General Dive Thread There seem to be lots of hiking/hunting

>>620642
I'm certified but haven't been in a few years. I live 2 hours from the Texas coast but the water is too cloudy to make it worth while. The last time I tried to go off Palm Beach I was sick and couldn't equalize. Sucked that I had to sit on the boat as others dived

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>>620642
Is spear fishing (with a spear gun) considered unsportsmanlike if you're using scuba gear? Is free-diving the only 'real' way to do it? I'd like to get into it and am PADI cert but I can't hold my breath for more than 30 seconds. I know that you can work dynamic apnea skills but combining scuba with hunting seems fun

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Any thoughts on Lloyd Godson's new underwater habitat project?

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>>620785
>unsportsmanlike if you're using scuba
Yes,, yesit is.
,, so dont shothe trophy fish., selective dinner?YES!,, 100 pound grouper?NO!
>>620806
looks dry.

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>>620809

It'll go in the water when it's done. No deeper than 30 feet however, it's ambient pressure. Basically just a pretty, live aboard diving bell with enough room for bare necessities.

NW Florida here, I work as a PADI Divemaster at a local dive shop. We've had a nasty red tide and the visibility hasn't been above 10 feet for a few weeks, but it's finally clearing up.

>>620785
There is literally nothing wrong with spearfishing on scuba.

>>620812
5 guys 2 girls, sounds like it's going to be a blast

How much does it cost to get into diving? Once you have all the gear how much does an average dive cost? I'd love to start diving as a hobby.

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>>622889
less time then it take to read this.,
,,walk to sink,, fill,, dunkhead under!, howd youdo?
,now, step up tothetub!,try to useyour body to "Hear, you enviroment., "feel, the walls of the tub?,,, you have "Lateral Lines",,,OPEN them!
,dont cheap on your mask,, get the side windows, seeitall!

>>622889
>How much does it cost to get into diving?
$500 to get certified. Probably $500 minimum for the bare necessities for gear buying lightly used.
>Once you have all the gear how much does an average dive cost?
~$50-100/dive. I was just in Grand Cayman; it was $130/dive including all the equipment and two tanks.

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>>622889
storoytime.,
, Lagunabeach,, midwinter,, swiming sharkystyle just over the sand thru a canyon,, spot Seaslug out on the sand!, HAY!, you cant be here, you have a suction foot and sand is nogo little buddy!, let me help you out,,,
,right hand>"I AINTOUCHING THAT!"
,, listen,, HAND, its a little squishy/slimey but needs to go on the rocks,ok?,
,RH>"FCK YOU BRAIN!"
, well, ok,, Left Hand, get in there.,
,LH>" im with the RIGHT hand,, not touching him., use your EYES, Brain!?"
,,,, so im all confuse,, get in real close and LOOK,,, wha?, this SEASLUG HAS EYES!!, like regluar, EYES!!
,, SEASLUG no EYES!,, confuse confuse!!,,,
,so, he finaly figures his cover is blown!, seems to come to bits and melt into the sand!,, YOU LIER! YOUR AN OCTOPUS!
,nice.

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>>622889
get good at snorkeling FIRST!,, a cheap tube connects you to endless air., no BLOWING up your lungs problem., i hope PADI agrees.
,, snorkel=free.,,all day free.
,,, tis the fitted wetsuit that will Cost big,,PAY, and be seal.

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pic from my last lobster trip at Cortez banks three weeks ago.

>>620785
spearfishing on scuba you see much less fish and for some reason all of the big ones seem to stay away from what I've seen. on scuba you can stay down much longer but have the disadvantage of getting fewer fish, freediving you see more and can get more fish due to not scaring most of them away because of bubbles. on scuba I feel its far too easy to get a good shot as you have all the time you want but freediving you really have to make decisions in a matter of seconds and it's much more fair.

Can I just buy spearfishing gear and start doing it or should I take some classes? I'm in the Monterey Bay area so I'm not worried about finding spots but just doing the sport effectively.

>>620642
Aren't you guys scared of great whites?

>>623362
great whites are scared of me m8, ill fucking wreck one.

>>623359
honestly I'd go out and find someone willing to teach you, its not really something you can go pick up without knowing anything

>>623369
That's the problem m8. There's not a lot of spearos around here and they all seem old and grumpy. Maybe I can read a couple books and just go from there.

>>623372
YouTube has some good stuff, were you planning on doing it freediving or on scuba? I'd go with a Rob Allen railgun they are cheap and you can beat them to shit and they still work, look up his website or watch his videos on YouTube he's got some great information.

>>623375
I was going to free dive. I can hold my breath for about two minutes and I know I need to give myself a break after dives. Biggest problem I'm seeing Is getting my weight belt set right. I might just wing it all. Worse case I'll end up doing a little snorkeling in the cold.

