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DarkHorse posted:I don't think you're actually burning it, it sounds like you're just building up a lot of soot You do touch the flame to the glass, right up inside there, but you can't burn glass. You watch the flame work itself around on the mask from the other side as you do it keeping close but away from the edges. Covering the entire thing over and over. I would say the effect of defogging is more related to the flame touching the mask and burning off the manufacturing film buildup, then the buildup of soot taking it off via abrasion. If abrasion worked toothpaste should work better but it doesn't. Although I could be wrong. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 13:51
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QuarkJets posted:I moved to Maui a few months ago, and I went spear fishing with borrowed gear for the first time two weeks ago, mostly new guys and two experts that we knew. It was pure badass for the entire 8 hours or so that we were out there, and now I want to buy some free diving gear Dont go to a dive shop expecting good help. Most dive shops are clueless about freediving and spearfishing and will sell you a huge mask, a purge snorkel, and scuba fins without batting an eye. If you cant find a local knowledgeable spearfishing/freediving shop the best thing to do is research online and buy at a dive shop or online if possible. Here is the 411 on buying important free-diving gear in my opinion: Mask: #1) It should be a low volume "freediving" mask. As you dive you have to equalize your mask to prevent face squeeze, the bigger the mask the more air you have to pump into it at depth. #2) The mask should fit your face correctly. Different masks fit different faces so with masks brand doesn't matter nearly as much as fit and inner volume. Omer,Cressi, Riffe, Mares etc are all good, what you pick should be based on fit. Snorkel: You want a simple J snorkel without a purge that fits in your mouth well. Purges leak and suck. My fav is the cressi california. Fins: You need long blade closed heel freediving fins. The cheapest route is plastic Cressi Gara ld3000's at 100$. The most expensive route is carbon fiber fins at $400-500. Fiberglass is somewhere in the middle. Fins give a freediver/spearfishermen the most bang for the buck. Carbon is a worth every penny. The important things about fins are #1 the foot pocket should fit very well. Different companies footpockets tend to fit different feet. Omer footpockets tend to work for wider feet and higher insteps while cressi footpockets seem to be skinny. So go with the pocket or fin that feels the best on your foot. #2 The blade should be a nice medium/soft stiffness (unless you are huge and or a pro cyclist or something). The blade should be soft enough to kick around with all day but have enough backbone to get you down. Too often people go for a stiffer blade thinking they need it for the power but more power comes at a terrible ankle crushing price. Suit: You need a freediving/spearfishing wetsuit, and a "rashguard suit". As others have said, everyone is different in regards to how cold they get. But hawaii is close to here in FL and seems to be in the "kinda-cold winter to hot summer" range 77-82. Based on that during the winter you will need a 3mm wetsuit, and during the summer you dont need much beyond a bathing suit, but a full body rashguard is a good idea for UV protection. A freediving wetsuit is different from normal wetsuit in that its "open cell", two piece (top bottom) and has no zippers. Normally wetsuits are made of neoprene lined inside and out with Lycra or Nylon for ruggedness. Open cell suits have no lining on the inside exposing the soft neoprene foam. This makes the suit seal tightly to your body resulting in the same thickness suit being much warmer then a traditional suit. They are also much more flexible then a normal suit. The downside to these suits is you can damage the neoprene inside if you aren't careful getting it on/off. And you cant put them on without some form of lubrication, either water, or water with some un-scented conditioner. As for skinsuits that provide thermal protection equal to a 3mm suit like "sharkskin". I dont buy it one bit. Maybe a 3mm surfer suit. But not a freediving suit. Weights/belt: You need a rubber weight belt not a nylon one. Rubber is important because it will prevent the belt from slipping around you in a circle as well as prevent the belt from falling off when your body is compressed at depth. You need enough weight to make yourself neutrally buoyant at your target depth. This will depend on how fat you are and how thick of a wetsuit you are wearing. Thats the main stuff you need to get started. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 21:46
