Collecting animals while snorkeling (freediving), How to go beyond tidepools without SCUBA Options

[johnmaloney]

i meant this thing, but sure:
http://www.browniedive.com/

[zemuss]

Oh sorry my mind was hmm wondering, Yea that!

"Z"

[dshnarw]

i meant this thing, but sure:
http://www.browniedive.com/

similar to snuba, which is popular in Hawaii for the nondiving crowd. haven't tried it myself, but i've overheard a lot of good comments about it.

[Mudfish]

Boy, those are some red and white stripes!

[C-Rad]

how do you feel about hookah rigs? does anyone have any experiences outside of Brownies?

My dad used one back in the early 70's, until they were banned in California because of the possibility of the exhaust (carbon monoxide) getting into the air intake and killing you. It's really not a danger if the unit is working properly, unless there is more than one running in the same area. I think the modern ones have a way of dealing with this danger better, and are legal in California again (Brownie has a dealer in San Diego)
I like them for certain applications. They are great for staying down a long time, in relatively shallow water (< 40 feet?) with no kelp or other obstructions that the air hose can tangle in. I think abalone divers and urchin divers in Mexico use them. There is always a possibility that the gasoline powered air pump could quit unexpectedly, so if you go deep and/or stay down long enough that a quick ascent would cause the bends, you need to take a small scuba rig with you, so that you will have enough air to come up slowly. If you dive in cold water, where you need to wear a wet suit, then at depth your wetsuit will compress a lot, and your buoyancy will change (you will be heavier), so you might need a BC (Buoyancy Compensator) to deal with that, or learn to adjust the depth of your breathing according to your depth (like Navy divers do). Brownies Hookah rigs are big in south Florida and the Caribbean where wet suits are not required, maybe that's why. Once you have to wear a BC, you might as well just have a scuba tank (IMO).

One huge advantage of hookah is that if you go on an extended multi-day dive trip, in a place where you couldn't get scuba tanks refilled, all you need is a little gasoline and you can dive day after day. That would open up a lot of unspoiled diving options in remote locations.

This post has been edited by C-Rad: Feb 2 2010, 04:20 PM

[escaudio]

This thread is AMAZING!!!! I envy all of you that live in good coastal regions!!! Unlike Texas and the beautiful gulf of mexico!

[dshnarw]

This thread is AMAZING!!!! I envy all of you that live in good coastal regions!!! Unlike Texas and the beautiful gulf of mexico!

lol, you should check out the species local to you

[yardboy]

I'm pretty sure that Panama City Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico.

[dshnarw]

I'm pretty sure that Panama City Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico.

even closer to his home...Galveston is one of the best spots to find seahorses in the US.

[johnmaloney]

My dad used one back in the early 70's, until they were banned in California because of the possibility of the exhaust (carbon monoxide) getting into the air intake and killing you. It's really not a danger if the unit is working properly, unless there is more than one running in the same area. I think the modern ones have a way of dealing with this danger better, and are legal in California again (Brownie has a dealer in San Diego)
I like them for certain applications. They are great for staying down a long time, in relatively shallow water (< 40 feet?) with no kelp or other obstructions that the air hose can tangle in. I think abalone divers and urchin divers in Mexico use them. There is always a possibility that the gasoline powered air pump could quit unexpectedly, so if you go deep and/or stay down long enough that a quick ascent would cause the bends, you need to take a small scuba rig with you, so that you will have enough air to come up slowly. If you dive in cold water, where you need to wear a wet suit, then at depth your wetsuit will compress a lot, and your buoyancy will change (you will be heavier), so you might need a BC (Buoyancy Compensator) to deal with that, or learn to adjust the depth of your breathing according to your depth (like Navy divers do). Brownies Hookah rigs are big in south Florida and the Caribbean where wet suits are not required, maybe that's why. Once you have to wear a BC, you might as well just have a scuba tank (IMO).

One huge advantage of hookah is that if you go on an extended multi-day dive trip, in a place where you couldn't get scuba tanks refilled, all you need is a little gasoline and you can dive day after day. That would open up a lot of unspoiled diving options in remote locations.

thanks! I am familiar with brownies, but I was looking into some other systems. I have heard of some issues with brownies from other divers, and i was wanted to look into some of the advantages of other systems.

