Minimalist Setup for Small River Diving (~15ft or less)?

[SlugLife]

Well, we did!

However I did wear an inflatable horsecollar life vest for surface flotation that inflated using CO2 cartridges. I believe one can still find similar gear, now more for boaters, I would advise it. A BC for 15' diving is unnecessary as proper weighting, lung volume, and propulsion is more than enough for buoyancy control.

Turns on rivers have a tendency to speed up flow and push one into and under debris. It can be done, but be f'n careful. The less gear you have, and more streamlined you are, the better.

I'm definitely inexperienced with currents. I agree that extra caution is probably advised.

A wing does seem unneeded for a 15ft dive, while wearing a wetsuit. However, since I have the wing, I might as well at least have it on me the first few river-dives. I could try having the wing and not inflating the wing at all (unless absolutely necessary) and see how that goes

I did find those CO2 life jackets easily.

SlugMug,

Be VERY prepared for fishing line.

Remember, being shallow and relaxed a 19 cu ft pony will probably get you close to 40 minutes and you can be using your snorkel too. I do have a 63 that I use but I like the 30 if I'm more "snorkeling".

Right, I'm thinking at least one cutting tool accessible one-handed on each side. Possibly add a mini first-aid kit and needle-nose pliers to the tube, for if I have an unfortunate encounter with a fishing hook.

 

[johndiver999]

you could ditch the octo. You are almost certainly going to want to wear ALOT of lead, probably 10 or 12 lbs more than normal. this will allow you to stop and hold onto the bottom and chill out. Wearing a bunch of extra lead is going to make things much easier.

At certain times, you are going to want to drift in a perfectly neutral condition. This means you are going to need a reasonably sized BC that has say 25 or 30 lbs of lift minimum to accommodate the extra lead you are going to carry. I would NOT want to forgo a power inflator, the extra LP hose is no drag compared to the size of a person. If the current is really running, maybe a bike helmet would make sense? and wear thick gloves.

you are going to want to give careful consideration to towing a float in current. You want a grappling hook on one end and you probably want a steamlined float that can take the abuse of smashing into rocks. If you are worried about streamline issues, they are going to be most relevant to the float versus the diver.

 

[SlugLife]

you could ditch the octo. You are almost certainly going to want to wear ALOT of lead, probably 10 or 12 lbs more than normal. this will allow you to stop and hold onto the bottom and chill out. Wearing a bunch of extra lead is going to make things much easier.

At certain times, you are going to want to drift in a perfectly neutral condition. This means you are going to need a reasonably sized BC that has say 25 or 30 lbs of lift minimum to accommodate the extra lead you are going to carry. I would NOT want to forgo a power inflator, the extra LP hose is no drag compared to the size of a person. If the current is really running, maybe a bike helmet would make sense? and wear thick gloves.

you are going to want to give careful consideration to towing a float in current. You want a grappling hook on one end and you probably want a steamlined float that can take the abuse of smashing into rocks. If you are worried about streamline issues, they are going to be most relevant to the float versus the diver.

Dragging a float behind me while diving seems like an entanglement hazard and not fun. Given I'll often be diving 15ft or less, there aren't really any issues with surfacing frequently. So my current idea is to dive an area, move my float on the surface, and repeat. If I was to drag the float from underwater, it would be hand-held and from the middle of the river where there is the most space.

You're probably right about needing more weight. I'd estimate I'd want another 4lbs at the beginning of the dive, and then as the tank empties, I'd need another 5lbs. I could always keep some extra weights in the float, if I start to feel under-weighted, so I'll add that to my check-list. The wing is tiny (not sure how much lift), but I'm not really worried about having enough. Unlike a 60+ ft dive, ditching weights wouldn't be that dangerous & I'll have my SMB on me if I really need more lift. Plus, I could always follow the slope up and be at the shore in 5ft to 20ft. Any heavy loot found, I would toss in the float and not carry it on me.

 

[rhwestfall]

Dragging a float behind me while diving.

so you don't understand current/flow...