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pupdive posted:As above, don't go into a scuba shop and expect much help. I think you are mistaken on the suit style I am referencing or perhaps the language I used. You are thinking of whats called a "chicle" or smooth skin style wetsuit that is unlined exposed neoprene on the outside and inside. These are very common with professional freedivers due to the bare neoprenes smoothness decreasing drag ever so slightly. But as you said, they wouldnt last very long freediving and spearfishing recreationally. What I am referring to is an outside lined, inside unlined "open cell" "spearfishing" wetsuit. Its the status quo among spearfishing freedivers. The inside of these suits are open cell and soft neoprene, but the outside is lined with nylon or lycra and is extremely durable. They are made to dive hard in every day and hold up extremely well, usually better then normal scuba suits due to reinforcement of the knees and elbow areas. With my current suit ive done probably 200+ dives over 3 or so years many of which included scraping around on the bottom in holes while spearfishing or lobstering. It still looks and works like new. Here is the suit I have: http://freedivestore.com/en/wetsuits/67-speardiver-pacific-wetsuit.html There are a number of other brands that make suits in this same style. Regarding purge valves. A purge valve is absolutely useless if you have used a snorkel more then once. Purgeless snorkels are very easy to clear. A sharp blow expels every drop of water from the top of a non purge snorkel. And it wont keep any more water out then one with a purge. On top of that they can actually be a hazard and often let water in. The tiny rubber purge diaphragm will eventually fail on you. If this happens during a beach dive or when you are a good distance from your kayak/boat etc you can be in a bit of trouble. If it happens early in the day, your day is shot. This has happened to not only me but a number of friends who got convinced by dive shops a purge was needed. Purge valves blow. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 19:20
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SlicerDicer posted:Maui Sporting Goods, Wailuku for free diving, if your going to do scuba depends what you want. also if you really need help feel free to talk to me. I live in Kula Do they really work that well? Ive seen a couple different brands of thermal protective rash guards things and thought there was no way in hell that poo poo could keep me warm. This site seems to have some pretty good reviews on it too. Bishop posted:
Or if dive shops and companies stopped trying to figure out expensive ways to solve non-existent problems. But it seems the whole supply chain is ready to eat it up including the consumer at the end. Yes what you need is the atomic magic mask with super coating for $190, this $80 rube goldberg snorkel, these fins with rubber powerband(tm) bungee's. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Oct 26, 2012 |
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Oct 26, 2012 12:45
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pupdive posted:Nope I got what you said about the suit. But one improperly trimmed toenail/thumbnail and you can cut right through an unlined wetsuit. Lined wetsuits last years. Unlined suits last a season. And they are a bitch to get on. A cheap purge snorkel sold at a dive shop was probably produced in china with no quality control for about $5. Scuba stages I somehow imagine being subject to way more more rigorous quality control both before production and after. Even then, I've had a regulator fail on me. Isnt that why there are two of them? And I carry a spare snorkel in my bag and I've lent it out twice this year during dives to people with failed purge valves. My experience with purge snorkels is the opposite, in calm seas they seem to always contain a little bit of water you cant get rid of. And in rough seas its the same only more pronounced. Perhaps I've just never ran into the right snorkel, but I've never found a purge snorkel that stays dry for an extended period of time. Instead they seem to be breathable but wet. What brand/model do you recommend? Anyways, I dont get how relaying direct and indirect anecdotal experiences of a number of purge valve snorkels sucking and failing equates to "drat kids get off my lawn" or "round masks are the best". I didn't buy a J tube in an attempt to over simplify things and keep things vintage. I bought one after 2 purge snorkels failed. And since then ive seen many others suck. An open cell suit will last one season if you dont spend about 30 seconds a day being cognizant of the inner lining while putting it on. Its really not that hard to avoid cutting the lining. Even if you do knick it, it can easily be repaired with a bit of wetsuit glue. If you are some kind of clumsy person that cant remember to mind your fingernails for a few seconds a day I can see going with a lined suit. But for your average person it will last a long time, and imho the huge benefits in extra warmth comfort and flexibility far outweigh the slightly increased delicateness and difficulty putting it on. Out of the dozens of freedivers I know 95% use open cell suits and they all last years and years. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 01:05 on Oct 29, 2012 |
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Oct 29, 2012 00:33
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That light is amazing. I have a pelican light that runs off of some C's and it puts out like 27 lumens. To imagine 1000 lol. Is the beam on that thing concentrated or wide angle? Edit: 11.5% beam, i guess thats somewhere in the middle, not super tight but not wide either. Went out for a beachdive tuesday before work. Conditions have been mostly crappy but that day they were too nice to pass up. Was with a buddy that shot some go pro so I got some cool shots. Was a beautiful day with nice viz between 30-60 feet. Tuesday nights dinner was also pretty incredible.     
IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Dec 21, 2012 |
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Dec 21, 2012 20:51
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SlicerDicer posted:Actually these lights are for daytime.. Plenty of night dives I have done out here where I just shut everything down people think I am crazy! I will swim off in the bioluminescence. That is a great picture to show how blue shift and underwater filming works. Are you filming with the Red for a special reason or just to step up your work?
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Dec 25, 2012 04:46
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Plus lets be honest you are daddy moneybags. An easy gag reflex just means you will be inducted into the PukingUnderWater club that much sooner. Its a pretty exclusive club filled with good and some not so good divers.
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Dec 28, 2012 00:08
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QuarkJets posted:Does this thread have any recommendations for a good but affordable spear gun? I want a gun with bands rather than compressed gas, but beyond that I don't really know about useful spear gun features or anything like that. I found a few threads at spearfishingplanet, but their recommendations were from guys who actually worked for spear gun manufacturers, so of course they were just shilling their own products without really explaining the features or benefits of the different guns. Dont go to spearboard.com, its total crap and its owner is terrible. Censorship based on sponsored companies, A bunch of idiots as posters etc. Gun choice depends on a number of factors. What are you targeting? Where does it swim? Whats the visibility usually like? Will you be spearing on scuba? Or freediving? Based on that info I can recommend for you a number of very reasonably priced high quality guns. But if you are looking for affordability they will all be rail guns (aluminum tube guns) decent wood guns are expensive. You will probably hear some recommendations for Mako, stay away they are junk pretty much. They have stellar customer service but a lot of junky products. When your speargun breaks very quickly they will glady replace it with another POS. Edit: I looked at your posts and youre in hawaii looks like. That means all kinds of stuff and good viz. I recommend for you a 120cm railgun. Small enough for the reef and holes but big enough to shoot ono's. My personal recommendation is a gun from speardiver http://freedivestore.com/en/spearguns/102-speardiver-aluminum-railgun.html. I also like Rob Allen, new Omer, Riffe (wood $). Whatever gun you buy you want it to be rear handled (mid handle is only for large powerful guns or bad viz). It should have 2 16mm bands (plenty of power, but not too slow or hard to load). An open muzzle (meanning the shooting line is wrapped over top keeping the spear in, instead of a plastic bridge). A comfortable handle. And a single flopper spear. The only downside to these types of guns is they cant be loaded from the hip like a mid handle wooden "scuba" gun. Instead they must be loaded on your chest. But you can get wetsuits and rashguards with loading pads to make it easier. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jan 3, 2013 |
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Jan 3, 2013 14:52
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The negatives to a long gun is that its a bit unwieldy in holes, tracks a little slower, and it can take a bit more practice to load quick if you are short (still not much, im short). If you are going to be targeting a lot of holed-up species in small holes a long gun can be a pain to hunt with. But at the same time, a 90 or 100 would be just as annoying as a 120 in a hole but not offer the extra length. A gun has to be very small to work well in holes. That said a 120 is where its at. Most people buy shorter guns thinking the longer ones are "too big" but you will quickly realize the largest enemy to landing big fish is the inability to get close enough. And a 20cm longer gun is actually a hell of a lot of reach. 20cm in the spear + 40cm in the shooting line + 20cm in the gun + 20cm more band stretch = 80cm longer range. And 120 is the middle of road on speargun size actually. The speardiver aluminum gun only goes up to 120, the carbon tube guns(I Have a Carbon 120) go up to 140, 160. As do Rob Allens. And when you start talking about 3-4-5 band wooden bluewater guns those things are even longer. Breathing from your mask is actually a well known secret you re-discovered. Its a great technique to re capture the air you had to blow into your mask on the way down. And no it wont affect getting bent. Also freedivers only need to worry about the bends if they are doing some bonkers diving, like 100+ feet with long bottom time repeatedly. A freediving class is expensive but very useful to absolutely dangerous. Ive never taken one myself but I know people from all walks of life who have and ive gotten the gist. The tips on proper diving form can go a long way if you havent learned them yourself (dont look down, chin in, breath from your mask) And the most important and useful aspect of the class is