Where to buy sticks to hold position in a current

[Himself]

Hello-

I dive where the current is swift.

I have seen divers with rods of metal about 18 inches long which they push into the bottom to be able to maintain their position so that they can take a picture.

Where can I buy one?

Thank you.

 

[ptyx]

That won't help you much, but one of our local dive shops in San Diego has some.

Doing a search for it made me discover new things though... "lobster tickle stick"? WTH?

 

[mselenaous]

"lobster tickle stick"? WTH?

It's a FL lobster hunting tool sold in most dive shops. In CA, you are not allowed to use any "tools" to hunt lobster.

 

[diversteve]

Reed's Rod's - sold by a member here - Papa Bear. Looks like he ships also.

Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services

 

[Papa_Bear]

Thanks Diverstive! Here you go: Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services
I will be donating some to the Catalina Clean up as well, it will be our third year!

 

[Lee Taylor]

Hello Himself,

I had a tool like you are asking about. It did not work well for me. Neither did long screwdrivers, etc. They are hard to stick deeply into the bottom and they just flop around.

In order to hang onto the bottom when in a current, you need your hand, fist, and chest as close to the bottom as possible.

I did find a tool that works well for me. It is the second one from the right hand side of the photo (below).

I wrap my hand around the head and/or spade. I let the stick part run down the underside of my forearm. Holding this tool in this fashion makes it easy to drive it into the bottom because you utilize the full force of your forearm. It is also easy to crab (crawl) with.

I stick the 3 prongs into the bottom and lay on the tool with my arm totally bent and up under me.

I think what you are going to find is that whatever tool you use you will need to have your fist against the bottom for it to be effective.

Another tip is to dive a slower current and weight yourself heavily.

http://product-image.tradeindia.com/00283330/b/0/Garden-Tools.jpg

 

[Papa_Bear]

I have done many high current dives including the shark dive on the fiji aggressor and my rod was a big hit, it held everyone who had one hard to the bottom! By the end of the trip everyone bought one!

 

[SeaSoulSelf]

My husband makes ours. He buys the 1/4" aluminum rod at Home Depot, cuts it into 4 sections, drills a small hole in one end of each one. Just add one of those stretchy key ring thingies (my tech term) to keep it around your wrist and voila. The only problem is that the metal for the key ring does not stand up to salt water. Cheap to replace though. We tuck them into our wetsuit sleeves to keep them out of the way when not needed.

You can build 4 of them for about $10, depending on the prices in your area.

 

[mksmith713]

Are there rocks, reef or anything substantial you can grab onto?
If so, do an internet search for a reef hook.
Much better than a rod because it will free your hands up to do other things like catching lobster to taking photos.

 

[Lamey]

Check out twotankedproductions.com