What Equipment And Techniques Do You Use?

[SnorkelCouple]

Hi:

It's always fun to see what others use for equipment or techniques, so I thought I'd share what we both use.  Mind you, both hubby and I have been out of snorkeling for about 20 years and have just gotten back into it.  Thus, our stuff is old...But hey, it still works.

1) Mask and Snorkel: Tekna.

2) Fins: Compro, Aqua Lung Pro Line.

3) Boots: Pullup type without a zipper and twenty years old.  However, I've recently purchased a pair of Mares with a zipper on the side.  Any way to keep the zipper from constantly unzipping down your boot while in the water? Wheres the lock?

4) Tire Inner Tube: Truck type 10.00R20 for floating out to the dive site.  Take some water skiing rope and tie 6 individual pieces spread out along the sides of the inner tube.  This makes for a great handhold for each person while in route in the water or if someone gets tired out.. Keeps you rested up.

5) Anchor: A twelve pound weight attached to a 50 foot piece of multi-colored water skiing rope thats tied to my tire inner tube.

6) Diving Flag: Just a regular old one that you can buy at a local dive shop or at gander mountain.  It sits, tied and mounted vertically on the side of my floating tire inner tube.  Lately I've thought about attaching or glueing some bike reflectors on the side of the tube to be even more visable to boaters while out on the lake.

7) Hey, I'm looking for a wetsuit with arms and legs covered that could allow me to snorkel or dive in Lake Superior in the future.  I hate getting cold, any idea's?

How about sharing your equipment idea's and techniques so that the rest of us could learn from you.

Lets hear from the pro's 


Theresa and Dan

[josh b.]

Well, start off by tellin what YOU do.  Do you guys like to dive down a lot or spend more time looking from the surface?  How long do you plan to be in the water?  General stuff like that that would help give everyone an idea of what type of gear that would be best for you, equalizing techniques, or general snorkel stuff.

[freedivernd]

wellllll, it's about time you got back into the sport!!

I don't know about being a "pro" .. but here's my take on equipment.

Everyone that I bring into the sport I kinda push the freediving equipment a bit more than the standard snorkel equipment.. it's kinda all the same, as you still have a mask, fins, snorkel.. but usually has to include a wetsuit and most of the time weights and a rubber weight belt.  The rubber belt is needed because as the wetsuit compresses there's no need to adjust it, plus, it usually stays put because you can stretch it on so tight across the hips/butt.

1.> mask and snorkel - low volume for freediving means that I usually grab the Cressi Minima.. but for sight seeing I sure like the Aquatics Atomic.. man that's got good glass!  spendy though...  just an old J tube for a snorkel.

2.> Fins: have to be long.. and flexible or even a mono fin.  Some say the long fins don't always work the best for surface swimming, but it doesn't bother me.
For bi-fins and for tough going abuse like rocks, rivers, currents, and whatever the cressi 2000 gara's go on first, and for deep my old sporasub pure carbons.  should be spending more time with the mono fin though for deep stuff.. some are claiming about a 1.2 to 1.3 deeper advantage for the mono.. meaning.. 65 meters with bi-fins should translate to being able to do about 80 meters with a mono.  yeah, wish that was me (those meters converted to feet is like 213.2 feet to 262.4 feet)

3.> a good idea is to get full foot fins 1 size over and then some neoprene socks of either 3mil or 5mil.. or both, one thickness for cold water and one for summer water.  then you're not dealing with zippers on boots at all (or straps on fins that can break)

4.> for floats, it depends.. sight seeing I just take the dive flag with an aluminum wrap handle wrapped with about 65 feet maybe more of about 3/16 nylon rope... but I do also have a tire tube canvas cover with zipper and pockets that's real handy for storing drinking water, camera, depth sonar, whatever, and hauling the 165' of 1/2 inch drop line and maybe 8lbs of lead or so depending.  It is nice to have something to hold onto on the surface but I weight myself or don't so I'm bouyant at the surface and can rest anytime.  I use a 14" tire tube with it.

