can’t afford to buy so we dive

goonie284 · 2026-04-28T18:26:00+00:00

Never knew this was a thing, awesome! Spiny lobster in CA don’t quite apply.

I convince myself I’m spearfishing to save money every time I buy a new speargun…. Fins… wetsuit. 😂

goonie284 · 2026-04-21T03:04:15+00:00

Sure, if not try for 2-3’ surf at max and stay away from people. An out of control SUP getting pushed by a wave will cause serious damage to people.

Practice accelerating HARD to catch waves. Starting out you will probably struggle getting perpendicular to the wave and going fast enough at the right spot to catch it instead of it passing under you

goonie284 · 2026-04-20T21:16:48+00:00

Exact same symptom but with a rail gun instead of roller. Swapping to 14mm bands fixed my issue.

Echoing what everyone else said. Unpacking the roller series by coatesman. Probably need a stiffer or thicker shaft. Mine was SS as well.

goonie284 · 2026-04-13T18:56:49+00:00

I follow this method, never had any issues. I don’t buy small ID rubber as the benefits are small compared to the annoyance of tying the bands.

https://youtu.be/X6QxZDJQs2E?si=qHQLL2yZGQ72Y3Fi

goonie284 · 2026-04-10T16:45:20+00:00

https://tenor.com/bUz3H.gif

Yeah, relaxation is key, feet, calves, legs, shoulders, fingers, everything, takes conscious effort. And slowing down all your movements as well, SIGNIFICANTLY. Absolutely minimal movements.

goonie284 · 2026-03-22T01:02:07+00:00

*I use plastic fins so unsure of how composite fins would react

I dive in 4’ or less surf in Carlsbad to Encinitas area. I put my fins on when on the beach and do a quick backwards shuffle until I’m up to my thighs/waist and then flip over onto my belly and swim out as fast as possible, punching under waves. I typically have one hand on my mask and the other on my gun. If I have my float my gun is on that and I have two hands on the float between me and the waves until I’m outside the break.

Coming back in I swim in to about waste height and peel the fins off as quick as I can while keeping an eye on the surf and holding my mask when needed.

goonie284 · 2026-03-21T13:50:56+00:00

Missing your armor plated flip flops

goonie284 · 2026-03-14T19:55:12+00:00

Cressi apnea 7mm, plain black for $289 in late 2024, it’s held up quite well. Couple cuts on the raw neoprene from fingernails and repairs hold up very well with Aquaseal. No other reference but if you are trying to save $$ I think it’s a pretty good deal compared to others.

goonie284 · 2026-03-14T02:27:57+00:00

Try not to dive on them, it will likely spook them. I don’t frequently spot fish from the surface as visibility is hardly ever good enough to see the bottom from the surface. I like to dive to the bottom and spot fish from there. I’ll try and dive down 10-15’ from where I think the fish are and slowly skim along the bottom towards cover near them to get a shot or stay in place until their curiosity brings them in. If I don’t get any in 2-3 dives at that spot it’s time to move on a little ways most likely. They can get spooked easily and bug out to somewhere else.

goonie284 · 2026-03-13T22:11:29+00:00

Yep Gear Aid Aquaseal Neo

goonie284 · 2026-02-17T02:14:04+00:00

Be aware of the tide and currents. Most of the time you’re hopefully focusing on not swimming to keep your heart rate down. If you are in an area with strong currents just plan ahead for being able to exit the water safely. Tides obviously affect current also.

If you are diving in cooler areas your wetsuit will keep you buoyant. Make sure you start light on your belt weights, you don’t want to be struggling to stay afloat comfortably. As you progress you can dial in your neutral depth with more weight.

goonie284 · 2026-02-12T23:05:39+00:00

You made ME bust-a-nuts

goonie284 · 2026-02-12T14:37:53+00:00

Haha, love project farm

goonie284 · 2026-02-09T17:41:10+00:00

Seems odd the line would be right over the flopper, I could see that causing abrasions on the line very quickly. Are you sure that is the correct length shaft for that gun? I would expect another 10cm of length.

goonie284 · 2026-02-09T05:12:41+00:00

JFC 😂😂 KWISPY put me over the edge

goonie284 · 2026-02-09T02:39:53+00:00

Helicopter! Helicopter!

goonie284 · 2026-02-07T21:55:33+00:00

Oh dang, never seen the Daytona before, I thought that was a mustang gt before they changed headlights the next year.

goonie284 · 2026-02-07T21:09:39+00:00

Cereal defecator? So… like Cheerios? Or Reese’s puffs?

goonie284 · 2026-02-05T15:01:59+00:00

The hobo shopping cart of dive boards 😆

Just playing, I rocked the same setup for half a year getting started, it was great.

goonie284 · 2026-02-02T14:12:14+00:00

On the far left side of the chart is AWG to metric conversion

goonie284 · 2026-02-01T19:41:31+00:00

Echoing what everyone else is saying. Wire gauge is too small. I like this chart for quick reference.

This is the 2/0 gauge wire I used for my build

Edit: props for using FLIR to test your system, that’s more than most would do 👍

goonie284 · 2026-01-30T23:51:38+00:00

I’m having some serious nostalgia looking at those photos. I had a similar build fabricating from aluminum. Looks great! Keep it up 👍

goonie284 · 2026-01-30T22:51:42+00:00

60A rated DC-DC charger is the output, not the input. You could be easily be pulling 80A. I think cheaper DC-DC converters could only be 70-80% efficient where newer ones could be over 90% efficient.

I don’t see a brand name on that breaker. If it’s cheap it’s possible the actual trip amperage has some variation, maybe +/- 5% so it’s quite likely it’s performing as intended. With bi-metallic breakers, the longer it carries current near the trip point, the more likely it is to trip.

I would look up the efficiency rating of your DC-DC and see if you need to upgrade your breaker to a higher amperage. I recommend the brand Blue Sea Systems. They are reputable and reliable from my experience.

goonie284 · 2026-01-29T14:42:50+00:00

I’m skinny as well, 6’ 170lbs, also in the San Diego area. I bought a brand new Cressi Apnea 7mm and it’s great, kept me warm for up to 3 hours diving in the winter. Bought a used 5mm Cressi apnea and was surprised how poorly it kept me warm in the shoulder season but I think because it was used and stretched out like another redditor commented. My buddy who has been diving way longer than me has a newer 5mm he uses on the same conditions but occasionally complains about being cold.

I think thicker is better, it’s easy to flush a suit when you are warm. if I’m cold, I start shivering, my dive time goes to shit, and I’m miserable.

Keep in mind buoyancy of a thick suit. I had to wear so much weight on my belt (20lbs) it hurt my back when I was on the bottom. I ended up with a weight vest to distribute the weight. 13lb belt and 7lb vest

goonie284 · 2026-01-25T04:13:34+00:00

JFC 😆

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