Has anyone tried to streamline their gear to improve efficiency?

[drbill]

Not going to read through the previous posts, but there are entire "schools" of thought on how to best streamline one's gear configuration. Of course we did it pretty darned well in the early days when BCDs, SPGs anbd octos weren't in use!

 

[Nemrod]

To follow upon Dr. Bill, a hard act to follow I am sure, lose the BC, spg, octopus, inflator, pocket shorts, dual computers, can light (obsolete anyways) and backup light, backup mask, snorkel and backup snorkel and you will be simply amazed at how free and unencumbered you will feel.

Streamlining, such as it is, along the same line, I have been trying to reduce the travel weight of my rig. Does anyone know where I can find a titanium harness buckle and D rings?

Less really is more. Less stuff, less weight, more go. And a really big pair of fins!

N

 

[DaleC]

Well, I just dove this and thought it was pretty streamlined...

 

[jadairiii]

Regardless of your rig the two factors that will affect your efficiency will be your attitude or trim in the water while swimming and how much gas you have in your buoyancy device.

The closer to horizontal you are while swimming will obviously make you more efficient and more stream-lined. Second but just as important, the less gas you have in your bc the less drag it will create and (depending on the shape of the BC) the easier it will be to be horizontal. That means minimize how much weight you carry. Good rule of thumb is with 500 psi in your tank at 10' you should have no gas in your bc and be neutrally buoyant.

Everything else is minor compared to those points.

 

[Rich Keller]

Regardless of your rig the two factors that will affect your efficiency will be your attitude or trim in the water while swimming and how much gas you have in your buoyancy device.

The closer to horizontal you are while swimming will obviously make you more efficient and more stream-lined. Second but just as important, the less gas you have in your bc the less drag it will create and (depending on the shape of the BC) the easier it will be to be horizontal. That means minimize how much weight you carry. Good rule of thumb is with 500 psi in your tank at 10' you should have no gas in your bc and be neutrally buoyant.

Everything else is minor compared to those points.

I agree, getting your weight exact will allow you to dive with very little air in your BCD or no BCD at all. That in my opinion creates the most drag, there are other things you could do like using an old school back pack that has the tank resting right up against your back. In some situations a smaller tank can be used like diving in a channel where you only have a half hour slack tide window I use a 30 cu/ft tank and still have enough air left by the time the tide turns. I also use the minimum number of hoses, all of them as short as I can get away with and nothing hanging off my harness that is not tucked away. None of these options by themselves will make a big difference but put them all together and it will save you something. As for the OPs original scenario I would have worn the fins but left the tank on the dock by using a small umbilical I made for kayak diving. When I kayak dive I tow the kayak behind me so I also let it carry the tank instead of wearing it on my back.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

^this

I used an al 80 one time to clean the bottom of my boat...noticeable and cumbersome.
For a recent prop change I switched to al 40 hose clamped to an old backup-too-cheap-to-chuck jacket BC and didn't know it was there.
I wouldn't consider diving without fins (not hammering the op). My dock is shallow, but I have tidal currents, boats, and critters to consider.
I don't surrender my fins upon exit on a charter boat either...


Sent from my iPhone from my momma's basement

 

[Stoo]

Everything else is minor compared to those points.

Actually, there is one other significant thing.... and that is the speed at which a diver is trying to move through the water. If I remember my physics correctly, the resistance an object meets while moving through a liquid is very much increased as the speed increases. Maybe some engineering type here can be more specific, but I think it's a logarithmic change...

In other words, slow down and smell the roses! ;-)

 

[captain]

Here is streamlined.

 

[Tigerman]

Here is streamlined.
View attachment 191169

Need more razor and the shorts need to be traded in for a speedo or atleast jammers...

 

[captain]

Need more razor and the shorts need to be traded in for a speedo or atleast jammers...

Unfortunately the wife won't let me wear the Speedo anymore.


From a thread in the Vintage section.

[video=youtube;zVeTdu4EWwY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVeTdu4EWwY[/video]