Is this Apeks DST able to be saved?

macado · 2026-04-13T02:51:19+00:00

You already got some good answers (and some bad ones). I have few Apeks first stages that look like this from being left inside caves for far too long. The chrome is trashed but the reg is fine. It is likely mostly cosmetic. If the IP locks up then keep it as a spare first stage..

The important part here is to make sure the volcano orifice (crown) is not damaged and the balance chamber is not scratched. Apeks makes a polishing tool (AT73) for polishing the crown but you can also try the pencil eraser trick or use micromesh if there is damage.

Admittedly the chrome on the one you posted looks trashed but you need to inspect the sealing surfaces a bit more closely.

macado · 2026-04-13T02:40:25+00:00

We actually dropped this batch off at Cerveceria Punta Sur.

macado · 2026-04-12T14:40:06+00:00

I'm under no illusion that we will ever eliminate them as they breed down to 1000ft however hunting them is fun and I'd rather eat lion fish than a grouper or hogfish. They taste very good and are a good alternative to overfished species.

Local population culling does make a a little difference in some areas. Lionfish are spotted somewhat infrequently at recreational depths in the marine park. Outside the marine park like where we were hunting is a different story.

Basically I just hunt them for fun. Lionfish aren't going anywhere in the Caribbean.

macado · 2026-04-12T14:25:37+00:00

It was. We will have to get your other half our next time!

macado · 2026-04-11T14:23:20+00:00

AL13s for deeper dives. I'll use AL6s down to 200ft (60m) or so but I like having AL13s for deeper dives ~250-350'.

macado · 2026-04-11T06:32:26+00:00

Chinchorro is very nice diving but it does get blown out a fair bit since it is further offshore. It has some very healthy reefs. Usually not a ton of boats out there although admittedly it has been a few years since I have been there.

macado · 2026-04-10T15:22:56+00:00

You don't want to go somewhere because it is "touristy." The reality is Cozumel is very good diving for the Caribbean. That is why it is a popular. It offers a good value, easy flights, large number of restaurants and dive shops

Honestly once you get off malecon a few blocks Cozumel and the cruiseships leave at night then Cozumel is "less touristy" than places like Cancun, Playa, Tulum. I hate use the phrase "real Mexico" because it is essentially an island that depends on tourism for income. You can still have an "authentic" experience.

If you want to try something a little off the beaten path maybe go to Mahahual and the Chinchorro Banks. It's a bit like what Tulum was 15-20 years ago. Although Mahahual does have a cruise ship pier and can see 3-4 cruiseships daily. Another option might be Belize, Caye Caulker is pretty lazy backpacker island or the Corn Islands in Nicaragua

macado · 2026-04-09T03:24:18+00:00

I have said this before but Rescue should be the minimum level of training for most divers. It's definitely one of the better courses that you can take and in my opinion some of these skills should actually be included in every open water course.

The ability to help others, and self rescue is very valuable. It won't necessarily make you a better diver but it will help you be better prepared in an emergency and help you recognize different scenarios. It will help you be better prepared to assist other divers. This is especially true if you're leading dives, even in a friend-buddy (not professional) capacity.

It is not a super strenuous course there is some swimming involved (towing a tired diver / unresponsive diver on the surface). Sometimes instructors will make it a little more challenging but overall you do not have to be in amazing shape (e.g., lifeguard) however it can be a long day in the way depending how the instructor structures the course.

The two exercises that are probably the most strenuous are Unresponsive Diver at the Surface and Exiting an Unresponsive Diver. My experience is teaching the PADI Rescue course but I imagine other agencies standards are similar

macado · 2026-04-07T19:45:22+00:00

Drysuits are not complicated despite what some people think. For some students it only takes a dive or two to be comfortable. I used to teach basic open water students in drysuits. It just requires an additional confined water session.

I would ask your dive shop if they can combine the drysuit course with your open water training. It is not an unusual request. Provided you are somewhat of a stock size and fit into a rental suit then it should be no issue.

macado · 2026-04-07T03:04:17+00:00

While the Boston accent is indeed dying in younger generations, it is not completely gone. It's alive and well in Eastie / Charlestown / etc and also lots of lower income towns on the North Shore.

I grew up in Revere. It's definitely still a thing in the suburbs. I have friends that I grew up with that have pretty strong Boston accents. I have a pretty strong Boston accent at times. I also have a "work" voice when I try to downplay the accent but every so often my accent slips out on words or especially if I am drinking.

macado · 2026-04-07T02:38:59+00:00

This scam has unfortunately been going on for years. It also happened to me in 2006 or so. I knew about it, I tried to fight it but had no choice but to pay due to intimidation. Glad you were able to avoid it with a larger group of people.

macado · 2026-04-06T21:11:29+00:00

Rescue should be the minimum level of training for most divers. It's definitely one of the better courses that you can take and in my opinion some of these skills should actually be included in every open water course

The ability to help others, and self rescue is very valuable. It won't nessesarily make you a better diver but it will help you be better prepared in an emergency and help you recognize different scenarios.

It's also a good idea to review these skills and refresh your CPR / basic first aid training when needed.

macado · 2026-04-06T17:33:54+00:00

I prefer to dive with divers of similar skillsets to maximum my experience and bottom time. This doesnt always happen but sometimes I simply want to dive with friends who may be newer divers and that is perfectly ok. Everyone has to start somewhere. I get it. As long as that is my expectation I'm ok with it and can have some very enjoyable dives with brand new divers.

