SCUBA - any scuba divers on the board?

[fireflock]

I was just wondering if there are any other scuba divers on the board.

I have yet to use the pilot as a scuba-mobile, but I think it could do the trick. It will probably hold 4 divers and gear (no tanks) or 2/3 divers with tanks.

The recent threads on sleeping in your Pilot makes me think that the Pilot might be a good place to crash when you drive into the marina late friday night for an early morning departure.

Rich

[john802]

Are you certified master diver? Scuba diving is one of my past time during the spring and early fall season.

-john

[fireflock]

Certified Master Diver - nope.

I guess I would classify myself as a standard recreational diver. Open Water - SSI.

I live in NC, so I enjoy visiting the shipwrecks here during the summer and fall. My last dive trip was in January (Key Largo) and my next trip starts in a few days (Cozumel).

[john802]

I'm jealous... Cozumel's water is a nice place to do some diving. Are you flying to Cozumel or are you taking a boat? If you ever come to Los Angeles Area, look me up and will take my brother's boat to Cabo San Lucas and do some serious diving.

-john

[fireflock]

I found a decent fare direct to Coz, so I don't have to take the ferry.

Thanks for the offer. I will take you up on it if I make it out that way. I have never been diving in California, and I would jump at the chance.

Let me know if you ever want to dive North Carolina. Water temps in the summer and fall reach the 80's and vis can be in the 70-100ft range as a result of the gulf stream swinging by the coast. I have a 20ft boat that I use for some closer inshore sites (~10 miles out). I usually stick with larger charter boats for offshore diving (20+ miles out).

Rich

[calbear]

How funny!! The reason I started the tent thread was we used the pilot as the vehicle for us to go Abalone diving in Mendocino, California! I am a certified SCUBA diver as well and look forward to using the Pilot to go diving.

It worked great for three of us and all our gear for two days of Ab diving. Plus with the Yakima cargo basket, I had the float and additional stuff on the roof. Used some large rubbermaid bins on top of the cargo tray to hold wet gear and other stuff. Everything with the car was perfect EXCEPT, the key can't get wet, so I had to put it in my buddies truck...

Love diving -- and it was one of the key reasons I got the Pilot!

[john802]

The farthest north I went diving here in CA. is around Farallon Island near San Francisco last summer. I'm a Padi Divemaster Certified for the past 18 1/2 years.

-john

[devin1955]

Does anyone know if NAUI still exists? I haven't been diving in many years, but I think I still have my card around here someplace.

[john802]

Originally posted by devin1955
Does anyone know if NAUI still exists? I haven't been diving in many years, but I think I still have my card around here someplace.

Two buddies of mine are NAUI certified. Matter of fact, my gear are Naui Brand. They are most popular certification body in the far east.
Where are you located in Southern California? We should get together one of this days to do some serious diving.

-john

[fireflock]

Originally posted by calbear
Everything with the car was perfect EXCEPT, the key can't get wet, so I had to put it in my buddies truck...

Love diving -- and it was one of the key reasons I got the Pilot!

Great point about the key. I 'knew' that the key had non-waterproof stuff in it, but I'm not sure I would have made the connection before diving. I'm so used to putting keys in my BC pocket that my Pilot key would have probably gone right in there as well.

One question - what did you do with your tanks and gear while sleeping in the Pilot?

[calbear]

We didn't have tanks because we were Abalone diving, which is free-diving only.

The wetsuits were hung up to dry on a line between two trees and the other gear was in some containers we slid under the nose of the car. We would have just put tanks there too.

We were staying in Van Damme state park in Mendocino. The other camp-goers there are divers too. We weren't really concerned with theft while we were there.

Our clothing and other non-outdoors stuff we just threw in the front seats (lots of room there actually) or along the 2nd row floor area.

[CincyDiver]

My wife and I were at Van Damme Beach last year. I watched this guys wishing I had my gear with me. I'm an Advanced Opened Water diver. I'm glad to hear the Pilot makes a good dive buggy. It's one of the reasons I bought it.

[john802]

Originally posted by CincyDiver
My wife and I were at Van Damme Beach last year. I watched this guys wishing I had my gear with me. I'm an Advanced Opened Water diver. I'm glad to hear the Pilot makes a good dive buggy. It's one of the reasons I bought it.

How many years have you been diving? Is your wife scuba dive also?

-john

[calbear]

Originally posted by CincyDiver
My wife and I were at Van Damme Beach last year. I watched this guys wishing I had my gear with me. I'm an Advanced Opened Water diver. I'm glad to hear the Pilot makes a good dive buggy. It's one of the reasons I bought it.

Be sure to use the cargo tray and get some large, high-walled, rubber tupperware bins. I strongly suggest the more rubbery kind as I've had the clear plastic kind break on me...

[FLPilot]

Open water certified myself and yes the Pilot comes in great use. I put all my gear and tanks in the back with no worries (on top of the cargo tray of course). I don't go often, which should be a crime living in S. Florida! Problem is that I don't know many divers here and will not dive by myself (I think that's rule number 1 isn't it)

I would love to dive with anyone else from here that decides to take a little trip. I mostly do beach dives, but am up for anything. I will see if I can find some pictures I took with my underwater camera and will post them.