Fin For YourSelf» Miscellaneous

New Atomic Aquatics T2X

Mike — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:51:36 +0000

I typically purchase a new SCUBA regulator every few years. When I first started SCUBA, I purchased an Atomic Aquatics Regulator with a B1 first stage. Thus fur that is by far the best regulator I have ever used. The down fall is that it was quite expensive to service. In my opinion, the quality and performance out weights the cost of servicing it. I recently picked up a new Atomic T2X. I can’t wait to start using it. I am going to try and test it out in the pool during a training session. If things work out, I will head down to Beaver Lake with Adventure Sports and do a deep dive with it before heading to my next SCUBA trip in Dominica. I always support the local SCUBA shops in my area. So I purchased this locally from Skin-n-Scuba in Kansas City.

Here is some information on my new regulator.

First Stage:

First stage components precision-machined from solid bar
Titanium that is lightweight and corrosion-free
Atomic Jet Seat high-flow piston first stage
Freeze protected factory-sealed first stage also prevents contamination such as silt and sand
Nitrox ready for dedicated EAN use with mixtures up to 40%
New T2x for non-dedicated EAN use with mixtures up to 40%
First stage ports: 2 HP fixed / 5 LP on swivel cap

Second Stage:

Patented Atomic “Seat Saving” Orifice (Titanium)
Patented Atomic Automatic Flow Control (AFC)
Rapid adjustment knob for manual second stage de-tuning in special situations
All-Titanium Atomic Comfort Swivel standard on all T2x regulators
A new high-flow second stage case and magnum lever design that significantly lowers breathing effort at any depth from shallow water to beyond the limits
Dual material second stage cover enables entire front to be used for purge
Dual silicone comfort fit mouthpiece with tear-resistant bite tabs
Metal-accented front cover ring, adjustment knob, and AFC cover
Deluxe padded travel bag
2 year / 300 dive service interval
Limited Lifetime Warranty – not contingent on proof of service
Combined weight of the Atomic T2x First & Second Stage is under 2 lbs.

AdventureSports Ski & SCUBA WEB Site

Mike — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:07:26 +0000

As many of us know, simple is sometimes better. Well, Adventure Sports in Kansas City has redone their web site. I do think the new site is much better than old and yet simple. The old site had not changed very much since it was first setup over decade ago. The new site does adds depth and I personally think was done very well. As with every site, tweaks will be required overtime. I am looking forward to the growth of their web site.

To view this website, just follow the the link: http://www.adventuresportskc.com.

-Mike

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Identity Theft

Mike — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:35:13 +0000

As many of you have noticed, it seems recently that everyone and their brother are beginning to offer identity protection. Many of us feel it is just one more way for corporate America to strip us of our hard earned paychecks. The vast majority of us have not incurred an incident which would require us to purchase such protection. However, it is a growing problem. Every day thieves are becoming more cunning. More and more people are feeling the sting of such an assault on their personal information and pocketbooks. If you haven't been through it before, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. If you have been through it, you understand the anger which stems from the intrusion into your personal business. You also understand the ongoing frustration of what it takes to rectify the situation and your personal credit history. It is never an easy fix. I am one of those people who have had their identity stolen and am still dealing with the issue even years later. This is my story.

In 2004 I received a message on my answering machine from Best Buy. They were calling me to thank me for my purchase. I found this odd because I did not have a charge card with Best Buy. I contacted them and told them I had not made the purchase. They asked me to visit their store where I was greeted by Best Buy management and the Olathe police department. While I was at the store they cancelled the credit card, and pulled all video surveillance which was turned over to the police department. At that time I also filed a police report. To this day I owe much gratitude to Best Buy, as that one phone call kept an already bad situation from getting completely out of hand.

The phone call from Best Buy triggered me to contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to pull live credit reports from the credit bureaus. The credit reports showed me that within a period of two days there had been several charge cards opened in my name. I was now unknowingly responsible for three other charge cards including Home Depot, Office Depot, and Nebraska Furniture Mart. Once I received the reports, I immediately called the credit bureaus and notified them that my identity had been stolen. Doing so prevented new credit cards from being opened in my name. Unfortunately, it hadn't prevented the identity thief from spending money in these other stores.

