BC suggestions..?

[tgreene]

SeaJay,

Yea, I'm the guy that rides a cruiser like a crotch rocket, and my lil ole 805 C50 Boulevard has spanked a Honda VTX 1800 on a couple of occassions when some loudmouth with a bike more than twice the size of mine informed me that I needed to be tailing a pack up a mountain road that is extremely steep and twisty, because the "more aggressive" riders (he and his VTX buddies) needed to have uncluttered access to the road... WHAT-EVER!

This particular stretch of road (Highway 123 in Arkansas) has a posted speed of 15 mph for 5 miles, and 5 corners that are reduced to 5mph because they are incredibly steep 180's where you complete the turn about 20 feet above where you started it. As insulted as I was, I let these idiots have the road, waited 5 minutes, and passed them all up on the way to the top while clocking upwards of 55mph in the very short stretches between corners (something about tweaked aftermarket fuel processors adding lots of HP and Torque)!!! Ironically, though my bike was only a week old and obviously still had temp tags, this road happens to lead to a favorite rock climbing area of mine (Sam's Throne), so it just so I happens that I knew the road better than everyone on the ride that day.

In regards to the latest power hungry superbike, the redesigned Ducati Monster is looking to be king of the hill, unless you can afford the Desmeducci??? or whatever their new $75k toy is actually called. The Suzuki B-King is a pretty badazz bike too, being that it's the love child of a Busa and the MadMax looking Beemer thing. Though there is also the new V-Maxx, which is scarry powerful to say the least.

I used to own a Yamaha Seca Turbo, so I've played with the power curves and thankfully it's not in my blood anymore. It was fully adjustable turbo powered 650 that spanked the new ZX-10 when Kawi first released those back in the day. I totaled that damn bike twice, and still have the street racing scars to prove it.

I would LOVE to talk with you directly in regards to SCUBA if it would be at all possible. If you would be willing to PM me your contact info that would be great. Otherwise you could click on the red house above my post, goto my website, and find MY number at the bottom of the first page.

Kindest regards and looking forward to chatting if at all possible.

-Tim

 

[SeaJayInSC]

PM sent.

Yeah, we gotta shoot de bull and figure out how to force feed nitrox into a big bore, naked sportbike.

I remember the turbocharged Seca well - I was the only guy on the block at the time to own a Yamaha FJ1100. I bought it because in my State, you could get a motorcycle license before a car license, and it was wickedly fast...

Damn Secas... That's all I have to say...

I dunno about the Monster and the B-King... I love the fairings and the top end. That whole naked thing makes me... Well... You know...

Naked, man.

Gimme some fairings...

I know, silly, right? it shouldn't matter... It should be better without the weight and problems associated with fairings... But they're so pretty...

Funny, I don't do that with scuba gear. Hm...

 

[tgreene]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14104548#post14104548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeaJayInSC
I remember the turbocharged Seca well - I was the only guy on the block at the time to own a Yamaha FJ1100.

Damn Secas... That's all I have to say...

Yea you do... There are very few people that I know that have ever been able to coorelate the Seca Turbo and the FJ100...
Duh, Yamaha used the FJ frame and fairing, stuffed a traditional Seca engine into it, bolted on an abortion of a turbo charger that was prone to sticking in FULL TILT mode, and stuck a shaft drive on it to get around the insurance black lists that ate up the Honda CB-500 and Kawi KZ-1000 & GPZ-1100 turbo'd bikes.

Even though they were only built in 82 and 83, they are still out there and sometimes even show up on eBay... I keep telling myself that someday I'm going to buy another one when it becomes available, and apply for antique tags for it.

I loved and hated that bike equally, but mostly because I was too young to respect it for what it was, and it WASN'T a bike that any 21 year old should have ever owned. I bought mine used but in like new condition in 1986, then literally raced it to death.

The most bizarre feature on that bike, was the automatic air suspension leveling system, which when it detected too much front end lift pumped air from the front shocks to the rear, lowering the nose in the process.

