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Here are two links to posts dealing with how to post pictures on Black River Fossils forums.
1. How to Post Pictures on Black River Fossils Forums by ditchweezil
2. How to Post Pictures on Black River Fossils Forums by Daryl
BWD thanks for info. I was checking places on-line last night to get an idea of what to buy, but it sounds like going down to a good dive shop to get my hands on some equipment will be the first order of business. Thanks again for all the valuable info. Hopefully I can add a post soon with some underwater treasures! Chris
You can certainly save a few $$$ by going on-line, but you can't get the CS a local shop will offer... besides they may be the ones who teach you to dive or suggest a place to get in the water.
If you have any other questions you know where to find me.
One more question. During my "fathers day" trip I brought my new mask and snorkel with me. The mask fit well and the snorkel was good at keeping the occasional wave from getting in (its one of those "splash proof" models). The visability seemed very bad. I could only see my hands at about 12" to 16" away, and in the wave zone it was completely silty. Im thinking this snorkeling might be best saved for winter or early spring. If I was to get a dive light, would that help out with the visabilty in this case?? Also what do you think of the "UK" led lights??
I have a friend who uses LED lights and he says they work well for him. I use a HID light that takes 8 C-cell batteries. A light won't do you much good in silty water, it usually just makes a hazy glow. If the lack of water clarity is due to plankton instead of silt, like the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay in the summer, the water is much more clear in winter and early spring when the plankton are far less numerous. 12 to 16 inches of visability is fairly common in many of the places I dive. On a good day I get about two feet of vis and on a super day I may have nearly three feet.
It seems like the bay has really changed since late April with the visability. It might have to wait till winter or early spring. I will just keep the mask and snorkel with me in the backpack...who knows maybe I will luck out with the conditions this summer. I think the teeth are too spread apart in the bay to go and try hunting with the "braille" technique. I think I might get one of those Underwater Kinetics LED lights. I have an awesome Browning "Black Ice" light that I use for deer hunting. Its small and has a very powerfull beam, but it eats "123" batteries like candy!! LED seems like a good option.
LED's are good if the water is clear or you do not need a bright spot in one place. They also do a great job of illuminating a wide area, but the light is not as focused (in the LED's I have used) as "normal" bulb. I've found that a good powerful spot is worth a few batteries because the light penetrates farther and you don't have to have your face right on the bottom (you also tend to focus more closely on what the light is actually hitting).
One of my favorite dive lights is the ikelite mini-c (4 c-cell batteries) with the halogen upgrade bulb. It's a good, durable light that will have plenty of battery life for several long dives. You can typically find them in the $30-$40 range. If I didn't upgrade to an HID I would still use that as a primary (with the LED's as backups).
Thanks for info. I would rather have the extra power also. C cell batteries are not that bad to replace, and 30 to 40$ is not that bad for a good light...most of the LED lights were in the 60 to 80$ range.