>>620809
>>623300
>>623315
>>623331
Diarrhea in text form.

>>620642
I wish there were more threads like this. Aquatic outdoors are more abundant and more interesting than stupid dry land, and infinitely more interesting than hunting.

I snorkel primarily, too poor and too busy to scuba, maybe some day. Freshwater is cool, but it's hard to find water that's clear enough to see through in many places. Good places to go are spring fed, water can be very clear there. I live in central Texas where there are lots of natural springs. I've taken gopro videos of some of my dives but I'd never post them on 4chan since they can be traced back to me. Mostly just see fish, turtles, amphibians, bottom feeders (snails, etc.) nutria occasionally. I'm planning a trip to the coast, hopefully finally get to see some anemones and stuff.

Anybody found any treasure while diving? I found a brand new iPhone once, put it in some dry rice and it was good as new after a couple of days. Other than that mostly garbage, lots of sunglasses and things like that.

>>620785
if you can't hold your breathe for more than 30 seconds scuba isn't probably the best idea because some of the examination requirements need you to take off your mask underwater etc Maybe you can go to the local pool and practice some basic breathe stuff

>>623496
meh, I'm probably underestimating myself. I haven't actually tried, but I doubt it's long enough to make free diving worth while. I was off Mexico a few months back, snorkeling and could only even make it to about 15 ft before my ears killed me so I'd stay there maybe 20 seconds before coming up.
I'm cool if I have time to equalize while having an air source
It's just something I need to work on and there aren't many places around here to do so

>>623598
>15 ft before my ears killed
You have a lot to learn. You need to equalize your ears. Scuba doesn't change that.

>>623454
Where in Texas? I'm in San Antonio and there's nothing around here. I know of Jacob's Well but am not interested in dying
I've been fishing off Corpus and Port Aransas but the water is too cloudy for underwater fun. Other than being a spearo off the oil rigs in the gulf there doesn't seem to be any opportunities

>>623601
I already scuba. reread my post where I explicitly state that I can equalize with an air source. I've been to 80ft before when given the time to equalize. this is the nicest thread I've seen in a while so don't turn it into a bitch fest

PADI Rescue Diver here.

Depressed af because Im afraid Im not going to be able to take the divemaster course (or dive again).

>Have a very annoying tinnitus that doesnt go away
>driving me mad
So i think diving would worsen it

Just got back from a DSD (Discover Scuba Diving) course, holy fuck was that cool. And I was in a swimming pool, can't imagine what being in the open water with fishies and whatnot would be like. I'm definitely going to get certified. One of the the coolest experiences ever.

What sort of careers would be an option for me after I get open water certified?

>>625184

Taking your first breath of air while fully underwater is a really eye opening experience

Just wait till your first dive on a reef, it is life changing

>>623450

>how to spot a newfag.

>>625366
After I got certified I was have dreams of breathing underwater at least 5 nights a week. It usually started with a freedive, then a bit of panic, then "Oh shit I can breath!" and it was relaxing after that.

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Twice a year, i put all my diving stuff along with a bag of food and clothes in my car and go to Switzerland for some solo dive.

My favorite place is the Leman Lake in december, most of their lakes are cold and deep. I usually go deep between -50 and -80 meters by myself. I'm going back this year between 25th to 31th december.

I'm planning to do at least one dive at 85 meters deep using specifics gaz mix.

I got a clip on youtube where i go to 70 meters by myself, i can try to find it and share if you want to.

picture related, i'm on the left

>>626169
mirin those stages

>>622889
Freediving is cheaper, if you do warm water then the biggest cost is mask and snorkel, or fins if you go crazy and by freedive fins. If you are just starting, you could use whatever fins, really. I got 40 feet near daily on a pair of Churchill Makapuu fins (which are very comfy). No diver would respect those fins but they are near ideal for snorkeling and shallower freedives.

Cold water, you need a suit (I got a Mako suit), belt, weights, gloves, booties, etc. I spent a good $500 all told.

The great thing about freediving is that it's literally free after that (as long as you shore dive). But the skills take more time to develop and overall it's less developed as a sport and community, especially outside of spearing (freediving or skin diving is now practically synonymous with spearing which to my mind greatly harms the sport).

Heck, snorkeling is great and horribly underestimated. Divers don't take it seriously and freedivers often fail to recognize that it's the basic gateway to freediving. There is often a lot to see in 5 feet of water, if you find the right spot. I had a place I loved that was about 3-4 feet deep on the inside but full of fish.

>>620642

Padi Rescue Diver here. I Live in the Bahamas so there's plenty of water. But it sucks that i have no access to a boat. And scuba trips to my dive resort are around $130 for a 2 tank dive. I havent dived since getting my rescue cert in august