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Freedivers in central Texas?

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Hi guys! Thanks again Mat. Two of the guys in our club were talking about a scuba park that was made out of missile silo in central east Texas. They thought it was over a 100 feet deep! I would like to know more about it. From my place though they thought it was about an 7-hour drive. At that distance it’s easier just to wait for a good day and go in the gulf for me.

We are leaving in an hour to go to Mansfield Dam scuba park on Lake Travis. After reading the article Can and I decided we had better work on our deep diving. 80’ is pretty marginal with 6-minute statics!

Dallasdiver, your welcome to join the club and dive with us out of Port Aransas, by Corpus. We may be going this next weekend, if the Honda dealer gets done with one of my motors. They are rebuilding it, but can’t let me know until Thursday if it will be done by the weekend. That makes it tough of the out-of-town guys and me, because there is a lot to do to the boat before its ready to go miles offshore.

One of the freediving community goals needs to be to get Mat into the sport! He is already becoming the AP freediving writer. I think Monday he is interviewing Tanya Streeter. A good interesting article would be a Performance Freediving Clinic where Kirk Krack and Martin Stephanic take mere mortals and turn them into skilled knowledgeable freedivers. Kirk, are you listening?

One question I have is although all my friends, family, co-workers, and of course myself, think the article is awesome, what does the general public who know nothing about freediving think? I guess this is not the right place to ask.
don

PS The publicity is fun, but since I’m not relying on this sport for an income I always try to support the people who are. After all the largest problem most of us have is finding competent people to dive with. That is why I always try to support the PFD guys, because they put out competent save people divers. And then I should also mention some vendors like www.frogmans.com, and www.spearfishinggear.com .
 
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Thanks Adrian.
Hey Don-
The story got wide play in the region and in washington state. I bet the major papers also run it in the coming weeks.
The reaction by people in the ap and non-divers was very positive. The whole sport just amazed them.
I need to find a dive buddy in the dallas area so we can work the area lake spots. The pool work is fun nonetheless.
Got some tips from TS. I was there to just photograph her.
Our sports writter is doing the word side.
Her tip of a full exhale before the dive to get more bottom time was interesting. Contractions came on very fast. Interesting head game to work through.

best,
mat
 
Her tip of a full exhale before the dive to get more bottom time was interesting. Contractions came on very fast. Interesting head game to work through.
Click to expand...

Is she talking about a full exhale FOR the dive? or a full exhale dive, THEN a regular dive for more bottom time?

I hate full exhales right now, ha ha ha. I've got to work at stretching the old diaphram. has anyone tried this practice for a longer bottom time? Does anyone mistake you for a corpse on the way back up? ha ha ha ha
 
Hey Donmoore

Thanks for the invite for gulf diving. I have been scuba diving with the "Spree" off the Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank and a brief stop at one of the Texaco oil rigs, cut short by a lady getting bent and then having to haul ass back to shore.

I actually tried to set up a dive at the missle silo a year ago called Vahalla with a guy who runs the silo named Mark Hannafin. He seemed okay with the ideal of freediving and had me fill out a release that covered his ass 10 ways to Sunday. He seemed okay about running lines for depth and even may have participated in the dives, however he wanted the dive sessions organized through a dive shop that would accept full responsibility and provide their own insurance. Some good photos of the site are at: http://www.fatboyscuba.com/vah.html

The silo is 135' deep with constant cool water temp at 60 degrees. The water has seeped in through the concrete silo. The average vis is 40' because there is sediment that gets stirred up from the bottom.

I just completed my PFD Clinic in Miami this past July, and it was amazing. We only got to do one open water session which had a max depth of 66 feet on the first dive day because the seas were extremely rough and building. They predicted seas 3-5 feet, but they actually were 6-8 and were steadily building due to the hurricane. Not to fun in a 32 foot dive boat. :yack :yack :yack They had a make up class the following week in Miami, but alas I could not fly back for those dives.

I wouldn't mind getting a group together to dive at Lake Travis Manfield dam. There seems to be aleast 3 freedivers in Dallas and 2 more in Austin that are Deeper Blue members. My max depth is still 80' feet at Travis, I feel that I could go much deeper, however I was breaking the cardinal rule and was diving solo and didn't want to push it. The floating platform with the chain attached probably goes much deeper, but it was fairly dark and I could not see a bottom below 80' Let me know!

Congrats to AP Photomat for the great article!!! :thankyou
 
Reactions: donmoore
Yo, Big D!

I tried to make it to the damn dam this weekend for Don's escapade. But I'm currently behind on my car payment. Though it would make more sense to have my car out of the city when the repo-men come to take it away, I couldn't afford the oil change to drive it that far out, ha ha ha...boo-hoo-hoo.

I was going to go to Austin sometime early next month. Do you think it'd be cool to do it then? Let's see if we can round up some of the Austinites to add to the mix!

I'm in, but for a limited time only, offer void in Maine.
 
dallasdiver,
What I think you and the other Dallas freedivers should do is join our club and then have a satellite branch in the Dallas area. There are two good reasons for this. You guys would push us pass 12 members which is the number we need to join the USOA and send a team to Ft. Lauderdale for the U.S. National Championship in 2006. The second reason is your not by the ocean so joining our club would give you an in to gulf diving.

