MORE ON DIVING TECHNIQUE
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One of the most commonly asked questions is, "How do you get back in the kayak (with all that gear on)?" The truth is, it's actually easier than you might think, especially with fins on. The main thing that many people seem to miss is that we don't attempt to reenter the kayak with the tank still strapped to our backs! The tank assembly is left floating on a tether toward the stern of the kayak.
The picture sequence below illustrates the most common technique for making a deepwater reentry. Grab the gunwale with both hands. Kick out a bit until your entire body is very near the surface of the water. With one last kick, push yourself up a bit and pull the kayak underneath you until you are laying across the center of the kayak. Roll over onto your back and release your weightbelt.
The only other technique (I know) that you MIGHT be able to pull off is what might be called a 'seal hop' reentry. You start somewhat below the kayak and kick straight up with enough force that, with the added help of lifting yourself with your hands on the gunwale, you are able to get high enough to turn and set your butt or thigh over the side of the boat. It's really a FUN way to reenter but you will find that some attempts will fail. Still fun!!!
Exiting the kayak is as easy as falling off, although you will be wanting to NOT take the kayak over with you! A hand on the opposite side while you hop off can help. Some of the divers in our group will don their tank while still aboard the kayak. I prefer to put mine on in the water, with the possible exceptions of diving in really fast currents and perhaps on a really dark night. A fast current at night would be the ultimate time to be well rehearsed at donning the tank before hopping off into the water. It would be helpful to practice both methods in ideal conditions first!
Recently, I have been getting the highest number of emails from kayak divers in Hawaii. That's really great to hear because Hawaii is not often billed as one of the ultimate places to go for divng. Now I'm starting to think that is only because there are only a limited number of places that the charter boats like to go, and as one writer stated (in so many words), those few places are dove (dived?) out. The kayak is opening up hundreds, if not thousands, of near shore dive sites in Hawaii and outer islands to the adventurous and knowledgable diver.
One thing that I hear over and over again is how tough (and dangerous) the ripping currents make the sport of kayak diving in many areas. Often, these are the same areas that offer the very best (and world class) diving. Some are on the windward sides that have very deep dropoffs just a few hundres yards from shore.
There are a couple of things one can do to make diving in such
conditions easier and safer. 1. Dive near shore and have an alternate exit point that you can make as a swimmer in case you can't make it back to your anchored kayak. 2. Learn how to don your tank while still sitting aboard your kayak. 3. Consider drift diving as opposed to anchored diving.
(1) The volcanic, wave beaten coast of Hawaii is often forboding to approach as a swimmer. Yet, I sometimes hear of divers getting too far down current to make it back to their boat or kayak. With the warmer water and mostly near shore diving that is being done, many who find themselves in this predicament can drift along until they find a suitable place to head for shore. Then, they hike back up 'till they are far enough upcurrent from their boat and swim out to reboard it. Swift currents heading offshore will spell catastrophe for these divers!
(2) Most kayak divers will don their tank in the water even under the roughest conditions, yet a few in our group will don the tank aboard the kayak in all conditions. If you are drift diving, either way is quite easy, as the relative motion is zero as you drift along with the current. The real problem is when your kayak is anchored. A lot of divers look up after donning their tank to find that they have been swept away from it too far to make it back, especially on the surface. In a light current you can simply kick into the current all the while you are getting the tank on. In a swift current, you need to hold onto something while you are donning the tank and it can really be as hard as it sounds! I have straddled my pole-spear of which the bands were tethered to the kayak while donning my tank. These are the ultimate conditions in which to have become proficient at donning the tank while still aboard the kayak, and it is very helpful to practice this in ideal conditions first. Once in the water, pull yourself down the anchor line and do your entire dive WELL upcurrent from your dive boat/kayak. Also, consider trailing a 200 foot safety line behind your boat with a tall flag on the float to ensure you can find it before being swept past in case you aren't able to ascend on your anchor for one reason or the other.
(3) Most often, drift, or tethered diving is the way to go in fast moving currents. The biggest exception to this is when diving in kelp (not a problem in Hawaii!) that would quickly entangle your tether line. The trick is to paddle far enough upcurrent to allow time for gearing up before entering the water over the intended dive area. You won't notice the current as you float along on the surface next to your kayak, but, once at the bottom, you may find that you are being pulled along pretty quickly. I like to put a large hook at the end of my tether line that I can use to hook off and hold the kayak while I explore a specific area or snap pictures. An old spear shaft bent into a V with the ends turned down into a claw works well for this. A small grappling type anchor is also quite popular for this purpose. Use plenty of line for the tether, at least two or three times the depth you'll be diving. Be sure not to turn lose of your tether if the surface current is considerably faster than the bottom current. If you do loose it to have your hook whisked away from you, head for the surface where you will be moving along with the kayak and will only have to swim the distance to the kayak with relative ease. Another trick is to have a small loop halfway up the tether on which the hook can be held while you surface the remaining way to the kayak. This will keep you from becoming entangled in the loose coils of the line as you near the surface.
