Scuba Shack Radio

In this episode we review a couple of dry suit vests, talk about plastic and chemical pollution and discuss the merits of a dry bag.

The Thermalution Yellow Grade is a battery powered heated vest using two lithium polymer batteries housed in a sleeveless rash guard type vest. It uses a wireless transmitter on the back of the vest controlled by a small controller you wear on your forearm. It has three settings, rated to 300 feet, can be worn wet or dry and has an advertised heating time of 180 – 240 minutes.

The Fourth Element X-Core vest is also sleeveless and is made from post-consumer waste (like plastic bottles or ghost fishing nets) which is part of their Ocean Positive series. It is engineered to retain the body's own heat. It is described as their answer to the electronically heated vest.

The Thermalution vest heats on your back and not the chest. It does heat up fast and you can definitely feel the different settings. When diving wet, the warmth was felt at shallower depths but when taken deep the warming effect was pretty negligible. The X-Core vest lived up to its description. It really warmed the core and stayed warm the whole dive. The X-Core line also comes with leggings. For price and performance the X-core is the best choice.

Plastic in the ocean by itself is a problem but it also causes additional concerns. A recent blog post on Ocean Conservancy describes how the plastic in the ocean also absorbs chemicals and then transports them great distances thus creating  more pollution around the globe. There is nothing good about plastic getting into our water system. Here is a link to the blog post. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/04/23/plastic-pollution-chemical-pollution/

You are about to get on a dive boat and are carrying your backpack with valuable items when suddenly you drop it and it ends up in the water. The crew fish it out but oh no, what a mess. This can be avoided by carrying all the things you want to stay dry in a dry bag. Dry bags are relatively inexpensive and give you the peace of mind when getting on a boat because boats get wet.

In this episode we review a couple of dry suit vests, talk about plastic and chemical pollution and discuss the merits of a dry bag.

The Thermalution Yellow Grade is a battery powered heated vest using two lithium polymer batteries housed in a sleeveless rash guard type vest. It uses a wireless transmitter on the back of the vest controlled by a small controller you wear on your forearm. It has three settings, rated to 300 feet, can be worn wet or dry and has an advertised heating time of 180 – 240 minutes.

The Fourth Element X-Core vest is also sleeveless and is made from post-consumer waste (like plastic bottles or ghost fishing nets) which is part of their Ocean Positive series. It is engineered to retain the body’s own heat. It is described as their answer to the electronically heated vest.

The Thermalution vest heats on your back and not the chest. It does heat up fast and you can definitely feel the different settings. When diving wet, the warmth was felt at shallower depths but when taken deep the warming effect was pretty negligible. The X-Core vest lived up to its description. It really warmed the core and stayed warm the whole dive. The X-Core line also comes with leggings. For price and performance the X-core is the best choice.

Plastic in the ocean by itself is a problem but it also causes additional concerns. A recent blog post on Ocean Conservancy describes how the plastic in the ocean also absorbs chemicals and then transports them great distances thus creating  more pollution around the globe. There is nothing good about plastic getting into our water system. Here is a link to the blog post. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/04/23/plastic-pollution-chemical-pollution/

You are about to get on a dive boat and are carrying your backpack with valuable items when suddenly you drop it and it ends up in the water. The crew fish it out but oh no, what a mess. This can be avoided by carrying all the things you want to stay dry in a dry bag. Dry bags are relatively inexpensive and give you the peace of mind when getting on a boat because boats get wet.

In this episode we discuss Sunset House in Grand Cayman, defogging a mask, and Project Drawdown.

Sunset House in Grand Cayman has been serving the dive community for over 60 years now. Let's hope they keep up the good work. Sunset House's rooms provide all the essential amenities you need to make you stay comfortable. Their boats are well maintained, convenient for diving and offer relatively short trips to some great reefs. Shore diving is spectacular with so much to see. Throw in My Bar and I rarely leave the grounds. Town is a short walk or complementary shuttle ride away. Keep up the good work Sunset House. https://www.sunsethouse.com/

Defogging a mask is a relatively simple skill. Too often however we see that this skill was probably not explained very well. If the mask is properly cleaned then a drop or two of any defog solution will be enough so long as you don't wash it off by rinsing too hard. We use Sea Drops from Gear Aid and it has served us well. Couple of drops, let it dry, quick rinse before entering the water and you will be all set. Simple but often not done correctly. We sometimes see people putting on the sea drops and then doing a heavy rinse essentially wiping out the benefit.  

Project Drawdown is described as the most comprehensive plan ever produced to reverse global warming. It is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begin to decline on a year-to-year basis. Project Drawdown was founded in 2014 by Paul Hawkins, author, entrepreneur and environmentalist. Check out the 100 Solution to reverse global warming. https://www.drawdown.org/

In this episode we discuss Sunset House in Grand Cayman, defogging a mask, and Project Drawdown.

Sunset House in Grand Cayman has been serving the dive community for over 60 years now. Let’s hope they keep up the good work. Sunset House’s rooms provide all the essential amenities you need to make you stay comfortable. Their boats are well maintained, convenient for diving and offer relatively short trips to some great reefs. Shore diving is spectacular with so much to see. Throw in My Bar and I rarely leave the grounds. Town is a short walk or complementary shuttle ride away. Keep up the good work Sunset House. https://www.sunsethouse.com/

Defogging a mask is a relatively simple skill. Too often however we see that this skill was probably not explained very well. If the mask is properly cleaned then a drop or two of any defog solution will be enough so long as you don’t wash it off by rinsing too hard. We use Sea Drops from Gear Aid and it has served us well. Couple of drops, let it dry, quick rinse before entering the water and you will be all set. Simple but often not done correctly. We sometimes see people putting on the sea drops and then doing a heavy rinse essentially wiping out the benefit.  