That is pretty much what is happening now with our three members from Austin and one from San Antonio. They get together to dive the lake or swimming pool and then come here on weekends when the weather is good and we can go offshore.

Sounds like you are really doing your home work with the PFD class and training. I have been to that same platform. It’s 125’ deep there, not that I know by diving, but by our dive rope. We dove Sunday from a member’s flat bottom bay boat. It’s only legal for three, but it’s the perfect dive boat. We hooked a short line (5’) to a buoy with our dive line on it and we drifted. That way you could swim back up the line without worrying about hitting the boat.

All the sides and the bow of the boat are only 4” above the water at rest, so the whole boat is basically a big dive platform. We could breath up, rest etc, on the boat and then slip in for the dive. It was the best setup I have ever experience.

The vis was bad at depth. We had a spray painted mark at 80’ and with my mask 2” from the rope I could not see it. I could only feel it with my hands. In the winter I think the vis gets better, but the club members who live there said it depends on rain and runoff.
don

PS I wonder if Kirk would be interested in doing a clinic at the missile silo for Texas divers? Thanks for the link and info on it.
 
I would be interested in joining your club, how about you Sinky? I don't know how often I could make it down to the coast though. If you guys do another dive in Lake Travis, please post me. If the boats over crowded, I'm sure I could swim from shore and take a float.

Send me the link to your site to join! Deeper Blue Texas coming on strong!
 
I'll take my water wings.

I'm in. What're the dues...I suppose I'll just check out the site.

Since the induction of a motorcycle to my hall of toys, times have been a little hard on old Sinky. I'll gladly fork any future 401K offerings towards the club and trips, though. Does anybody know of any low-security banks with low-definition cameras?

just asking.
 
With Sinkweight in the club, how we ever going to breath up with all the rofl rofl rofl rofl?

Okay, it’s my turn to dive. Please put the muzzle on Warren so I can concentrate!
don
 
Don't worry, Don. Without my team of out-of-work vaudville comedians at my side, there's not much to laugh at.
 
Hey Guys,
I am in for any Austin or San Antonio Diving, just got to let me know when. The earlier I know the better, but I may be able to make something last minute. I have actually been looking into diving the dive park at the dam with our San Antonian Harry, possibly even this weekend. We went diving at Barton Springs 2 weeks ago, but it was so cold we couldn't stay in for long.

I have been diving Lake Georgetown recently (five minute drive from where I live right now) and it's not all that bad. About 5-10ft vis. 84ft at the deepest, 15-45 ft. deep right off shore. So far I have found a watch (now in use), a spiked leather bracer, a cell phone, a snorkel (now in use), 6 pairs of sunglasses (including a pair of DG sunglasses worth at least $100.00, gave them to my sister), and of course beer bottles galore.

Anyway, keep me updated guy's. I am always looking for someone to dive with. Till later...

~James
 
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Yeah, I think I lost a couple of beers there. I was working up my gastro-intestinal CO2 tolerance. I would like any unopened beer bottles returned to me as soon as possible. Just PM me for the shipping details. I also insist that you pay for shipping. And a bottle opener.

And a cassette tape of Led Zepplin's Houses of the Holy.

Thank you, James.
 
Reactions: dallasdiver
Adrian said:
Mat, that's a nice story and great photos, I'm glad you posted the link - Don also sent me this link:
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search...e&c=news_photos

Why don't you post some more pics on the DeeperBlue gallery here if you can?

Adrian
Click to expand...

Thanks Adrian-
I wish could post photos, AP owns copyright to all my work that precluded me from posting images.
Nonthess, I will try and post links to image that run in the cyber world.
best,
mat

PS- Where in spain to you fish
 
She was talking about a full exhale for the dive to decrease bouyancy so I could sit at the bottom without holding on to rocks.
We were in fairly shallow water (25ft). My wieghts (5lbs) was plenty to get me down, just not enough to hold me there long without holding on to something. .
Kicked myself for not bringing the 20 lbs of scuba lead.
Funny thing was she was like "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you" when she egged me on.
Did three of these an got what I needed.
Regardless, it was an interesting notion- exhale and dive.
Isn't that what mermaids told sailors? - lol


 
Reactions: sinkweight and dallasdiver
Hey Matt
Pretty smooth catching an interview with Tanya Streeter!!! I think I will go down to Austin and give a knock on her door. I will introduce myself as a aspiring journalist and see if I can snag a few private freedive lessons. You lucky dog!!!
 
Actually - Tanya is extremely approachable and is generally willing to field sensible questions from the public as well as from the media. Drop her a line via her website - http://www.redefineyourlimits.com - and i'm sure you'll be surprised at how quickly she will respond.
 
Thanks Stephan
I think I will. Were starting to get a sizable group of Texan's going here! Now if we could just get Tanya to start giving freedive sessions in Austin, it would be great.
 
OK DonMoore

My membership application and dues are in the mail today!

Let me know if any of you guys make it back to Austin soon. I will try to make aleast one trip down to the coast.
 

LOL, if you come dive with me that may just happen. I also found a sealed juice container, I was gonna drink it...Ok, maybe I wasn't, but my idiot friends did.

~James

P.S. "Gastro-intestinal CO2 tolerance", that's great. I am going to have to use that one. rofl
 
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