Perks of my job!

[Charles Leeuwenburg]

One of the perks of my job is having access to some very nice underwater locations unknown to the sport diving community. Shipping facilities located near the ocean always attract a lot of sea life. After performing an underwater damage survey on a customer's wharf this afternoon, I doffed the heavy gear and donned the snorkel and long fins, spearing this nice Sheepshead on a 35-foot freedive. The old man's still got it and besides, "Give someone a fish and you feed them for a meal but teach them to fish and you feed them for life."

 

[harrychamas]

nice fish mate, youv still got it for sure.
I'm not sure if you know or not that freediving after scuba diving has DCS risk's and isnt recommended. i'm not one to tell a man how to live his life but you should be aware of that.
Peace!

 

[Charles Leeuwenburg]

Hasn't bothered me in the last 40 years but who knows, maybe I'm just a lucky cuss!

 

[Sergeyvladivostok]

For anyone who read this - don't do the same! Freediving after scuba - worst thing what you can do. Doing this you will compromise whole freediving community! And with all respect - speaking about it you make others think that it is not big deal and they can do the same.
Stay safe!

 

[Charles Leeuwenburg]

And if I want your opinion, I'll give it to you.

 

[growingupninja]

There is not much hard evidence that freediving after scuba leads to dcs, although our knowledge of physics and dive physiology makes it appear more likely. Actual risk would depend on both the scuba profile and the freedive profile...

If the OP was hunting at 35' the additional risk would be really low in my opinion...

 

[Sergeyvladivostok]

There is not much hard evidence that freediving after scuba leads to dcs, although our knowledge of physics and dive physiology makes it appear more likely. Actual risk would depend on both the scuba profile and the freedive profile...

If the OP was hunting at 35' the additional risk would be really low in my opinion...

Can you explain how you calculate the risk in this case? Most of the knowledge about DCS based on theory, not on "hard evidence". And despite the fact that it depends on profiles, how you are going to calculate it?

 

[harrychamas]

There is not much hard evidence that freediving after scuba leads to dcs, although our knowledge of physics and dive physiology makes it appear more likely. Actual risk would depend on both the scuba profile and the freedive profile...

If the OP was hunting at 35' the additional risk would be really low in my opinion...

I cant say i agree
DCS is a risk for spear-fishermen even without doing scuba first, even at 35' if you are doing long hangs and repetitive diving.
Freedivers are supposed to breath O2 at depth for any dive deeper than 60m.
and there are minimum surface interval recommendations for freedivers/spearfishermen to reduce the risk of DCS.
So since it is well established that there is a inherent DCS risk, that risk is only going to be greatly increased and harder to measure/control after a recreational dive not to mention a commercial dive.
Personally i dive and freedive regularly but only freedive once my no fly time is up - i would feel like a idiot if i got DCS, not to mention the possible physical harm. for me it's just not worth it.

 

[growingupninja]

I am not much a tank diver but I am quite sure 35' is low risk even by recreational SCUBA standards unless the diver is predisposed to DCS. As far as freediving/spearing--even variable weight harvesting--I have never heard of anyone getting bent from any number of 35' dives.

To each his own...

 

[harrychamas]

I am not much a tank diver but I am quite sure 35' is low risk even by recreational SCUBA standards unless the diver is predisposed to DCS. As far as freediving/spearing--even variable weight harvesting--I have never heard of anyone getting bent from any number of 35' dives.

To each his own...

In this case there was no depth or bottom time mentioned for the scuba dive so we can’t say what sort of nitrogen levels will be in the body. i see Charles is a commercial diver so who knows what sort of nitrogen levels he will have before freediving. for instance even a 35' dive for a long enough time will leave him with double the nitrogen within his tissues than a freediver who hasn’t done scuba beforehand. Then maybe a number of 35' freedives can become a risk, maybe it will be fine but its just not the type of gamble i enjoy.

its the combo that is dangerous even if both activities alone would be totaly fine.

Charles i'm not preaching to you right now, i'm just talking about the theory of the risks involved. i love riding a motorbike without a helmet and free climbing, each man is free to risk his own life in whatever way he chooses in my book - so long as he understands the consequence’s of a fuck up.

 

[Sergeyvladivostok]

I am not much a tank diver but I am quite sure 35' is low risk even by recreational SCUBA standards unless the diver is predisposed to DCS. As far as freediving/spearing--even variable weight harvesting--I have never heard of anyone getting bent from any number of 35' dives.

To each his own...

DCS not only about depth it is also about ascend speed. I do agree that 11 meters is not that deep, but ascending fast from this depth is also risky for scuba.
In this case freediving was after scuba (depth? diving time?) and it means that there is excessive nitrogen in the body.

 

[growingupninja]

DCS not only about depth it is also about ascend speed. I do agree that 11 meters is not that deep, but ascending fast from this depth is also risky for scuba.
In this case freediving was after scuba (depth? diving time?) and it means that there is excessive nitrogen in the body.

It is not part of the 'canon' in any freediving courses or Freediving 101 wisdom that gets passed around but in the experience of freedivers who dive aggressively enough to get DCS from freediving, ascent speed matters as much or more than surface interval. These are typically repeated dives to 25M+ though, or fewer but significantly deeper drops.

 

[Sergeyvladivostok]

It is not part of the 'canon' in any freediving courses or Freediving 101 wisdom that gets passed around but in the experience of freedivers who dive aggressively enough to get DCS from freediving, ascent speed matters as much or more than surface interval. These are typically repeated dives to 25M+ though, or fewer but significantly deeper drops.

If you do scuba diving you become scuba divers until all executive nitrogen come out from your body. So, there is no need to refer to any freediving experience or freediving wisdom. And if do scuba diving you should ascent slow than 18 meters per minute. Simple as that.

 

[Sergeyvladivostok]

If you do scuba diving you become scuba divers until all executive nitrogen come out from your body. So, there is no need to refer to any freediving experience or freediving wisdom. And if do scuba diving you should ascent slow than 18 meters per minute. Simple as that.

*excessive nitrogen