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Gearing up

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30% chance of rain means 70% chance of NO RAIN! If you really want to be a better diver, Save some money and take a Freediving Course - Worth every penny and could save your life.
 
Yeah...A clear mask kinda sux on a sunny day. I have a good mask but I never thought about it being clear when I got it. I always had el'cheapo Body Glove mask's before and they alway had SILVER or RED or BLUE or some other solid color silicone. And ofcourse the "old school" glass oval & black rubber dive mask!!!rofl

Clear catches too much glare and somtimes seeing a BIG fish outta' the corner of your eye can freak you out for a second at times! I sometimes think its a boat for a split second...Not fun! But last week I had an IDIOT on a boat troll less than ten feet from me. The boat was almost silent! I did however see the jerk outta the "corner of my eye" so maybe CLEAR mask MAY have an advantage when idiots are boating! :head
 
I happen to prefer clear. You're not really subsistence hunting anyway so what if a crappie gets away. Enjoy the dive and take it all in. More than once that shadow to my side I caught a glimpse of, was a big Muskie checking out who was in his territory. Did I forget to mention all the times it saved my bacon by alerting me to approaching boats? Don't get me totally wrong. I do own both.
 
How will a mask say you from an approaching boat? 99% of the time I hear a boat before seeing it and it's the sound that causes me to look up. If they are trolling, I'm less worried about what they might do. I've looked up and made eye contact with them, they know I'm there. When you come up from a dive, you should have your head out of the water anyway. Scan the area. If I see a guy trolling, I can avoid crossing paths, I usually cover more ground than they do.

I've found that when fitting students for masks the wider field of view is often only perceived.

The dark skirt is not for helping you see that shadow off to the side. It's helping to reduce the light inside the mask and reduce eye strain. I usually have a more narrow field of view in the water anyway. Especially when hunting. I'm looking at details, my peripheral will catch movement. I still look all around myself and scan the area. Even when hunting I stop to look at other stuff I find.

In the end, it's what your comfortable in. If a dark skirt makes you feel closed in and uncomfortable, then you will have a miserable dive.
 
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Black silicone isn't just for freediving. Underwater photographers have been suing them for years to block out all of the distracting light. Every single tec diver I know also uses black silicone masks so that they can read their gauges more easily without all of the stray light leaking in

I've even know of one diver who reached into a hole for a lobster and lost their vision momentarily by the light refraction through the side of the mask and grabbed onto a moray eel instead!:blackeye

Field of view used to be solved by big 3-panel masks, until divers realized they could see better out of a 2-panel mask that was closer to their eye- think contact lens vs. glasses. Small volume 2-panel mask also work out better for equalization at depth- since we don't have tanks on our back this is an issue.

Wetsuit boot won't fit into most freediving fins- unless the fins are very large. there are a few pairs that have open heels- and I have owned a couple pair for use while scuba diving with a drysuit. These include older model Cressi gara's, Esclapez, and Sporasub. You loose some of your efficiency with an open heel freediving fin, but it will still give you more power than a scuba fin- and don't get me started on split fins.:rcard

Freediving snorkels should be as basic as possible- I use a 30 year old farallon that I bought off of Ebay. They should also be flexible so as not to get you hung up if you like to stick your head into holes in the reef to look for fish- a rigid snorkel could snag you in for good. Some divers aren't as comfortable in the water and like to have purge valves and flexible tubes. I've found this to be extra stuff that gets int he way, but then I was taught how to dive without all of that stuff.

Jon
 
That freediving course does sound like a good idea, i was going to take a scuba class with my dad when he gets back from Alaska (if there is time), and i would like a freedivin course as well. But if not this year next year for sure!

Well im off to take my little brothers to waupaca, then to get readdy to go spearing!!!
 
How will a mask say you from an approaching boat?
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Most boaters who dont know what a dive flag is will approach your float cautiously. from up wind. they Idle but the prop still spins. Its the shadow that gets your attention. Also the newer 4cycle outboards will be on top before you know it if they are coasting they are quiet as all hell. especially Hondas
 
Since sound travels 4 times faster underwater you can hear any engine from a LONG ways a away- If you're looking at a boat with a motor on it before you see it somethings wrong.

I hear boats all the time that I swear are about to run me over, and then I looked up and see they are a few hundred yards away. The only time I've ever seen a boat get close without making a noise is a canoe, or kayak, paddled by someone who actually knows how to paddle- everyone else makes too much noise with their paddle to sneak up on anyone.

Speaking of noise, you could hear the carp swimming back and forth underwater today- making quick turns and swishing out of sight. It was pretty cool- and there were a LOT of them.