So anyway, you can obviously tell I'm pretty anal when it comes to QUALITY and PERFORMANCE, which is why I've been asking all of my SCUBA related questions here to begin with. I put a high value on others' opinions, and weigh the data which is primarily why I chose to buy the Slingshot fins rather than a set of splits as I had initially intended.

I'm looking forward to chatting, and wish I were a lot closer to all of you, so I could get some quality downtime in with a few super guys!

PS- Don't tell anyone, but technically I've been diving professionally for 4 months now and haven't had my first pool session yet..... Shhhhhhhhhh!

-Tim


Oh yea, the ZX-14 would be like riding a Clydesdale because it's sooo .. wide. I'm talking really, really wide. :eek2:

 

[Kenmx10]

He Seajay, I read your article about the wing. Your the 3rd person I've heard swear by them. I didnt really pay that much attn: to the first guy because I figured it was just his preference. Im alittle curious now. I"ll check it out. How does it do with a drysuit?

Have you done any bike racing before. I raced MX not far from you in Hardeeville for about 8 years before they closed the track. Also alittle street at the track in Rincon GA. Use to ride the dragon , but havent done that in a few years. I broke my Neck and pelvis on MX, and two of my Buddies crossed up in a turn at about 120 in Rincon .Trashed a new Gixxer1000 and an R6. Ever since then its been difficult getting back into it. The desire doesnt go away but the fear doesnt either. Makes it hard to peel back the throttle like we did when we were 20.

When it comes to my bikes, I dont let anyone touch them with a wrench,(Not even the Local Bike Shop..LOL..) except I do have the suspension sent off and worked professionally. R6- KX250. Never could ride a cruiser.

 

[tgreene]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14105104#post14105104 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kenmx10
When it comes to my bikes, I dont let anyone touch them with a wrench,(Not even the Local Bike Shop..LOL..) except I do have the suspension sent off and worked professionally. R6- KX250. Never could ride a cruiser.

Bu bu bu but what about the WARRANTIES..? :lol:

I too really like the speed and instant torque that the superbikes offer, but having shattered my back in a rock climbing accident (cratered from 75') back in 93, I'm just afraid of twisting it that much.

I've fully customized my cruiser and turned it into a bagger, so I have plenty of storage and comfort for wherever I want to go. While heading to Sturgis in August, my buddy and I decided to go SW rather than N, and then decided to take a 500 mile side trip to Phoenix from Albuquerque, and then up through Monument Valley and all throughout Colorado.... We never did make it to Sturgis, but we did manage to get within 300 miles, and racked up over 3250 in the process and even managed to make our first day an official "Saddle Sore 1000" ride by clocking 1006 miles in 22 hours flat!

A well setup cruiser with custom seats and backrests is like kicking back in a recliner, but a recliner that's cruising along between 75 and 85mph.

My Seca Turbo provided me with hundreds of miles in excess of 120 on the slab, and I had been over 150 a couple of times with the boost gauge was only showing 75%. She might of had 165+ to offer, but I wasn't willing to ask her for it, and the way she was designed it would have required 5 miles of dragstrip to get there. She was a sleeper! The funny thing about it was when sombody was sitting on it, all you couldf see was the 650 insignia, because TURBO was completely covered by the riders leg. The guys with the shiney new Ninjas, GPZ's and Intercepters were all too happy to want to race, and being chain driven kicked me off the line, but once mine got going and I kicked the turbo in, it was game over for those guys!

I can get my cruiser up to 100, but with the custom hard bags, full windshield and being lowered 2", it's not very easy because I'm really just a giant windbreak, but a windbreak with XM Radio.

The biggest differene is that my wife and I can gear up and COMFORTABLY twist out a 300-500 mile day, which is mighty painful to do on a crotch rocket.. I would love to have GSX600 for around town though.

