Shameless Self-Promotion

Last year, as chronicled in one of my earlier posts, I dove the U-853 for the first time. To commemorate my dive, I purchased a shirt from the local dive shop that provided some gear we used.

The design was pretty awful. In fact, after searching for alternative designs, I found that there were virtually none I found acceptable. That spurred me on to give it a shot myself. I designed my own U-853 shirt and opened a store on Cafe Press.

I've created three other dive designs since. They're all available on a variety of shirts, as well as other clothing. some are even available on mugs, clocks, coasters, etc.

Have a look at scuba Sean's Dive Shop. Tell me what you think...Provide me with ideas for a new design.

Diving into history, and the U-853

Last September Gary and I dove the U-853 for the first time. It was our first dive on this historic wreck. For those unfamiliar with it, it is a German U-Boat (submarine) sunk by the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. It lies in 130' of water, with the remains of its 55 crew members still on board. Read the story of the U-853 here.

Choppy seas (3 ft swells) made for a stressful pre-dive gear-up and entry, but once we got down to the wreck is was great. The sub is still in great shape, mostly intact. Visibility wasn't great (10'), but good enough to explore.

We descended to the conning tower and headed toward the bow. Through one of the holes in the top of the sub, a human skull was visible. In fact, it seemed to be staring straight out at me.

I'm looking forward to diving it again next year, hopefully with some experienced U-853 divers who can direct us to the best areas to explore. I'd really like to head out to this dive with captain Bill Palmer on the Thunderfish, but since he moved his boat from Rhode Island to Mystic he doesn't head out there anymore.

Of all my dives, this one was the most special. The most historic and fascinating of them all. It is recognized by both the US and German governments as a war memorial, and should be treated with the reverence due any grave site. It does, after all, serve as the final resting place of 55 sailors.

The U-853's log was never recovered. It could help explain the circumstances surrounding its final days. Did they ignore orders, or never receive them? Maybe someday it will be found in the sand around the wreck site, uncovered after decades of burial.

September approaches...The U-853 is calling. Perhaps I'll answer.

Diving the Onondaga

Last weekend, Gary and I dove the Onondaga. For those who've never heard of it, the Onondaga is a shipwreck that lies in about 50 ft of water just off Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

She's 275 ft long, and sunk in 1918. Her entire crew escaped the wreck. Her cargo was varied. Lying at the bottom, divers see Model A tires, perfume bottles, plates, shoes, thread spools, and assorted other items.

It's a fun dive, though care must be taken to hit the water only at slack tide, as the current in this area is very strong. Diving at any time other than slack tide is dangerous.

We dove it last year, and visibility was poor, less than 10 ft. This year, conditions couldn't have been better. Visibility was about 30 ft. We dug around in the sand and found lots of interesting stuff, including a wooden thread spool that was fully intact, even after 90 years at the bottom.

Our ascent to the surface took an interesting turn when we were greeted by several Lion's Mane Jellyfish. It's never fun to be around these things. We had to hang on the line for a minute to allow them to pass before we finished our ascent. After moving past them, I managed to catch a shot of one from above. The picture isn't great, and doesn't do justice to the size of these things.

So, there you have it. The Onondaga in a nutshell. Summer is moving along so fast, and diving time is getting scarce. We're hoping to dive another wreck or 2 before the season ends. If we're lucky, another trip to the U-853 might be in the cards. Now that I think about it, my next post will probably be about our dive to the U-853 last year.

Coming Soon

I'm working on a new SCUBA software package.

This one will be targeting mobile phones. Windows Mobile smartphones will be the first target platform. Once that version is finalized, I'll work on porting it to other platforms.

Blackberry and iPhone are the most likely candidates for the next phase. Once those are done, I'll move on to other platforms as I get requests (if I get requests).

Basically, this is the next generation of Plan 'D', which is featured in one of my previous posts. Plan D is a desktop app, which is nice, but useless when you're on the dive boat...

This new package will include the dive planner as well as information for Rescue Divers. It's intended to be an aid to a rescue diver in evaluating dive accident victims. It will allow the Rescue Diver to enter information about an incident and forward information to a hospital or EMT via SMS text or email.

As of now, it's nameless. A Beta version is almost complete. Once it's ready, I'll be distributing it to select divers for evaluation. Remember, it will be for Windows Mobile phones only.

once a finished version is ready, I'll post here with info about where to get it. I'm going to try to keep it free, but some phone companies charge to publish software for their platforms. If i have to pay for that, I'll be forced to charge a small fee for the software.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you updated.

Dive Planning Software

I've created a Dive Plan Software package called Plan 'D'. The software is 100% free. It's hosted on Download.com and certified spyware free...

This project grew out of my frustration with other dive planners out there. I wanted something simple, that allowed me to quickly enter a dive profile.

It utilizes dive table look-ups rather than using more sophisticated algorithms. It's very simple to use, and let's you know if you're violating any rules in the creation of your plan.

it is intended for sport diving only. No decompression info, just the basics. Future iterations may be more sophisticated...We'll see how inspired I feel.

Sadly, I've been hoping for feedback from users, but I've gotten none. It's been downloaded over 200 times on Download, along with another hundred or so from various international download sites...and not a word from anyone.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is what I'm after. Of course, an attaboy or two wouldn't hurt either!