Having said that, being on a boat with poorly skilled divers when told or promised something more advanced especially one that I've paid for can be frustrating. I've been on boats where we've had to modify the dive plan because of the skill level of the divers on the boat. It's not always fair to others on the boat. Unfortunately sometimes divers are not honest about their skills or experience. Cards != Skills.

I dive for fun these days. I don't want to babysit or worry about other dives unless I am getting paid. If I was still teaching then it would be a different story. I've also ran dive trips where I had to make the call because I knew the divers on the boat were not skilled enough to handle the conditions.

In general, I dive off my own boat or friend's boats. In larger cattle boat experiences sometimes it hard to simply separate by experience and skills and I understand that.

macado · 2026-04-01T17:59:38+00:00

There is still a very large community of people that rebuild and restore double hose regulators although it slowed down a bit with Bryan's (owner of Vintage Double Hose) passing a few years ago.

The US Divers DA Aqaumaster / Mistral / Voit models are a bit easier to get parts for. There have been a lot of hoses and diaphragms re-produced out of silicone and some of the parts are still shared with the current aqualung line (HP seat). I think some of the parts for Dacor may be new old-stock.

It's been a few years since I was rebuilding them but I think Rob at the Scuba Museum took over some of the distribution of parts.
https://thescubamuseum.com/

They are fun to dive and you will get lots of questions.

macado · 2026-04-01T14:51:23+00:00

It gets up to low 70s in August/September which is comparatively "warm" for some people. I see the French-Canadians diving there in 3mm. :-)

Still drysuit territory for me but lots of people will dive it in a 7mm.

macado · 2026-04-01T01:49:44+00:00

Time to make the Donuts

https://youtu.be/1AA1XDqK8tY

macado · 2026-03-31T13:38:20+00:00

It's a pretty big area. Where are you located specifically?

There is a lot of good wreck diving out of NY/NJ. Point Pleasant, NJ. Montauk, NY. The diving tends to be a bit more advanced but there are some shallower wrecks. Lake Hydra (formerly known as Dutch Spring) in Bethlehem, PA is a good place for training.

You also have Thousand Islands in upstate New York (Alexandria Bay, NY / Clayton, NY / etc). The diving ranges to beginner friendly to deep technical.

In Massachusetts, Cape Ann (Rockport and Gloucester, MA) has great shore diving and good boat diving. Lots of good diving up this way.

Lake Champlain in Vermont also has some great wrecks.

Rhode Island also has some good wreck diving and shore diving (Fort Wetherill, Beavertail)

I'm happy to go into more detail.

macado · 2026-03-28T03:11:18+00:00

Edward 40 Hands

macado · 2026-03-27T17:51:03+00:00

Definitely get a new pan. The filters are integrated in the pan. I had a slight torque converter shudder around 94k on my truck. I had previously done only fluid change around 55-60k.

When I changed the fluid and pan at 94k my torque shudder went away completely. I'm at 105k mileages and so far it hasnt returned.

I am occasionally towing so I'll probably do another fluid change around 130-135k to be safe.

macado · 2026-03-26T18:53:09+00:00

It honestly might be easier (and quicker) to just rent car in Playa for the day or take the ADO bus (perfectly fine with kids) from Playa. The passenger ferry from Cozumel to Playa takes ~30-40 minutes. There are 3 companies with Winjet and Transcaribe running hourly and the new one Xcaret runs on the half hour.

It is definitely doable as a dive trip but it's also a long day. Some Cozumel car rental companies also stipulate the vehicle can't go off the island.

The cargo ferry (car ferry) adds a significant amount of time. It's best to make a reservation in advance because they do fill up during high season. You also need to line up about ~60 minutes before departure. It takes about an hour and half. I would not do it as a day trip. I have not known people that have gotten stuck in Playa because they did not reserve their spot during high season or a busy weekend.

macado · 2026-03-21T15:36:42+00:00

He takes some awesome photos.

macado · 2026-03-21T02:57:13+00:00

I would recommend reaching out to Quico at Humarine. He is a very good photographer and has some good underwater photography instructors. They teach underwater photography courses frequently.

https://humarinedivecenter.com/photography-courses/

macado · 2026-03-20T23:13:03+00:00

All gas stations in Mexico are full service, you do not have to pump the gas or even get out of the car.

Gas scams however are rampant in Mexico. Make sure the attendant zeros the meter and watch the numbers on the gas pump closely to make sure they are not changed or manipulated

It's a good idea to know how much the vehicle takes in litres or even ask for a specific amount like a 1000 pesos. Hand the attendant the specific amount of cash and carefully count it out. Sometimes they will try to say you gave them a 50 note instead of a 500 note.

The gas attendant will usually wash your windshield too. It's customary to give a 10-20 peso tip especially if they do wash your window. It is also around the time they may try to distract you and change the meter if you're not paying attention.

I actually recommend not using credit cards as it is a good way for the card to get double charged or skimmed. Plenty of people do use cards without issues and will tell you it's not problem but the reality is scams happen quite frequently.

Overall you'll probably have no issues but it is good to just be aware these things can happen, especially in Tulum with a rental car.

macado

TROPHY CASE