kayak spearfishing & tides?

[Jonny250]

I've trawled the various threads here on diving from a kayak - and there's loads of info, especially on Mr X's 16 page thread on rigging a kayak for spearfishing... However, i have a specific question which I've debated with a few people, thought it would be interesting to open it up a bit:

Using a kayak to spearfish around Guernsey can involve getting into and around strong tides, or ideally - just out of them. Once anchored, what do you reckon is the best way to stay 'safe' with your kayak? attaching a line to the yak seems a bit pointless, unless only diving just below it, whereas towing the yak is generally not possible due to the tide and or wind (it would tow you!). Last year i had plenty of fun paddling to a mark and anchoring, then spearfishing, but i didnt go much into the tide. It would be nice to be less limited...

perhaps the only real solution is to only go with a buddy? What do people think?

 

[podge]

Jonny I’ve never been a lover of big and fast tides and yes I know that’s where a lot of fish are found but for me it would have to be safety first.
Go with a buddy or even better go with a boat full of buddies at least this way someone can stay in the boat to give cover and to pick up the rest of you as the tide takes you over to jolly old France.

 

[Magpie]

Haven't tried it myself mate but Ed has used his kayak attached to him like a float and says it provides surprisingly little resistance. Not sure what tides he's done that in but I know he's used it like that round the back of the Knife and you know what it can be like round there eh!

Why do you think you wouldn't be able to just anchor it as before? It would settle into the tide and not provide that much resistance to it. Doubt you'd need much of an anchor to hold it in place.

 

[Jonny250]

Podge, i agree that safest would be with other people, and perhaps that will be the real solution, but i'm just trying to explore any 'safe' alternatives too, thanks. gotta find where the boundaries are...

Tom, it's not the problem of anchoring the kayak in the tide, but of then personally being able to stay near it.. i.e ending up fighting the current to get back.

 

[devondave]

I like to fish fairly strong currents , can't think of an alternatve to finning like a bas*ard back to the kayak . 3 things I do to help though :-
1 - don't go too far from the boat
2- swim back and rest after each dive
3 - trail a long ( 15m ) rope behind the yak' , you can swim to this & haul yourself back , it's 15m less to swim .
In a tide the rope gives a nice position to rest between dives , wrap it around your hand and lie in the water , face down and effortless .
This is something I do myself but I'm not going to recommend it because the
consequences of not making it back to the kayak or boat are potentially life ending !
One of those decide for yourself things .
I wonder if you could make something like the old clockwork fly-fishing reels but stronger ? Just press a button and wizz back to the boat . Perhaps not , if it jammed I can see myself bashing head first into the side .

 

[Magpie]

How about you anchor then swim uptide before commencing diving. That way you are always pushed back to the kayak?

 

[Old Man Dave]

This is one of the main things that put me off buying a kayak last year, but then i have a boat anyway, although i dont freedive from it only scuba. I would never ever boat dive without a massive SMB (mines a dan bouy) and leaving someone in the boat to follow me. I have seen some right knobs from other countries including the UK do all sorts of daft dives with no SMB (follow the bubbles???) or anchor the boat. Quite a few people have been rescued in cluding 2 local divers about 5 years ago who had no proper SMB's only silly inflatable ones and got lost from their boat (with boatman) when they were swept further than they thought. They were over 12 hours and luckily it was summer so the air search found them . However as the air search had passed over them several times without seeing them the aircraft was uprated with a FLIR just for spotting people in the water and directly as a result of this incident.

Anyway back to the kayak. I think a long thin line trailed astern when anchored is a good idea. Boats anchored with divers on wrecks use them. They call them Jesus lines.

Ed has used his kayak as a smb and just drifted with the tide but yes there are loads of problems. I think you need to try it with 2 kayaks and 2 divers, with one up one down and see how it works. i' sure that ther is potential for kayaks to be useful tools but still can't quite get my head round exactly their best use.

Dave

 

[podge]

Best use of all the kayak’s would be to pile them up on the beach and set fire to them while dancing around in a alcohol fuelled naked frenzy. :crutchmartialroflrofl

And then go and buy a boat.

 

[Jonny250]

Thanks Dave(s), the line make sense, but actually the wisdom from diving of using a boatman (buddy diver in yak) makes most sense. I guess the diving world has been there and tried it, etc.
Hang on a minute, that brings us back to what Podge said in the first place... :head

 

[Pav]

I picked up a large bouy 2nd hand the other week. Large enough for handheld GPS, Flares etc and to rest on! I will enter the water up the coast and hunt with the current (slight). I will then get out further down the coast. If my buddy is up for it we can park 1 car at get out and 1 car where we get in. If solo its the wifes taxi. I hope to cover some new ground this way.

 

[scottwilson]

Kayaks are great for spearing off. I use mine mainly around Torbay and plymouth. they very light and easily towed while you dive. I take my torpedo float with me when I dive as well as using a dive flag on the yak. some of the spots I dive take around an hours swim to get to so covering that ground in a kayak is a lot quicker.

A typical day would see me paddleing out to my chosen spot ( maybe a little makeral line fishing along the way ) anchor up on the edge of the reef, dive a couple hours, get back on the yak for a rest and possibly change spots.

Paddling in currents is not a problem and a damn site easier then swimming them and like magpie said you can always dive up current and drift back to the yak.

make sure you have a chain on the anchor to stop it been dragged along the seabed
always carry a vhf radio
always carry more water then you need.
dont cover the deck area with stupid gadgets but instead keep it tidy and clear ( Learned the hard way )
Always tell someone where you going and what time you'll be back ( same as shore diving)


Birthday boy SUNFISH is the fountain of knowledge when it comes to kayak spearing