Project Drawdown is described as the most comprehensive plan ever produced to reverse global warming. It is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begin to decline on a year-to-year basis. Project Drawdown was founded in 2014 by Paul Hawkins, author, entrepreneur and environmentalist. Check out the 100 Solution to reverse global warming. https://www.drawdown.org/ 

 

 

In this episode we discuss a visit to REEF HQ in Key Largo, Hakai Magazine, an update on Plastic Bank

During our recent dive shop trip to Key Largo, we conducted a PADI Fish Identification course in conjunction with REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation).  Our visit to REEF included an introduction, lecture on the various fish encountered in the Florida Keys, and how to conduct a fish survey. The next morning we were off to do two surveys, diving with Horizon Divers. Our surveys were conducted on The Wreck of the Benwood and Sand Bottom Cave on Elbow Reef.

Hakai Magazine is an online magazine started in 2015 with a mission to explore science, society and the environment from a coastal perspective. Hakai Magazine is funded by Tula Foundation. You can find out more about Tula here - https://tula.org. Hakai Magazine is fascinating with great articles and audio versions. Two articles in particular that are of interest (both audio and written) are "Citizen Science comes of age" and "Hey Beacher, leave those fish alone". Here are links to both.

https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/citizen-science-comes-of-age/

https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/hey-beacher-leave-those-fish-alone/

Plastic Bank is an organization that stops ocean plastic while reducing poverty. Essentially, they pay people to recycle plastic. The plastic is then recycled and sold as social plastic. You can get all the details regarding their work on their web site. Recently they announced a partnership with SC Johnson to open 8 recycling centers in Indonesia along with the first mobile recycling center. 

https://www.plasticbank.com/sc-johnson-partners-with-plastic-bank-in-indonesia/#.XKZ5qZhKiM8

In addition to Indonesia they also operate out of Haiti, and the Philippines.

In this episode we discuss a visit to REEF HQ in Key Largo, Hakai Magazine, an update on Plastic Bank

During our recent dive shop trip to Key Largo, we conducted a PADI Fish Identification course in conjunction with REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation).  Our visit to REEF included an introduction, lecture on the various fish encountered in the Florida Keys, and how to conduct a fish survey. The next morning we were off to do two surveys, diving with Horizon Divers. Our surveys were conducted on The Wreck of the Benwood and Sand Bottom Cave on Elbow Reef.

Hakai Magazine is an online magazine started in 2015 with a mission to explore science, society and the environment from a coastal perspective. Hakai Magazine is funded by Tula Foundation. You can find out more about Tula here – https://tula.org. Hakai Magazine is fascinating with great articles and audio versions. Two articles in particular that are of interest (both audio and written) are “Citizen Science comes of age” and “Hey Beacher, leave those fish alone”. Here are links to both.

https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/citizen-science-comes-of-age/

https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/hey-beacher-leave-those-fish-alone/

Plastic Bank is an organization that stops ocean plastic while reducing poverty. Essentially, they pay people to recycle plastic. The plastic is then recycled and sold as social plastic. You can get all the details regarding their work on their web site. Recently they announced a partnership with SC Johnson to open 8 recycling centers in Indonesia along with the first mobile recycling center. 

https://www.plasticbank.com/sc-johnson-partners-with-plastic-bank-in-indonesia/#.XKZ5qZhKiM8

In addition to Indonesia they also operate out of Haiti, and the Philippines.

In this episode we discuss car tires and micro-pollution, the Aqualung Reveal mask and diving in Key Largo.

According to the National Resource Defense Council as we drive we leave tiny flecks of tire behind. These little flecks are like microplastics that make it to our water ways. Unlike micro-beads this problem is much harder to address. Awareness is important and more studies need to be done. Here is a link to the article. https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/tires-emerging-threat-our-waterways-our-seafood-and-ourselves

Fit and comfort are the most important features of a dive mask. We like the Aqualung Reveal mask for its fit and comfort. You can check out the features and see all the color combinations by following this link. http://www.aqualung.com/us/scuba-diving-gear/reveal

If you are thinking about a quick getaway for some diving in the U.S., you should consider Key Largo.   https://fla-keys.com/key-largo/a-dive-wonderland/

In this episode we discuss car tires and micro-pollution, the Aqualung Reveal mask and diving in Key Largo.

According to the National Resource Defense Council as we drive we leave tiny flecks of tire behind. These little flecks are like microplastics that make it to our water ways. Unlike micro-beads this problem is much harder to address. Awareness is important and more studies need to be done. Here is a link to the article. https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/tires-emerging-threat-our-waterways-our-seafood-and-ourselves

Fit and comfort are the most important features of a dive mask. We like the Aqualung Reveal mask for its fit and comfort. You can check out the features and see all the color combinations by following this link. http://www.aqualung.com/us/scuba-diving-gear/reveal

If you are thinking about a quick getaway for some diving in the U.S., you should consider Key Largo.   https://fla-keys.com/key-largo/a-dive-wonderland/

 

Welcome to the first episode of Scuba Shack Radio - a bi-weekly podcast in support of our mission of empowering individuals to venture underwater and to advocate for ocean health and sustainability.

In this episode we discuss dive computers, growing coral in Bonaire, Beneath the Sea in New Jersey, and some discussion on ocean conservation.

Welcome to the first episode of Scuba Shack Radio – a bi-weekly podcast in support of our mission of empowering individuals to venture underwater and to advocate for ocean health and sustainability.

In this episode we discuss dive computers, growing coral in Bonaire, Beneath the Sea in New Jersey, and some discussion on ocean conservation.