The fastest water is mid column, the next fastest is the surface (slower because of air friction), and the slowest is the bottom (again, friction). Your float will likely lead you....

River drifts are fun! Around here, it is a 3kt current and it is impossible to stop. Some very unusual currents can be encountered, make sure you have the gas. Having extra is so much better than having too little.

I actually got "stuck" mid-water column in a current a few years back where I was unable to ascent or descend, and was actually being pushed back upstream.

Take it seriously....

 

[lowviz]

I actually got "suck" in a current a few years back where I was unable to ascent or descend, and was actually being pushed back upstream.

Totally believable: Paddle Education – Holes and Waves

All bets are off in any fast moving stream. Slow moving streams tend to have entanglements, look at the edges of the river/stream. If undercut, I would be very careful. Fallen trees/brush can be unnerving. Water has no problem going under either, taking you with it. Only you know how good you are, stay within your range.

 

[tbone1004]

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Dragging a float behind me while diving seems like an entanglement hazard and not fun. Given I'll often be diving 15ft or less, there aren't really any issues with surfacing frequently. So my current idea is to dive an area, move my float on the surface, and repeat. If I was to drag the float from underwater, it would be hand-held and from the middle of the river where there is the most space.

You're probably right about needing more weight. I'd estimate I'd want another 4lbs at the beginning of the dive, and then as the tank empties, I'd need another 5lbs. I could always keep some extra weights in the float, if I start to feel under-weighted, so I'll add that to my check-list. The wing is tiny (not sure how much lift), but I'm not really worried about having enough. Unlike a 60+ ft dive, ditching weights wouldn't be that dangerous & I'll have my SMB on me if I really need more lift. Plus, I could always follow the slope up and be at the shore in 5ft to 20ft. Any heavy loot found, I would toss in the float and not carry it on me.

First, you don’t need extra weight. That’s a prescription for “needing” the BCD. Many divers today are intentionally overweighted. Try diving your neutral weighting, and not using the BCD. BCDs all have a fair component of drag, and it current that can also cause problems. Do keep the idea of ditching weights if you have problems.

Be sure that your cutting tools have a notch for line cutting. I found out how necessary this is when I was diving my site on the Clackamas River, and found a high strength line on the bottom. I let go, but the line accidentally did a half-hitch around my thumb. I got my knife out very quickly, and cut it before it caused problems. Turns out it was a part of a throwing rope designed to be thrown in a rescue scenario, with a weighted pouch on one end. I use a Wenoka dive knife with a push button safety built into the handle/sheath. That allows one-handed return of the knife to the leg sheath, and it will stay there.

SeaRat

 

[John C. Ratliff]

To give you an idea of my type of diving, I have two dives where I recorded the spawning habits of the lamprey eels in the Clackamas River in Oregon. These were conducted in 2017, four years ago.


I am now 75 years old, so you can see that I've been doing this type of diving a very long time (I started diving Oregon waters in 1959).

Note that I'm neutrally buoyant for these dives, and in pretty high current. This is a long video, covering two dives about a week apart. I wanted to include all the video for biologists to see so that they could observe the spawning habits that I saw for these lampreys. But it also gives you a good idea of how I dive, in sometimes high current situations. The Para-Sea BCD I wear is my own invention, and not currently available to anyone. I usually use it in the Clackamas River to attain neutral buoyancy in the holes, which here are up to 23 feet deep.

At 23:25 into this video, I show being caught in fishing line, and how I dealt with that situation.

SeaRat

 

[Jcp2]

I find that hammer head swimming device in the second dive very interesting.

 

[johndiver999]

First, you don’t need extra weight. That’s a prescription for “needing” the BCD. Many divers today are intentionally overweighted. Try diving your neutral weighting, and not using the BCD. BCDs all have a fair component of drag, and it current that can also cause problems. Do keep the idea of ditching weights if you have problems.

SeaRat

So you are suggesting to not wear a BC at all?