what do i need? freediving gear~

[XyseR]

i'm planing a some what freedivng trip this summer or whenever.. to crater lake, which is 1,932 feet deep and super crystal clare.

http://www.crater.lake.national-park.com/hike.htm

. the lake it self vary from 32° to 65°F water temp. i know i'll need a full wetsuit, but what brand/type is better? masks,flippers,ect? i'd like to get pretty good stuff, but i'd like to keep the total package below $400-500?? ... i dunno if that's possible? don't really know any thing about the market.. and i'd like stuff that lasts too.
((i just looked at some wetsuits and then go for like $300+ lol... so i bumped up my price range like $100))

the real stuff:

is there anyone would might want to come?? if so please reply!
there is a scuba club or something so i might go with themm.. well freedive that is.. it will be my frist dive, and i'm sure they'll have some safty proctions. i'm not planing on going like 20 feet or deeper... if i happen to go when there isn't a group up there...

should i just like swim/dive like 5ft or something? i've heard diving alone is dangerous and like some people dive a lone i think, but they're "advanced' i belive. for me when i swim underwater i know what my "limit" is but shallow water black outs could happens still..i dunno i think i need to find more info about this place.

well if you can help a little or a lot, it's still

 

[XyseR]

it's still apritiated* haha forgot to type that

 

[island_sands]

XyseR

Good stuff. Lordy, your spell checker seems a little faulty rofl

There is a thread on what gear everyone is using...

Never dive alone mate! ask Crystal Clare to go with you she sound nice

Seriously dont do it alone.. especially such clear water is always an incentive to go a little deeper

Tell us more about this crater, sounds interesting.

 

[XyseR]

lmao.. my spellchecker was me! haha, i was too lazy to check it, but whatever. thanks for that link thingy i'll look into it. damn, bell just rang, i gotta jet!

 

[lungfish]

Crater Lake, huh? Hmmmmm


Your first dive? And you are 16years old? Hey, now you need to be real careful about what you are planning to do. A 20ft bounce is a very simple task to somebody who knows how and even a beginner could do it with "normal" gear if he were coached. When I say "normal" I mean that you could use a pair of Mares Plano fins rather than freediving blades however, cost-wise, plastic freediving fins aren't much more expensive.

As has been said, don't go alone. Don't even try to begin freediving by yourself, there is a lot to learn to do it safely. If you are Stateside you might look into the Performance Freediving training courses. They are really good, I learned from them as have many others. There were people in our group that made it to 100ft in their first class. Just like skiing, why learn the hard way when somebody can teach you what you need to know and save you the wasted time and dangerous undertakings?

Why not continue stacking your bucks and make it to a course on Kona? Airfare from SFO can be as low as 299$ (It was 217$ for a couple weeks in Nov). The course itself is $500. Often you can find others who are attending and split hotel or room costs. In fact, I will probably lease a house on HI, probably the Kona side, in the next couple of months and will be welcoming freedivers whenever they want to come and swim. So there are options. Do it right, guy, and you will thank yourself for it.

A freediver might use this gear set:
5mm Suit (freedive suit) I tried the new Performance Freediving 5mm suit while in BC last August and it was toasty.....but maybe a 7mm would be better but it would be too much in warmer water if you wanted to use it again. www.performancefreediving.com price is good.

gloves, booties
Probably around 10lbs of lead and a belt 45$

You can get a 200$ Omer Millenium Package at Spearfishinggear.com that includes an Omer Alien Mask, Snorkel, Fins and booties....

 

[aesop]

i got this article from the United States Masters Swimming website.........sorry to break it to ya

Yes, you can actually swim in the lake. I learned this from a Park Ranger atop Mt. Scott, the highest point on the Crater rim. She said if you get in, you must stay by the boat dock at Cleetwood Cove. And yes, it is darn cold. The very top few inches reach 61 degrees but it is much colder below the surface. The few brave souls that get in do so to cool off quickly on hot days, not to actually swim.


The boat docks around there may be very cool, might find some treasure. People drop stuff in the water at boat docks all the time. It would still be dangerous to go alone, so do some research before you go. I live in Oregons Willamette Valley and I don't wanna see you in the news. Have fun and be SAFE!