Getting started with minimalist diving
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Is that picture on front of Capt Don's Habitat in Bonaire?
Nice picture
You ought to fix that gas leak...
or was it the rental tank?
Do you travel with scooters to the Caribbean?
Thanks for the pictures.
Nice picture
You ought to fix that gas leak...
or was it the rental tank?
Do you travel with scooters to the Caribbean?
Thanks for the pictures.
I havent actually tested it yet, but I would guess that when I dive with my 17mm (7mm + 7mm + 3mm hooded vest) of neoprene around my core I would loose close to that if I ever go down to 60 or 90ft. When ever I do any deep diving up here I use a drysuit so I havent checked the compression of my wet suit, but I do know that it changes a lot during most of our dives (In the 20 to 40 ft range).
Good pick, Luis! Sure, enough, Bonaire! I'll pass on your compliments to Janet for the picture.
Yep - a rental tank. <shrugs> What can ya do?
It's a PITA traveling, but we do take our scooters everywhere....
Endless Scooter 2
The last place was the Red Sea. Dragging our scooters was totally worth it.
All the best, James
Yep - a rental tank. <shrugs> What can ya do?
It's a PITA traveling, but we do take our scooters everywhere....
Endless Scooter 2
The last place was the Red Sea. Dragging our scooters was totally worth it.
All the best, James
Since this is in the vintage section let's look at a vintage tutorial. This is the guide I used when learning to dive vintage. At least to get me started during my 3 month pool sessions.
At one point I went as far as to Don all my gear and tank with 500psi. I then took a pony bottle down with me. I set the pony on the bottom of the pool and breathed off of it while adjusting my weight. That nalied it! I did that with all my suits ad gear it took three months but I documented each dive and now have a database for the future.
At one point I went as far as to Don all my gear and tank with 500psi. I then took a pony bottle down with me. I set the pony on the bottom of the pool and breathed off of it while adjusting my weight. That nalied it! I did that with all my suits ad gear it took three months but I documented each dive and now have a database for the future.
captain
Contributor
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
Since this is in the vintage section let's look at a vintage tutorial. This is the guide I used when learning to dive vintage. At least to get me started during my 3 month pool sessions.
At one point I went as far as to Don all my gear and tank with 500psi. I then took a pony bottle down with me. I set the pony on the bottom of the pool and breathed off of it while adjusting my weight. That nalied it! I did that with all my suits ad gear it took three months but I documented each dive and now have a database for the future.
Hey look, she's wearing a freedom plate!
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
Finally, a post I can get my teeth into, something nutritious!
I just did a full vintage dive last Sunday with my brand new rebuilt DA Aquamaster, no BC, no SPG, just a 72 with a J valve. It was beautiful!
Here's what I've learned over the course of a few years with my adventures to minimalist diving:
I freedive quite a bit for abalone up here on the North Coast of California. With freediving I learned all about weighting and at what depths I break neutral with what suit, etc. Skin diving (freediving) has really been my teacher and has been the gateway to my minimalist diving. Modern scuba instruction follows a much more gearcentric approach and leaves out much of the watermanship and water dynamics/thinking needed for minimalist diving. So in other words modern scuba instruction tends to teach more elevator diving, while people who come from a freediving/skindiving background tend to understand how no BC diving works just because of the core dynamics of diving scuba equipment free. But if you don't have a skin diving background don't fret, minimalism is a snap to pick up if you have decent water skills and are comfortable in the water.
With all that said here's what I went through.
A quick note: Water temps where I dive range from the mid 40's to the low 50's year around. The thinnest suit I wear is a 7mm two piece. All three of my suits are beavertail cut with attached hoods.
When I dialed my weighting in for freediving I was buoyant on the surface and had to fight my way down for the first 20 feet or so (depended somewhat on where I was diving and what depths I planned on doing the hunting) The deep stuff I would weight light and the shallower stuff I would add a little but I was never heavy.
Diving the same methods with a tank as when freediving is the goal. I subtracted enough weight off my belt to allow for the added weight of the scuba unit while keeping the same exact amount of overall balast. Then I tip down and fight for the first 15-20 feet just like freediving except I can breath underwater. I glide around just like freediving. For me there are some depth restrictions just because of the nature of my exposure protection. To buffer this I ordered a custom wetsuit made out of some really dense material that resists crushing, but the drawback with that is it's tough to move around in. I had to start working out again just to be able to handle using that stiff suit. Underweater it get's better and eases up a bit but it's still a chore.
I did many many weight checks and kept my first many dives shallow to 25-30 feet untill I got weighting and skills dialed in. Then once I had a handle on that and knew what to expect I proceeded to go a little deeper and further.
