Kay "Killer" Case - KC

Hi! If you’re on this page then you got one of my business cards. Let me tell you a bit about myself, and Spartan Scuba.

Growing up I always was a part of a sports team of some kind or another. When I graduated from college all of that ended and I had been searching for a replacement since. Something that fulfilled my need to be outside as well as the joy that comes from being part of a group of like minded people. 

One day, at work, everyone in the office was talking about their scuba diving experiences and I felt completely left out. See, the benefits of being busy, having a team to be a part of, and having places to go because of sports also has drawbacks… there really isn’t time for anything else and I had no stories of my own to contribute. So the next day I sought out the scuba shop that would teach me to be an Open Water Scuba Diver in February 2020 and the rest is history from there.

Spartan Scuba has filled every missing piece of needing a group that feels like a family to be a part of. The joy I find in traveling and being outside with nature is completely satisfied every day. I have been lucky enough to be a part of Spartan Scuba from it’s inception (seriously, I’m pretty sure I still have the napkin in one of my log books) and it has been more fun than I ever could have imagined to be one of the Spartan Dive Team members to get to help grow and share our community with others!

Check out the TEAM!

A few of my favorite things.

Favorite place to travel and dive?

Out of all of the places I have been, Cozumel has to be my very favorite. 

The warm waters and epic visibility paired with such leisurely drift diving makes this the easiest and most spectacular place to dive. Cozumel brings the best of island life to the traveler. There is nothing better than turning off your phone and not caring what time of day it is for a week. As soon as the plane touches down the people of Cozumel make this little island feel like home. 

You can’t beat waking up to have a quiet morning by the water and watching the cruise ships drift in while sipping some coffee, followed by a nice breakfast while the dive boats for the morning make their way to the dock. Fantastic is an understatement.

Favorite regulator kit.

This is a easy one! My primary set up is a ScubaPro MK25 first stage with a long hose DiveRite XT4 and a short hose DiveRite XT4 as my second stage and alternate breathing sources. Nothing beats the simplicity of a piston first stage plus if you get this guy in DIN instead of yolk it is so compact that hitting your head on this thing is not even noticeable. As for the second stages, nothing I have found even compares to the breathability of a DiveRite second stage regulator.

Here is the divergence for me: 

Cold Water (my typical set up) – I am rolling with a ScubaPro HUD on my mask for ease of seeing direction and pressure even in the worst of the merky waters. So my reg set up has a transmitter for the HUD on one side and the transmitter for my beloved Shearwater Teric on the other.

Warm Water – when we travel to the nice visibility of, really anywhere else (  :’D  ), I never have to worry about not being able to see my wrist computer three feet in front of me so the HUD comes off and with it my reg kit gets a tropical upgrade to a standard SPG to replace the HUD transmitter. 

Dive computer pick.

Hands down and no questions asked the Shearwater Teric is the most epic of dive computers. 

It is the first and only computer I have seen that is visible even in the most cloudy waters. Zero visibility, and I mean ZERO, like total smoke out can’t see your fingers in front of your face and the spectacular AMOLED screen is cutting through that cloud to show you all of your important dive information.

If that alone does not capitivate you just think about all the diving possibilities that having air integration with the ability to read up to 4 transmitters at one time, 5 different diving modes including freediving and rebreather diving, as well as an NDL and Deco planner allows. This is the computer that you can invest in and know that it will grow with you through all of your scuba adventures.

Last but very certainly not least, it comes in nearly ALL colors for the watch band, including a matching color dry suit extender, AND the watch face font can change colors to match your outfit every day if you want! 

Okay, I’m done gushing. The Teric is my favorite dive computer. 

My favorite dive: straight from the logbook!

First EVER tropical dive and I don’t want to do any other diving. When we first dropped down I saw two squids then turned to the “horizon” and saw a spotted eagle ray swim past. 

We went west from the shore to a broken down dock where all kinds of fish were floating and then explored south of the dock until we hit a small Mayan pyramid. Doc and Scuba Steve took pictures around the structure before we turned and headed to home. On the way back there was a HUGE puffer fish just swimming around. I didn’t feel too much of a current on the way out but I definitely got to drift and accidentally bump into Doc the whole way back :’D (sorry)

Some helpful things.

Dalton's Triangle

Dalton’s Triangle can be used to calculate everything from the best Nitrox mix for a dive, your MOD for a particular gas mix, or even the partial pressure of a gas at a given depth and Nitrox mix. This is one of the most imprtant tools in your dive kit!

