Posts by Reefchief

  • mammalian dive reflex short history

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    Drop a baby in the pool. It holds its breath and swims to get on its back. Then dcf comes to take your kid but the lesson is still valid. It is programmed in to us


    But "it" in your example is only the instinct to avoid water, float, and hold ones breath when submerged. Not the ability or instinct to "dive deep" past residual volume etc, which is what that article is talking about. I dont think anyone would disagree with the fact that weve got water


    I dont know why such a strawman is being made of the author position. To me he seems to very clearly be talking about humans being programmed to dive deep. Past residual volume even. He even mentions diving shallow as apes/prehistoric humans.


    Quote

    None of all these responses has anything to do with your belief that your ancestor had the habit of diving below RV to look for food. Why would you chase after fish at depths below 30 when crabs, muscles, seaweed can be found at depths were you hardly have to equalize. And in those days there were plenty of it. Why even submerge, wait for the tide to pull back and there it is.

  • mammalian dive reflex short history

    Quote from Hardline

    You're missing the point. It's a physiological response that is well studied and documented. You can call it a reflex or response or that dive thingy...it doesn't matter. Everything your body does is geared towards it not trying to die.


    The Mammalian Diving Reflex


    I understand completely. Im pointing out that the article doesn't discount those physiological responses, but rather the reasons they are triggered. Hes arbitrarily separating the romantic concept of "the aquatic ape / dive response" from the boring "our bodies do stuff in cold water to not die" which he even accepts as real. Hes just trying to dispell the romantic idea im sure some freedivers have that were designed to hold our breath by evolution and diving for clams as monkeys. Probably in an attempt to remove some of the bs about how safe and wonderful and natural deep diving is.

  • mammalian dive reflex short history


    I dont think that article disagrees with those conclusions. it even says at the end.


    "If you still think the Aquatic ape theory is true because heart rate drops on face immersion in cold water. Dream on - Heart rate slows down because of the temperature change, not the water."


    Basically it seems to me to be saying that while there are very well known physiological responses triggered during freediving they have nothing to do with some innate diving ability given to us by aquatic ancestors and evolution, but instead extraneous factors such as colder temperatures, pressure, stress, lack of oxygen etc. I dont think it denies that things happen in our body as we dive that allow us to hold our breath longer, but more that these responses are your body trying not to die, rather than some romantic "dive response" or "aquaticity" evolved into us we haven't tapped till we go diving.



    Also lots of TED things are bullshit. They will give anyone who can entertain a crowd, sell tickets and get youtube views a platform for their "science". They do review them but only to the standards of "seems legit and sounds interesting". And the TEDx talks are even worse as there is no oversight at all.


    Thats not to say this TED talk is bad. But if anything TED talks are something to be skeptical towards rather than trust as an authoritative argument.

  • Dry Breath holds, what are the benefits?

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    I have a different perspective mark. To me it is about strength between the ears. I like to know what my body feels like when it is starting to need o2, when it really needs o2 and when I am dangerously low. I hope to never experience this in the water when there is danger. I like to know that I can hold my breath for X number of minutes because I know how I feel while holding. That way, when I am actually diving, I know how to interpret the signals my body is giving me


    I have a static breath hold of around 2:45. I have gone as long as 3:15 but that was on a real push. I know that number is meaningless in real world applications however knowing it helps me to determine where I am in a breath hold arc and how my body is doing.


    Statics and tables can be very dangerous if you are using them to PUSH your limits. I find them very helpful in learning ones limits and then how to dive well within those limits


    I dont mean doing static's and dry's to measure where you are at. I can totally get that and agree with you. I used to do them a lot for that reason. Using them to feel the signals your body gives etc and to know what your body feels like without worrying about swimming or drowning etc is a great use I agree.


    I mean static tables and much more so c02 tables as they are used by the freediving community, and many spearos who think its the way to get bottom time. An attempt to train your body for diving out of the water by holding your breath longer and longer. Like the "apnea" apps sold in the iphone appstore. They all focus on gradual interval training that ends with you really pushing yourself, all without actually diving. What so many people fail to realize is that this process isnt increasing your ability to conserve oyygen, but instead to feel more comfortable doing it. Its almost the same as hyperventilation.

  • Dry Breath holds, what are the benefits?