Anyplace would be an easier place to dive minimalist than where I dive. So if I can do it here successfully, you can easily do it in FL.
I forgot to mention about my 1/2" urchin suit. Urchin divers will routinely dive to 60-70 feet on a hookah and load bags and bags of urchins on and off all day in 46 degree water. They don't use any BC, just a weightbelt, mask, fins, their rake, and an urchin bag. They get darn heavy wearing those super thick suits and to get up they have to pull themselves hand over hand by the hookah line back up to a depth that they can break neutral again and do a little offgassing, it's brutal!!
Even if I was diving warm water I would probably wear a 3 mil just for surface floatation. But you won't have the problem of getting heavy when you go deep like I do. I would weight myself so you have to fight slightly to get down but can float around on the surface comfortably and snorkel out to your drop area.
And remember, if you get into trouble just dump your belt and make your way to the top.
Man I can't wait to dive minimalist in warm water with my DA!
I just did a full vintage dive last Sunday with my brand new rebuilt DA Aquamaster, no BC, no SPG, just a 72 with a J valve. It was beautiful!
Here's what I've learned over the course of a few years with my adventures to minimalist diving:
I freedive quite a bit for abalone up here on the North Coast of California. With freediving I learned all about weighting and at what depths I break neutral with what suit, etc. Skin diving (freediving) has really been my teacher and has been the gateway to my minimalist diving. Modern scuba instruction follows a much more gearcentric approach and leaves out much of the watermanship and water dynamics/thinking needed for minimalist diving. So in other words modern scuba instruction tends to teach more elevator diving, while people who come from a freediving/skindiving background tend to understand how no BC diving works just because of the core dynamics of diving scuba equipment free. But if you don't have a skin diving background don't fret, minimalism is a snap to pick up if you have decent water skills and are comfortable in the water.
With all that said here's what I went through.
A quick note: Water temps where I dive range from the mid 40's to the low 50's year around. The thinnest suit I wear is a 7mm two piece. All three of my suits are beavertail cut with attached hoods.
When I dialed my weighting in for freediving I was buoyant on the surface and had to fight my way down for the first 20 feet or so (depended somewhat on where I was diving and what depths I planned on doing the hunting) The deep stuff I would weight light and the shallower stuff I would add a little but I was never heavy.
Diving the same methods with a tank as when freediving is the goal. I subtracted enough weight off my belt to allow for the added weight of the scuba unit while keeping the same exact amount of overall balast. Then I tip down and fight for the first 15-20 feet just like freediving except I can breath underwater. I glide around just like freediving. For me there are some depth restrictions just because of the nature of my exposure protection. To buffer this I ordered a custom wetsuit made out of some really dense material that resists crushing, but the drawback with that is it's tough to move around in. I had to start working out again just to be able to handle using that stiff suit. Underweater it get's better and eases up a bit but it's still a chore.
I did many many weight checks and kept my first many dives shallow to 25-30 feet untill I got weighting and skills dialed in. Then once I had a handle on that and knew what to expect I proceeded to go a little deeper and further.
Anyplace would be an easier place to dive minimalist than where I dive. So if I can do it here successfully, you can easily do it in FL.
I forgot to mention about my 1/2" urchin suit. Urchin divers will routinely dive to 60-70 feet on a hookah and load bags and bags of urchins on and off all day in 46 degree water. They don't use any BC, just a weightbelt, mask, fins, their rake, and an urchin bag. They get darn heavy wearing those super thick suits and to get up they have to pull themselves hand over hand by the hookah line back up to a depth that they can break neutral again and do a little offgassing, it's brutal!!
Even if I was diving warm water I would probably wear a 3 mil just for surface floatation. But you won't have the problem of getting heavy when you go deep like I do. I would weight myself so you have to fight slightly to get down but can float around on the surface comfortably and snorkel out to your drop area.
And remember, if you get into trouble just dump your belt and make your way to the top.
Man I can't wait to dive minimalist in warm water with my DA!
ZKY hit it right on the head. The big conspiracy with modern diving is that you need the BC. If you weight yourself to be a little light at the surface and use your exposure protection to get neutral at depth, then you are fine. At the end of your dive you will be even lighter due to the consumption of your gas, as we all know. Plus, you can ditch the belt if you need to (which I have never had to do). If you get it dialed in correctly, it is the closest thing to freediving and is quite liberating. You can also use a vintage drysuit for vintage or minimalist diving without a BC. I dove at the 2009 Legends of Diving with one, and found it to be a pleasant experience.
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