Is it illegal to scuba dive on your own in N.Cyprus

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 08:52

Just wondered as that seemed to be the general concensus to a recent topic that i posted,

Regards,

Paul.

Hippo


Joined: 02/02/2007
Posts: 2070

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 08:56

Not illegal despite what some of the dive companys would have you believe. However diving by yourself would be a little foolhardy.

Some areas are off limits, these are clearly marked on the charts, if you would like to see them i am in the marina most days for the next week or so.

Geoff


Joined: 25/06/2008
Posts: 1370

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 08:57

Not illegal, but foolhardy. Just like waterskiing with just one person in the towing boat is!

Geoff

Famagusta City

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 09:28

And what I heard from a specialist professor of Eastern Mediterranean University: you are now allowed to touch any ancient stuff you may happen to find. You must mark the area and notify the authorities at once.

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 10:02

Foolhardy as mentioned, as one self proclaimed very good diver once told me "diving on your own is OK because you always have your Octopus (secondary air supply for non divers- but same air source) to rely on if your main goes down.



And yes that was the last time I buddied with him.



I do remember once telling my buddy that it was really cool doing an emergency ascent from 10 metres and that I would like to do it again from maybe a bit deeper just for kicks. He pointed out that he now recognised Narcosis because I must be pi**ed. He then pointed out that the safety stop at 5m might be a challenge with no air. It's times like that you realise people should never dive alone, especially me, after consuming free JD and coke and coming up with ideas.



Paul the S.C.U.B.A. instructor (Some Completely Useless Bloody Aspirations)

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 10:27

proger1:



Free ascent doesn't even feature in PADI (I think) - it's considered too risky/dangerous! What has diver training come to?!!! Anyone who isn't fit enough to snorkel 10 metres / 33 feet shouldn't be diving with full gear at all.



In my training in NZ, before even attempting SCUBA, we first had to do the free diving course and pass the test, which included a mandatory breath-hold dive to 33 feet (2 Ats), and bring a fully kitted diver to the surface and tow him 100 yards to the boat, get his kit off and get him into the dinghy - that made a fella 'do his balls'!



As for consuming alcohol - do it WHILE diving - well, in the pool anyway: this is what ya do: sit on the bottom of the pool and drink a whole bottle of beer and eat a banana. This takes some co-ordination - but I don't reckon any diver's fit to 'hit the ocean' unless he can do it!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 10:33

Msg 6/Cont'd: 'As for consuming alcohol - do it WHILE diving - well, in the pool anyway: this is what ya do: sit on the bottom of the pool and drink a whole bottle of beer and eat a banana. This takes some co-ordination - but I don't reckon any diver's fit to 'hit the ocean' unless he can do it!'



I omitted to mention that this should be done fully kitted with cyl and reg!



'Buddy breathing' is child's play compared to this 'game'!

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 10:35

Unless its changed free ascent is still part of PADI although I think reduced to 7M and the diver tow is also there but I don't remember it being 100M, might have been though. It was alot bloody harder than I expected, I do remember that.



Last time I tried to snorkel to around 10 metres with fins I got to about 7 and had to ascend. Red sea dive about 70% salt I think. Almost need a weight belt just to get below the surface.



As for the drinking a beer and eat a banana, still trying to work out why you would even try. I can't see how the banana would be much of a problem but sucking the beer out of the bottle must have been hard graft.



Not to be too crude but my biggest problem with eating and diving was trying to clear my reg of whatever I happened to have consumed for lunch just previous to the deep dive. Never could seem to hold it down.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 10:49

Dead right, proger - the peas, carrots and tomato skins and fish bones can tend to block the regulator - bad news at about 30 metres!

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 11:05

OOOOH that would be nasty, I normally only got to about 15M before going through the reg change.



Slight change of subject but anybody know somewhere reliable that I can get a TUSA titanium reg set and a SUUNTO Vytec serviced, been a while since I used them and wouldn't mind a checkover before I start blowing bubbles again.

Also, where is the most reasonably priced dive shop, feel like upgrading to something.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 11:21

proger1: I was the first to import Tabata gear (now TUSA) into UK - we won 'best stand in show' at the Crystal Palace exhibition.



The TUSA shop in South Nicosia might be able to help - it was up the side street from the old Woolworths - start of Makarios Ave. He used to be the sole Tabata/TUSA agent for Cyprus.



Dive gear, like so many other things, is extortionate in all Cyprus - not sure about UK nowadays as I've lost touch with the industry.



I believe TUSA is still the most innovative diving manufacturer - I used go to Japan to meet the guys and to the (biggest) exhibition of watersports in Munich. They're certainly the most trendy with their gear - no disputing that!

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 11:36

My problem is whenever I see the best gear I have to buy it regardless of cost but I never seem to get round to selling off the excess. I always seem to theink, keep it just in case. Got a 75 litre TUSA gear bag full of excess.



When I bought the Vytec it cost $1200 and 3 weeks later the D9 came out very nearly spent $2000 on that and then heard they were bringing out a D9 titanium which I saw and would have bought that but I was in Sharm and it was $1000 over priced.



I have to admit TUSA is good for alot of things but I mix'n'match the best of what I can get.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 12:14

Yep, proger1, I guess having 'dive cred' is as urgent as having 'street cred'!



You're right about mix'n'match - I do the same. After having a Fenzy blow out at 40 metres while lifting a sugar sack full of crays, I've been very careful to select the best quality BC jacket - that, I reckon has to be 'Scubapro' with pony cyl and AirII.



