Posts by Dan

  • Dan. Do you have any pics or info about your marker bouy

    The bungee line stopper could be made to work better. Maybe I'd just avoid the pvc altogether and keep a couple of buoys with set line lengths 60ft and 90ft, since I don't dive deeper than that. Sometimes you may want to have two of each, to mark the beginning and end of a wreck if necessary.


  • first time builder...teach me.

    The most difficult part about installing a side line release mech like a Neptonics is matching up the line release. My recommendation is to avoid the hassle and use a top line release trigger mech like this one from Speardiver Trigger Mechanism TLR - FreediveStore.com Making room for the line release arm is a cinch, and the system works flawlessly. It's also automatically resetting, meaning you don't have to position the line release before engaging the shaft in the mech, the shaft entering the mech will set the line release. This mech is available for US and euro shafts. There's also a reverse version if you want to gain a couple of inches of band stretch without making the gun longer Trigger Mechanism Reverse - FreediveStore.com


    These mechs will easily take 4 16mm bands, and at $60 are a great value. Don't over engineer the gun with a mech way more robust than you need thinking it's going to make the gun better somehow.

  • Interested in donating supplies to less fortunate spearos in Cuba?

    A lot of diving/spearfishing in Cuba has some complication attached to it. The general idea is not to be seen as opposed to attracting attention with a dive flag. I've never seen any spearfisherman use a dive flag in my time there. There are also very few boats, and cuban boats move slow.


    Floats are not usually a concern. Any old piece of Styrofoam float works for them, they often stick a knife right into it. I believe a Banksboard would be of real interest but it's too expensive. And again the idea is not to be seen, a board would attract too much attention, possibly jealously which may result in harassment by the police.


    Any stainless steel dive knife is great. But it better be robust because it will see a lot of not gentle use.


    Actually any shaft including sling shafts would be good, they'll just convert it into a pneumatic shaft.

  • Interested in donating supplies to less fortunate spearos in Cuba?

    Don't waste your time with rubber, they all use pneumatics over there. Shafts for pneumatic spearguns may be useful, but I don't see too many people parting with theirs, and shaft prices here are not cheap. Plus there may be difficulties matching up our shafts with their home made air guns, as a rule they use heavy shafts. Mono and Dyneema are never used for shooting line, rather some kind of cordage. I imagine they scrounge up cord from the military.


    Masks, and snorkels of any kind are always appreciated. Since materials to put together and maintain carbon and fiberglass fins are not available, the best fins to bring are plastic fins like Cressi gara. It's warm for a long time out of the year, and Cuban divers are used to cold and difficult conditions, still any kind of old wetsuit would be welcome.


    In general you'll find that those interested in spearfishing gear are subsistence spearfishermen. They know the local value of diving gear, it's part of their work, and they know they must pay for it. So your idea of charity is a little out of place IMO. Gear is much needed by those people, and the idea of giving it away arbitrarily doesn't work out well in reality. You best keep your stuff to yourself, wait until you make a friend or two, then gift them some gear. It's like having $100, you spread it among 200 people and $.50 each is not going to make any difference. But if you give one person the $100 it will make a difference for them. In general foreigners have some misguided idea about how goods should be distributed. Cubans in Cuba are very aware of the value of stuff, it's all about business and who knows who to get something over there.


    Keep in mind you're only allowed so many pounds as part of your air fare. Anything past that you'll have to pay the airline to bring it on the plane. Also there's a limit in Cuba on how many pounds you can bring in without paying some BS fee. Also if you bring a lot of stuff Cuban customs may see it like you're going to sell it, and try to squeeze some money out of you.

  • The great white lie

    I don't think blame can be put on anyone or anything but himself. He wanted to believe something and did a mind job on himself, he was deluded. Just like the fellow in the first vid. You can have many experiences with sharks that are not hungry enough, or not in an environment where they'd push boundaries, or sharks with a certain kind of temperament. It only takes one that's a little different than the rest to bring reality crashing down. Sharks and people were not designed to interact other than in a predator prey mode. If it came down to it out of the two choices I'd prefer to assume the predator role. The real crime is trying to convince people that it's anything else like that fool in the video is doing. That said I respect all life (things like mosquitoes excluded) and don't condone shark finning or other mistreatment of animals.


    Don, please post up that pic of your float for a graphic reminder.

  • Fiberglass blades comparison, DiveR, Edge & Waterway

    Leader fiberglass/carbon blades medium stiffness are ok. The soft and hard versions of this blade are poor performers. Based on this alone I wouldn't waste time trying to make the soft Leader fin work.


    The rest depends on which omer Millennium footpocket you have, some have very tendons stiff, others have correct moderate stiffness. In between sizes like 41-43 and 43-45 are always too stiff. Some footpockets from old production are very stiff/plastic like. To make sure you have correct stiffness omer Millennium footpockets buy here Footpockets - FreediveStore.com