-Tim

 

[Kenmx10]

I"ll void the warranty day one, when I start pulling off stock parts and put a GP tire on the back.

That must have been an awesome trip. We have place here at the corner of Tennesse and NC called Deal's Gap (the Dragon) in the Smokey Mtns's . Suppose to be 318 turns in 11 miles. We would trailer the bikes up and race each other. Last time I did, me and a freind were neck and neck around a right hander and came across our buddy who slid off the road. Fortunately he didnt go over. I did have one freind lose it and went over the side. I wasnt there that time but they say it was about a 100' tumble. They dropped him off at the Hospital and kept on riding. But thats just how it goes.

Now everyone has Kids and its hard to get them to risk their necks any more. Their OK having boys, But once they have that first girl, Something happens. And it changes them. Dont know what it is. I hope I never get it.

I tried to get into the cruiser groove. Some of my friends Ride Harleys now. I tried a 06 Goldwing. It was a nice bike. Probably the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. But Im too much of a race freak, after about 15minutes of riding , when the adrenalin start to kick in, I head back for the Alpinestars.

BigDodM's does have a new 09 Wolf that I like. I could probably get use to it real fast. But in this economy I hate to spend that kind of cash. Works been good so far, but they say this year will be tuff.

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Holy crow, it's really odd how much alike we all are...

I've been to The Dragon twice - once on my Blackbird and once in a sports car (I used to have this cool little BMW... Tell ya about it another time, but I'm gonna think something's REALLY odd if I find out that we have that in common as well... LOL!)

I spent several years at the University of Arizona in Tucson - that's where my love for bikes really was able to pique. The weather allowed a motorcycle to be a serious mode of transportation, rather than just something to ride on the weekends. The big deserts and big mountains made riding a motorcycle a real passion. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed those few years spent in the desert on two wheels... I suppose that's why I have a love for GT bikes - sportbikes, but with longer wheelbases, more relaxed riding positions, and an amazing ability to get cover long distances. I've always loved those kinds of bikes, though - that was the big deal about the FJ, too.

I don't remember what year my FJ was - I want to say it was an '86 - it was the last of the 1100's. The next year they started making the 1200. Of course, I was only 16 or 17 at the time, and wasn't able to get one until I could pick up a used one a few years later. You know, looking back, I always assumed that bikes would just get better and better, so I never bothered to think about keeping what I had. I was always looking toward future bikes. Now I wish I'd held on to every one of my bikes - what a cool little collection that'd be.

You know, I once saw a Vincent - there's one on display at the Motorcycle Cafe at the base of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson. What a cool bike - what a cool place to ride and stop for a burger! If there's one bike that I'd like to have, that'd be it... Funny how as I've gotten older I've looked more to the past, whereas when I was younger I always looked toward the future.

Anyway... I have spent a ton of time riding the Desert Southwest, including Monument Valley. Ever been down the Devil's Highway - Old Rt. 666? Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Hannagan's Meadow, Show Low, Alpine, Albequerque's Balloon Festival, Nogales, San Diego, LA, the Pacific Highway, Joshua Forest, Hoover Dam, Rt. 66, Vegas baby, Bonneville, Black Rock... Good Lord, there's some great memories...

(*Sigh*)

Yeah, we've all got a lot in common. Bikes, apparently aquariums, careers, scuba, places... Pretty wild!

Okay, topic at hand - Kenmx10, you said, "You're the third person I've heard swear by them..." Yeah, and I don't think I'll be the last. I remember being exactly in your shoes years ago when I kept hearing about them. There was nowhere to try one out, and so I was just left, wondering... It drove me nuts. I thought that to try one out, I might have to buy one first - which isn't the way I work. Something tells me that you guys don't work that way either.

