jcaplins
Contributor
I've wondered about using a sea kayak as a dive platform... because I have one and wanted to try it.
So I conducted a test to sea if the sea kayak could be used, even if not an ideal craft for the task.
short story: Absolutely horrible idea.
Longer story:
I did a shore dive from my Prijon Seayak, towing my BC and tank (wing fully inflated). Dive site was about 500 yards offshore. The drysuit and undergarments made sitting in the cockpit very tight; I was not able to have anything in the pockets or wear a weight belt. My feet had fallen asleep and were numb by the time I got to the site.
Paddling was very tiring. Range of motion was limited from wearing a drysuit and the tight cockpit so a proper paddling motion using core muscles was not possible, so I was just using my arms. Kayaks like to glide when paddled, having the tank and bc being towed was like like pulling against an anchor.
If you don't know how to get back in a kayak with waves and swells and not being able to touching the bottom, this could be a major problem. I have no problem getting back into a kayak, but it was easier to swim back to shore towing the kayak.
The only way, I can see, a sea kayak could be useful for diving would be to store all dive gear in the hatches, paddle to the closed land of the remote dive site, suit up and do a shore dive from there. (I may still try this)
So I conducted a test to sea if the sea kayak could be used, even if not an ideal craft for the task.
short story: Absolutely horrible idea.
Longer story:
I did a shore dive from my Prijon Seayak, towing my BC and tank (wing fully inflated). Dive site was about 500 yards offshore. The drysuit and undergarments made sitting in the cockpit very tight; I was not able to have anything in the pockets or wear a weight belt. My feet had fallen asleep and were numb by the time I got to the site.
Paddling was very tiring. Range of motion was limited from wearing a drysuit and the tight cockpit so a proper paddling motion using core muscles was not possible, so I was just using my arms. Kayaks like to glide when paddled, having the tank and bc being towed was like like pulling against an anchor.
If you don't know how to get back in a kayak with waves and swells and not being able to touching the bottom, this could be a major problem. I have no problem getting back into a kayak, but it was easier to swim back to shore towing the kayak.
The only way, I can see, a sea kayak could be useful for diving would be to store all dive gear in the hatches, paddle to the closed land of the remote dive site, suit up and do a shore dive from there. (I may still try this)