the rescue/safety portion (how to help a blackout victim etc). But at the same time some schools teach freediving techniques that dont mix well with spearfishing. The goal of a freediver is to push yourself as deep as possible in a safe semi-controlled environment (A pool or down a line). The goal of a spear fishermen is to work well within the limits of your ability to safely catch dinner. For instance many tell you *never hyperventilate* and then teach you a very specific method of hyperventilation they call "breathing up". The idea being basically to hyperventilate in such a way as to maximize bottom time without overdoing it and allowing a blackout scenario. Its understood you will be practicing this technique in a "freediving" environment (close buddy watching 100%) so it works there. But if you take that idea into spearfishing you can be in trouble. In spearfishing the best-breath up is no breath-up. That way you can ensure your SWB warning is on its highest setting. Some classes explain the difference, some don't, some don't teach a breath up at all. So its kind of still up to you to be able to understand what you learn in context. Ive only gone about 30m. But I can sit on the bottom at 15m for a minute or so. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Jan 4, 2013 |
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Jan 4, 2013 15:03
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Its not called "ultimate getaway" is it? Ive heard horror stories.
IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Jan 10, 2013 |
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Jan 9, 2013 23:43
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I find that wind blowing over a wetsuit creates an evaporative cooling effect that really gets you cold quick. Down here in FL things are terrible, the brutal water temps are hovering right around 74* so I can never figure out if I should wear my 3mil suit or my rashguard and vest when I do diving. I have to pack both.
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Jan 10, 2013 22:17
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QuarkJets posted:Just got my speargun. I can't wait to try it out! The slings are hard as gently caress to pull on out of the water. I want to head out Monday (three-day weekend!) but I'd really like to get in the water before that just to try reloading a few times Nice choice! Welcome to your new addiction. Its a good idea to get in the water and practice so when you actually go hunting youve got it all pretty practiced. The bands will break in and get much easier to pull pretty quickly. Once the rubber stays loaded for a while during some hunting they will start to loosen up. You will also quickly build those strange narrow-grip row muscles. Pretty soon it will be second nature. The back band goes on the back tab first, front band goes on the front tab after. Does the spear have a loading tab in the middle of the shaft? Or just the two on the back? If it has a loading tab. You can put the bands on the loading tab from your hip first one at a time. then bring the gun to your chest and finish loading. Do you need to crimp the mono on? or just learn to route the shooting line? The routing takes a bit of learning but once you remember the routine its easy. And all open muzzle guns work pretty much that way (line and shaft through bands, line around front achor, down to line release on handle).The difference is where the line release goes and which side it wraps on. This video isnt bad at showing what to do, but its reversed for you since your line release is on the left side of the gun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VS3wefAPDY Like loading wrapping the shooting line is also much easier in the water. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 15:08 on Jan 15, 2013 |
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Jan 15, 2013 14:55
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QuarkJets posted:I need to crimp the mono on. It sounds pretty straightforward, and I already have a crimping tool so I'll probably give it a shot later this week Crimping the mono is mostly easy but there are a few gotcha's you need to be aware of. One is to ensure the loop crimped onto the spear is large enough that it fits in the mech easily, but is also small enough that it doesnt interfere with your bands or sharkfin tabs. Basically like this:  The other important thing is cutting it the right length so that you can load the shooting line easy, but its tight enough that it doesn't fall off. To do this I recommend attaching the mono to the spear first. loading the spear into the gun, wrapping the shooting line on the gun as you would normally, and then bringing the mono up to the end of the pigtail swivel/shock cord. Cut the mono a little long so you can make the loop on the swivel. Loop it with the crimp attached, and then adjust the loop until you have a good amount of tension. You might kill a few learning to feel the right tension (crimping it too long or short) but its a skill you've gotta learn as shooting lines are highly consumable. I replace mine every 1-2 times I go out. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 16, 2013 14:28
