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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Anti-Procrastination Gear...

Fri Jun 22, 2018 9:44 am

Anti-Procrastination Dive Gear...

- Every time I go diving in the lake, there's a good chance the dive will be a "bust" because the visibility is zero. Whether its run off from a rainstorm, carp stirring it up, or the lake is doing its mid summer dog days... I just never know. And I have gotten to where I procrastinate about doing all of the work to suit up for a dive, only to find the visibility makes it a waste of time.
- Well, this Spring I started using a much easier set of dive gear to suit up with. I've made 3 after work dives in this outfit and I have to say, it's so easy to suit up, I'm getting to where the procrastination is almost gone! :)
- Instead of my too tight, 2XL 3mm wet suit, I'm using my 3XL 1mm tropic suit with a 3mm hooded vest. This suit is no harder to put on than street clothes. It's cold below the thermocline but I'm usually between there and the surface so, I'm warm enough.
- Instead of a full sized tank or my Twin 38s, I'm using a single 38 cf tank that feels no heavier than a day pack... Hiking up and down the hill is effortless. No BC bulk or complication. I wear emergency floatation on my weight belt.
- I have my weights set so I float on the surface but am slightly negative at 15 feet... I rarely get deeper than 22 feet in the lake.
- I equipped my float with a wind-up reel which I also use as an altitude controller I can hang onto, to keep me from bumping and stirring up the bottom.

- Last night I used this rig again for a questionable dive after work: Looking at the water from the dock, it looked like dog days are settling in and I might not have gone to the bother if I was doing a major suit up. But I slipped into this "Anti-Procrastination" rig and was in the water with minimal effort. Sure enough the top 12 feet were pea green and stirred up. But underneath that, I could see 15-25 feet... It was beautiful! I stayed in for 33 minutes and pulled the reserve valve as I headed in to the dock.
- Dive Easy... Dive Often... Get Yourself an Anti-Procrastination Dive Outfit! :)
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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antique diver
Master Diver
Posts: 2210
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Anti-Procrastination Gear...

Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:28 am

I agree with Eben. Simplicity Rules!
The older I get the better I was.

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Anti-Procrastination Gear...

Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:08 pm

This reminds me of this little video I made years ago..... https://vimeo.com/4258610 :lol: :lol:

Flakotter
Lung Diver
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 8:32 pm
First Name: Traner
Location: Lakeville MN

Re: Anti-Procrastination Gear...

Mon Jun 25, 2018 2:38 pm

Just curious, what is the emergency floatation that you keep on your weight belt?

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Anti-Procrastination Gear...

Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:06 am

- A HA! So after all these years somebody's is interested in my emergency flotation!
- I use a "SwimIt" device that is currently produced and marketed for Triathlon swimmers. It's actually an airline CO2 Mae West inflatable vest, folded up into a little pouch that swimmers wear on their thigh. After 5 years, I wore out the straps for thigh mount so I converted it to slip onto my weight belt. I also removed the tether that keeps the SwimIt attached to the pouch. So, my emergency sequence is this:
1. Grasp and Pull the CO2 cord to inflate the vest.
2. Hang onto the CO2 cord so as not to lose contact with the vest.
3. Drop my weights.
4. Slip the vest over my head.
5. LIVE Practice this procedure once or twice a year. (16 gram CO2 cylinders are cheap.)

For more information on the SwimIt, visit their website at http://www.theswimit.com/

I had a thread on this back in 2013: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7098&p=60832&hilit=swimit#p60832
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

Flakotter
Lung Diver
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 8:32 pm
First Name: Traner
Location: Lakeville MN

Re: Anti-Procrastination Gear...

Tue Jun 26, 2018 9:27 pm

Thanks for the info, I definitely see the need for something like this.

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