Drysuits are necessary for Scuba diving here in Southern California; the water is cold, usually about 55 degrees. Drysuits however are not cheap, $2000 to $3000, and require annual maintenance to keep them in tip top shape. The majority of this maintenance is the sealing surfaces around your neck and wrist. The current seals are made of latex, they work but  are easily ripped and once exposed to sunlight or ozone, they start to deteriorate. It can cost as much as $100 to $200 to replace the neck and/or wrist seals.

Silicone apparently is the proposed answer from a Swedish company called Waterproof.

Super stretchable, impervious to sunlight and strong. I’ll let the video speak for itself, the looks nice and they have the added benefit of not needing any talc or lubricate to don.

Here is a video where a representative from Waterproof shows them off.

I just hope I can get some for my DUI drysuit eventually.

I brewed up some beer yesterday, this was an all grain brewing session. My last two all-grain attempts each had their challenges, stuck mashes and equipment issues that made them a pain. I did some equipment maintenance and also simplified my approach.

I’ve been wanting to brew an IPA and this Rye IPA by a homebrewer named Denny Conn caught my eye. I had some of the hops and some of the grain bill, but I couldn’t get the recipe yeast or some of the hop varieties, so I had to make some substitutions. It will be close enough.

The brewing session went well, no equipment problems, but I have noticed that chilling my beer is taking way longer that it should even with my immersion chiller. It took about 3 hours, from flame out, to chill to yeast pitching temperature.

Here is the recipe:

This wreck/artificial reef was used as a missile tower test platform for submarine based warfare. They would load a missle into it, sink it underwater and launch the missile. Of course, when the Navy was finished with it, the ceremoniously dumped it into the ocean as an artificial reef, very close to the Mexican Border.

Here is a still photograph that I shot last year.

I thought long/hard about it and I really wanted to keep the modifications to a minimum and not add any complexity or potentially compromise the stock design of the unit. I’ve seen Curt McNamee’s valve, both online and in-person, a few friends have them and are very happy with them. But it’s a nice piece of kit but overkill for me and it cost almost $600!

Additionally, I wanted the ability to unplug the oxygen and still be able to plug in any off board gas if needed and still be able to use the stock button on the bottom at all times. And it needed to be as simple as possible.

Here is what I came up with:

Parts required:
Off-board gas button.
18 inch miflex BC hose
37.5 inch miflex BC hose, this the stock one for the rEvo
New low-profile 1st-stage over-pressure relief valve.

Time required:
10 mins

Here is a side view:
- Bottom hose goes to the exhale lung
- Top hose is from the oxygen first stage.

Right shoulder hose routing:
- Right hose goes to the exhale lung
- Left is from the oxygen first stage.

Shows the gas addition inlet port, which injects the gas into the exhale lung:

New hose routing on the back case:

Hose coming out of the first stage regulator:

New over pressure relief valve placement on first stage:

New over pressure relief valve:

I haven’t tested it in the water yet but I’m hopeful that it will address my needs. The only thing I’m concerned about is access to the right front chest d-ring, the way it’s setup is going to make it a bit tight to clip anything on.

Thoughts?

On the weekend of April 30th, a group of 24 divers dove the a Fletcher Class WW2 Destroyer, USS Burns (tentative ID) off San Clemente Island in California. Over the course of the weekend, 50+ man-dives were completed on the wreck at a max depth of 280 fsw. We had an awesome group of divers and were able to execute this dive without incident.

Our dive site

Gear, lots and lots of it

Andrew Ainslie’s vid of the wreck is not to be missed.
http://asainslie.com/videos/destroyerapril10.wmv

This is one of the best wrecks on the West Coast. Call Tyler @ Deepoutdoors for more information

You can redeem a code at the iTunes Store by following these instructions:

1. Open iTunes.
2. Click iTunes Store in the pane on the left-hand side of the window.
3. Click the Redeem link in the QUICK LINKS box on the right-hand side of page.
4. Enter your code.
5. Click the Redeem button.

Magic happens

One of the perks of working here is our campus; it’s amazing. Here is our latest thing:

Team,

Tired of preparing dinner for your family after a long day at work? Working late at the office without time for a dinner break?  Bored with late night fast food? Help is on the way!

Take home dinner options professionally prepared by [Redacted] are coming soon.

Starting the week of October 6 you can purchase dinner for one in a microwavable container or dinner for four a la carte until 4:00 pm at the coffee bar.  Rotating entrée selections will include chicken marsala, BBQ braised beef brisket, chicken parmesan, cheese enchiladas, rigatoni with smoked chicken, yankee pot roast, lasagna, spaghetti with Italian meat sauce, cheddar mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, grilled vegetables, assorted soups and salads, and much more…..

All entrees will have labeled ingredients and will be without peanuts or nut oils.

This program will initially be offered on a trial basis based on interest and participation.

We are always hiring good people: http://www.intuit.com/careers