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Its pretty important for a freediving mask to stay defogged because the regular flood to clean method leaves too much water in the mask and you end up getting it in your eyes and on the glass when you dive head first. With my current mask (omer freediving mask) the toothpaste method failed me. But the lighter did wonders. I was gonna toss it so I had nothing to lose. Ive since done it to 5-10 others masks over the years and they all seem to respond well to a good bic lightering. Its just glass after all. After that A little spit or defogger and ensuring your face is the same temp as the water should result in fogfree bliss. I like to do it in the sink with cold water pouring on the glass so it stays cool and you can really apply the flame. And you gotta take it slower near the edges then in the middle. Expensive masks usually don't fog because the glass was properly cleaned before leaving the factory. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Jan 18, 2013 |
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Jan 18, 2013 16:12
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Bishop posted:This line of discussion makes me wonder... Is fogging masks often just something that happens to some people or is it a problem that could be fixed with training? I cant tell you how many divers ive met with "fogging problems" who dont cool down their face before putting the mask on. Telling them this typically solves it. jackyl posted:I'm at about 30 dives now, all Caribbean except for one Denver aquarium, but it has been random for me. Some dives I have to flood a lot and some it is perfectly fine. Not sure if I bought a cheap mask or not, but it is a Tilos panoramic sg, that cost something like 50 or 60 dollars at the LDS. In retrospect, it probably is cheap. I will try the lighter method before our May trip and report back. Even a 10$ mask from k-mart should be more then capable of being properly and completely defogged. Its just a pane of glass. My dad dives with a k-mart cheao because it fits his bearded face well and the lighter trick worked for him.
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Jan 19, 2013 14:11
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Bishop posted:Somebody get IM FROM THE FUTURE to develop a non-lethal underwater spear gun so you could just spear and reel in dive buddies that are going dangrously deep on their own. LOL I think with the physics involved anything fast and small enough to travel through the water quickly and with range would also hurt really bad. A speargun has actually saved someones life before. Two guys were spearfishing and instead of doing 1 up 1 down dives they were doing 0 up 2 down which is dumb. So as they are both heading up after a deep dive and one of them looks away for a little bit, then he looks back over towards his buddy only to find him 25 feet down and unconscious. Having just finished a dive, there was no way he was making it to 25 to get his buddy. So he dove down a little bit and took a well places shot into the guys plastic fin. Hauled him up like a fish and woke him up. I also went diving this weekend. Dove a bunch of different wrecks in 70' mostly broken down old wooden ones but a few really cool tugs and stuff. Also got various dinners for the next week. Checking out the pilot house on a tug freediving was really cool, I can imagine why penetrating wrecks is so fun.
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Jan 21, 2013 14:27
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QuarkJets posted:Okay, I've tried rigging my speargun. I haven't crimped things together yet, let's check it out This isnt right. Lets talk via PM's and I can help you out on rigging it properly. Ill take some pictures to show you. Those 2 little black things go between the bands and the muzzle so the bands dont slide around inside it. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Jan 23, 2013 |
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Jan 23, 2013 21:34
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Bishop posted:I thought Barracuda had some sort of poison in them as a natural defense mechanisim... granted I've never looked this up. Its not a defense mechanism its a toxin produced by reef dinoflagellates that accumulates in fish on the reef. Its extra bad in barracuda because they are apex predators and they eat fish that accumulate it. Generally, even in areas where cig is common (its not very common here in FL) eating the smaller barracuda is perfectly safe. There are some cases in miami sometimes. But lots of Cubans eat tons of big cudas with no ill effect every week. Exploding and killing the seafloor to make channels etc tends to really cause the cig to spread. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Feb 15, 2013 |
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Feb 15, 2013 21:38
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Can anyone here recommend a good setup for ambient light underwater video recording? With a budget of say, 4k max for housing and camera. Im currently looking at the Canon HF G10. The big caveat is that its going to be used for shooting spearfishing video so no external lights, decent low light performance required.