Will have to check out Snuba...I am looking for something that will let me and 2 others stay down less than 35 feet for awhile.

Brownies has "Egressor" I think it is called, basically a pony tank in case the air runs out. Some have alarms when it gets low...Definitely want one with a quick release in case a boat decides to come through and run over the line...Thanks for the info!

Would be nice to be able to use it for multiple days away from land. Next chance I have to get 4 days in a row to head south I am taking a trip to the Content Keys. Hopefully it happens before the third lung system though.

[calabdiver]

Here is a link that may help. Ca. Dept. of Fish and Game Permits

This post has been edited by calabdiver: Feb 4 2010, 01:04 PM

[escaudio]

I had no idea about the seahorses! Thats surprising, most of my trips to the coast here in texas have been a disapointment Yardboy love the jetties nano!!!!!!!

[yardboy]

Thanks!
Yea, the few times I've been to East Texas the water visibility has been poor, so I also assumed that there wasn't much wildlife to be found, but you just have to look for spots that might yield results. Old piers, riprap jetties, any kind of structure will lure in critters. I've worked on a shrimpboat out of Beaumont and so I found out there's some neat stuff there.

This post has been edited by yardboy: Feb 4 2010, 05:49 PM

[on_ice]

Sweet thread! I have a brownies third lung right now, and its actually going to be going up for sale ASAP! I also like using the system they have that just attaches to a dive tank that you leave in your boat/kayak. Great for collecting. Does anyone have pictures of some of their collections? Half the time i dont know what I am looking at down there.

[johnmaloney]

yardboy has a totm featuring them...the jetties biotope. I like that dive system too, any companies putting that out except tote and float? glad you joined us over here on_ice!

best thing to do while you are down there is get a good idea what lives there, and then check them out in a field guide. National Audubon Society has some good ones.

[tyty]

This thread is great, thanks for the ideas on collecting. I am PADI certified, but plan to collect snorkeling. I have a "cool bubbles" aerated bait bucket that I plan to use as my livewell (at least until I get told that it's not acceptable).

I live in South Florida and am currently starting a 29G Biocube that will be a local Biotope. I hope to collect the majority of my inhabitants myself, but I'm willing to purchase things as long as they are part of the ecosystem and I just can't find or legally take them (live rock etc.).

Here's the catch, the ocean (and my collecting location) will be visible from my tank. Makes me think of Finding Nemo and the fish trying to escape back into the ocean. I will be sure to start a thread once my tank gets a little further along.

[tyty]

Jack's been around a long time. Here's a link
Don't know if you have time to read, but his books about the early days of collecting are quite interesting.
As for a field guide to anemones, good luck. I have looked high and low and no luck. I've got the Peterson's Filed Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores, and it's about as comprehensive as I've found.
Funny too because I have an excellent book on Echinoderms of Florida and the Caribbean, "Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and Allies" by Hendler, Miller, Pawson and Kier.
Oh, that there was something similar for gorgonians, hexacorals, and anemones.

Just picked up Echinoderms of Florida and the Caribbean, Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and Allies based on your recommendation above and I have to say it is an amazing resource. Thanks!

[johnmaloney]

good bump, I like this thread. yardboy should be made to post something....

[yardboy]

Ow..OW..OW. Quit twisting my arm!
Maria is contemplating getting a lionfish for her Caribbean biotope. Have you ever seen any where you collect John, or are they more of an offshore fish?

On another note, I need everyone's help in promoting these guys. Actinia bermudensis, I think, as they are quite attractive and small. I figure if the mini-carpets can flash into popularity we ought to be able to do the same for these.


With my luck they should become the next big thing, selling for $500 on eBay. I say they should because with my luck this cold-ass winter probably decimated their populations here. Four years ago I had never seen them and then over the last few years they became more and more common. Now, who knows, until I get my butt out there and look. Right now though the water is still just too darn cold. Water temps still below 60 here. Brrrrrr.

This post has been edited by yardboy: Mar 25 2010, 10:24 AM

[yardboy]

Okay! The temps moving up now! over 60
When it hits 70 I'm good to go.

This post has been edited by yardboy: Mar 25 2010, 10:26 AM