Great diving at Venice Beach today!

[michaelb51]

No matter how much current, I always carry a spike. It will extend your bottom time significantly, I can almost guarantee it.

I use an aluminum tent spike, you get 4 at Wal-Mart for less than $10, if I recall. They have a small hole for a tent line, where I affix my buoy line. I'm now tinkering it up with a bicycle grip for comfort, and a small liquid compass on top.

No finning at all. I work in my boots. The spike is very helpful also when honing down on a claim. I can use it to mark a single spot, and work around it until the area is covered. Then I move it a fixed amount, rinse and repeat.

Imagine you are conducting a spacewalk. The energy you use in trimming position and keeping station is negligible when compared to "free flying," with fins. To work up off the bottom and cover large areas, I just make like a blimp pilot, starting out upcurrent where possible or drifting buoy with the wind if current is negligible. When I see a target, I can vent off and spike in, letting my "fingers do the swimming."

This should of course be verbotten in anything but sand, silt or clay. But my last 4 dives here at VB have all stretched to 3 hours on a standard 80. Maybe the air is just juicier than it used to be, but that seems like a long dive, to me. :11doh:

The spike makes a useful probe. Another benefit comes at dive end. I use it to set the top of my 1 kilo anchor firmly in the muck or sand to hold the kayak while I ascend and mount up. It holds the anchor tines down, but pulls up easily when I'm ready to paddle away.

 

[CBulla]

So Michael, is that your yellow yak I see out off the beach now and again? I saw Morgan out there Thursday

 

[michaelb51]

So Michael, is that your yellow yak I see out off the beach now and again? I saw Morgan out there Thursday

Mine's light brown; flag and 'yak are tethered, but separate. I've not been out that often, until recently though. I did see a yellowyak on Monday, and Tuesday both.

 

[tlawler]

FWIW...I went out from the beach park around 8:30 this morning and the vis was bad, like 1 ft. or less. Good practice for nav skills, but not much else. I hope it's better tomorrow.

 

[rebelmandziukan]

nice find collin, isnt it weird the way it works. if you look for big teeth you find very few small ones but if you look for little teeth you find tons and few big ones.

 

[ReefGuy]

Colin, as always a pleasure.

Walter, I've never experienced a current like that at VB. When we surfaced, we were halfway to the public beach (I thought we were going to surface around the white pipes). I'm not a world class navigator, but I've never come anywhere close to being that off before.

No fossil beds back on the way in, and the further north we went, fewer spots further out.

 

[thedaddy]

...my 1 kilo anchor firmly in the muck or sand to hold the kayak ...

Have you had any trouble with wind dragging your kayak with that size anchor?

I tried towing mine a couple of months ago in a mild wind and wore myself out. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't keep still long enough to find many teeth. I was going to get one of those screw-in anchors (like a dog-lead anchor) but if a regular old anchor works...

 

[michaelb51]

Have you had any trouble with wind dragging your kayak with that size anchor?

I tried towing mine a couple of months ago in a mild wind and wore myself out. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't keep still long enough to find many teeth. I was going to get one of those screw-in anchors (like a dog-lead anchor) but if a regular old anchor works...

I guess I am the anchor. Although I try to avoid windy conditions, I don't depend upon the anchor. During the dive, I stake off my flag buoy with the spike as I move along. It holds the buoy against drift in wind and current, and I hold onto it with one hand. That isolates me from wind and current. The kayak is connected to the buoy with a 10ft bridle, which helps isolate wave surge as well.

On my first dive from the kayak I tried using the little anchor as the spike. I imagine if that had been a windy or swift day it would have been awkward.

The little anchor doesn't actually come into play until dive's end. Then, I pay out the scope in the line and set the little anchor deep, by hand. And I pin down the shackle end with the spike to discourage it from lifting out. It could still lift out, but so far has not. That gives me time to mount the kayak and secure the gear without rushing or worrying where I'm drifting.

I chose the small anchor because I haul it with me during the dive. If I just drop that anchor while I'm on the kayak and it is loaded, it's merely a drag device. When I'm fishing from the boat, I use a larger one.