    Quote from kmo

    I do often wonder if developing the ability to dive longer and deeper as the years pass is a result of a physical adaptation which improves my ability to suvive and function at low oxygen levels, or just a psychological adaptation that allows me to be comfortable pushing myself closer to blackout/death.


    Based on the freediving science stuff ive seen (people doing science of V02 min etc) there are definitely physiological adaptations and dive reflexes etc that get more pronounced as you train for diving and dive more. For instance, the slowing of your heartbeat.


    I do think c02 tolerance does play a large role as well, which is scary because its exactly as you said, your body being able to tolerate being closer to blackout. This is exactly why statics and c02 tables are horrible. Its purely increasing your ability to hold your breath without at all increasing your ability to conserve oxygen.

  • Shallow water hunting techniques

    Quote from japsw

    I have noticed the same thing, I shoot more fish early or late in the day, however the bigger fish I have shot have been mid day and shallower. The trick of sifting some sand up works, when wrestling lobster out of holes I always get a curious grouper or mutton come to investigate and present a good shot.


    It sure does. Ive noticed that lobstering brings in the fish almost as much as anything else I try including throwing sand.




    A very important aspect of hunting shallow is a silent sneaky and nonchalant approach to fish you see from the surface. For the most part at that depth they see you just as clearly as you see them if not much better. Getting within shooting range without scaring them off takes a lot of practice and skill. This isnt true of all fish (hogs triggers etc). But for snapper and grouper its vital. Ive foolishly chased and scared too many big fish away before learning my lesson. Its amazing how keen a fish's sense can be to where you are focused. Not to mention once you have a fishes attention they are on red alert ready to bolt at any sudden sound or movement. Last weekend I scared away a nice tame grouper with a simple bang of my flashlight against my gun. Until that point he thought I was cool.


    Another good example is a few weeks ago a black grouper frank saw while dealing with a shot cuda. The grouper sat there watching the action right out in the open without a care in the world for atleast a few minutes. Frank called me over and pointed him out. As soon as my focus turned to him (even trying to look from the corner of my mask etc) he began to spook. By the time I was diving on him he was out of there, I took a hail mary at him that had no chance due to my gun being loaded for a hole. I found him later but I was lucky he stuck close by.



    Another good technique of concealment in shallow water is like niceshoot said use the reef structure to hide from the fish and get them to accidentally come in close. Thats how I landed the black from a few weeks ago after he was already onto my game. I saw him swim into a coral head. So rather than dropping right on the front I dropped around the backside and swam around with my gun ready. He bolted as he saw me but at that point I was close enough to draw a bead on him for a long time as he tried to get away and get a shot.


    With wary snappers I tend to drop away from them and attempt to sneak up using structure as cover. I try not to chase a fish unless its a last resort as it seldom works.

  • What´s the difference?

    Quote from Dan

    Funny, before you posted it I was thinking that song and Turner's "what's love got to do with it". What a blast from the past, used to dance my butt off to that song :laughing: Isn't it a little before your time Mark? :) Never saw the video before, pretty cool vampire theme.


    For some weird, weird reason 8 year old me was really into Eurodance. I wish I was kidding but im not. I still remember picking out all the sweet eurodance hit tapes from the Columbia house mail order tape catalog. Each album cover was a stamp and you would lick and stamp which ones you wanted in the slots on the order form and pay a bulk price.


    I bought wu-tang's Enter the wutang 36 chambers's cd in one of these purchases and my mom came in while I was jamming out to "wu tang clan aint nothin to **** with" and for some reason thought that wasn't appropriate for an 8 year old.


    Some other hits I remember from that era.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dx0qWHL7dc


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pav2f4b-1ZE


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P0_v__IOrE


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNPjeIamsck


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ltZmI5LQw


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W_kWxWn-Zo

  • If your dive buddy doesn't surface

    I dont mean someone blowing up the victims lungs, I totally agree if someone is unconscious underwater sticking a regulator in his mouth is not going to make him breath. Im more talking about an untrained freediver who only knows the concept, sensation, and muscle memory of holding their breath while submerged jumping in with a scuba tank or pony bottle for the first time, attempting to rescue someone on it, and between the adrenaline, inexperience, and focus on the rescue, holding their breath as they surface. It would be a hell of a time to practice the "dont hold your breath" mantra of scuba.