Crikey, those days when the Fenzy blew, nobody had an 'Octopus' reg - ya just ditched ya weightbelt, made sure you hung on to ya sack of crays and headed for the surface!

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 12:53

running with a seaquest pro unlimited but it is 5 years old now. Don't own a pony, too much trouble for travelling (pressurused container rules in some countries customs) and never realy liked air 2 but my buddy used both so I was kinda stuck with it if I had a problem.



I like Mares but it's overpriced for what you get. And I borrowed one once and the relief valve failed so it was a long hard surface swim to the boat, had to happen on a bloody drift dive aswell whilst using integrated belt so couldn't just drop it, too bloody expensive.



I would probably go zeagle if I changed so it would be the same as air 2 with a different brand name

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 14:14

The problem with relying on a single bottle is that you're relying on 1 frail 'O' ring not blowing - not good news if at beyond sensible 'free ascent' depth, or if caught in freak storm conditions coupled with a lengthy swim back to the boat.



As for 'integrated weight belts', and again in the conditions described above, ya may as well be wearing a 'suicide vest'!



Do you remember the 'hard shell' BC's - trying to remember their name; Cressi 'Argonaut' was it? - where the weights sat in a 'channel', running up your back, and you could ditch those by pulling the lever? They had limited popularity in the late 60's - I don't know if they're still in production/used - cumbersome contraption!

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 15:02

I stopped running integrated after that little experience. Back to weight belt although these days maybe I would need both to counteract my natural bouyancy.



I would have to look into a pony again, as I say my buddy had one but it was only I think 1 litre and strapped to your leg, good for 10 breaths supposedly. At the time I thought bit off a gimic really but as he said, if we were wreck/cave diving he could at least get to me with it to use my octopus were as I would have to hold my breath pretty well to reach him in some conditions.

Damn, now I will need to start looking at gear again and get it sent to the UK and pretend to be a diver on holiday when I come back in with it.



Don't remember seeing the Arganout but have heard the name banded about some. Not come across them ever but I have only been diving 6 years. Managed to get in turtles, diolphins and sharks in my first week, also managed to avoid a tsunami by a day but still got hooked.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 16:09

As you say, a 'Pony' is about 1 litre - they haven't altered since the old Fenzy type - still used on Scubapro and others - but, I'm sure you'll get more than 'just a few breaths', cos you fill 'em from your main cylinder - so, say 3000psi (how many bars is that?) - God, I'm getting rusty!



Again, these are very good to have as a standby in case, as I said before, you blow the valve 'O' ring out, or the regulator diaphragm splits and it only 'freeflows' - or the reg seizes on your last exhalation and dabbing at the 'purge valve' does not a scrap of good! Okay, you can switch to a normal 'octopus reg' in the latter case. Whatever, I still reckon a 'Pony' is indispensable, even without an 'Air II', everyone should learn to breathe from their BC if it's fitted with a 'Pony' - e.g. that's what we were trained to do with the old Fenzy (horse collar) BC's - it's all there were then! Also, we had to do this at depth, which still required maintaining one's buoyancy,

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 16:12

Thanks guys,

So if its not illegal were could i buy or hire a cylinder from please,

Paul.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 16:22

Msg17/Cont'd:



by using one's exhalation air to pump up the buoyancy compensator. I still do that, and it's amazing how much air you can save, with the bonus of extending your dive time. When I see these modern divers always using their 'auto inflate' buttons, I think: 'Poor sods, if only they realised, or had been taught properly!'



One thing's for sure - modern dive gear is great - I wish, when I started diving, we'd had the benefit/bonus of it all! Calculating bottom time from the old tables when we were doing deep cray dives, or making 'guesstimates' when diving in mountain lakes - these latest gizmos, Suuntos, etc., would have been the 'dog's bollocks'!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 16:30

Paul, I told you, I've got one - it's near a 'branny' - if you're interested - also other gear.



I think you will find, though, that diving alone is illegal in TRNC. It isn't in the South.



But why would you want to risk diving alone?



Also, if the cops stopped you and you had diving gear in your vehicle, and they asked you to which school you are affiliated, what'd you tell 'em? You'd get all your gear confiscated for starters....that probably wouldn't be the end of it, having heard plenty of what goes on here.

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 16:57

Hi Tenak,

Not for me mate its for a friend who is coming out with us in Sept.He wanted to go off scuba diving and i would just snorkel nearby so really he wouldnt be on his own.Where are the best spots,

Paul.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 17:09

Paul: I know so many good spots in the South - but I've only 'had my head wet' a coupla three times in TRNC.



One piece of advice though: Never carry a speargun (in vehicle or boat) if you've got SCUBA gear with you, cos if you get caught, the both of you will really be in 'shaggers bog'! Also, don't pick up any amphorae - even shards, cos, assuming you're 'nicked', they'll 'do' the pair of yas for that caper! As for carrying/in possession of a 'metal detector' - it'd be almost a 'Midnight Express' job!

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 17:20

Cheers for the advice,

Paul.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 17:23

Don't thank me - buy me something!



Roy.

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 17:28

What an air cylinder,

Paul.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/03/2010 17:35

A coupla three 'cylinders' of Efes would be a starter, pal - then I'd realise that your good looks are only superceded by your generosity!

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
20/03/2010 17:04

Tenak,

Steady mate you will have the tongues wagging "good looks" lol