http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:26:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/dive-report/august-15-2010-pictures-from-middle-reef/ I finally took a day off on Friday and was able to dive off of Phil's rib. On the way down, Kevin and I chatted about possible sites. But once we drove past Monastery, we knew that possibilities would abound. Calm flat seas meant that we had ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/dive-report/june-25-2010-dive-on-e2/ At least once a year, our friends from SoCal drive up and spend a weekend diving at Pt. Lobos. Not only are they are a great group to dive with, they usually bring fantastic weather. The swell model and top side conditions did not look promising, but once ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/dive-report/may-1-and-2-at-pt-lobos/ The first lionfish were reported in Bonaire in October 26, 2009. We are currently in Bonaire and have already spotted 3 lionfish, on three separate dive spots. Elissa spotted them at Angel City (73') and 1000 steps (84'). I found one today at Tori's Reef (60'). Elissa spots ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/dive-report/lionfish-in-bonaire/ Alas, Nils is leaving MoCal for sun limited Seattle. As a last dive, we decided to dive a site where most of us became exposed to Monterey - San Carlos Beach, "The Breakwater." Best of luck, Nils! http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/dive-report/february-27-2010-breakwater-grand-circuit/ For those who missed the 2008 DAN Technical Conference (like yours truly), DAN has compiled the conference and made it available in PDF : 2008 DAN Tech Diving Conference Very interesting reading. http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/how-to/dan-technical-conference-pdf/ One of the most important skills for new scuba diver to master is a controlled ascent. It is not uncommon for newer divers to feel okay at depth (>30') but then feel unstable on ascents and in shallow waters - "I can hold my 20' safety stop, but when ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/how-to/scuba-101-controlled-ascents/ It is not uncommon that new scuba divers consume gas at a faster rate than more experienced divers. There are many factors for this and TSandM has a great write-up: How fast you use your gas is determined by two things: How much CO2 you are generating per minute, and ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/how-to/how-to-lower-gas-consumption-rate/ Elissa, Devin, and I met up with April, a visiting diver from Seattle. Fortunately for us, there was a mid week lull between two storm systems. As the result, we were greeted with calm seas and only moderate surge. In the water, visibility was a clean 20', and you ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/dive-report/december-24-2009-pt-lobos/ This week, BSAC's "Technical Group Leader" sent a message to their technical instructor corp regarding BSAC's position that the hogarthian configuration should not be taught. While BSAC has prerogative to make any ruling on gear configuration or teaching methods and philosophy, it's the misinformation about the Hogarthian gear configuration and the ... http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/equipment/hog-looping-misinformation-about-the-hogarthian-configuration/