Blackout idea ...

[El Orans]

You freedive local as well????

Yep. Just started this year though. Personal best is 30 ft. :blush:

 

[desiredbard]

Whats that in the normal metric system.....even IRL has meters

 

[pescador775]

Freediving, well, I've been doing it for a long time and lived to tell. Mostly engaging in spearfishing, I give not a hoot for records or contests. I do care about a successful, safe experience. I've always worn a UDT vest. A single cartridge vest will bring a diver up from 60-75 feet. A double cartridge adds a redundancy, reliability and so forth. Not all divers know when to quit, especially spearfishermen and competitive freedivers, more particularly competitive spearos of whom we lose more than we care to admit. We spearos hunt alone. There are exceptions, and it can be argued that there is a buddy, he is just out of sight, but that is how it is. Of those divers who recognize the signal, I'm not going to make it, this type of vest will raise the diver, and float him head up, dead or alive. There is only one thing more stressful than losing someone, not knowing what happened to him, or where he/she is. If the diver can reach the inflator handle in time, at least they will know. With luck, the diver can tell them in person.

 

[Amphibious]

be advised a Vest will do NOTHING for you in the event of a SWB. and adds to entaglement hazard and loss of streamlining.

I don't know any serious freedivers or spearfisherman that wear one for this reason.

there are NO warning signs or symptoms of a shallow water blackout.

Whats that in the normal metric system.....even IRL has meters

9m. you really know **** all about freediving. stop dishing out bad advice from an obviously ignorant view of the sport. any jackass can slap on tanks, freediving requires disipline and concentration.

 

[pescador775]

there are NO warning signs or symptoms of a shallow water blackout.

Actually, there are several, including tunnel vision. However, some divers are oblivious to warning signs for a number of reasons, primarily because they are intensely focused on something else. A few divers lack the stimulus to breath and that can also be dangerous. There are several practical uses for life jackets including additional flotation if the diver is swept away from his normal landing point. A whistle or even a strobe can be tied to a UDT vest and secured out of the way. Spearfishermen may occasionally use the buoyancy to fight a big fish from the surface. A jacket can also be tied off to a gun should a fish hole up and it has become necessary to return to the boat to don a Scuba set. There are numerous potential uses for a UDT vest. The resistance of a compact vest which is deflated is minimal.

 

[Amphibious]

http://www.freedive.net/chapters/SWB3.html

education. a wonderful thing.

The blackout occurs quickly, insidiously and without warning. Mercifully, the victims of this condition die without any idea of their impending death.

the Doc sums it up nicely.

 

[pescador775]

Hmmm, if you need some ego reinforcement, try this: the UDT vest is US Govt issue required for all SEALs (surface swimmers)..

 

[Amphibious]

Hmmm, if you need some ego reinforcement, try this: the UDT vest is US Govt issue required for all SEALs (surface swimmers)..

yes, and we all know SEALs are Freedivers and Spearfisherman? VERY different purpose of a vest for those lads. do you also carry small arms, explosives, and other combat equipment while you're freediving?

and remeber folks, the governement always knows whats best for us! ya'wol!

 

[pescador775]

Educate yourself, amFIBious. I am aquainted with and talked to divers who saw the stars and tunnel vision. The "authorities" have been entoning the "no warning" thing for 30 years. There are cases like that and one of my friends (Wally Potts) related a personal experience to me, the no warning kind. However, I know for a fact it does not always go down like that. I believe that a diver usually knows when he/she is in distress. Sometimes not but in any case it is irresponsible to diss an important safety measure.

 

[pescador775]

Yes, military divers may be carrying some gear. So do spearos. Some of the things they may be carrying are a six foot gun, a knife and a stringer of fish.