I contacted all the above retailers. The damage report was as follows. I now owed Home Depot $10,000, Nebraska Furniture Mart $10,000, and Office Depot $1,500. The bill from Best Buy was another $8,000. I placed a hold or cancelled all the newly established credit cards. I explained to the merchants the predicament I was in and provided them with the police report number from Olathe so they knew I had a credible issue. I also had to file police reports in Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, Missouri, Shawnee, KS, Overland Park Kansas, Olathe, Ks, and Leawood, KS. This was because items had been purchased with the cards in multiple store locations. Ultimately, all the retailers did erase my debt. It took 6 months, however, for me to convince them that I was not responsible for the charges. Some of the stores were easier to work with than others. The police reports were helpful, but it was long arduous process to clear my name.

Next the question became just how was my identity stolen. It was the Overland Park Police Department's detective skills that tied the whole story together. It turns out that several people, over a very short period of time, had filed police reports in the same cities around the same time. Through interviews with these people it became apparent that all off those involved had made recent changes in their insurance policies with Allstate. Their paperwork had been dumped in a garbage bin at the local strip mall where the office was located. Someone apparently had taken this discarded information and put it to their own personal use, at our expense. The theft ring made its way to the newspapers and the television news, but to this date, the perpetrators have not yet been brought to justice.

So, it seems that I went through a lot of hassle, and came out ultimately unscathed, you're thinking. Identity theft is no big deal, you say? If this is what you're thinking, I beg to differ. Consider the fact that the thieves still have all my personal information. You can't change your social security number. They can use it anytime they wish, at their whim. Even after many years now no one knows who the thieves are. I am still at risk. After extensive research, however, I have found some protection.

Since six months after the incident, I have been using a service called LifeLock. LifeLock is a company which offers an identity theft protection system. This system asks the credit bureaus to set free fraud alerts on your behalf, and it continues doing so every 90 days. It removes you from lists of pre-approved credit cards and insurance offers, and sends you free credit reports on a yearly basis. If your identity is stolen you're offered up to $1 million in assistance to clear your name and credit history. It costs me a mere $10 a month, and I have not had one issue since LifeLock was put into effect. The peace of mind Lifelock offers me is more than worth the $10 a month. I sleep well knowing my family will be protected against any future incidences of identity theft.

Thank you for reading my story.

http://www.qondio.com/identity-theft_51572

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NOAA Ocean Explorer

Mike — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 06:58:54 +0000

This is very cool. While browsing through http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov, I found that they have a dedicated page on YouTube. This is a definite must see in my opinion. Anyway here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/oceanexplorergov

-Mike

New Shirt Shop

Mike — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:47:44 +0000

Hey.. Just wanted to let everyone know that Shannon and I have created a series of dive shirts. You can link to them through our website under the "stores" menu or you can view them here.

Here are a couple of samples.

Got Air?

Divers Do It Down Under

My Scuba Friend

PRAIRIE DIVER CLUB

Happy New Year Everyone!

Shannon — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:57:38 +0000

Happy New Year Everyone!

Mike and I thought we'd start out the New Year by updating the website. We've made a few changes throughout the site, for the better we think. We wanted it to be commensurate with web standards, and feel like we gave it a more polished look. Any feedback on the new design is appreciated!

The both of us just renewed our Dive Control Specialist certifications for the year. We will start assisting our instructors at Adventure Sports with their classes very soon. We're looking forward to a great year in the pool and at the lake with our new divers. Due to house renovations we're holding off on planning our next dive trip, as of yet. We'll definitely let everyone know when and where the next one is as soon as we do. Curacao in September 2008 already seems too long ago!! (Ahh.... the memories ).

In the meantime good luck with your New Year's resolutions, and safe diving!

Shannon

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Weekend at Table Rock Lake 7/25-7/27/08

Shannon — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:00:01 +0000

July 18-20^th

Michael and I spent last weekend down at Table Rock Lake with some friends of ours, Sherri, Sherry, Allyson, and Crystal (fellow Prairie Divers). Instead of diving under the water, though, we decided to try some ‘on the water’ activities. Allyson and Sherri have an awesome ski boat, and a lovely pontoon which served as the platform for all of our activities. The temperature was quite warm – mid 90’s, but the intermittent swims in the lake, and the breeze kept the heat tolerable.