There's several places in North Florida's cave and spring country that will rent them - but that's not a fair comparison... Diving a backplate and wing is so much different than diving with a BC that you've got to put maybe a dozen dives on a BP/Wing before you start to learn to do something with the things that a BP/Wing will let you do. That funky, balanced "skydiving" position doesn't come to a diver immediately - it takes a little getting used to the BP/Wing before you can adapt to it. Also, none of the modularity or ruggedness seem like that much of an advantage when you first try a BP/Wing... But a year later when your buddy's BC has faded from a cool cobalt blue to baby blue (and your BP/Wing still looks shiny and new, and feels better than it ever has before), the difference is much more of a big deal. It's also a really big deal the day you decide to move forward in your diving and strap on doubles - you simply change your wing for one that fits two tanks, and you're good to go.

There's another thing that makes BP/Wings a little weird - whereas BCs generally have adjustment fittings and quick releases all over the place, generally a BP/Wing is used with one solid length of 2" webbing. Sure, there's available all kinds of specialized harnesses that will fit any plate (they're all standardized), but most people use one length of webbing, adjust it one time the exact way they want it, and never think about quick releases or buckles or adjustments or anything else ever again. It's like having an infinitely adjustable, yet more permanent adjustment that never gets un-adjusted so that you have to mess with it all the time - and no plastic quick releases to break or fade or crack in the sun.

This "permanent adjustment" may take a few dives to get "just right," and once you've nailed that spot, you won't want to ever have your harness adjusted again - and the next time you dive a BC, you'll get really frustrated with how you've got to constantly adjust it's size, and how it doesn't keep the adjustment.

Most BP/Wings use a 2" crotchstrap as well, in place of the cummerbund of a BC. While it may look like some sort of wedgie torture device, nothing could be further from the truth. This strap uses your crotch to hold the rig down and keep it from rising up your back when you're floating at the surface. Once you've used one, you'll wonder why BCs don't usually have one.

...Well, the reason is because a BC has a cummerbund. This very comfortable-looking device which works so well in the dive shop IS actually a torture device. Since it has a poor angle to prevent your rig from sliding up your back, it's typically worn very tight, which prevents your diaphragm from contracting completely. The bottom line is that it makes it impossible to get a full breath - but you don't really notice it until you're stressed, at the worst time. Suddenly, just when you need it, you realize it's impossible to breathe deeply...

BP/Wings work great with dry suits, for a whole slew of reasons - the most obvious is that a BP/Wing rigged the way I mention (there's all kinds of harnesses available for them - including ones with plastic quick releases and adjusters if you choose) with one continuous piece of webbing has a huge advantage that there is no need for a chest strap. This creates a situation where it really opens up space for the valving of a drysuit. This simplifies routing and unclutters everything. I wouldn't dive dry without a backplate - in fact, I don't think I've ever seen a drysuit diver wearing anything BUT a backplate and wing except in pictures.

Okay, gotta go diving - later, guys...

 

[tgreene]

Dammit man, this thread is becoming almost scarry! :eek2:


Deals Gap aka: "The Dragon" -- Haven't been there yet, but it's certainly in the cards for this next year, but I'm not sure when I'll have the time since I'll be doing my Open Water cert in Florida in March, hosting a bike rally in the New Orleans area in April, attending a large rally in NW Arkansas in May, retracing my ride out west in June, and etc... Also, our own Highway-123 is actually much better from what I'm told (Google "Arkansas Dragon"), and it's only 4 hours away instead of 8.

The FJ series of bikes rocked, and rocked hard! It's easy to see why Honda cloned the newest FJ1300 and calls theirs the ST1300, because it's a stellar Sport Touring bike. Even the Kawi's new ZX14 has "borrowed" a huge chunk of the design aspect, though I think they screwed themselves royally by eliminating the original Concourse... Oh well, we're in the midst of the power wars, even though I'm a firm believer that bigger is NOT necessarily better. In fact, quite the opposite!

