After several years the opportunity presented itself to open up and run my own diveshop. Quality Time Divers is the new place. It is located down the road across from the Mares store. Right on the water behind the Roatan Sales and Rental building is where you will find us.

With a different approach to dive adventures we take out just one group, be it 1 diver or 10. The schedule is based on that of the group. The dive sites are chosen based on the group and what it wants to do. Dive Texas and Bears Den on the same day, then do some fishing on the way home.

We offer hot water showers, towels on board, fresh fruit, long dives averaging about 75 minutes. To date the record is a 90 minute dive. All the gear is new from the Mares store, who also happens to fill our tanks in one of the cleanest if not the cleanest filling stations in Honduras.

Visit sites like Spencer Rose's Garden and Rock Star by Pristine Bay. We are setting up two day overnight trips with stops at different hotels along the way. If you would like to visit Utila, Guanaja, Cayos Cochinos, let's go. The cost per dive depends on what you want to do. Yes we charge more for this exclusive experience, and to date guests have been thrilled.

In the future, Dive Gear Review entries will continue on Quality Time Diver's Blog. Thanks for following us. We look forward to providing you with useful information regarding continued gear performance reviews.

Have a great day!

Combat Cord

If you use a back plate it is very likely you have either bought a more expensive version of a harness or using a continuous webbing solution. There is either a bit canvas with Velcro on it holding your BCD hose and low pressure inflator in place or rigged up with some surgical tubing to do the same. Both methods work just fine.

Enter Combat Cord. It is an excellent alternative. Perhaps it is an ideal replacement for the aforementioned. In case of an emergency you are left with extremely durable cord. Bar the emergency and it acts as a perfect keeper of the two hoses. One of the benefits is that it fits around the webbing, BCD hose and inflator allowing easy access to raise them above your head. It slides up and down so you do not have to undo the velcro to allow trapped air to release. After 300 dives of testing/using, my Combat Cord has not lost it's color nor has it frayed. Unfortunately I have not had an emergency which required deployment, but will continue to dive with it should the occasion present itself. Actually, I hope the situation does not come up, but definitely recommend Combat Cord.

Oceanic SWIV SPG

I'm not the usual "Dive Gear Review" contributor, but there are a few items I've been meaning to voice an opinion about.

SPGs.  An extremely important piece of equipment.  You're not much good on a dive if you don't know the pressure of the contents of your tank (we're in the 21st century, so no more J-valves for us!).   As a working dive instructor, I've always opted for a mechanical SPG, as opposed to a transducer linked to a dive computer.  The reasoning behind this is twofold: mechanical SPGs are not as expensive, but I've also seen far cases of the transducers failing.

Or so I thought, until I replaced my old Sherwood SPG (many years of use) with an Oceanic SWIV.  A quick online search shows it retailing for between USD 75 to 106.  After the first one flooded after less than 10 dives, I thought I might just have a defective product.  I replaced that one with another one on a console I used to use.  Another 5 dives, and that one also failed.  At this point, I'm not happy.  No pressure gauge, no work.  I had to replace it with a THIRD one (given to me by a friend, brand new, who was getting rid of her spare parts), until the new one I ordered could be shipped down.  When that one failed, I put my other backup old old Dacor, until I could get a new one got delivered (it can take up to two weeks, minimum, to get anything shipped to the island).

Before people start jumping down my throat about dust caps and flooding regulators, that definitely isn't what happened.  After the first one failed, I had my regulator (1st stage Scubapro MK2) fully serviced, and had the o-rings on my (new) high pressure hose inspected.

So...moral of the story: three thumbs down (one for each bad SPG).

Next up from me:  the successful replacement.

