Scuba Geek

Scuba diving not seen to impair lung function July 31, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia, general , add a comment

Apparently there are reports out there which state that scuba divers have an accelerated decline in lung function. Reuters have recently reported on a German Naval Institute study which disputes these claims;

“Obstructive changes in lung function have been reported with cumulative scuba diving exposure,” Dr. Kay Tetzlaff, of the University of Tuebingen, and colleagues write in the medical journal Chest.

To look into this, the researchers studied in 468 military scuba divers and a comparison ‘control’ group of 122 military submariners, all of them men. Specifically, the team tracked the participants’ decline over time in lung performance — measured as the maximum volume of air expired in 1 second (called the FEV1).
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Secret spy diver report revealed June 14, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : general , add a comment

There is an interesting article on the BBC website regarding the disappearance of a navy frogman during the cold war. On 19th April 1956, Commander Lionel ‘Buster’ Crabb vanished whilst spying on the Soviet Cruiser, Ordzhonikidze, which had brought Nikita Khrushchev on a diplomatic visit. He never returned, and when the disappearance was noticed, the whole mission was subsequently denied, and it was discovered that tno rescue mission was carried out as the intelligence service did not want to alert the crew of the Soviet ship.

From the BBC report, Lomand Handley, one of Commander Crabb’s relatives, has been able to read the top secret document;
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Wikiscuba needs more contributors May 23, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia, general , add a comment

A few months ago I posted about Wikiscuba, which is a project I started with another scubadiver, Charles. The idea is to create a scuba diving encyclopedia which compliments successful websites like wikipedia and wikitravel, by providing information specifically for scuba divers. The whole website is free and non-commercial, just like wikipedia and wikitravel, and also aims to provide information which is non biased and has a neutral point of view. I think it would be really cool to have a resource like that on the web, for all scuba divers to benefit from.

Well, so far the project has been progressing well, and I can see that it is starting to take shape, but we could do with more scuba divers contributing information. If you find you have a little time on your hands and would like to see what wikiscuba is all about then hop over and take a look. If you see some information which is incorrect, you can simply edit it, and even create new pages with just a click of the mouse.

Scuba divers get a free blogsite as thedeepstop.com makes virtual debut at the london international dive show 2006 March 29, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Uncategorized, general , add a comment

This is a bit of a plug as the Deep Stop is a site I setup to help other divers easily setup their own scuba diving blog like mine. This coming weekend is the London Dive Show and I will be there telling people about the Deep Stop. here is the first press release.

http://www.TheDeepStop.com, a new on-line service, promises a free website for anyone in the underwater community and will be ‘virtually launched’ at LIDS by the founder Andy Carroll.

In the real world “The Deep Stop” is well known to SCUBA divers as a resting place on ascent, typically being the first decompression stop. On-line it is a resting place for SCUBA divers and underwater enthusiasts to rest from their web surfing and share their stories and adventures.

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Snorkels: What are they good for? asks Divester March 22, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Uncategorized, general , add a comment

Divester are starting the season with a bunch of articles regarding scuba theory, which should prove to be interesting and no doubt, a little controversial. To start the ball rolling Will O’Brien has published an article on snorkels, a piece of equipment he is obviously in favour of. I have to say that I used a snorkel on only a couple of my scuba diving lessons and now only ever use it for one thing, and that is snorkelling!

I agree with Bill Reals, who has commented on divester, that there is no use for a snorkel on technical dives, as they simply get in the way of all the other gear and we have multiple ways of solving the problem a snorkel is designed to solve, running out of air on the surface. I could hardly use one on a cave dive! Will countered with a statement about a guy who jumped in the water with empty tanks! Sorry, but why would anyone jump in the water without checking the air, gas, whatever in their tanks?

Nope, I am not convinced. My snorkel will stay in the dive bag, unless snorkelling in some nice tropical paradise.

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scuba, scuba gear snorkel

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scuba, scuba gear, snorkel
scuba, scuba gear, snorkel

DiveBar, a sports bar made for scuba divers, helps with sea-sickness March 14, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Uncategorized, general , add a comment

A new sports bar has been created for scubadivers by a nutrition company in the US. Apparently Divebar is designed to replenish all the energy expended during diving and also help with sea sickness, as it contains ginger, and also aid digestion, with the use of papaya and pineapple. It sounds like quite a mixture!

The company says its delicious, but then, they would. Wonder if it will ever make it over to the UK?

Here is their latest press release, aimed at dive shops wanting to sell the bar;

Dive Bar is a delicious and nutritious sport bar made exclusively for underwater enthusiasts. Since its launch late last year, Dive Bar has made a huge splash with customers and retailers from coast to coast. And now, for the month of March, we are having a 15% OFF SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER on our Dive Bar Counter Display! The counter display is great for last minute, add-on sales. It contains 4 boxes of 18 Dive Bars each, neatly displayed with an attractive P.O.P. header card. We also have special volume discounts on our floor displays and power centers.

Dive Bar is a high energy snack bar with enough Ginger to help settle the stomach and ward off seasickness, and Papaya and Pineapple enzymes to aid in digestion. But the best part is the incredible taste that will have your customers coming back for more. It’s the perfect pre-, post- or in-between dives snack. You always knew that your customers craved sport bars as a convenient snack while diving - now they have one created just for them!