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Winnipesaukee Divers · 08-02-2005, 08:38 PM

As to why I think your question was dumb… well, actually I don’t. It gives me a good chance to explain my diving techniques to you. Most all of my dives are done from a boat, however, I almost never dive directly under the boat. Keep in mind I'm searching for treasure and therefore I cover a lot of ground. Here’s a typical dive plan for me: descend to the bottom to check the anchor, get orientated and strike out on a compass heading. As I scour the bottom with my hands I keep my heading and watch my air supply. Once I blow out a thousand PSI or half of my useable air supply, I turn the dive, set over and follow a reciprocating course back to the general vicinity of the boat's anchor. I usually have somewhere around 500 PSI of air remaining once I surface. Of course this whole plan can be dramatically altered if I should find something good or I get cold, tired or bored. The dive flag is tethered to me as the lead diver; the reel has a big handle that I loop my arm through. I pay out the line as needed and take it in as I get back into shallower waters. Since the line is 150' long I can be as much as 75' away from the flag at times. If I should have to surface for any reason I always reel in the line and actually have the flag in my hand when I break the surface. If the dive group is more than 3 we break up into teams of two and each team has a lead diver with a flag.

I always try to anchor our dive boat out of way, in closer to shore where it will be safer and mark it with an extra flag so people will know why it is anchored where it is and swim along the bottom to where I actually want to dive. I can cover up to a quarter of a mile under water real fast. Actually the term "swim" is a misnomer, I don't actually swim at all. I pull myself along the bottom with my hands and use my legs and fins to stabilize me with long, slow strokes from the hips. Your leg muscles will use up to 40% more energy than your arms and thus need 40% more oxygen to burn the calories. In order to maximize my air supply I conserve as much energy as I can.

BTW: I never have to worry about my dive buddy’s air supply… the big guy always uses more air and even though I carry 20- 40% more air then they, with the muscle mass I’m supporting I’m always first out.

08-02-2005, 08:38 PM	#17
Winnipesaukee Divers Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Exeter, NH or @ WCYC on weekends Posts: 250 Thanks: 7 Thanked 46 Times in 28 Posts	Yup, that was a dumb question... As to why I think your question was dumb… well, actually I don’t. It gives me a good chance to explain my diving techniques to you. Most all of my dives are done from a boat, however, I almost never dive directly under the boat. Keep in mind I'm searching for treasure and therefore I cover a lot of ground. Here’s a typical dive plan for me: descend to the bottom to check the anchor, get orientated and strike out on a compass heading. As I scour the bottom with my hands I keep my heading and watch my air supply. Once I blow out a thousand PSI or half of my useable air supply, I turn the dive, set over and follow a reciprocating course back to the general vicinity of the boat's anchor. I usually have somewhere around 500 PSI of air remaining once I surface. Of course this whole plan can be dramatically altered if I should find something good or I get cold, tired or bored. The dive flag is tethered to me as the lead diver; the reel has a big handle that I loop my arm through. I pay out the line as needed and take it in as I get back into shallower waters. Since the line is 150' long I can be as much as 75' away from the flag at times. If I should have to surface for any reason I always reel in the line and actually have the flag in my hand when I break the surface. If the dive group is more than 3 we break up into teams of two and each team has a lead diver with a flag. I always try to anchor our dive boat out of way, in closer to shore where it will be safer and mark it with an extra flag so people will know why it is anchored where it is and swim along the bottom to where I actually want to dive. I can cover up to a quarter of a mile under water real fast. Actually the term "swim" is a misnomer, I don't actually swim at all. I pull myself along the bottom with my hands and use my legs and fins to stabilize me with long, slow strokes from the hips. Your leg muscles will use up to 40% more energy than your arms and thus need 40% more oxygen to burn the calories. In order to maximize my air supply I conserve as much energy as I can. BTW: I never have to worry about my dive buddy’s air supply… the big guy always uses more air and even though I carry 20- 40% more air then they, with the muscle mass I’m supporting I’m always first out.