  • If your dive buddy doesn't surface

    I think scuba equipment is a very good tool to have on the boat. Not just for emergency rescue situations but also for situations that are risky rescue situations waiting to happen (getting a fish out of a deep hole, unsticking an anchor or shaft at a depth at the limit of your capabilities) I have no misgivings about the lack of purity or sport in situations like that.


    But understanding of scuba physiology and safety as well as experience with equipment is very important to using it correctly. I would be extremely worried that a freediver in an emergency situation without scuba knowledge and practice could make a deadly mistake quite easily. Pulmonary Barotrauma caused by lung overexpansion is extremely easy to cause. All it takes is a deep breath at depth and holding it as you surface and your lungs literally explode.

  • If your dive buddy doesn't surface

    In a boat with a functioning radio a mayday call is like you said, nearly immediate. In those instances I agree even a single person should absolutely use it to quickly hail for help before going after the person. All it takes it hitting the red "mayday channel" button and yelling into the mic for a few seconds. On a nicer boat with an expensive radio its even more of a no brainer, the GPS is hooked up to the radio and the mayday is automatic and will broadcast the mayday + GPS position to all nearby boats once the oh shit button is activated.


    However I think there are a great many number of boats is disrepair, kayaks, shoredivers etc who would be hailing for help by finding their cellphone and dialing 911, waiting for an operator, explaining to them whats happening, and then relaying your position to someone who probably isnt totally familiar with the process. I feel like this factor changes the cost/benefit a great deal and makes it not so much of a no brainier when there is minimal "out to sea" danger. I have probably done far more diving without a working radio than with. This is the reason I purchased a nataulis lifeline and carry it with me while diving.


    My point isnt so much that either way is absolutely right but rather the pros and cons of a specific plan need to be measured carefully against the factors and conditions involved, and a course of action should be tailored to those conditions. Losing a person in the middle of a glass flat currentless day 1 mile from the beach who has a float is quite different (and pretty much impossible in those conditions) from losing someone with only a reel in a ripping tide at sundown, in a boiling sea in the middle of nowhere that spits you out into bluewater.


    The story Dan posted from Cam also shows that a drowning victim is not always out of the woods once brought to the surface. That you can basically drown after the fact due to poor lung function. For that reason having help waiting topside is another huge advantage to getting a mayday call out first.


    I think this brings up the fact that a working turned on radio is an important safety device on the water overlooked by many. A cell phone is not a direct link to the coast guard/other boaters. Any working VHF radio with decent range is.

  • If your dive buddy doesn't surface

    Quote from behslayer

    My buddy Davo usually has a Carter Float attached to his weight belt. I'm guessing he had one that day as well, he had a whistle, he had a Big Urukay gun, but he was lost in the glare and Ocean and Motor sounds. I wasn't on the boat that day. In Indonesia, it's common to dive in strong currents, so if you are diving on a small island or high spot, you would start above the island and then pass on either side of it. Usually there is an eddy on the leeward side, but if you get out past the eddy, the currents can be ferocious.. whirlpools. Sure, a Floatline may have helped, maybe not, and float lines do disappear sometimes.. I've lost several to tuna. but it was the last drift and he opted not to use one. My understanding is that once the sun went down and he had been unable to contact the boat, or make it back to the smaller island, that he immediately changed his goal from maintaining a position, to pro actively swimming for the nearest attainable shoreline. Had Davo decided to pop his Carter Float and rest on it and await rescue the next day, he would most probably never have been found.


    The point of the story is that the best thing you can do if someone disappears is to immediately increase your resources by calling for help. In that case, they could have had one group looking for a floating diver and one for a diver below the surface. Currents add an exponential element to the search grounds. Everyone in that boat was thinking about the first five minutes.. but in doing so, they went hurriedly to the top of the drift, and this caused them to actually lose Davo.


    I think these factors and their impact need to be weighed carefully in different situations. For instance, most of the places I dive being lost by the boat would be nothing more than kind of annoying, a short swim to the beach with no real risk of being taken out to sea, not to mention a huge probability of floating past another boat because the reefs are often trafficked like highways here. Ideally both can be done at the same time. While someone calls for help others look. But in instances where it becomes a choice those important few seconds/minutes after a person blacks out may be wasted hedging against a bet that doesn't really cost all that much to lose in some situations. On the other hand the outcome of putting effort into looking for someone on the surface who wasnt on it is certain.

