puddle diving is better than nuttin'

[jeanne001]

My friend and I decided to dive someplace different than we normally do. We wanted to dive a local lake (Loon Lake, near Lake George, NY). We entered from the beach and it was just going to be a "let's just see what is there to see" dive.

Well, the max depth was 7'. Vis was max 5'. WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!! It made us really watch our bouyancy or if we didn't it got silted out BAD. I worked on my skull kick, which I think I finally have it nailed. I realized towing a dive flag is ALOT of work (my first time)! We worked on Navigation...It's a good thing I'm scheduled to take that Nav class in a couple of weeks!

We did see a big bass and two HUGE catfish. One was coming right towards my mask and I had to put my console directly in front of my mask and he bumped his nose on my console! I wasn't sure if he was curious or being aggressive. But I was leary of his whiskers. They sting right?

Anyway, we had a great time and I learned alot diving in a puddle!

Sorry this is so long.

Jeanne

 

[spectrum]

You're darned right!

You never know what you fill find when you enter those those less than notable sites. For centuries people have been been on theses bodies of water in boats and up north even out on the ice. With exploration it is amazing what you can find. It has been said that the salt water is about what you see while freshwater is about what you find.

Meanwhile anytime you can go neutral in a water column it's a good day.

One thing I have learned is that if possible you want to avoid pulling the flag and navigating, let your buddy take a task. The reason is that especially if there is much surface current or wind the flag will act as something of a pivot point. You may find that your body has been swimming on a heading gut you can arrive way off to a side due to buoy pull. On a relatively unmarked silt bottom this can be very difficult to notice and compensate for.

Kudos as well on the appreciation of task loading. Someday you may also find yourself managing a dive light and catch bag under those conditions. That's where having buoyancy control be second nature is invaluable.

Pete

 

[Ber Rabbit]

To answer your question about catfish anatomy...

The whiskers do not sting, actually a catfish doesn't sting at all. They have spines on their dorsal (back) and pectoral (side) fins that can give you a nice gouge. When you are fishing and catch one you need to flatten the dorsal fin against the fishes back and put your hand on it to hold the barb down. Your thumb goes behind one pectoral fin and the rest of your fingers go behind the other to keep the barbs away from your hand as you remove the hook. The larger the catfish the more challenging this becomes, they are quite strong and slippery and letting go of one when it's fighting you generally results in getting stabbed by a barb.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[dkktsunami]

I am an experienced puddle diver - solo dive the local dark water lake several times a week and have a wonderful time. Probably have learned more about diving there than any other dive site, especially navigation and confidence being solo. It ain't the Caribbean but it's fun. Catfish barbles don't sting, by the way, but there is a mildly venomous and infectious spine on the dorsal fin and the pectoral fins. They won't come after you though. Have fun working toward your "puddle diver" certification.

 

[Rick Inman]

Catfish aren't aggressive, they're just stupid. I did catch a 27' catfish once, and got impaled by the rear barb, which felt like a nail going in and hurt like the dickens for a week.

Ah... mud diving... It's dark and mysterous... Many a mud diver has made the easy transition to clear warm tropical waters, but few tropical divers can make the reverse transition as easily. There is no better place to work your skills than in shallow, dark waters.

 

[mruseless]

Catfish aren't aggressive, they're just stupid. I did catch a 27' catfish once, and got impaled by the rear barb, which felt like a nail going in and hurt like the dickens for a week.

Ah... mud diving... It's dark and mysterous... Many a mud diver has made the easy transition to clear warm tropical waters, but few tropical divers can make the reverse transition as easily. There is no better place to work your skills than in shallow, dark waters.

27' ??? I think that's new world record

I got my cert in Colorado, doing my open water dives in Aurora Reservoir. The conditions were terrible, vis about 3', 58 degree water. We did fine, and it made our next tropical dives a piece of cake!! I still dive in the Reservoir every now and then, when I'm really itching to dive. Big crawdads.

 

[Rick Inman]

27' ??? I think that's new world record

Are you doubting the size of my fish story???

..yeah, yeah... inches...