5.> Anchor.. see #4
6.> Dive Flag.. see #4

7.>Never been to superior but I'm going there for the grandma's marathon..and some snorkeling/hiking.  I'm not running, but a daughter is.  I'm bringing 2 wetsuits.. but think it's going to take the 5mil eliossub suit to handle the cold.  I'm a proponent of the tailor made eliossub suits.. I have 3.  a 1.5 mil that I rarely use, a 3mil that I love, and a 5mil that I can't be without because of these blasted cold waters we end up diving.

those are the equipment ideas.. for technique it's equalize, equalize, equalize.. then after that's mastered.. it's a bit about holding your breath and a good surface dive.

If you want to get into the freediving a bit.. coming up in July is the 3rd annual Freedive A-palooza at Lake Wazee near Black River Falls, Wisonsin.  July 14 & 15.  There will be tons of equipment to try.. great folks from many different states, and everyone there with the same passion.  We have people there of all levels of ability.  You can learn sooooo much there plus get to see and use and try about anything that'll fit ya.. Plus, if you want to give some depths a try it's great because the buddy support is the best in the midwest.

later,
Fred  (that's gotta be the longest post I've ever put up) whuuuw!

[Freedive WI]

Fred,

It's the FOURTH freedive-a-palooza this year.

I just found out that we will be drawing in divers from 9 states this year- furthest away being either Florida or California. Lots of gear to try and a new, longer, rope to hit some depth with.  ;D

I use different gear for different conditions. Sometimes I spearfish shallow, other times I wreck dive, in the winter we freedive under the ice and other times I just like to go deep with my monofin.

For masks its either a Technisub Sphera or Marina.

For snorkels i like my 20 year old Scubapro Shotgun for spearing and my OMER for deep stuff.

For fins I like my C4-30's for spearing and my Spcialfins Monofin for everything else- both are carbon fiber.

For wetsuits I dive only Elios, with a BIG thanks to Fred for introducing me to them.  8)  They are opencell on the inside, for extra warmth, and nylon out for spearing or smoothskin out for deep/ice diving. 3mm for summer and 5-6mm for ice.

Socks, not boots, by Spetton or Elios.


Gloves, or mitts, by Picasso or Elios.

wieghtbelts by Picasso- Marseilles rubber belt.

Torpedo floats fly through the water much faster than an inertube and can hold quite a bit. I have some from OMER, Rob Allen, Sporasub, and Cressi sub.

I usually have my camera attached to my speargun to takes photos/video of whatever I see, or shoot, underwater.

For diving, it's all about relaxing and NOT hyperventilating.

Hope to see you there,

Jon

[freedivernd]

Hey Jon.. I should have known that it was the 4th year!!  I watched ted's (unirdna) video from the 1st a-palooza the other day.. it's been a BLAST every year.  Again, I've had all these plans of designing and building different things for the a-palooza but time just seems to run out.. but that's alright because it only means that the a-palooza will be here before I know it!

Ted's video...  

check out his return to Little Cayman too, that's like all his videos.. GREAT!
Later,
Fred

[josh b.]

I'm workin building a platform now to attatch a home made sled to.  I'm not sure yet if I can permanently leave it anywhere but It'd be nice to throw it in 120' or so. 

As far as Superior Fred, I'm heading up there with Mike on sunday and staying until monday, are you going to be out on the Madeira?

[Freedive WI]

Josh,

I am VERY leary about sleds- we just lost one of the best freedivers in the world last month in a sled accident, Loic Lefereme. :'( Add to that a list of other divers who have died on sleds and they become the most dangerous thing in the sport- even with safety divers hanging around all over the place.

You can play around with one, but I don't want any part of it. We will have ropes and retrieval lines set up for constant ballast, free immersion, and no-fins diving at palooza, but I don't want anything to do with sleds up there.

There may be a few scooters around, and your welcome to bring you own- hell, your encouraged to do so! Scooter safety protocol calls for carrying a spare-air with you in case of a battery failure at depth.

Jon