Jon
 
Jon said:
I hear boats all the time that I swear are about to run me over, and then I looked up and see they are a few hundred yards away. Jon
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Very true, Ill surface to make an "emergency dive", and find that the boat is no where near me. Its wierd the way sound travels underwater. The sound of large groups of baitfish is awsome, like a giant whooohs. I am going to reccomend the OMER snorkel. (ILdiver: :inlove) The zoom has been great now that Ive gotten used to it. It rides close, and low to your head, is made of flexible (which I now find is great for exploring these mangroves) and non reflective, keeping fish where they are. Plus shes purty darn comfy in the long haul.
 
I bought a scuba pro mask, its pretty low volume, i like it alot a had a little fog problem but it wasnt that bad (i forgot to wash it before i used it)

And i shot my fisrt fish today!! It was a crappie, around 7" not that big but i was like, "im here the vis is like 4-5' :head and it was the biggest fish i saw all day"

I'd post pics but my rents took the camera to Alaska...

I just want to thank forrest, who let us use his stuff (fins, gun, yeah) And i'd like to thank mother nature so being so beautiful!
 
Hey, there is nothing wrong with that mask. I would love to have it, and it IS low volume, and has a black skirt. Good job on the first fish, Im just sorry I wasnt there to see it. Whose wetsuit is ethan using? Brads? We need to thank jimdoe2you for creating the biggest influx of freediving and spearfishing gear this community has ever seen. We will post a pic with all the guys decked out in jimdoe gear when I get back.
 
Yeah good idea! THANKS JIM WE LOVE YOU

yea you should have been there, the vis was really bad, yeah it was good, and we went to bear cause it was close to spring, and we didnt see anything at spring...so we went to bear, and i was the only one to shoot something...
 
I hate you. I KNEW YOU WENT TO BEAR. You are grounded from using my gun. EVER AGAIN. I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT! Or at least winks is. That f*C$I%G idiot! Because it was your first time, congrats, but you can tell winker that he has to buy his own gun now, cause hes not using mine anymore.
 
Flesh winks didnt even shoot anything, he just snorkeld around a bit, i and i only shot one then we left... but you should've seen the crappies some guys in a boat where pulling out with hook and line, they got like 7+ and they where desent size...but winks just said lets go there so i could get a fish, he didnt do anything
 
Naw, he broke the rules, and now hes in trouble. Ill let him use it again, but not without talking to him. YOu dont go to people's secret places without them, or without their consent. I always ask, thats just proper etiquette.
 
Yeah your right about that...we were drining by on the way home and all so yeah...It wont happen agian!

I TRIED spearing emily today, i didnt have much time when the lightning started, but when i got there i bunch of jet skiers where there and they stirred it up pretty bad, the vis went from like a starting 5' to nothing with the jets...i hate those guys:head
 
Reactions: ILDiver
Flesh im sorry bud. but i just got back from a whole week and a half without spearfishing and wanted to get some fish. and when the biggest fish i saw at spring was 2 inches i decided to just go to bear and have mike shoot some. the vis was only 4 feet. (the tip of the spear was vague when held out) and i didnt know baums mask leaked water, he must have broke it somehow. so i didnt snorkel long and ended up taking the weights off my vest and just floated trying to tan my face. :t but walder only shot one and i wasnt even going to attempt to hunt with the conditions. sorry about going against what u said flesh. it wont happen again pal. and i have a couple of lakes i gotta try out and ill share them with u. get back soon so we can conquer some more waters.
 
Reactions: ILDiver
Bear lake is very near to being a private lake. Technically there is no boat landing, just a little clearing in the woods, and its off of a dirt road. Winks, spring lake might not be ready, but the coolest part of going there is that you see so much, the dive is awesome, and you are rarely very successful. It takes a lot of talent, and diving capabilities to land a good fish there. There is no lack of good fish, they are just increadibly hard to reach. Vis will be better there in august, and you will see what I mean. The beach is my little secret, and the rules of the locals is that we only go there three times a year (to actually kill fish). I accept the apology, but dont lie to me about that kind of stuff dude, I knew you had gone against my word, and I told you that on the phone, you should have just told me. Karmas real dude, the next time you pull that that huge snapper is going to eat your a$$. :t
 
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Speaking of sound underwater, the local lakes are all no wake these days- so real quite with the boat noise.

When Scott and I were out the other day I heard a boat's engine while I was stalking a fish on the bottom. It sounded pretty loud so I came up to find out it was over a mile away! It was going full throttle, which should have gotten him a ticket, but I didn't see any cops out there.

In the ocean there is something called a SOFAR channel where sound bounces back and forth between salinity layers. The US Navy drops microphones in off of California and can listen to submarines all the way over in Japan. Sound travels fast, and far, underwater- which is why you can't tell direction, only intensity, while diving.

Jon
 
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