My brand new bike is *only* an 805, but it's also the largest of the 4 bikes I've owned. Ironically it's considered a starter bike these days, but I clearly remember when 800 was considered huge, and anything over 1000 was nothing but a death wish. With bike sales at record high levels due to the fuel hikes this past summer, too many neophytes (n00bs if you will) with more money than brains were buying the biggest bikes available in their chosen style, without having ever tossed a leg over a bike before. I've read far too many horror stories about guys getting squashed while riding their brand new bikes home from the dealerships, because they didn't know how to control them, and the bigger the powerplant, the worse it gets!

While I really would have liked to have purchased something a bit larger than my 805 that wouldn't have to lug up the steep 50 mile climbs like I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff while trying to keep up with the others at 90mph, I had no problem whatsoever going through RMNP from I-40 into Estes Park, while the carb'd guys in our group with twice the ponies were sucking for air -- 12,183' gets pretty rough for a pair of tiny carbs! :worried:

With all of the mods and tweaks that I've done to my bike however, I'm perfectly content with it at this point, and she's beautiful to boot... When I first bought it, I envisioned building up something that would look like it came directly out of the 40's, and aside from the obvious brand new styling, it does have a very unique retro look and feel to it now... I get the most compliments from old guys (whom I respect) and young girls (okay, I'll pretend to respect them too), because my bike isn't "typical".

http://www.great-river.com/suzuki/mini-DSC_7108.JPG
http://www.great-river.com/suzuki/mini-DSC_6863.JPG

In regards to SCUBA, I'm jonesing to get through my classes (ch 1 and 2 done in book), but I had surgery on my foot on New Years Eve so I haven't been able to get the pool sessions done yet, I haven't been able to ride, and I haven't been able to work except for programming from bed on my laptop with my foot elevated, thus I'm pretty much just going stir crazy at the moment... I go back to the docs today though, so I'm hoping that the massive bundle of bandages can be removed and streamlined down to a supersized band-aid which would at least allow me to ride. If not, then oh well.............

On the bright side though, my wife and I don't have any rugrats chaining us down, so come hell or high water, we'll do WHATEVER we want, WHENEVER we want! :smokin:

-Tim

 

[tgreene]

SeaJay,

After our great chat the other night and my excitement about the prospect of diving w/ you and Kym, I mapped out a route from here to there... It's 735 miles, which either makes for 1 long day or a couple of short ones...

Once I get my PADI cert completed, I'm so there!

We'll just need to hammer out the dates and specifics, and if possible it would be great to get 'Kenmx10' to join us as well.

BTW: PM me your mailing addy, as I have a little something for you and Kym.

-Tim

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Uh-oh... Is it going to be a big middle finger? LOL... Just kidding, of course!

I'm in the water pretty much every day - Kym works the office most of the time, but enjoys diving with me when the work is not so mundane. We'd love to have you and Ken come diving with us! We've got plenty of full tanks, a couple of trucks perfect for lugging gear, and a great boat or two that will get us to whatever dive site we want. Our area is peppered with all sorts of cool stuff - planes that went down when Beaufort was active in the drug trade (not all of them explored yet), WWII Naval warships, surplus tanks and APC's dumped in the ocean by the US Marine Corps to make artificial reefs, and of course, lots and lots of shipwrecks dating from recent times all the way back to the 1500's - including many from both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Beaufort is world-reknowned for it's fossil diving, too, and there's lots of places to find megalodon shark's teeth that can span 5" or 6", and are worth a lot of money. Some people favor Beaufort for it's historic bottles, too - including 100 year-old Coke bottles, beer bottles from the 1700's and 1800's, and even flasks that are older than that. There's pretty cool stuff down there, and Beaufort's got it all, combined with a not-so-inviting low visibility inland that makes most divers just say, "screw it" and head to Florida when they want to dive - which is to say that much of this stuff is unexplored. Inland waters are usually very dark and foreboding (but that's where the best stuff is), while offshore waters are as clear as the Caribbean (but requires a long boat ride to get to). Let me know what you're most interested in.