After a smorgasbord of fruit and muffins, we started out each morning on the ski boat. Michael tried out some activities he’d never done before. The first day he worked on mastering wake boarding, but getting out of the water proved to be quite the challenge for the newbie. After many tries and a little rest, he decided to try an alternate skill. This time he successfully achieved a constant upright posture on both the knee board and the, ever so cool, surf board! He did so great! I was proud of him! As for me, I prefer to avoid the activities which could mame me!. At the lake I’m just as happy being in the boat, watching the others try their tricks, and saying “They’re down!”, all the while thanking God that their last crash on the water was not mine! J

Our skilled boat driver, Sherri, did her usual wonderful job of keeping us safe. Crystal was the Wakeboard Queen, while "Ms. Balance", aka Sherry worked on mastering her new, and very slippery, water skateboard. Later she showed off with the surfboard by landing on the boat (while it was running). She stepped right off the board on to the moving boat (don't try this at home, folks!). Allyson is the slalem master, but can do it all upon request. All in all, quite a skilled bunch!! After many runs, it was time to return to the house for a little rest and some lunch.

In the afternoon, after everyone was rejuvenated, we headed back out for the pontoon boat. This time we were to meet Crystal’s parents at the marina to take them for a spin. It was a very pleasant visit, and a good time was had by all. We finished up on an entertaining note for them, as Sherry and Michael decided to do a little tubing on something of a ‘two seater’. They bounced around and around, and up and down. They even swapped seats with each other multiple times. I thought they were crazy! Sherry told me she and Mike couldn’t stop laughing throughout the experience, even when she was taking in lake water!! I consider those two to be the dare devils of the group!

Our final stop of the day was at the “jumping rock”. Usually the jump is ridiculously high which makes it for dare devils only. Due to the heavy rainfall this year, the lake was up, and there was only about a 6-12 foot drop from the jumping rock, so almost everyone decided to try it. After the jumping rock it was time to head for the house. It was getting late, and everyone was ready for a rest.

Saturday evening was very relaxed. There was much story swapping and some burgers on the grill. The lake house we were at had a great view overlooking the water. We sat outside for every meal to soak up the ambiance. Everyone turned in to bed early that night, as the sun, wind, water, and activities had taken their toll (or we’re all just getting old! J). It was time for a good night’s rest so we could do it all again tomorrow.

Sunday morning we headed back to the ski boat. The skiers and boarders did their thing. Michael tried the skate board and the wake board, which he finally got up on, but was unable to stay long before being thrown off by the water! Still, he’d come a long way for never doing it before. The next time we go down I think he’ll have it mastered!! Sadly, the noon hour came too soon, but everyone decided it was time to head back to the house, gather our things, and head for home.

All and all it was a fantastic weekend on the water. Aside from some sore muscles, and some minor sunburns, everyone came out of the weekend unscathed. It was a good time had by all. We’re all looking forward to the next time, and will keep everyone posted on future events.

Thanks for the read, and enjoy the photos!

Adventure Sports

Mike — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:12:16 +0000

Since we are affiliated with Adventure Sports of Kansas City, I would like to share some information about our local dive shop.

Adventure Sports is a full service dive shop servicing the Kansas City Metro Area. The shop services anyone who wishes to pay a visit, schedule a class, or even participate in SCUBA travel. They opened in 1987 and have been offering scuba training, travel, repair service, air fill station, rentals and equipment sales ever since. They offer certifications in PADI, SSI, and NAUI.

Both Shannon and I are from the land locked Midwest. To get our diving fix we often make short trips to the Adventure Sports lake house on Beaver Lake in Rogers, Arkansas. Beaver Lake is actually in a dry county so the boating traffic is generally at a minimum. This enables divers to experience relatively clear water, and safe diving conditions. The lake house can sleep about twenty-five people (maybe more). They advertise that they can sleep twelve comfortably, but if you willing to pack the sleeping bag you can bring 24 more of your favorite friends. The dive weekends include lodging, and diving comfortably from a 40' barge style dive boat with plenty of room for divers and all their gear. If you wish to find out more information about Beaver Lake, wikipedia.org has some great information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Lake_(Arkansas).

For more information about Adventure Sports, please visit http://www.adventuresportskc.com.

Scuba Cat – Outfitted in a Scuba Setup

Mike — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:42:18 +0000

Here is an interesting video of a cat outfitted in scuba gear. Quite interesting.

-MJ

Back in the Swing of Things

Mike — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:47:49 +0000

It has been a while since Shannon and I have been in the swing of things. I will not blame it on the over inflated gas prices....I wish I could. To be honest, we have just been so busy as we purchased a new home.

Next weekend will be the first weekend in a while that we will be assisting future divers in the pool. We are excited about it and can't wait to get suited up and in the pool to start assisting the instructor with his students. What is even better, we will be heading down the Beaver Lake with Adventure Sports to assist divers in the open water in August. Not only is this fun for us, it will get us prepped for our upcoming trip to Curacao in the fall. We do plan on assisting in more pool classes this year. We will keep you posted.
-MJ