Okinawa - Weekend Dive Report - 17 Aug

[Phestr]

This report is sent out every week, but not everyone gets it. So I'm gonna be posting it here.

Ed Dunn writes:

Good morning. We are looking at another wet windy weekend, but not the amount of rain we had last weekend. Like to welcome home HMM-262 from their 8 month tour of duty in Iraq. Glad to have you all home safe and sound.
Dive Forecast: We are looking at the same weather conditions as last week without all of the rain. Winds throughout Saturday and Sunday will be from the southeast at 23 mph and gust to 34. Sunday the winds remain from the southeast at at 17 mph and gust to 23. No doubt Maeda will be the place to go unless we are in Sea Condition Red. If you are planning on going there better go early. Last Saturday by 0900 every parking space was filled. Dive sites down south I would forget about. Make sure you make the right choice.
Okuma: Give the boat house a call for times and locations of the dives.
Tides:
18 Aug. Lows: 0354 @ 2.59 ft & 1554 @ 2.78 ft Highs: 1006 @ 6.46 ft & 2218 @ 6.82 ft
19 Aug. Lows: 0430 @ 2.79 ft & 1612 @ 3.33 ft Highs: 1042 @ 5.96 ft & 2248 @ 6.59 ft
Boating Forecast: Hazardous warnings have been posted for Saturday and Sunday. RED FLAG, with winds from the southeast at 19 to 25 knots Saturday and seas at 14 feet with an 11 second interval. Sunday the winds remain from the southeast at 20 to 26 knots and seas at 11 feet with a 10 to 11 second interval.
Safety Tip: A Right Hand Release. Over and over we hear, "Make sure your weight belt is a right hand release." Well most divers that a weight belt have it on for a right hand release in the event of an emergency and the diver must increase buoyancy by ditching their weight. One reason for this is the number of Buoyancy Control Device's, BCDs, that are still on the market that has a buckle that opens to the left and the diver does not mistake the weight belt buckle for the BCD waist buckle. If you have a weight belt on as a left hand release you will not burn for eternity. However, your dive buddy needs to know if you have a right or left hand release if they must ditch your weight. Lets face it, some people are left handed and it is natural for them to use their left hand.
Failure to ditch the weight belt is a serious problem in diving accidents-nearly 100 percent of victims in fatal dive accidents are found with their weight belts, or system, in place There is no evidence to suggest that this problem has anything to do with which the belt buckle releases. Remember to review weight ditching with your buddy and know what to do if you find yourself in a situation where you need to ditch your weight.
That is it for this weekend. Have a great one and be safe. This is Ed Dunn with the Kadena Marina Scuba Locker and we will see ya down under.

Mr. Ed Dunn

[deepdiver47]

interesting, I especially like "If you have a weight belt on as a left hand release you will not burn for eternity"

Its funny but sobering all in one. Lefties need to stay home. I throw and bat left but I eat and write with my right.

[Phestr]

Yeah, this guy usually reads this on the radio as well. He's a really good instructor, too. I get it in the e-mail at work, but sometimes I need to reference it at home. So now I have a weekly post to keep up.