Open or closed muzzle

[Bill McIntyre]

Here is a photo to illustrate. The wishbone of the first band is on the rear of three fins. This band isn't loaded since I'm afraid to do that out of the water. It would be thinner if stretched, but the two side would be pulled tight against each other. See how it would be hard to get to the two front fins with the band already loaded on the rear fin. It would help if you had a very long wishbone, but I think even a long wishbone would keep you from getting wishbones of subsequent bands down to a slot in the shaft.

 

[Bellboy7]

If you load the first band to the rear notch or fin then the front notch or fin will be buried under that band and you will have a very hard time getting the wishbone of the second band down to it. It there is a tall front fin you might have a chance, but its a notch in the shaft then I think its almost impossible to get the wishbone down through the first band to the slot.

yeah thanks bill, in nz we have a spearfishing shop called oceanhunter.co.nz i went to try on some ruku fins and while i was there the shop owner showed me how to load my RA,AND SAME AS U SAID,,, cheers for sharing ur wise words mates, u guys are so helpful on here i wish u lived in nz so i could go spearfishing with u guys,
So i tried on a few different foot pockets, mares felt so uncomfortable, ruku pockets were nice just a bit hard on the top of my foot, BEUCHAT were beautiful, like putting on a pair of slipper so i got ruku seaweed green blades put into beuchat foot pocket, they had to be sent away to be glued, BUT ALLGOOD, i cant wait to try them, hopefully this weekend, fingers

 

[Mr. X]

Do you have long thin feet or broad stocky feet? Some claim Beuchats suit the former but I have the latter and have happily used them for more than a dozen years. I.e. they seem to suit many/most(/all?) Feet.

I think part of the above myth came about because some say your toes should show through the hole at the front of the footpocket. That is a spurious, arbitrary assertion IMHO. It is of no consequence if the fins are comfortable and fit well.

Omersub footpocket are well regarded too.

BTW I did not need to use any glue to replace my blade, just 2 screws and 2 clips. But perhaps your blades require more (carbon/ fibreglass?).

 

[Bill McIntyre]

FWIW, my Moana carbon fiber blades had to be glued into my Pathos foot pockets.

 

[Bellboy7]

FWIW, my Moana carbon fiber blades had to be glued into my Pathos foot pockets.

Bill ur opinion is always greatly appreciated, lol, mr x my feet are usually a 9.5 but i have a high arch, i think u could just see my toes in a 43/44 but man the beuchats were so comfortable i could hardly tell they were on, worth the extra $50, i guess as long as everyone's super comfortable in there fins thats all that matters,

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I wasn’t critiquing your choice of fins. Mr X said his fins didn’t need glue and I simply pointing out that some do.

 

[Bellboy7]

I wasn’t critiquing your choice of fins. Mr X said his fins didn’t need glue and I simply pointing out that some do.

• I know, bill, i never said u were critiquing, u said fwiw for whats its worth and i was simply saying THAT UR opinion is greatly appreciated, and thanks for sharing ur wise words, u cant beat experience BILL, MY EARS ARE TUNNED in to anything u have to share mate, ill soak it up like a sponge, so please share share share, nothing but respect here, u too mr x, thanks very greatful

 

[Bellboy7]

• I know, bill, i never said u were critiquing, u said fwiw for whats its worth and i was simply saying THAT UR opinion is greatly appreciated, and thanks for sharing ur wise words, u cant beat experience BILL, MY EARS ARE TUNNED in to anything u have to share mate, ill soak it up like a sponge, so please share share share, nothing but respect here, u too mr x, thanks very greatful

Can i ask what ur guys, breath up routine is at the surface before each dive???, ive been doing apnea tables to strenghten my breath hold times, i can comfortably do 2.30min static and ive done on 3 separate occasionsaa 3 min breath hold at my ultimate pushing it to max in my room on my lazy boy, but cant always make it, id like to eventually be able to do that CONSTANTLY, , HOW DEEP CAN U DIVE AND HUNT ON 2.30 min breath hold????, whats ur guys average dive tine

 

[Mr. X]

The freediving area of the forum is the place to research breath training and breathing up.

