We mentioned Jim Spears yesterday. In addition to being one helluva an awesome underwater shooter, Spears is also an accomplished kayak diver. Having picked up the sport on Maui in 1994, Spears claims kayak diving is an excellent and inexpensive way to reach dive sites that are too distant to safely qualify as shore dives.
On his website, Spears explains about the kayak he uses for dive kayaking (a Scrambler XL); recommends equipment useful for dive kayaking; discusses how to rig your kayak for launching; expounds on how dive kayakers get geared up, and -- most importantly -- details how they get back in the boat after a dive. If you're interested in learning about the not-as-popular-as-it-should-be sport of dive kayaking, check out Jim's meticulous website.
1. Jim has an excellent site, very informative. IM new to kayak diving, and have gone with the inflatabel DiveYak (made from the same material as a zodiak). As a New England diver, Cape Ann gets very crowded during the summer season. My DiveYak is a tandum device that deflates and fits into my hatchback. Getting to the dive site is no longer a 5AM deal, becouse we can paddle out of normal kick distance, and get to pristeen underwater conditions just a few hundred yards away. As an added bonus, you then fall under the boat diving laws, so you no longer need to drag your flag, just stay within 150 feet of the kayak flying the flag. Sure is nice to get the upperbody workout, take a rest, have a cool drink of water, then start your dive well rested and fully hydrated. I could go on for ever about this, but I will say that Jim's site was instrumental in my first year of Kayak diving (for the most part is extending shore diving range in NE). The spearfishing and photography are much improved away from the crowds as well.
Posted at 9:57AM on Jan 10th 2007 by Patrick Fallon