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Feb 26, 2013 15:33
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QuarkJets posted:So I am simply terrible at loading my 120cm spear gun. What's the trick to this? If I position the butt of the gun on my chest that I can't reach the bands! I screwed around for about an hour before giving up The trick is you grab to bands with one hand by the wishbone and grab the gun by its butt with the other and push it onto your chest. From there you grab the band with your other hand, and then pull back. Like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNjpemmzDoE Be VERY careful if you try to practice out of water. Its best to just pull it back but not onto the fin. Also Make sure its pointing into soft ground if you do load it all the way. If it shoots out of the water it springs back off the end of the line and can spear the shooter. Im not a tall person and I can load my new gun easily. 4 bands 150cm. I also just finished it and just wanted to show it off.  Speaking of manta rays I had one of those ~*' magic on earth '*~ days yesterday. Was spearfishing on a wreck in 60ft and this happened. He hung out for about an hour very curious and friendly.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mofDAhV4jMM
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Mar 17, 2013 16:11
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Not all boats are loud underwater at all times. Some new outboards can be almost silent when going slow enough. But any boat engine under and sort of serious power is going to be easily audible from like bisop said 1000+ feet away. I once had an Fish&Game Officer sneak up on me while I was freediving in his big center console boat. I was down for about a minute and when I came back up he was unknowingly right next to me and I heard a voice say "hey there". Scared the poo poo out of me. Im still not sure how he snuck up on me, I think he motored in close at a low speed and then drifted the rest of the way in. But that day I realized it was possible to not hear a motor boat. You can also tell very easily if boats are getting closer/further by the sound. Here is a few seconds of a boat going by very fast about 150 feet away from me. Its even louder in the water. You can hear it getting louder but sadly i stopped filming before you can hear it get quieter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrHvo5cysN8 IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 01:03
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TLG James posted:I was talking about the long story, but your story was just as bad. I'm glad my instructors were all dutch. Yes they made everyone sit in the sand and her regulator got clogged. She was never told how to clear it.
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Mar 21, 2013 16:35
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Bishop how do you leave the keys? Do you have someone handcuff you put you in a sack and carry you back up north while youre sleeping? Thats what I would need. Oakland Martini posted:This one was taken below 30 meters, I'm surprised at how much red came through in our lovely camera. If you have a flash it doesn't matter how deep you are colors will be true, blueshift comes from sunlight needing to pass through 10-30m+ of water.
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Mar 28, 2013 18:36
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As a surface humper. I do 50-100 dives a day  But each one is only 2 minutes long 
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Apr 3, 2013 13:18
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I agree commercial fishing is the only hope. However I am unaware of effective methods of catching lionfish hook and line. For every rec depth site we clean up spearfishing there are dozens of deeper sites being decimated. Where I freedive I only see one or two per day. Atleast they are delicious. They are one of the most delicate white un-fishy fish you can eat. Hopefully one day a demand for their deliciousness drives commercial guys to figure it out.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:31
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Monofins are almost all uncomfortable but can be extremely powerful if you know how to dolphin swim well. But most people dont. It takes a very fluid and flexible movement. Longblade Freediving fins are far superior to scuba fins in performance, but nearly incapable of certain things like frog kicks. Also a lot more fin to manage. Terrible for wrecks and tight spots and slow controlled frog kicky dives. But If someone scuba dives in strong currents often and doesn't have, or atleast consider a decent pair of longblade fins they are crazy. Scuba fins are like wearing rocks on your feet comparatively. Heres my carbon fiber longblade fins. Not cheap, but worth every penny. 
