Posts by Dan

  • Allergy suferers MUST read

    Hands free equalization is a genetic predisposition, you can either do it or can't. No amount of training will enable a diver to use hands free equalization in a consistent manner if he doesn't have the ability in the first place. So the times it doesn't work you find yourself screwing up a descent. Since you never know when it will work and when it won't, might as well stay with what works every time.

  • Allergy suferers MUST read

    Thanks. Flonase is fluticasone propionate. I'll look for OTC alternatives.


    This is of interest FDA Clears OTC Flonase Nasal Spray for Allergy Relief

    Quote

    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved over-the-counter (OTC) fluticasone propionate 50 mcg nasal spray (Flonase Allergy Relief, GlaxoSmithKline) for treatment of hay fever or upper respiratory allergies, the company announced yesterday.
    Flonase Allergy Relief is the first and only OTC nasal spray indicated for relief of all nasal and eye-related allergy symptoms including runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, nasal congestion, and itchy and watery eyes, according to a company news release.
    An estimated 50 million people in the United States suffer from nasal allergies, often leading to fatigue, sleep disturbances, learning and attention problems, and impaired function at work and school, the company notes.
    Fluticasone propionate, the active ingredient in Flonase Allergy Relief, has a "well-established safety profile with 30 million accumulated patient years since it was first approved as a prescription medicine in 1994," the company states.
    Flonase Allergy Relief will be available OTC in early 2015, according to GlaxoSmithKline.

  • Light bulbs are illegal

    Over the past few months it seemed to me that incandescent light bulb prices are increasing at Home Depot. Today I went to Publix to get a light bulb and couldn't find one, only expensive LED bulbs. So I searched online. Turns out as of Jan 2014 it's illegal to manufacture or import incandescent light bulbs. You can read about it here If You Like Your Light Bulb, You Can. I'm all for energy saving and efficiency, but I already tried the new expensive LED bulbs and the light they put out is uncomfortable for my eyes. I think the US government interfering with the free market is outrageous.

  • Spearfishing blackout video

    People have the right to make money/get paid for their work and set the price at what they think their time and effort is worth. I'm not bitching about the course being too expensive. It just has no value for me, I wouldn't sit through it for free. If I was just starting out freedive spearfishing, I'd learn more about my body and diving spending those 3 days in the sea alone instead.

    Quote from Liquid

    I got caught 5 ft from the surface low on air. The single thought that came to mind when it happened was "it's ok if I black out, Nick is right there." I was able to stay calm because of it and able to untangle myself.

    I think this demonstrates the opposite. If anything you put yourself at risk because you assumed your buddy will save you if something happens. This is a bad product of a freediving course. You should always assume you're the only one responsible for your ass, and make that mindset a permanent fixture of your diving.

  • Spearfishing blackout video

    You guys looking to become better spearfishermen will believe what you set out to believe, regardless of the truth being presented to you in various ways and for your own good. You've been taken in by the hype and marketing, just as intended by the freediving gurus who don't have a clue about what a day out spearfishing is like.


    You will now argue and defend your choice, without the experience of having gone through the course, or the diving experience which will allow you to separate the BS you'll be taught from what you actually need to be doing as a spearfisherman. After taking the course you will continue to defend and promote it, there is no other way, otherwise you'd feel like a fool for having spent the money (BTW I don't know where you're getting the $300 figure, all courses I know are $600-$700). And so the cycle is self perpetuating, and more aspiring spearos continue to get suckered in.


    Freediving courses have nothing to do with spearfishing period, should be ridiculed and will be as long as I'm around. If you feel ridiculed it's your choice, no one pointed a finger at you. If you want to be honest with yourself, 6 months after taking the course, take a snapshot of your diving and then describe what exactly you incorporated into your diving from the course. For me it's nothing, zero, nada. Looking back at it I'll summarize the practical info presented in the course:


    1. If you hold your breath for too long you'll pass out, and probably drown. Doh! I knew that. - of the curriculum is regurgitating this fact in various ways. But at the same time you're being encouraged to dive deeper and hold your breath longer, albeit "safely" :rolleyes: Kinda weird and ironic when you really think about it.
    2. Have a buddy watch your every dive, this increases chances of survival if you black out. Yeah, I knew that, unfortunately it doesn't work out that way %99 of the time.
    3. To increase depth and bottom time, dive straight down not on an angle. True! But I just told you that, for FREE!


    Not that I'm against instruction. I'm all for a practical freediving course that will benefit the spearfishing community, and even have a standing offer for free advertising on Speardiver forum for any instructor that teaches a course geared for spearos. So far no one has taken me up on it. It looks like any instructor with dedication to this cause is drowned out by the trendy PFI, FII, Immersion etc. making his business not viable. It's a real shame.

  • Railgun or Pneumatic?

    Quote from Liquid

    I have a seac asso 75 and love it. I just want more range.

    A 75cm pneumatic is just a hole gun, regardless of dry barrel or manufacturer. To get decent range you need at least a 110cm.


    Why do you want a dry barrel? It's a somewhat complicated system, and a PITA to load.

  • Railgun or Pneumatic?

    Liquid, you beach dive mostly correct? If you choose a pneumatic, after the first time you'll get a grain of sand behind the piston, load the gun and scratch the inner barrel causing an air leak, you'll probably change to band powered guns. You'd have to buy a new barrel, empty the gun of air and oil and disassemble it completely to replace the barrel.


    Pneumatics are very cool and fun to use guns. They were a great choice when all that was available was mediocre band guns. This is no longer the case. There are many band powered guns available that out perform pneumatics range and power wise.


    Pneumatics are noisy and scare fish. Not the fish you're shooting at, it will have a shaft through it before it can learn to leave the area when it hears a pneumatic discharge. Rather the fish your dive buddy is about to shoot and all the other fish nearby.


    There's a reason why all experienced Cuban spearfishermen, the most hard core pneumatic users, eventually switch to band powered guns.


    Still, pneumatic versus band powered is a personal choice, and some people just enjoy the slick and compact design of the air powered speargun. If you end up wanting to give a fart gun a run, don't get suckered into the hype of some of the new overpriced arrivals on the market. Once familiar with the internals you'll realize they're basically all the same, and power and range doesn't change much from one manufacturer to the other. It rather depends on the length of the gun ie. how much compressed air it holds. What does matter is a proven track record (durability/reliability), price, and easy access to replacement parts and service when you'll need it. The Seac Sub range of pneumatic spearguns fulfills all those requirements.


    FreediveStore.com is a dealer for Seac. Let me know if you're interested in a Seac pneumatic and I'll guide you through their offerings.


  • Spearfishing blackout video

    The goal of freedive instructors is to package freediving like what was done with scuba, so they can sell it. The "certification" makes me laugh. It was Kirk Krack who started it with PFI, makes sense because he was a scuba instructor before he got into freediving only 10 years ago. They can package freediving, I couldn't care less about those homos. But when they try to catch spearfishing with their BS marketing, well that's when I have to say something.