Hellcat dive 5-5-09

[howard4113]

Did the Hellcat dive with KrisB yesterday. Awesome day - nice vis and the wind held off til we were done. Posted pix @Hellcat Dive - Maui 06-05-2009 - a set on Flickr
There were 3 giant hermit crabs inside one of the main landing gear tires fighting up a storm. Kris thinks two were males sparring for the third's (female) attention. I don't know about that but they were so big that one of them almost got away with Kris's fin. Luckly he got it back as you can see below:

 

[Black_3000psi]

I am not saying a single word. nope. nothing. I will resist all temptations......

 

[KrisB]

I am not saying a single word. nope. nothing. I will resist all temptations......

What, no comments about how we had the flag with us?

FWIW, the fin was off because my foot was cramping...

 

[Black_3000psi]

yeah i did see that line it was so thick thought it was the boat mooring. ok now i got my glasses on and yes Krisb is pulling a line which i can only guess is a dive flag. hats off to you krisb. yeah i tried spiit fins once. nerver did that again.

 

[KrisB]

yeah i did see that line it was so thick thought it was the boat mooring. ok now i got my glasses on and yes Krisb is pulling a line which i can only guess is a dive flag. hats off to you krisb. yeah i tried spiit fins once. nerver did that again.

Yeah, it's a thick rope. I sometimes tie it off to a mooring for use as the control line for the CESA skill during OWD courses... and I've found the thicker line doesn't tangle and make a mess of everything quite like the thin lines do.

I've tried non-splits, too... a few different types. Won't be doing that again (FYI: the foot cramp was from a bootie that was pinching when in fin pocket, not from fin usage. )

 

[Black_3000psi]

yeah had that problem sometimes i will poke a small hole in my booties so that they dont suck in on me. its a really painful thing to go thru. sometimes if the boots im wearing dont have a hole in them i will unzip them and let um fill up with water that sort of equalizes the pressure.

as for the fins well i have a very powerful kick and the split fin dont seem to work well for that. and i like to be able to move very fast when i have to jet fins give me that option. lots of people dont like them one they are heavy two if your kick is from the knee down this will cause a cramp in the calf. and there is drag caused by the design.because they trap water.once you become used to it they really are great fins.

 

[KrisB]

yeah had that problem sometimes i will poke a small hole in my booties so that they dont suck in on me. its a really painful thing to go thru. sometimes if the boots im wearing dont have a hole in them i will unzip them and let um fill up with water that sort of equalizes the pressure.

as for the fins well i have a very powerful kick and the split fin dont seem to work well for that. and i like to be able to move very fast when i have to jet fins give me that option. lots of people dont like them one they are heavy two if your kick is from the knee down this will cause a cramp in the calf. and there is drag caused by the design.because they trap water.once you become used to it they really are great fins.

I hear you... I can use them, but prefer the splits -- less work, more speed... as long as you use them efficiently. Using a paddle-fin kick (long, wide) will get you nowhere... needs to be a little flutter in order to make use of the split.

I might try your hole trick -- the thing is these booties need neoprene socks underneath -- the booties are plenty holey, but the socks aren't... that might help. The only reason I wear those boots on that dive is that they're a little more sturdy -- there's a 200yd wade before you get deep enough to start kicking.