(cross-posted to The Coconut Tree Telegraph)

Boat Coat

Here in Roatan we spend much of the year diving with 3mm suits or board shorts and a rash guard. That is all we usually need. The water temperature ranges from 80 + F  in the summer to   76 + F during the rainy season. Although some of us still do not use wet suits during the cooler months it gets chilly when you come out of the water. At times, with overcast and wind it becomes downright cold. Enter the boat coat. We bought a bunch of these for the entire staff at Coconut Tree Divers. They are a must have goodness of warmth when you come up from one of those dives. You do not even have to come out of your wetsuit, if you are using one. Simply throw this puppy on and you will skip the whole freezing during the surface interval bit.

We bought them from Trident and paid about $100 per coat. The brand was iDive. In a Google search the following came up from scuba.com. At the time of this entry, it was selling for $44. That is a steal and I highly recommend adding it onto the list of items to bring with you during the rainy season.


picture from Scuba.com
 

Akona Caicos Mask

This is the mask Coconut Tree Divers uses as a rental. It is an excellent entry level choice. Really, you could just skip the mention of entry level all together and say it is a good reliable mask. LeisurePro sells them for about $20.00. With all the different types of people that come into Coconut Tree Divers it is hard to find a one size fits all mask. This one has come up real close to fitting the bill.

 

If you are in the market for a new one, do not feel as though the more money you spend the better the mask. There is no direct correlation regarding more expensive = better mask at all. Read prior reviews on this blog as that has been debunked through hours of underwater use. The Oceanic Pioneer is a prime example as is the Oceanic Shadow, expensive and comfortable but not built to last. Yeah I did just use that line.  

 

Rental gear at our shop is used and abused. Not by all customers, but indeed by some. Kind of like the people who rent cars and run them to the ground. If it does not belong to them, some simply throw things around with little regard to their function or that other people will be using them. Case and point for the Akona Caicos mask. With all the abuse they receive through our shop, they are still providing divers hours of viewing pleasure and comfort.

 

As with most new masks, remember to clear off the coating manufacturers put on them to keep them from scracthing. You need to get that off to help prevent your mask from fogging up. Use a lighter to burn it off, provided it is tempered glass. They usually read Tempered or have a letter T to signify that. You can also use SoftScrub, which is used to clean tiles. When we introduce new masks here at the shop both methods are incorporated. We burn the inside of the lenses with a lighter, rinse them and follow up with a vigorous scubbing with SoftScrub.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Due to suggestions provided by websitegrader.com we are incorporating the Coconut Tree Telegraph blog and the DiveGearReview blog into one. We have also recruited to new writers, Diego and Kaela. They are both doing their PADI Divemaster training here with us and have long ties to Roatan, West End and ultimately to Coconut Tree Divers.

 

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

 

And by all means, if you enjoy the blog sign up. Have a great day!

 

 

Dive Rite Classic Reel

When setting out to buy your own gear, it can be overwhelming with all the things you "should" get and those you "need." In the end, you don't need anything as most places have rental gear. Some will nickel and dime you for a snorkel, weights, mask ect. At Coconut Tree Divers you pay $35 per tank and that includes all your gear. If you have your own gear then the dives are $30 per tank. The point being that you can rent the gear, but it is nice to have your own.

Where does a reel end up in the things you need list? For us it is quite high as we do drift dives on a regular basis. For cave, tec, and  wreck divers it's a must. In our divemaster trainee program we make sure they know how to deploy them without being pulled to the surface by the surface marker buoy. If you are headed down to do your PADI Divemaster course with us, you will need one. It can be as simple as a finger reel, but you will need one. Gone are the days of wrapping 20ft of line to a 2 lb. weight. It's gone from our shop anyhow.  If you end up getting separated from your divegroup it is not a bad idea to have your own signaling device. In a high boat traffic area you are better off sending the marker buoy to the surface before you reach it and hopefully avoiding getting run over. It happens, and having a signal device floating on the surface is no guarantee that some yahoo will not head your way. At one point Rags had to push off the oncoming boat whose captain was paying no attention. And yes she did have an SMB deployed. For the most part, boat captains in Roatan respect them for what they represent, Divers Below. That’s my case for purchasing a reel and marker buoy. This review boils down to an endorsement of one that has been with me for over 4 years.

