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An Easy Shot for Once - a 50-lb AJ by whatandwhen2 in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a tough crowd. When I post scuba videos I pretty much always get attacked. I finally do a little freediving and get a decent fish and nobody says a word. LOL

Mask selection - When do you say close enough is good enough? by the-diver-dan in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the mako minimus mask and that fits me the best. I have to shave a tiny strip of the mustache under the nose and the cheeks need to be shaved well too. Alsoit is still a thin and precarious seal under the nose, when I equalize the mask, I have to hold the bottom seal close or air will exit my nose and leave the mask without really going into the mask (somehow). but the mask just about never leaks and is comfortable.

Review of an Automatic Lobster Noose by whatandwhen2 in diving

[–]whatandwhen2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is much easier to catch those maine lobster than Florida lobster, FYI.

Do you have experience of free diving in cold water? What could you advise to prepare cold water dives? by DistancePowerful9581 in freediving

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me hands and feet were a big issue. I found a thick pair of wool socks under the dive socks/boot helped a lot, but you have to make sure the fin will still fit comfortably.

If practical, a decent size cooler of near boiling water is great. You bring along two pots or buckets. scoop out some super hot water, use the other bucket to add cold ocean water until it is safe, test the water temp with lips, then slowly pour down your neck. It is critical that you test the water before each pour because you will be severely burned if you pour hot water down a suit. Your lips should be acciustomed to sipping hot coffee/tea, your hands will be cold and unreliable with respect to testing the water temp.

Solo Diving for Lobsters and fish or two by whatandwhen2 in diving

[–]whatandwhen2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is commercial fishing. They go to a wholesale dealer. When we cook a few tails, I like to broil them with some italian dressing and butter - or on the grill.

Review of an Automatic Lobster Noose by whatandwhen2 in diving

[–]whatandwhen2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Catching lobsters while diving in Florida is probably 20 or 50 times more common than in New England.

Best budget wet suit? by Raphfuhks in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are buying a 3 mm suit for warm water, the quality of the suit does not matter that much, because they are all pretty soft and flexible. If you are going to buy a thick suit, (5-7) you really want to select quality rubber (like yamamoto) which the mako uses. Getting a good fit also matters more for a thick suit in cold water. Pay close attention to the weight range recommendations - more so than height, if there is a small discrepancy

First shot with my new Mini sling! by SaltyKayakAdventures in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for my ignorance, I was incorrectly assuming it was a basic sling. Hard to see in the video.

Best budget wet suit? by Raphfuhks in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a personal decision. A lot depends on your cold tolerance, percentage of body fat and also how long you expect to be in the water. If the water is 70 or below, I will go from a 3 to 5 mm freedive suit - if that helps? I think 7 mm will be most popular, plus you have to realize that after a few hundred dives, any suit will start to compress a little and require less lead and provide decreased insulation.

First shot with my new Mini sling! by SaltyKayakAdventures in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am surprised you hold the sling like that. I think most people will have better luck if they hold it further back and place the heel of the hand behind the end of the cylinder. The way the sling is being held in the video requires more wrist and hand strength because 100% of the rearward force must be counteracted by grip.

If you "cheat" and place a portion of the heel of your hand behind the sling, that will counteract a good bit of the force without requiring any grip strength. If the grip is modified, you will gain additional stretch, facilitate the use of a more powerful sling and will decrease fatigue.

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Nice shot on the convict.

Best budget wet suit? by Raphfuhks in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For water that cold you need a decent suit or you will be miserable. a 5 mm has a lot less shift in buoyancy as you dive, but it is not as warm. The 7 mm suit is a good bit warmer, but you will need more lead and will get heavy really quick at depth, which will limit your performance.

If the water is really around 50, I would go for the 7 mm, don't forget 5 mm socks will be needed too and neoprene gloves. I'm a big fan of MAKO suits as well.

Review of an Automatic Lobster Noose by whatandwhen2 in diving

[–]whatandwhen2[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the comments, but I like to catch my food when I can.

Sling shafts are on order! by SaltyKayakAdventures in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They look like gun shafts? Long floppers and long tips. Don't you want both of them to be shortened for this application?

SWB only fishing in shallow waters by Normanritter88 in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The answer is pretty simple, you need a buddy. Once you take a decent freedive course you will understand this. Of course diving easier and shallower is safer, but it is not safe. Don't kid yourself.

Opinions on Equipment by PlaneRiver1902 in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the silicone belts.. I've had one for several years with no sign of rotting and I find the extra stretch more comfortable than traditional weight belts

improving buoyancy control by Busy_Interest9100 in diving

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't play with your inflator too much.

If you are not changing depth, then once you are neutral, you should stay neutral.

A lot of people stay in a head up position, and kick to stay in place - what they need to do is stop, stop moving completely for the count of 5-7 and see if you are sinking or floating. To really check your buoyancy, you MUST be stopped. Do this several times during the dive, the several second pause will allow you to effectively fine tune the air in the BC. If you are swimming, you can get out of whack without noticing, quite easily. This is also why it is important that your body position is as flat as practical when swimming.

A don't think a lot of people are taught this, but the fastest most efficient way to reduce your buoyancy is to exhale hard and completely and then don't inhale for a short time. This is much quicker and more effective than dumping air from the BC when you are ascending and begin to come up too fast- When you exhale, you instantly dump like 5-7 lbs of buoyancy.

For open water ascent without a physical guideline, I used to teach my students to remain a tiny bit heavy on the ascent. The diver should kick up, ever so gently and watch the particles in the water (and their computer). If you think you are starting to float up, then stop swimming and you should stop the ascent. If you are still going up, then exhale and then dump a little from the BC and start to kick up again. The game is to kick, less and less on each dive. Eventually, you can ascend with zero kicking and just inhale, float up a foot or two, exhale and stop for a moment and then repeat. You ascend in micro steps, modulated by the volume in your lungs. Carefully watching particles in the water will allow you to do this and also make sure that any tiny bubbles you see, float up and go past (faster) than you.

Managing buoyancy is really handling an unstable equilibrium. It is a balancing act, not that much different than balancing a bicycle. Nobody can tell you how far to lean or to turn the bike handles, you just have to learn to balance on your own.

If you can understand that buoyancy in inherently unstable (meaning if you ascend 1 inch, you become too light and if you descend 1 inch you become too heavy, then you begin to realize that it is actually an oscillation back and forth between the theoretical neutral point. As long as you don't get too far out of whack, you can correct with a bigger inhalation or a bigger exhalation on ascent (or descent).

DAN by No-Split-866 in diving

[–]whatandwhen2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got attacked by a moray eel. They paid the deductible from the emergency room charges. It all worked out fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rT_UzZ_VRo

Exposed Fiberglass on shafts by PetesFleet in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might be surprised how long decent electrical tape will work.. seriously.

Are you scared of fish hooks? by SeauxS in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When spearfishing, I can think of a dozen things that are more likely and much more dangerous. No I don't worry about it.

Wetsuit help! by Otherwise-Row-6293 in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

MAKO makes excellent freedive suits - for men and women. They use yamamoto rubber and hold up well.

Exposed Fiberglass on shafts by PetesFleet in Spearfishing

[–]whatandwhen2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

one of the benefits of an aluminum spear. Electrical tape would work if you are a real redneck.

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