We really enjoyed our conversation, too - don't be surprised if Kym calls you for advice on the aquarium stuff. It's great to have an expert just a phone call away.

Ken, we sure hope you'll come.

Billsreef, you're also very welcome to come - I know it's a trip, but if you'll work it into your schedule, we're confident that you won't be disappointed.

Air temp - 70* today, and water temp, 56*.

You guys might be interested in my favorite offshore dive here - the "Betsy Ross." She's a 430' WWII Liberty Ship sunk in the late '70's here to serve as an artificial reef. What a great dive! More information can be had on her here: http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/old/bross.html Not all of the links on this page work correctly (it's part of an old site that is no longer public), but it'll give you an idea of what the dive is like.

Since building that web page about her, I have been contacted by a sailor that served on the ship - apparently there's only a handful of them still alive today. For a promise to keep her history alive, he sent me a copy of the ship's log and lots of other information. I haven't yet had the opportunity to put it up on the web, but her story is thick and wonderful! She's simply an incredible dive with lots of sea life and ocean grandeur. When you dive through her hull, you'd swear that ghostly voices whisper to you...

Let's go diving - I don't get the opportunity to "fun dive" much any more.

Okay, gotta go blow tanks...

 

[ackee]

tgreene, I was moved almost to tears by the fate of your Renault. My first car was a Renault Dauphine. I loved that car. It got about 40 miles to the gallon, and had a City/Country horn.

Snorkels have very litmited use when scuba diving, but they can be handy when diving from a tourist head boat in the tropics. I've spent a lot of time just floating around the boat with a snorkel while the crew messed with spastics unable to put their gear on correctly. Snorkels are not a problem if you use a light, bendable model that fits in your BC pocket.

Sometimes I wear a snorkel while scuba diving because of their rakish visual charm and elegance. The big fancy ones are useful for fending off importunate dive masters who try to touch my gear, read my spg, etc., while I'm submerged.

 

[tgreene]

Mine was a LeCar... Imagine the tears I was moved to when my father told me this was the only car that he would co-sign for, because he didn't want me having a car that I would be out "racing around" in. Nope, I certainly didn't do a lot of racing in that thing!

Bizarre as it was though, those actually had 7-position Recaro style seats in them. :eek2:

-Tim

 

[Kenmx10]

Thanks for the invite SeaJay. I would love to go diving with you and Tim. The Betsy Ross sounds awesome. I will do some research on it as soon as I get the time. I'll need about a 20 degree increase in the water temp though. Hows business?

 

[tgreene]

I can't freakin wait to meet and dive w/ you guys!!! :dance:

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Likewise, tgreene!

Business - you wouldn't believe it. I'm busier than a one-armed paperhanger, and it's killing me that today and tomorrow were spent doing "business things" in dress shoes, slacks and a button-down rather than being productive, driving up my accounts receivables.

Business isn't the problem - I've got plenty of that at the moment, although it's looking like I might experience a lull in a couple of weeks. Collecting from the clients, however, - that's been an issue lately. Nothing will drive a business into the poor-house faster than using all of the company resources, inventory and energies, then not getting payment for services rendered. Luckily, though, these two days of doing "stupid surface stuff" has allowed me to make a couple of phone calls and in-person visits that have proven lucrative.

In fact, in more ways than one... One of my clients, looking for a big tax writeoff, may donate a 58' motor yacht to Project ASSURE, my organization that's looking for a lost H-bomb off of the Georgia coast. We could really, really use that machine, and have the property to keep it.

We also closed a big deal today - and miraculously, got another one thrown our way (same day!) which should result in another closing pretty quickly. Those two alone will profit my company more than I made in a year as a Systems Admin when I worked for the local school district. Not bad for a company that's only four years old, and really only two, since I subcontracted the first year and was incapacitated by cancer the second.

