I made my Jon line. I used a Garvin hook and braided paracord for about two feet, then split the braid and braided two separate lines for about another two feet. At the end of the two lines I have swivel bolt snap clips. I take it with me on every wreck dive. My new dive buddy is claustrophobic so when I hooked her to the Jon line she was so happy to be hanging out at our safety stop away from all of the other 20 divers hanging on the wreck line.

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

I like the idea of a Y-shaped Jon line with a pair of boltsnaps. I saw one guy who would clip one to each shoulder strap to spread the force, never thought about attaching two divers...

Thanks for explaining that

Hi Mark, Sorry this is not a comment on this episode but I’m having a hard time locating Ask Mark site. Anyhow I’m in the Monterrey Area of California and am looking to get a drysuit. Could you possibly do a review of the 2 Seaskin Drysuits made in the UK? Price and quality seem really good but without having any on display and a 7 + month delivery, I’d like someone to do a review and who better than you who resides there. Keep up the great informative work. Rolf

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

AskMark is just a segment on our Scuba Diver Magazine Channel here on KZread, there isn't a website for it other than www.scubadivermag.com. I can certainly ask @seaskindrysuitsUK if I can get some samples to try out so you can get a better look.

@violentvinyl

Ай бұрын

Hi Rolf! I'm a UK diver and my first drysuit was a Nova from Seaskin. I bought mine second-hand and it had done hundreds of dives when I got it. It was good to go with a quick leak test and a few leak repairs and served me very well for 50 or so dives before I upgraded (I wanted a front zip and bigger pockets). I am about to sell it on for the same as what I paid for it, so they hold their value reasonably well. I see A LOT of Seaskin drysuits here in the UK, they are incredibly popular as a first drysuit. Most of the experienced divers I regularly dive with (BSAC or GUE trained) use a membrane/tri-laminate drysuit. They are more "adaptable" in terms of insulation and have very good buoyancy characteristics, and they are a bit more forgiving if you put on a little weight. Some people swear by neoprene drysuits though. You should definitely try both if you aren't sure. You can't go wrong with a Seaskin, but just be aware that owning a Seaskin in the US will be a different experience than in the UK. You should make sure you have an LDS that will make repairs and alterations for you if required, and you really need to make sure you are spot on with your measurements as having to send it back to Seaskin for changes would be a real PITA. Even though I don't currently use one, I would not hesitate to recommend one for someone who was looking for a made to measure suit that was good value for money. I hope that helps!

I normally use my hands to hold, and I teach that to basic courses. But as I normally have a piece of rope with me in my pocket, I can do a prussic o any kind of knot just in case to tights me.

#askmark Hi Mark, i am planning to sign up for a side-mount speciality course and was wondering if I can alter and use my #XDeep Zen Recreational BCD for a sidemount setup. Thank you for all the helpful content. Keep it up.

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

Not really, if you're going to be diving sidemount, it's best to use a full sidemount BCD like the Stealth. You'll have better mounting points and trim. Have a chat with the Instructor about BCs when signing up, they might offer school BCs FOC because sidemount is more specialised.

#askMark Hi Mark, love the videos, really helpful. I’m looking to get a 7mm wetsuit but I’m short and curvy, Have found some wetsuits that have short sizes on the size chart but they don’t seem to be available on websites (no major dive shops near me in Ireland), is there some way to special order them? Failing that what measurement should I prioritise? Height or chest/waist/hips? Thanks

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

Right now is a tricky time of year because many manufacturers are selling through old stock before they release their '24 range, which may be why you're struggling to find a particular size. There's also a bit of a neoprene shortage in the world which is slowing wetsuit production... I'd ask the brand because sometimes they can source one from their dealer network and it can't hurt to ask the question. Sometimes brands produce 'generic' size charts that cover their entire range but, not every size is available in every style. It's always best to go direct to the source as they'll know which suits come in which sizes and what will be replacing them if they're a discontinued design. If you can't find a stock size that fits you perfectly and don't want to go down the M2M route, the chest measurement is usually the most important. If it's too tight around the chest it can limit your breathing. This will usually mean that you're legs will be too long but, you can still breathe properly. Have a chat with the manufacturer and try to get the closest size that fits most of your measurements.