Using the triangle above: MOD is simply dividing your desired max Partial Pressure (typically 1.4) by your percent O2 as a decimal: 32% = 0.32, for example. This results in a pressure P of 4.37. Subtract one atmosphere for everything above water = 3.37, then multiply that by the weight of water: 33 for salt water, 34 for fresh. The result?, 111 feet of salt water. 

Remember, always round DOWN your end result for depth!

In order to calculate your best gas mix for a given depth you first need two things: your desired PPO2 (top of the triangle), and your desired P-pressure. Since we don’t talk in terms of pressure, but instead “depth” we need to first convert depth to pressure.

Pressure (P) = (D) depth/33 + 1 (atmosphere above water).

Once we determine our P-pressure, we can plug our numbers back into Dalton’s Triangle and calculate our best gas mix, let’s say for a desired PO2 of 1.5, this time (aka: ‘travel gas’).

Since we are now looking for the bottom right corner of the triangle, FO2, or fraction of O2, our equation would look like this:

FO2 = PO2/P :: FO2 = 1.5/5 :: FO2 = 0.3, or 30%.

You can do it just as easily for a sport dive mix of 1.4 PO2.

FO2 = 1.4/5 = 0.28, or 28% Nitrox!

EAD=((%N/0.79)*(D+33))-33

%N is the percentage of nitrogen in your Nitrox mix. For example, if you are diving 32% Nitrox you have 0.68 N2. Replace %N in the equation with 0.68

D is the depth you dived to, or are planning to dive to.

  • Step 1: divide your %N by 0.79.
  • Step 2: add 33 to your depth. 
  • Step 3: multiply the results of steps 1 and 2.
  • Step 4: subtract 33. This is your Equivalent Air Depth for your Nitrox mix.

bar to psi: psi/14.7 = bar

psi to bar: bar*14.7 = psi

There are two methods of calculating temperature impact on tank pressure. The first is what I call the “cheater” method: 

Cheater T to V: 1°F=5 psi 1C=0.6 bar

In other words, for every degree of Fahrenheit, the tank pressure changes by about 5 psi. Similarly for every degree of Celsius the tank pressure changes about 0.6 bar.

The formula for determining the exact change is:

P∆ based on T∆: psi2 = ((F2+460)*((psi1+14.7)/(F1+460)))-14.7

 

Metric-Imperial: 3.3 *meters= feet

Likewise

Imperial–Metric: feet/3.3 = meters

Your adventure awaits.

Becoming a SCUBA diver is a fairly simple process. Honestly, the most difficult things you’ll face are where you want to train (cooler, green waters of the PNW – or – crystal clear, warm, blue waters of the tropics), and what color fins and mask you’ll want. After all, diving is, if nothing else, a recreation of fashion!

The first thing you should do is decide when you want to become a diver. Just like the image below says, no one ever wishes they had waited until later in life!

If you click the image above you’ll open a window that will tell you everything you need and we do different where it comes to this initial certification. Once you’ve decided you’re ready, the next important decision is here, or there. Cold water, or warm. They’re both amazing, relaxing, with a plethora of life to experience, but your affinity for one climate or another will make or break your experience: pick the option that suits you best!

That’s really it. Once you sign we will personally guide you through the rest. No large groups or crowds to get lost in: it’s you and your instructional team from start to finish. The only time that may change is during certification dives. All of your training is designed to focus on you alone, or you and your small group!

Better to have and not need than need and not have.

DAN will CYA!

DAN* dive accident insurance offers divers an affordable way to protect themselves against unpredictable expenses associated with diving accidents and dive travel. Plans pay 100% of eligible accident medical expenses up to US $500,000, and some cover nondiving and named water sports accidents as well as diving accidents, up to and even including recompression therapy and search and rescue.

Find out more.

*Spartan Scuba receives no benefit from DAN, nor do we imply any affiliation other than using and recommending their services. 

Let the GI Bill bring your adventure to life!

Did you know that your GI Bill can help pay for some, if not all of your SCUBA dreams to become a reality? It’s true!

Everything from the basic diver all the way up to the top tier of the professional ladder, there is an approved training program which will satisfy your needs. 

Get certified to be a Nitrox diver right out of the gate, or how about becoming a Rescue Diver, complete will all the first aid courses?

Ever thought about being a Divemaster? We’ve got you covered. 

Wanna’ be a tech diver? Come along with Doc on a deep deco dive, switching between multiple gasses on your way out, and let the GI Bill help you get there. 

All of this and more is possible. For more information, click here!