I deliberately don't train breath hold. I dive alone so depend on my body's natural defences. I don't wear a dive computer but down times vary a lot, both within each dive and throughout the season. The first couple of dives are usually quite short but get longer the longer I dive for. Similar down times improve over the season. This isn't something I am particularly conscious of, I only became aware of it because others commented on it. I don't push it, it isn't hard, it's more like I relax into it. Getting longer down times towards the end of the season actually feels effortless compared to shorter dives early in the season.

As for breathing up, when I think about it, I lay face down at the surface and breath through my snorkel. I try to relax. Then, when I feel relaxed, I take 4 slow, only moderately deep, relaxed breaths and hold the last one. I am not trying to capture a lot of oxygen, instead I am trying to be relaxed; that seems to work better for me. Later in the season, or towards the end of a week of diving, I don't need to think about it and just "go with the flow", there is like a smooth rhythm to the whole swim/rest/dive thing, which in itself is relaxing and probably helps.

I'm not advocating this approach, it's just what I do.

 

[Bellboy7]

Thanks mr x, so roughly how long do u hold ur breath and how deep do u dive??

 

[Andrew the fish]

Bellboy, we have beaten this topic to death in one other thread. Mr X said it again, he (we , a lot of us) do not train for time or depth. This way we are never chasing the numbers, and they (numbers) have no meaning anyway. Aside form numbers being useless, there is no fish "to die for" either. To put it into the right perspective, the fishing spot where I spearfish has taken a few lives already.

Since you asked twice, I will give you the rough figures. I am not sure I can word it correctly to get the message across. Most new freedivers get rather quickly, within a year of training, to about 2 minutes dive times, and to about 30 meter depth. You will get there when you are ready, without having to push boundaries of safety, so there is no point in trying to get there with deliberate effort.

Apnea tables teach you how to defeat your body's built-in safety margin. They are developed for competitive freedivers who dive in controlled environment, with safety divers all around, crystal clear piss-warm waters, and they still manage to die on occasion.

Ok, my last try and then I will shut up. Tell me, how much you enjoyed doing breath hold tables in your lazybody chair? Was it fun? Pleasure? Or was it nothing but pain. Imagine that you will get better at breath hold diving while doing enjoyable, easy breath hold diving. In the water. With spear gun.

 

[sharkey]

Bellboy, we have beaten this topic to death in one other thread. Mr X said it again, he (we , a lot of us) do not train for time or depth. This way we are never chasing the numbers, and they (numbers) have no meaning anyway. Aside form numbers being useless, there is no fish "to die for" either. To put it into the right perspective, the fishing spot where I spearfish has taken a few lives already.

Since you asked twice, I will give you the rough figures. I am not sure I can word it correctly to get the message across. Most new freedivers get rather quickly, within a year of training, to about 2 minutes dive times, and to about 30 meter depth. You will get there when you are ready, without having to push boundaries of safety, so there is no point in trying to get there with deliberate effort.

Apnea tables teach you how to defeat your body's built-in safety margin. They are developed for competitive freedivers who dive in controlled environment, with safety divers all around, crystal clear piss-warm waters, and they still manage to die on occasion.

Ok, my last try and then I will shut up. Tell me, how much you enjoyed doing breath hold tables in your lazybody chair? Was it fun? Pleasure? Or was it nothing but pain. Imagine that you will get better at breath hold diving while doing enjoyable, easy breath hold diving. In the water. With spear gun.

Great post. Freediving & spearfishing arent as compatible as those free diving instructors who try to sell their courses to spearos claim. Instructors who teach spearos how to bypass their bodies warning system are walking a thin line & Idont expect it will be too long before we see one charged & facing civil cases due to the death of a past student. No amount of the great safety & rescue content in most courses can undue the danger of teaching & encouraging those practices to spearos. I certainly recommend spearfishing courses, but never freediving courses to spearos & I also keep note of freediving instructors who teach & promote dangerous practices to students they know are most likely going to use it whilst spearfishing.