Is it actually an issue, being janked up and down on a stop? I mean 20 ft seawater overhead are 20 ft seawater overhead, regarding hydrostatic pressure. And the oscilation in atmospheric pressure over the wave ridges is kinda negligible, I think.

@violentvinyl

Ай бұрын

I don't think it's so much of an issue of impact on decompression, although it would be interesting to find out what the impact is. It's more about comfort. In a current, you need a way to anchor yourself, and at a crowded dive site, good luck getting a hand on the shot line at 6m. Then factor in that if you're in rougher seas, at the surface you could be looking at waves of 1m+, but down at 6m you aren't rising and falling at the same rate, so instead you have to let the shot line pass through your grip (which is wear and tear on your gloves) or you hold tight and bob up and down with the shot line. That might not be so bad for a 3 minute safety stop but can certainly make a longer deco stop more interesting!

#askmark I've recently become a divemaster and dsd leader and after a new bcd hybrid. What do you recommend?

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

I'll always advocate a backplate and wing for their longevity and customizability. If you do want a recreational BC then I'd check for what brands I can get serviced and replacement parts nearby, there's no point buying gear that you need to travel across the country to get a spare part fitted. You'll probably want something tough to put up with a fair amount of abuse. Something like a Scubapro Hydros X, Mares Dragon, AquaLung Axoim, Apeks Exotec-S, check which brands have service centers or at least dealers near where you're going to be diving and then make the decision.

@nicolekuring4389

2 ай бұрын

@ScubaDiverMagazine awesome thankyou 😀

What about metal-on-metal turns some divers off? I hadn't heard that before but I'm also still a fairly novice diver.

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

Great Question! There are a few reasons but the main one is *galvanic corrosion*. When two different metals touch underwater one will corrode quickly because one metal becomes an anode and the other a cathode and the anode will degrade and dissolve in the water and sometimes even fuse the two metals together where they touch. In some applications also, divers like a soft join between two items so it can be cut free with a knife if you're caught underwater.

@zarlorz

2 ай бұрын

@@ScubaDiverMagazine, gotcha, thanks. Th galvanic corrosion issue is a bit overboard when you're talking about the only time those two metals are together is for a safety or deco stop and that they're not likely to be maintaining contact in a single point together. Now preferring a soft join for cutting or maybe if they "clank together" and that's annoying, which I can see, then that would make more sense to me. Corrosion for a temporary, and generally moving, connection, though, seems like just taking one scenario a bit over the top, but, hey, it's kind of like having a good luck charm or even just following a particular rule, even when it doesn't really apply, just to stay consistent and there's certainly something to be said for that in diving.

@marisaharris1384

2 ай бұрын

Hi, I didn't know about that! Quite interesting... my husband just confirmed that interesting fact :) @@ScubaDiverMagazine

@391wombat

2 ай бұрын

@@ScubaDiverMagazinestainless on stainless shouldn’t be a corrosion issue, especially for the limited time of engagement.

@argonauta249

2 ай бұрын

Its not about the corrosion, its about tool efficacy. The tool ideally is designed for simplicity and efficiency, the line is basically an extended tool lanyard. If you have to join or combine 2 tools, its poor engineering practice that may cause jamming, locking, fouling or damage. Simplicity of design is key, particularly in a dynamic environ ent...

#askmark Do you know of any manufacturer making an a-clamp/yoke adapter for EU NITROX DIN M26 regulator?

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

That's a rare fitting. You'll find plenty of M26>G5/8" but, I don't think I've ever seen an a-clamp adaptor with a M26 thread... This is why most divers hate the M26 thread, because most of the world doesn't use it. If you absolutely must use an a-clamp fitting then you'll probably need to stack adaptors. But I would be talking to my service centre to see if they can change the fitting to a more standard G5/8 if they can

#askmark. Mark there’s surprisingly little out on the web review wise on the Shearwater Tern/Tx. Whats up with that?

@ScubaDiverMagazine

2 ай бұрын

We do have some samples on test, we've been busy organising the GO Diving Show but, now that's done we can focus on the Tern

@391wombat

2 ай бұрын

@@ScubaDiverMagazine thanks Mark.

Don’t tell the DIR fanboys there’s more than one way to do things correctly!

I prefer a prussic made of bungee.