 45-60m range. Typical kit config would be 2x12's (usually air) and whatever in your stage (or multipile stages) to do your deco on... if you really really love the water you could deco on air but you'd be finding it a bit lonely after a while!

Regards qualifications, we're IANTD Advanced Nitrox and a couple of us are taking the IANTD tech nitrox at the end of september.

Depth and bottoms times.... could be anything, depends on the wreck. Last weekend diving was relaxing stuff... no deeper that 45 i think. Bottom times of 40minutes was the order of the day. Those dives were the Laurentic x2 and the U861. Total run times decoing on 50% were approaching 80+minutes. Some weekends we might dive the carthaginian/cumberland/U1217. These beauties are in 55-58 to the sea bed. Run times here would be 20-25 minutes bottom time with a total run time of about 70 minutes give or take.

We would throw a fair bit of business in the direction of www.divenorth.com . The wrecks up that direction are class stuff. You've got the above mentnioned plus others like the Arco Delos, Athenia, Audacious, Empire Heritage, Justicia, U89, Myrtle Branch....and many more.

On the board here diving with myself is donny (taking a wee sebatical right now) and NordicDiver [he's full trimix *drooolllll*]. <heheh, rereading this it sounds like i'm introducing my band!!!>

I've been posting a bit int he dive reports 05 thread... although the lazyness has taken over recently!

Stop hanging around with dirty smelly climbers.... they flash you in the toilets every freakin time, let your guard down for 3 seconds and bam.... there it is... the ole cylklops.

PM me if you're interested in a few dives and let me know what sort of depths you're interested in... unfortunately the season is winding down but there should be a few more trips before complete shut down...

dublinbay

Stephen, give me a shout for twinset, wing etc, you wont beat my prices on new kit Training also up to full mix.
Jack

smcmullan wrote:

By the way - did 4 dives on this baby (Zenobia) over the last two weeks. Its located just outside Larnaca port in Cyprus. Its on its side on the sand at 42m. The shot line goes down to the side at 18m. It's 170m long - WOW. On the last dive I did a 70m swim through the lower car deck inside the wreck which was fanastic.

http://www.divetekcyprus.com/gallery8/index.htm (Not my photos or photos of me by the way).

Did about 6 shore dives in and around Protaras. Grand but not spectacular. Not much life. A night dive was far better for spotting the critters.

The dives above were on a regular scuba set up with a single 12litre ali cylinder.

Then did my Nitrox/Adv Nitrox and 4 deco dives down to 40m with Dive-Tek Cyprus (http://www.divetekcyprus.com) who I can't recommend highly enough for tech training. Those dives were on 2 x 10litre twinset with a 7 litre stage cylinder with various gas mixes depending on the day.

Whilst the Zenobia is rated as one of the ten best wreck dives in the world (apparently) the rest is not exactly Great Barrier Reef but all in all Cyprus is a great place to train or get some winter warm water.

Cheers, Stephen

Peace

dublinbay wrote:

You doing Tech with Timmy Kev?

Sure am jack.