W2, The diver formerly known as Ward F. Ward
Tell us about Alaska diving....maybe you could hook up with Peter Scott sometime. He could use a buddy up there in the Yukon.
Well to begin with, freediving in Alaska is virtually non-existent; I've been freediving here since 1990 and I've yet to meet someone else who does - except those few [wearing wetsuits] who have dropped to -12m once after scuba diving. I do try to encourage others who have shown an interest though, but aside from the breath holding aspects, most just don't want to brave the cold water regularly. As you can imagine, many people think I'm crazy!
Alaska is as dangerous as it is beautiful, and sadly, plenty of people die here each year, usually commercial fisherman and recreational hunters/boaters (the commercial fishermans memorial is located in Juneau). So, conservative, well thought out planning is essential: limiting exposure times, diving conservatively, understanding EMS response capabilities and times, Informing others of your location and activities,etc. Safety first!
:naughty Now you can all smack me upside the head and call me a hippocrite, because I freedive solo. But, I can either dive solo or not at all, and I would rather dive. I know that solo diving is frowned upon, but even when I do dive with others I do not place the responsibility of my safety in others. I never push my limits and I have never had a problem. To paraphrase Sun Tzu: 'know your enemy, know yourself, and in all things you will be victorious'. I'm not advocating solo diving though, just responsible diving, but enough of that...
It is very beautiful here and the diving is best on the coast: That's where the bluewater is. Pelican, and Prince of Whales Island, to name a few, are alive in color and variety and Sitka is known for its abundance of rather large octopi. I used to participate in the Southeast Alaska Dive Fisheries -pinto abalone & sea cucumber, so I have been lucky enough to dive most of these spots. The inside waters are rather 'sparse' in flora, but the interaction with marine life is great. Harbor seals, sea lions, and many species of flat fish, all curious and friendly -at least in my experience
. On the other hand, people have thrown rocks at me before, having mistaken me for a seal (you can imagine their surprise when turned around!).
In summer the plankton/phytoplankton blooms and generally visibility is reduced, especially in the 0-10 m range. The winter months are actually the best time to dive here; just remember my motto, 'Temperature is a state of mind, until your lips turn blue' -they don't call me Mr. Zen for nothing. Actually, I don't think about the cold at all; as in all things, there are barriers you have to get past to succeed.
I have been diving in a 5/6.5mm Cressi Super Comp wetsuit and it works perfectly (In fact, everything I dive with is Cressi-sub, I look like I'm sponsored by them...
). I haven't tried others, and it is a personal choice, but I feel that a 6.5mm suit is plenty of insulation for the temperature given the exposure times.
I remember the first time I dropped down to 10m and lay on the bottom, and waited...5...10...15 seconds and then all of sudden an armada of flatfish swam past me heading into deeper water, it was really cool. One just turned and stopped in front of me, and we just sat there looking at eachother until I had to ascend. Needless to say it hooked me and I've had many other experiences since. We do have some rather large fish here too. A number of years ago there was a woman in goup of divers, all biologists I believe, that were scuba diving on the DIPAC Hatchery (inspecting the intakes). The hatchery is located on Gastineau channel in shallow water (10-20m) just before the mud flats and the entire area is nothing but muck. When she descended to the bottom she landed on a halibut "large enough to swallow you", which lifted off the bottom and swam away. She said she would never dive again, but who knows.
I guess state of mind is really the key; freediving is a state of mind wherever you may dive.
I hope this piques your curiosity a little, I could probably just keep going on and on and on....
P.S. I've emailed Mr. Scott twice, but no response yet...
Ward F. Ward
