Kayak dive buddies

[travelrider]

Hey all, I'm in the St. Pete / Tampa area and willing to travel to some extent.

I'm new to diving and although I have a kayak I doubt it's the right one for kayak diving. Can't really visualize a place for me and my gear both on this little 12 foot SOT I have. If anyone has any suggestions on what type of boat you dive with, I'd really appreciate the input.

Also looking for kayak (and other) dive buddies. Looking for open water, river drift diving, etc.

Reply here or PM me if you're looking for dive buddies. Thanks!

 

[dkramer]

Welcome travelrider! I'm a yak diver from P. Charlotte & dive Venice pretty regular. I have a Cobra Fish/Dive yak which is very stable & has
lots of room for storage. If you're interested in diving the Venice area, just post up on the board. There are plenty of yak divers down here &
I'm sure you'll be able to hook up with one of us.

 

[ancientdiver]

Everybody has an opinion. there are lots of yak diving info on the net. for freediving, which is where a yak really stands tall, the Scupper Pro is the gold standard for all yaks. It is perhaps the fastest of all yaks, but not for folks over 175 pounds. No longer made but you can still find them used. For scuba, look at Wilderness Systems 16 or 13. fast, hold a lot of gear. For spearing and scuba, the rod pod on the Ocean Kayak Trident is the best way to protect your guns from being lost in the surf. It comes in an 11, 13, and 15. Look at the 13 and the 15. I have a Trident 15 that I use when spearing. It is my favorite boat, really well thought out for divers, although made for hook an line fishing. My guns cost a bundle and I like to have then out of sight and protected in the rod pot. If I am not spearing I take the Wilderness 16, as it is FAST. When the wind is blowing I take my Ocean Kayak Prowler as it has a rudder which helps in the wind. I bought 2 of them used on Craig's list. Trident was a dealer close out. Look around, try as many boats as you can. If you have to paddle any distance more than a mile, the longer faster boats are the way to go. Hope this helps, good luck. PM me if I can help you any further. Will

 

[Chugwhump]

I have a Cobra Fish & Dive.
I only really use it down here off of Broward County from May to October.
Reasoning only half the year:
Wind.
Cold.
Wimpy Dive buddies.

There is nothing better than a hot as hades flat calm day July through September down here.
On a good day with a 149 cf tank I can hit the deco borderline in the 60'-80' or so range, surface and then come back inside and do another hour or better in the 20'-30' range with the same tank.
Our reefs are very close here off of Broward.
I have not been to the west coat as yet with it, but I'll get there someday.

Chug
Sometimes does multi-tank dives off Cobras.

 

[Enso999]

Winter is not too bad... there are many calm days and as for the cold, easy solution, use a wetsuit. I live in Miami 3 year noob in scuba diving and if anyone want to go kayak diving, I'm game. Let me know, I haven't done any diving in ftlauderdale mustly here in Key Biscayne.

Happy Diving

 

[jvazquez]

Hi Travelrider,
I'm in the Clearwater area also. I just recently got a kayak. Have you found kayak dive buddies? Have you been kayak diving?
I have not kayak dived, but I am interested.

 

[Goingbig]

I am getting into Yak Diving also. Interested in getting a group together in the St. Pete or Bradenton area if you ever want to meet up. I also have a 23ft old seacraft that I normally fish off but I have done some diving from it. My normal dive buddy just moved to Miami so I am looking for people who want to split the gas $. Keep my boat in Palmetto. My Kayak is a Ocean Kayak Prowler 13. I got it for fishing but now want to attempt diving from it lol.
Email is Charlesmasonshields@gmail.com

 

[cruisediver69]

I am also up for trying a Kayak dive in the Tampa\St Pete area as well. I have a 15' SOT Kayak and of course my own scuba gear. Haven't tried combining these two hobbies yet but looks like lots of fun.

 

[DivingIvan]

I use an Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT and I really like it a lot. There is a Kayuba (Kayaking / SCUBA) club here and their website has many good links and tips. Kayak Diving Tips » Kayuba!.

I'm about to start doing more kayak dives myself here in a couple of weeks, have fun and stay safe.