Kayak Diving

[Ben_ca]

LDS here just started renting dive kayaks; I'm stoked.

Which one?

 

[Gombessa]

Which one?

Aquarius (Del Monte one), $45/day. I took one out Monday and everything went perfectly. Of course, Monterey bay was glassy-smooth that day, so who knows.

I don't know of any other shops in the area that allow diving from their rental kayaks.

 

[OceanObsessed]

I may have the chance to get an Ocean Malibu two or a Malibu two xl used for a good price, I am not sure as to which one it is. would anybody have an opinion on how diveworthy either of these boats are? I am considering picking it up and if I get it eventually I want to dive off of it.

Hi jdubdiver,

I own a Malibu Two (not the XL). I think its a great all purpose kayak. IMO it's biggest strength is in it's versatility. I have looked at other kayaks but I can't seem to part with it because of its versatility. It is not the fastest kayak in the world and it is not the best kayak for scuba but it is definitely manageable. I think you need to ask yourself 2 important questions to see if it is right for you.

How far are you going to be paddling?
Are you going to use it strictly for scuba?

If you are going to be paddling really far then you might want to consider a more streamlined kayak and if you are going to use it for strictly scuba then you can find better kayaks out there. If you are looking for a good all purpose kayak (scuba, cruising solo and tandem, freediving, etc) then I would highly recommend it.

Here are some more comments I made on a couple of previous posts here and here. Let me know if you have any specific questions about it.

-Chris

 

[jdubdiver]

I am going to use it for scuba and freediving, I am also going to use it for paddling with my wife and our small daughter, I saw that it is good for that, so I guess I want it for all around use but I will be diving/scuba/freediving off it as well. It is a Malibu 2 by the way.It looks like a good boat for what I want to do with it, not to mention I can get it for a good price, the gentleman I am getting it from takes very good care of his things, I will need to outfit it a little more for what I want to do but for a first kayak I think for what I have read and seen I will be able to utilize it quite well

 

[OceanObsessed]

I am going to use it for scuba and freediving, I am also going to use it for paddling with my wife and our small daughter, I saw that it is good for that, so I guess I want it for all around use but I will be diving/scuba/freediving off it as well. It is a Malibu 2 by the way.It looks like a good boat for what I want to do with it, not to mention I can get it for a good price, the gentleman I am getting it from takes very good care of his things, I will need to outfit it a little more for what I want to do but for a first kayak I think for what I have read and seen I will be able to utilize it quite well

Sounds like you will be using it the same way that I do. Personally, I don't think you can find a better kayak for your needs .
I have never outfitted mine.... well, actually I do fasten a soft cooler between the two seats that I use for storing a camera, or video camera, or drinks. Besided that I just throw my stuff on it and tie it off and launch. I'd be interested in hearing what you do to outfit it.

 

[jdubdiver]

As far as outfitting goes, I have been looking at a couple of kayak diving websites for ideas, and I mean to get a small anchor, a dive flag, I want to put a hatch in the boat for some in hull storage, I may even obtain a portable fish finder/ depth finder to use for locating reefs and to determine depth for anchoring, I will probably figure out what I need as I go, hopefully not by error

 

[sporket]

Man I'm loving this idea. Its so intuitive.