This place is soo dead - Does anyone really Kayak dive?

[dkramer]

I'm a little ole lady & I yak dive. Trust me, if I can do it anyone can! I do the same as Jenny. My flag goes in the scupper hole on the yak & I tow the boat with me just the same as if you are towing a dive flag. I do use an anchor at first, while I'm getting into my gear so that I don't get blown off the reef. Then I pull the anchor & go down with the reel. Course, tis a liitle different on this, the gulf side I reckon. If you put your flag in the boat, you must have the larger size flag.

 

[Mouth Breather]

If you put your flag in the boat, you must have the larger size flag.

Right, I checked on this, if it's on the yak the flag must be at least 20"x24"

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

^^^ make for easier slalom with the jet skis

 

[DebbyDiver]

I tow the dive flag behind the kayak. As mentioned above, if it is affixed to the yak the flag must be much larger. I just clip the flag/float's line to my stern.

Towing the kayak is very easy, no more trouble than towing a flag. When I still had my yak I had a small folding anchor attached to the reel.

What I do is unfurl the line to the length of the depth and throw the anchor overboard before gearing up. That way, if I drop something that is not tethered, it will sink to under the yak. Once I'm ready to dive, I toss my tank overboard (tethered of course) then slide in wearing mask/fins/snorkel, then don my gear. Then descend the line and off we go!

A sweet thing about towing a yak is that when you find something heavy (think anchor, humongous lobster, treasure chest!) you can put it on your yak and keep diving. Another is that you can put a water resistant hand held GPS on the boat and when you find a honey hole, ascent to the yak and hit the "mark" button and you can return to the site time and time again. DO put a lanyard on the GPS and clip it to your boat.

When I lived in the USVI, conch were plentiful and legal to take but you sure don't want to tow those heavy things back on a beach dive...they fit very nicely into my boat.

I sure do miss having a kayak. I sold my uber-sweet Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 in St. Croix because it cost too much to ship to Hawai'i, then I sold my fairly sweet Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro 15 in Hawai'i because it cost too much to ship to Florida. Once I find a job and catch up on a few bills, I'll be cruising Craigslist for my next plastic boat.

Good to see some interest in yak diving again...it is an absolutely wonderful sport.

 

[Mouth Breather]

When I still had my yak I had a small folding anchor attached to the reel. What I do is unfurl the line to the length of the depth and throw the anchor overboard before gearing up.

Thanks for spelling it out, this was my original plan until I started doing some 2nd guessing. I was thinking 250' reel clipped to anchor, let out depth+ and drop, go pick anchor up and have all that line to play with but not in the way.

I went to a kayak clinic hosted by the south Florida beach divers meetup and took my Trident 13 along for it, wonderful boat, nice & stable with spot for tank & everything. Usually fish out of my hobie revo, which I've hookah dived from but never scuba.

 

[dkramer]

I was thinking 250' reel clipped to anchor, let out depth+ and drop, go pick anchor up and have all that line to play with but not in the way.

.

Ummmmm.................I think you'd be a lot better off by simply unreeling your line as you descend rather than unreeling it with the anchor. Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean but that method sounds like a major entanglement hazard.

---------- Post added July 2nd, 2013 at 05:54 PM ----------

If you're talking about leaving the boat anchored & hooking your reel to the anchor line so that you can find your way back to the boat?? still not a good idea. The line will get all hung up in the reef or yourself. You're better off towing it. Just my 2 psi.

 

[Mouth Breather]

No, only enough line to reach the bottom then go down and get it. Carry around and reel in /out as needed.

 

[dkramer]

I still don't understand why you would want to do that as opposed to just reeling in & out as needed on descent. When I pull my anchor in, I have learned to be real careful so as not to become tangled in the anchor line. IMHO, you're gonna get tangled up in the line. Jenny............Debby............what do ya'll think?

 

[Mouth Breather]

I don't think that will be a problem with a reel. Tossing it in with the anchor will be like following a line down to a wreck. It will keep me in my spot while I get my gear on.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I think.. you're not a little ole lady, you saying that dates us all.