The Dive Rite Classic Safety Reel can be purchased at; DiveGearExpress for under $45. It has over 100 ft of line. You can now choose the color from white or orange for the line. There’s nothing better than an orange and blue reel, is there?  I’m rooting for the Florida Gators tonight against the Volunteers.

What you might be careful with is the lock down screw. It’s what keeps the reel from unraveling. If you unscrew it too much it will come right off. It's a pain when it comes out all the way as it's made of plastic. After a couple of time of going back in the plastic gets chewed up. Luckily you can purchase them  for about a $1. Apparently this has been addressed in the newer version of the DR Classic Safety Reel. The other consideration is for the actual SMB. How you attach it will help you stay streamlined and keep it from getting caught up while diving sites like Canyon Reef and Hole in the Wall. I use a wrist band and attach it to the reel itself.

If you find these useful, please the time to join the DiveGearReview  Blog. Thanks and have a spectacular day. 

Big Blue CF 250 with Goodman's glove

Big Blue, who are they? We had never heard of this dive light company, but Jose first gave them a try by purchasing the CF250 light with neoprene glove for easy hands free operation. At 250 lumens, this light has a double o-ring seal, magnetic switch, a twisting bezel that focuses the beam angle from 6 to 31 degrees, AND it only uses 3 AAA batteries which when freshly charged, will run for over an hour and still shine brightly!

A few months later Marco and Rags also purchased the same light. We have never had any problems with them even after more than 500 dives each. We have them with us on every single dive...divers love it  when you are able to show them the true colors of the reef, even during the day!  It also makes pointing out critters much easier (this is where the narrow beam comes in handy!), without having to get too close to the sensitive coral formations - always a good thing when following the Roatan Marine Park regulations of not getting too close to avoid any incidental damage!

These lights are also great if you are taking pictures or video underwater the hands free operation the G-Glove makes focusing your camera during macro photography much easier.

That's from Jose Silva who is closing in on 1000 PADI Certifications (now en route to Maui with 35 certifications to go!).

The only gripe with the light is the Glove's longevity - the Velcro (tm) attachments do wear out after a while.  It is an excellent concept that, surprisingly enough, has not been adopted by other light manufacturers. It's amazingly useful and comfy. When you need light simply flip over the switch.

Other lights also use double O-ring technology as does this one. To turn them on you unscrew the light. If you keep going they shut off. Keep going after that and they flood. Yikes, that was dumb is when I realized my awesome Hollis light failed. That's a user error I accept.  Was looking for something different this time (duh!). Hence copying Jose and his "light." We give it double OKs.

We purchased a charger and we reuse batteries over an over. We no longer worry about whose batteries they are. The lights have undergone lots of testing, under "live" conditions. Easy conditions in fact. That's why we live here, silly. Again, if they can't work here, how can they work elsewhere? It's not like Monty does the 430 ft Trimix dives every month, not yet anyhow.

The solution for the failing Velcro (tm) on both the palm of your hand and the wrist is as follows; The hand strap can be kept together by wrapping duct tape.  At the time of writing, it has been holding up for over a week. This is after six months of daily use. I do not take the light into confined water on a regular basis. If I had tweet this review and you trusted the content above, it would read something like; The Big Blue CF 250 is a good acquisition.  The wrist Velcro can be folded over itself as shown in the picture.

The cost of the light was about $135 back when we bought them. Today September 12, 2012 it is selling for about $89 atLeisurePro. Be warned, there are some crappy reviews on there, which are quite ridonculous. It does not turn on by unscrewing it. Regardless, we promised to keep these honest.

We are gearing up for the Roatan Fishing Tournament this week-end. As of this entry I had son, little William Alexander.  Thanks for reading. Join the blog and let us know if there is any particular set of gear you would like tested and reviewed. Best wishes from Roatan. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at;  Coconut Tree Divers