SeaCat
Hey, my Halo is smoking
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2003
- Posts
- 15,378
One of my dive rigs, (I have two complete rigs and enough spares to make a third.) is an old style rig. By this I mean a thin skin wetsuit for additional bouyancy, a back plate with a 60 c.f. tank and a double hose regulator. For emergencies I have a horse collar. Like I said it's old school.
I use this rig in shallow waters, tight spaces or places where I don't want my exhaust bubbles flowing past my face. It takes some practice to be able to dive this rig believe me.
This afternoon the wife and I hauled this rig down to a local beach so I could do some diving off the near shore reefs. I wanted to check out the animal life and maybe bag a couple of the Lion Fish out there. With this in mind we hiked down the beach until we were beyond the coverage area of the lifeguards before setting up.
We had timed it perfectly. It was just before high tide.
Gearing up and checking my rig took all of maybe three minutes. Wading into the surf zone I waved to my wife and dropped my flag so it would float behind me. On the edge of the drop off I stopped long enough to pull on my fins before stepping off the edge and swimming down and out.
Now the area I was going to be diving was the inside of the reef. It was maybe thirty yards off the beach with a depth of between 20 and 30 feet. I chose the inside of the reef because of the swells coming in, leftovers from Nicole.
The water was beautiful, down below about ten feet the temps were right at 80°F and vis. was about 50 feet. Surge even at that shallow depth was negligable.
Reaching the reef I stopped long enough to drop a marker. (This is a bouyant strobe light attached to two feet of line with a lead weigh on the other end.) Now I could head south along the reef away from the patroled beach. Ahh this was diving in heaven. Warm water and no surge with only a slight long shore current to think about. There was plenty of fish around, all hiding behind the reef away from the waves.
I kept an eye on my air supply as I played with the critters and hunted. I tickled a smallish Spotted Moray and played a gentle tug of war with an Octopus. I also bagged four good sized Lion Fish and after cutting off their spines bagged them. (Yes I happen to have a fishing permit.) When I was down to 2K P.S.I. in my tank I turned and headed back north. (When diving solo I follow the rule of thirds.) Glancing at my watch I saw I had been in the water for about 20 minutes. Cool.
It took a while but I finally came back to my marker. After turning off the strobe ad stowing it away I turned for shore. AS I moved in I could feel the surge picking up more and more while carrying me towards the beach. I kept close to the bottom and just drifted. Only occasionaly did I have to kick to keep myself heading in a straight line. (You have to compensate for the Long Shore Current.) When I reached the drop off I was getting washed in and out by a good surge, now came the interesting part.
I knew the swell was good sized out beyond the reef. (Four to six foot.) Inside the reef it was a bit lower but three foot swells can form big waves when they reach the beach. I've been through this before though and know how to deal with it. I stayed where I was and started timing the waves breaking over my head as they rushed for the beach. After a couple of minutes I found the set I wanted and kicked for the surface. I had timed it just about perfect and was able to catch a nice sized wave as it rolled in. A couple of kicks and I was riding in the backside of the wave as it broke and crashed to the sand. AS soon as I felt sand under me I started crawling out of the water as fast as I could. (This is called a Seal Beaching, and no it isn't named after the Navy Divers.)
Oh man talk about a great dive and a great afternoon.
Now the fish is cleaned and grilling.
Cat
I use this rig in shallow waters, tight spaces or places where I don't want my exhaust bubbles flowing past my face. It takes some practice to be able to dive this rig believe me.
This afternoon the wife and I hauled this rig down to a local beach so I could do some diving off the near shore reefs. I wanted to check out the animal life and maybe bag a couple of the Lion Fish out there. With this in mind we hiked down the beach until we were beyond the coverage area of the lifeguards before setting up.
We had timed it perfectly. It was just before high tide.
Gearing up and checking my rig took all of maybe three minutes. Wading into the surf zone I waved to my wife and dropped my flag so it would float behind me. On the edge of the drop off I stopped long enough to pull on my fins before stepping off the edge and swimming down and out.
Now the area I was going to be diving was the inside of the reef. It was maybe thirty yards off the beach with a depth of between 20 and 30 feet. I chose the inside of the reef because of the swells coming in, leftovers from Nicole.
The water was beautiful, down below about ten feet the temps were right at 80°F and vis. was about 50 feet. Surge even at that shallow depth was negligable.
Reaching the reef I stopped long enough to drop a marker. (This is a bouyant strobe light attached to two feet of line with a lead weigh on the other end.) Now I could head south along the reef away from the patroled beach. Ahh this was diving in heaven. Warm water and no surge with only a slight long shore current to think about. There was plenty of fish around, all hiding behind the reef away from the waves.
I kept an eye on my air supply as I played with the critters and hunted. I tickled a smallish Spotted Moray and played a gentle tug of war with an Octopus. I also bagged four good sized Lion Fish and after cutting off their spines bagged them. (Yes I happen to have a fishing permit.) When I was down to 2K P.S.I. in my tank I turned and headed back north. (When diving solo I follow the rule of thirds.) Glancing at my watch I saw I had been in the water for about 20 minutes. Cool.
It took a while but I finally came back to my marker. After turning off the strobe ad stowing it away I turned for shore. AS I moved in I could feel the surge picking up more and more while carrying me towards the beach. I kept close to the bottom and just drifted. Only occasionaly did I have to kick to keep myself heading in a straight line. (You have to compensate for the Long Shore Current.) When I reached the drop off I was getting washed in and out by a good surge, now came the interesting part.
I knew the swell was good sized out beyond the reef. (Four to six foot.) Inside the reef it was a bit lower but three foot swells can form big waves when they reach the beach. I've been through this before though and know how to deal with it. I stayed where I was and started timing the waves breaking over my head as they rushed for the beach. After a couple of minutes I found the set I wanted and kicked for the surface. I had timed it just about perfect and was able to catch a nice sized wave as it rolled in. A couple of kicks and I was riding in the backside of the wave as it broke and crashed to the sand. AS soon as I felt sand under me I started crawling out of the water as fast as I could. (This is called a Seal Beaching, and no it isn't named after the Navy Divers.)
Oh man talk about a great dive and a great afternoon.
Now the fish is cleaned and grilling.
Cat
