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#83
 Kayak Diving
Bonnie427 - 11/22/2013 1:56 PM
Category: General
Replies: 8
Been seeing a lot of youtube videos on kayak diving. Looks pretty cool. Does anyone have experience with kayak diving, and what brand of kayak would you recommend?
#5828
Agojo - 11/22/2013 4:08 PM
I have been using a Cobra Triple for 6 years in the Philippines (ordered it from a place in California). 3 person with 850 pound load capacity with empty weight of 97 pounds. Holds 2 divers with gear and a 3rd person to tender the kayak and follow the divers. You can see pictures of the kayak with divers at mayonviewresort.com (photos page), also on DB at http://www.divebuddy.com/photo.aspx?PicID=58519 . Jump into the water, roll gear in the water, put it on and dive, reverse order then paddle back to shore.
#2229
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btw2459 - 11/23/2013 5:13 AM
My son and I only did it the once with our kayaks. We’ve got two wilderness tarpon kayaks. A 140 and a 120. Great kayaks. They took all our gear including two Al 80 tanks (each kayak) and they moved through the water well and when secured together made a very stable dive platform.
#83
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Bonnie427 - 11/23/2013 7:09 PM
Awesome. I’ll look into those. Thanks for the input. If anyone else has any others, don’t hesitate. I want to do this right the first time.
#6242
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ScubaCrab - 11/24/2013 6:53 PM
Sound like alot of fun Bonnie! We have a double ane a single Kayak. Never dove from them but It seem like I could put my gear in front seat of the double and I could paddle from the back and it would work out well? If it was warm the wife would probably be willing to come? She could paddle the single or put the dive gear in the single tethered behind the double we were both in? A triple kayak might limit your options as for from my experience a double does not stear well when I do not have the weight of another person in the front!
If you all get a kayak let me know and maybe we can give it a try
#8064
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Rich-D-Fish - 11/25/2013 12:03 AM
I did all the homework and purchased two kayaks to dive from a couple years ago. They are fun and easy to dive off. Suprisingly the easy part is getting back on top, thanks to fins. The hard part is pulling them back up the hill to my car and putting them on the roof rack. Here is So.Cal. we have a lot of kelp. I quickly found out that anchors suck around kelp because they snag every time. So I found a simple kelp clip and my kayak was alwasy there waiting for me. As for the brand my homework led me to either the Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 or the Scupper Pro. You want to have a nice big well to stow your gear. If your kayak ever flips an airtight well is what you want to keep your gear from leaving. I used a foam swim noodle to prevent gear from sliding from the front well to the back of the kayak. And it’s important that the back has a space that fits your tank with a BCD on it with good tie downs. Always inflate your bcd after strapped in in case you flip. I eventually purchased two Prowler 13’s and they were perfect. The only bummer was that I had hoped my wife would go with me. Unfortunately her back hurt every time she sat for more than 10 minutes. So I started hauling both kayaks for me and a buddy. A LOT of work for me. So I sold them and bought a small boat. The verdict is still out if that was a good switch.
#8064
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Rich-D-Fish - 11/25/2013 12:07 AM
Ok. Here is an embarassing video my wife shot of me the very first time I had EVER been on a kayak, let alone try and get back on. It was a learning experience. And once you lose your balance once it’s generally hard to do again. And it gets easier and easier each time. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUvEp6GJTHY
#25
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Latin-Diver - 11/07/2016 4:46 PM
Any leads on Kayak diving clubs in the San Jose/Monterey Bay Area?
#25
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Latin-Diver - 11/10/2016 4:53 PM
Ocean Kayak Trident, or Prowler. Go for equipment stowage capacity and stability.