Thankfully, those years are behind us now. I think we'll do really well this year. To boot, my wife has decided that being a homemaker is both dull and frustrating, and has decided to go back to work - she got a killer offer today, and she'll find out more about it tomorrow. I sure am going to miss her working for my company, but maybe this year we'll be able to afford to pay our bills - or actually take a weekend off once in a blue moon.

Anyway, I'm on a two-day surface interval. I think my skin might dry up and go 'gator.

Ken, I just picked up two clients in Charleston, one that needs a prop pulled and replaced. I'll be up there in a week or two - interested in getting together for a beer or something?

 

[Kenmx10]

That would be great. I will be out of town for about 2 weeks around 19th thru 31st for work. PM me and let me know what dates you'll be this way.

Also glad to hear your work is thriving in this tuff economy. I know what you mean about fronting alot of cash to support a job and then it not come in when its supposed to. Then you have to dig deep to support the next. Its usually the guys with lots of cash that dont like to let it go. Fortunately , my works been pretty good these past few years. Although this is supposed to be a bad year for construction.

I hope your wifes deal turns out to be as great as it sounds. Also congrats on the big closing today. I hope you get the other too.

 

[billsreef]

Air temp - 70* today, and water temp, 56*.

That sounds like nice diving weather

I've got 38* water temp, and air temps averaging around the same with a real cold snap expected later this week?

So, the search for the missing H-Bomb. Sounds like an interesting project. Good luck with it.

 

[tgreene]

Just call Miss Cleo!

 

[Tentacle8]

I tried to read most of this, but not enough time. Even though it seems that you moved away from the Zeagle, I'll chime in. I've had a Zeagle scout for a long time, probably 15 years or so. The only thing I ever changed was the inflator, after some time it began to stick. I would take it to mean they are well built. I love the back inflation, and the fact that this BC does not feel restrictive, there is very little to it. Especially in the front, you hardly know its there.

Integrated weights is a matter of opinion. I am large, and dive with 12 to 18 lbs, depending on whether I am using a wet suit. Having that much weight on a belt makes me uncomfortable. For me, in the water, integrated weights is great, but out, well my pack is a bit cumbersome for others to handle, like when assisting entering the water or getting out. Being more comfortable during the dive is more important to me though, so I'll stick with integrated.

Also, the scout is easily adjustable to customize the fit, which has helped because I am not quite as slim as I was 15 years ago. Choice of a BC is very personal, but I would by a zeagle again.

Bill

 

[SeaJayInSC]

Thanks for the well-wishes, y'all...

Yeah, the missing H-bomb is a pretty cool deal and it's been a lot of fun over the past few years. The Discovery Channel came down here and did a big shoot on us once that turned into a show called, "America's Lost H-bomb," and is shown on The Discovery Science Channel from time to time. We were also featured in the July 2006 issue of BOATING magazine - both on the cover and in the center spread. Check it out to see what we're all about.

"Miss Cleo..." LOL... We've actually had some participation from phychics - we didn't seek them out, they sought US out. Isn't that odd? This was all before the TV show and magazines, too. One day one of our head guys got this random call from some chick in Montana or somewhere... "Hey, you don't know me, but I know you're looking for something." She knew a lot of things about the whole deal - like the color of the pilot's eyes, the nicknames of some of the other crew (but not their actual names) and the fact that one of the pilots was suffering a toothache from some recent dental work. She also knew some interesting facts about the track of the airplane that dropped the bomb - facts that were never published, but verified by the captain when I talked with him later. Pretty interesting.

She told me to find the submarine first, and that the bomb would be nearby (I have no idea what she was talking about)... And that it's nearly completely buried, but that it's tail is still slightly exposed and corroding. She was unable to give me coordinates, but gave me a whole slew of numbers that one day may make sense... Probably only after the bomb is found through conventional methods.

I don't know if I believe in all of that hocus-pocus stuff, but there were some things that she said that told me that she either knew a lot more about this than she was letting on, or that she was somehow magically gifted. I choose to believe the former, but hey, magic is always fun. Some things she said I have no idea how she would know...