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Aug 12, 2013 13:06
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A really good dolphin kick and mono-fin does actually offer a lot to a freediver. Not only can a monofin be huge. But a full body proper kick can be more powerful. Most CWT freediving records (constant weight with fins) are set with monofins.Bangkero posted:IFTF, I agree with you with everything except not being able to frog kick. I have the picasso black team fins and frog kick all the time. Granted, these fins are plastic and not carbon fibre. Its not the carbon fiber. Its the water channeling rails. Good freediving fins have rails all the way down them to prevent "slippage" in the water. Slippage is when the blade slides sidways through the water instead of up and down like its supposed to. Fins want to take the path of least resistance so fins without rails extending past the footpocket want to go sideways in the direction your fins are leaning. This is compounded by how hard you're kicking usually.  Rails like these are used to prevent slippage and make your kicking fluid and flat and more comfortable. The side effects is that when you try to move them from side to side they fight back. Making the return on a frog kick painful and annoying. YMMV depending on the fin, but longblades shine with a nice clean flutter kick. Heres some video of me diving looe key off big pine key during mini season. Some shots of my big rear end fins flailing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnXRdyxUf9E Biggest thing everyone does wrong as a newbie is they bicycle kick. Your knees should never be getting closer to your chest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7JaJZ9D-jk IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 17:41
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If you wan to shoot video you can't beat a gopro for the price. If you want to shoot pictures an iPhone or maybe even an old flip camera phone in a housing will do better. The pics just suck. Gopros are also nearly impossible to Frame unless you have an LCD backpack which kills the bat. Or you dive with it a lot. Poles and handles are good for gopros because they give you a better sense of where its being pointed.
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Aug 17, 2013 13:21
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Blitz7x posted:Is anyone experienced in Lionfish spearing? I'm off the coast of NC and I got myself a 6' polespear with a sling. I'd like to become a Crusader against Lionfish. I think I have to make a trip down to the keys/ft lauderdale to see any real action though When you say "polespear with sling" youre kinda mixing two things. A polespear is a spear you hold in your hand with an attached band. A sling, or hawaiian sling, is a wooden/plastic handle and band with a spear that is separate. Im assuming you mean you have a 6' polespear. That will be perfect for lionfish and a little bit overkill even. Use a 3 prong paralyzer tip. Much easier to handle the fish after spearing to cut fins (it doesnt spin around cause its got 3 prongs in it), and easier to get the fish off the spear. The thing about lionfish is they have no fear and dont swim around very fast. So you can spear them with the tiniest of spears. Even a small 2-3 foot spear is enough to take down any lionfish you come across. When you miss they dont even run very far. The most important thing is if you plan to eat them (you should they are seriously delicious) carry a pair of shears, learn which bars are poisonous. and cut them off. Dont get stung. Its a trip ender for sure. The problem you will encounter in Fort Lauderdale and to a lesser extent in the Keys is that even though we have more lionfish. They have already been speared in recreational places at recreational depths so there's really not much left. This is more true the more popular the dive site. Another issue is that many areas dont allow any kind of spearfishing gear although I have heard they are starting to make exceptions. You could still come down here and probably kill a couple over a weekend. Dive charters might know of which wrecks seem to be most populated. Try asking around. I would go for the keys though. Bishop posted:Poster IM FROM THE FUTURE made a good point a while back that no matter what we do, most of the lionfish either aren't noticed by divers or are too deep to be found. It's still important and fun to murder all lionfish though so go hog wild. They took submersibles to wrecks in the 300' depth range and found them basically teeming with oversized fat lionfish. Its pretty depressing. Keeping the reefs clean of lionfish does help. But probably not much considering how much ocean structure doesnt get regularly visited by humans. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Nov 21, 2013 |
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Nov 21, 2013 19:48
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If you want your mask to never fog up you need to light it on fire. No really, take a lighter and burn the poo poo out of the glass until basically nothing else could exist except glass, do this 2-3 thimes even. after that it will never fog again. Be sure not to melt the silicone skirt by going too fast. I usually also put water on the outside of the mask to keep the glass cool.
