Setting up my equipment for black water fossil diving

[mrieder79]

I am new to diving and my purpose for learning was to find fossilized shark teeth. I am looking for experienced black water divers to give advice on what special equipment needs there are with this type of diving. I have heard that your octopus or alternate inflator regulator can get clogged with mud fairly easily and would like to know how one prevents this. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

 

[Randy g]

We blackwater dive up on the rivers off the Chesapeake and really don't use anything different from our normal diving. You just have to be comfortable and not panic if you get cought by a tree or log.

The best tool you can get for this type of diving is lots of experience BEFORE you jump into blackwater diving. Panic and stress will kill you faster than anything else you do.

 

[ajduplessis]

I am not a black water diver, but I have learned from cave diving drills (black water stuff) that you must know your equipment backwards and feel 200% comfortable in that setup. What it looks like is up to you, just know and trust it.

Randy has it spot on IMO.

 

[ReefGuy]

We blackwater dive up on the rivers off the Chesapeake and really don't use anything different from our normal diving. You just have to be comfortable and not panic if you get cought by a tree or log.

The best tool you can get for this type of diving is lots of experience BEFORE you jump into blackwater diving. Panic and stress will kill you faster than anything else you do.

Says it all.

 

[Sheephead]

The way we do it is with standard gear, but we purposely overweight and crawl rather than swim. Without the extra weight the river can have its way with you. Usually a solo dive, as you cannot see a buddy. Always against the tidal current. Powerful light and a screwdriver or spike to work your way forward. The current acts as compass and it carries away the muck as you search.
You want to make some distance in front of boat before ascending and floating back to boat.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

If you are worried about junk in the octo go to a long hose set up with a bungeed back up. Do that and the only way your reg is likely to get fouled up is if you use your head for a shovel.

 

[Subcooled]

I assume you mean muddy zero visibility rivers and not some other types of blackwater.

As you can't see a thing, you must feel your way forward. It is good to sweep with a hand before pushing your face forward into the blackness. It is also good to keep both hands on the bottom as this gives you a reference (two hands, two points, direction). A surface tended rope also gives you the directions. The rope goes towards the shore/boat possibly arching a bit in flow. If you swim above the bottom and without a rope you will soon swim in circles.

Descents are especially interesting. I do them rubber fins first or very very slowly and sweeping with my arm under my belly. I don't want to land at speed on something sharp.

It is obvious that you must be proficient in changing and recovering regulators blindfolded.

The most demanding challenge is the fear of unknown and the fear of getting entangled. And actual entanglements. High currents and obstructions are a dangerous combination.

It is a good habit to have the octo under your chin as it is easily reachable then and unlikely to drag along the bottom. I would not take a long hose to zero vis as I would be diving alone then (surface tended rope) and it would just be in the way. The backup reg configuration used in technical diving is good. The british sump diving neck bungee system also works.

If you dive with a buddy then you must run a buddy line/rope between you and it must have a small float or else it will catch every root and stick.

Rescue from zero visibility water is a bit tricky. Having dual cylinders and first stages may be a good idea. I usually carry two knives (or a knife and some different type of cutting tool) on my arms and I have secured them with rubber band loops around the arm. Thus I can't drop the knife.

A powerfull light may be necessary or utterly useless depending on how bad the visibility is. Just make sure the beam is narrow. Four or eight degrees would do.

 

[g1138]

If you are worried about junk in the octo go to a long hose set up with a bungeed back up. Do that and the only way your reg is likely to get fouled up is if you use your head for a shovel.

I feel like a long hose is a terrible idea for this type of diving. No reason for that much length. You're not sharing air in a river unless you find someone pinned and OOA.
Say you hit a log and get rolled over it, your long hose can snag and undo itself.

Best case scenario, you get the reg ripped from your mouth and you have to restow.

Worst case scenario, you get the reg ripped out of your mouth and get hung 7 feet downstream from the log in ripping current.


The bungee backup I can see as useful for this type of diving as your own personal second. But not the long hose.

 

[Randy g]

Cavern/Cave training is a mountain of help in preparing for a blackwater dive.

I scooter the Potomic, we have about 1-2 ft of vis and can hover against the current looking for teeth and move around some. Depth is less than 20ft. We dive the Pahmunkey (50-60ft) and that is a true black, black water dive, brail diving looking for fossils and artifacts. It's a long way down and up, lemme tell ya. We pull the anchor with us and just hang on to it. Dig it in when we feel something.

Lots of great experience in this thread. Don't take black water diving lightly!!

 

[j2s]

If you don't mind the drive, go down to Venice ( contact Jamie on the Aristakat ) and practice for sharks' teeth down there....It's considered a 'low viz' dive, 1' to 4', depth 28' to 30'.......Give you a chance to get a 'feel' for what to look for and low viz conditions.......