These are some of the finer points of swift current diving. I hope they will help make you a lot more comfortable with the idea of diving in such conditions!
I read one divers report of how he had to abort his dive when he couldn't stop his inflator valve from leaking air into his BC. I offered the following advice to him:
Here's a tip for you (that, again you probably know, but most won't think of it at the time). Next time your inflator is leaking into your BC, simply disconnect the inflator hose. I've had to do it when my inflator became stuck wide open at depth. Quick reaction kept me from having to make an uncontrolled ascent from 70 feet! Like you, I came from the diving days when all BC (pilots May-West (horse-collar)) inflation was done by mouth, so disconnecting my power-inflator did not concern me at all (like it would most recent comers to the sport).
An avid Canadian diver recently wrote:
I live In New Brunswick Canada. I am 23 year old NAUI certified open
water II and rescue diver and have been diving for 8 years. I have over
200 dives loged and I am looking for other fun way's to dive. I read the
info on Kayak Diving on your web page and it sounds like a lot of fun.
Recently I have been doing more and more shore diving so kayak diving
would be a good way for me to access sites that are further out from
shore. I don't know of anyone that does kayak diving in my area but I am
still thinking of starting out.
The surf isn't a problem in the area I dive in but the current is. Most
of the time the current is very strong. It would be almost impossible
for me to return to an anchored Kayak. Did you ever drift dive with the
kayak attatched to you on the surface this is the only altenative I can
think of for my diving situation. Would this be a safe condition or am I
better off to stay with shore diving.
Is Canada considered overseas in your pricing index? Thanks! -Mark C.
This was how I responded to Mark:
Greetings Mark,
Tethered kayak diving, sometimes called drift diving, is a great way to go when there's a strong current. Just be aware of all obstacles, surface and below, that might catch your kayak or tether line, and be aware of the distance and direction you are traveling. If the current is nearly the same at depth as on the surface you'll hardly feel the pull of your kayak on the line at all. If the current is diminished on the bottom, you might still want to give anchored kayak diving a go. Use plenty of chain (10-20 feet) and let out extra rope (4-5 feet for every foot of depth). Also, trail a safety line and float of at least 200 feet in length behind your kayak. Be sure to put a tall flag and maybe even a cow bell on the float so you can find it quickly. Then, most importantly, anchor at the most down-current extent of your planned dive area, descend on the anchor line and check its placement, and, finally, complete your entire dive up-current from the anchor.
You'll love having your surface support craft so near-by when you're far off-shore. All your gear is in an arms reach. And the kayak provides a place to rest between multiple tank dives (we often take 2 or 3 out).
All this (and everything else) is covered quite thoroughly in my book. Air-mail, priority shipping to your neck of the woods is $4.07, lets just call it $4. Total: $23.60.
Thanks for your interest, Mark. With your diving frequency, I know you are absolutely going to love kayak diving! Stay in touch occasionally and let me know how it's going out (up) there. You never know, it might just catch on and you'll quickly find yourself being joined by other enthusiastic kayak divers on your dive outings. The social aspect of kayak diving is one of the nice things about the sport too!
SEASICKNESS... I'm sneaking this in here 'cause I don't know where else to put it!
I don't get seasick, so I cannot claim what I have heard from many of my friends as personal fact. They claim, and I have seen on a few occasions, that Marezine is one of the few sea-sickness medications that can actually help "after the fact", where many of the others can make the sea-sickness you already have even worse.
I'm guessing that most of the major types will work well if they are taken correctly -most often they are not! I always suggest one pill at night before retiring to bed, then one more soon after you wake up but at least 1 hour before you even board the boat. Don't take any more after that!
Sea-sickness occurs when what you see does not agree with what you feel in your inner ear. There are three good ways to combat sea-sickness. The first one is a mental state of mind. Keep telling yourself, "the boat is supposed to rock and it's fun to rock, even disappointing when it doesn't". The second is a good preventative - simply keeping your attention outside of the confines of the boat. Look at the horizon, nearby landmasses, or other boats, but never concentrate on the happenings within your boat for more than a few seconds. Fresh air and eating right helps too. The third is a last ditch effort to survive a bad case of sea-sickness, but may not be practical on a kayak. Besides throwing up, try laying down and closing your eyes for a while. If you can't see, what you see can't conflict with what you feel in your inner ears.