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Mar 20, 2014 20:38
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Tomato Soup posted:I had someone at the shop where I bought my mask at go over it with a lighter. Worked pretty well but I have to spit and rinse the mask right before I descend otherwise it fogs up. Probably should do it again since it seems to work better if you do it multiple times. You still need to spit and rinse no matter what even with a good lighter treatment, but with a properly defogged mask one spit and rinse at the begining of the dive means a clear mask all day, when the lens isnt clean you need to continually fill clean and clear your mask even if you use spit or defogger. And If you want to put your mask on in the boat without it fogging you gotta get your face down to the temp of the water.
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Mar 22, 2014 16:01
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Scuba divers talking about wetsuits makes me so sad. Yall dont know what youre missing not using open cell suits. Those $500 semi-dry suits dont hold a candle to a nice open cell freediving wetsuit in either comfort or warmth. Infact, they are just normal scuba suits withopen cell seals. The neoprene is softer and therefor compresses easier so it wont last as long, esp if you dive deep. But you could buy 2-3 nice suits for the price of a "semi dry" offsetting that factor a lot. You also need to use lube to get it on. But once you feel what a soft open cell suit feels like every other wetsuit becomes literally a joke. Even the ones that cost 600$ and are supposed to be ultimately comfortable and warm dont come close. An open cell wetsuit doesn't exchange ANY water. The only way new water can get in the suit is if you open a seal and flood it. Combined with the fact that you can get the best 7mm suit on the market for under $300 the scuba suit industry needs to pull its head out of its rear end. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Mar 31, 2014 |
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Mar 31, 2014 15:11
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Ive done plenty of both and freediving is far superior  I actually do enjoy both and see them very differently, but I just enjoy freediving much more. The long freediving fins are still very available. I have a set made of carbon fiber for extra propulsion goodness. The reason you remove your snorkel when you dive is so your airway isnt stuck open if you pass out. Humans have natural mechanisms that prevent water from entering your lungs if you pass out underwater but a snorkel can prevent this from happening. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 20:59 on May 8, 2014 |
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May 8, 2014 20:57
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If you want gopro video to look anything other than totally crappy you should invest in or build some kind of weighted double handle rig to attach the gopro to. With good viz and a handle rig gopro video can look almost pro. A pistol grip, headmount, pole etc just results in wobbly amateur looking video.
IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Jun 16, 2014 |
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Jun 16, 2014 21:11
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Real wetsuits require a big bottle of lube and a poosibly a buddy to get in and out of. Everything else is just a bag that fills with cold water. It also helps if its got fancy patterns. Once you go open cell you never go back. What you pay for in inconvenience and fragility topside you get back in comfort warmth & flexibility in the water. Scubasuits feel like wearing a car tire with zippers. 
IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Jun 19, 2014 |
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Jun 19, 2014 16:44
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pupdive posted:Talk to me about your GoPro mount (Assuming that is you). Its actually a mask that is available with an optional gopro mount. Its a low volume spearfishing mask but its also the best mask ive ever used. A DIY option is if you have a surface between the lenses made of plastic you can put a bolt through it and attach a gopro foot to that. Heres the mask http://www.freedivestore.com/masks/264-speardiver-stealth-spearfishing-freediving-mask.html
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Jun 19, 2014 19:25
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pupdive posted:First thanks for the link. I need to switch masks. I thought it would bother me and put weird pressure on different areas of the mask depending on which way im going but I dont even notice im wearing it. Even getting towed at a few knots on a rope it works fine.
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Jun 19, 2014 22:02
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shave the top of your stache off to give your mask somehwere to seal against. You can also search around for the right mask, one that seals right under the nose so that the beard doesnt interfere. Its possible but a mustache makes it much harder to get a perfect never need to clear mask.
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Jul 18, 2014 19:49
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 12:23 |
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Sometimes here in miami during winter when a cold front comes through the water temps dip into the 60's. Its really terrible.
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Jan 22, 2015 16:27
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