 

[Bellboy7]

Wow ok i get it, Thanks, ill just dive, sorry for being interested in ur guys routines, depths u dive and dive times, ILL JUST DIVE, APPREACIATE ALL UR ADVICE AND TIPS, VERY GREATFUL

 

[Bellboy7]

And for argument
Sake i enjoy my static breath tables, i dont push it, have slowly gone from 1.30min to 2.30 comfortable, i just brought a suunto D4F free dive computer, so i can start doing underwater apnea training,and also to keep an eye on my depths and time while spearfishing, PLUS, automatic REBREATH UP countdown timer,, SAFTY IS PRIORITY, CAN ENJOY LIFE, AND SPEARFISHING IF UR DEAD,,,, PEACE OUT, anorobics and building up ur lung capacity, training ur body can only be productive

 

[Bellboy7]

U cant enjoy life and freediving if ur dead, a sprinter trains his muscles, so it only makes sence to train ur lung capacity and relaxation,

 

[sharkey]

You are not just "being interested" you are being disrespectful to the several gentle nudges you have received from well established members of this forum. If you want to discuss freediving & not spearfishing its pretty simple, just head up to the forums above the spearfishing ones. Most of us who have been around a bit are haunted by the ghosts of old mates, we arent being nasty we are just being responsible & thoughtful in regards to your safety & others who may be reading this also.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Bellboy, it still doesn't sound like you get it. You're just spouting some phrases about safety to appease us and make it sound as if you are listening to what these guys are trying to tell you. The only thing you've said that gives me comfort is that you have a dive computer. I feel naked without mine. But I seldom look at it underwater. The most important function is measuring surface interval, and that should be at least twice the length of your dives.

 

[Mr. X]

Interesting to hear how you use your dive computer Bill.

Training relaxation makes sense to me. I did some yoga classes years ago - wish I could do them here, now. It helps eliminate muscle tension and soreness and you learn to relax and experience deep relaxation, calm. I would think meditation/mindfulness techniques could also help with relaxation. A good diving session, for me, is not unlike a good yoga session

 

[Bellboy7]

Interesting to hear how you use your dive computer Bill.

Training relaxation makes sense to me. I did some yoga classes years ago - wish I could do them here, now. It helps eliminate muscle tension and soreness and you learn to relax and experience deep relaxation, calm. I would think meditation/mindfulness techniques could also help with relaxation. A good diving session, for me, is not unlike a good yoga session

Sorry sharkey, bill and mr x i didnt mean to disrespect any of u, I GET IT, SHALLOW WATER BLACKOUT IS REAL,,, BILL MY SUUNTO D4f automatically calculates surface breath time and starts a countdown as soon as u surface, to make sure u have enough breathe time before u dive again, yes surface time usually Twice botom time,just thought it would help if im gonna become a serious spearfisherman, i live coromandel nz, beside the sea, great diving, KINGFISH SEASON is just on the verge of starting starting, fishing has mean awesome with schools of snapper coming to the surface, IM A COUPLE WEEKS AWAY FROM MY FIRST SPEARFISHING HUNT, woohoo i cant wait will post up pics, just put a ladder on me boat, next week i go pick up my RA, SNAPPER 120CM 2X14MM BANDS, a rob allen 12L float, line and flag and , AND MY EPSEALON LEBRAX 5MM SUIT, just in time for my birthday which is on the 11th of april, just need a knife and a good torch for crayfish,,,, ive been running 3 days a week, stretching and yoga 3times a week and a rest day, WILL PROB GO DO A SPEARFISHING COURSE to learn how to rescue someone who shallow water blackouts, ANYTHING IVE MISSED PLEASE TELL ME AS , im serious about being a great spearfisherman not just an ok one, lol cheers guys stu

 

[Mr. X]

I can sense your excitement! This is the time of year that UK spearos start looking forward to diving again too. If conditions allow, some will start diving before Easter but it's still a bit too early for me.

Enjoy yourself, don't push it, esp. when hunting cray/lobster/crab (seems like freedivers regularly die hunting cray/lobster when the season starts in Florida). Be safe and sensible