  • Catching Hell on The Weather Channel

    I watched it out of sheer curiosity. It actually doesnt do a bad job of portraying the fishing side of commercial spearfishing well. They come at it from a "this is where fresh sustainable seafood comes from" angle. Showing how it gets from the ocean to peoples plates (shots of the seafood company showing up and paying for the fish) Its also cool to see middlegrounds hogs and groupers even if guys on scuba are shooting them.


    The part that is just silly is the manufactured reality drama. Like many reality tv shows its blatantly obvious (to me) pretty much all of the conflict is fake. Bad actors pretending to argue about stuff and run into danger for the sake of television. When a shark shows up they pretend like its going to eat them. When heading into port in a storm the boat breaks down etc. When they shoot a fish in a hole it gets silted out and they have a hard time finding their way out. They even give the divers full face masks so they can talk up the drama on camera. For those reasons its a pretty silly reality tv show.


    But I love/hate reality tv. I really enjoy the documentary style look inside cultures and professions I otherwise wouldn't know about. But I absolutely hate the fake docudrama crap that ends up taking up most of a reality TV shows time. Unfortunately it seems like the general public is more interested in the drama than the work.

  • Custom Speargun 1.3m Euro

    Beautiful gun, love the no nonsense rounded tapers on your euro's. The silver AR handle also looks really great on it. The finish and wood color is incredible.


    What are you thoughts on padauk vs teak? A buddy has a padauk riffe and it seems to be a great wood. I know the SG is a little heavier but I dont think its like mahogany (sinking gun). Ive thought about building my next gun out of it for economical reasons and just to see how it differs from teak.


    onkelhedde glad to hear youre on the good end of a bad time. Hope to see some more amazingness coming from your new shop soon!

  • If your dive buddy doesn't surface

    Do you have a link to some of this course material? This would be a great addition to our discussion. Especially the parts about finding a diver on the bottom. I for one haven't seen it online besides bits and pieces usually used as promotional material for the courses themselves or discussions people record on youtube/share on forums.


    While I agree in person instruction from a skilled teacher is preferred I disagree with the notion that it cannot be learned on your own or there is no benefit to spreading this information outside a classroom that costs hundreds of dollars to enter. Especially when compared with just plain old not knowing what to do. The things you listed are neither rocket science nor secrets, yet all these agencies do quite a good job of promoting their courses and quite a poor job of promoting the understanding of the basics of safe diving. I highly doubt this information being more available to the public without the watchful eye of a carefully trained (by taking a course themselves, perhaps weeks ago if they are one of the bazillion new instructors training up to feed the beast) instructor is going to be a bad thing for diver safety. But I do agree for a large number of people the $400 is well worth it and the best way to learn. I also feel inversely that you can pay $400, pass the course, get your card, and still be a disaster waiting to happen.



    I would rather have someone who learned CPR on youtube pumping on my chest than someone who has no idea how CPR works sitting there clueless because they figured it could only be learned via a class.


    I dont mean to imply that freediving courses require reaching depth goals and doing long statics. Rather these concepts have been interwoven into safety information to appeal to new divers. And as a result a spearo has no choice but to pay $400+ for safety information combined with a bunch of freediving crap. Or scrounge around on their own to learn about these techniques and procedures. You can just read promotional material for the courses and see what they are selling. I see them on Instagram all the time. They read hyperbolically like this.


    "Never swam before!? Well get you to 66ft and show you how to hold your breath for 4 minutes!"

  • GoPro settings for dummies

    Marco there is a bit of debate about exactly which mode is the best. But I think for you 1080p or 720p / Wide / 30fps is the best mode.


    720p is already an HD format and it works fine, but 1080p is even more HD. If you record the videos in 1080p they will be available on youtube to everyone in that bigger format and appear more clear for those who want to watch in 1080p HD (this is good for spearfishing videos as the fish are sometimes hard to see) The only downside to this is the movie takes up more space on your hard drive and gopro card.


    Wide format works best because using anything less you might miss the action if the camera is not pointed correctly. With wide angle fish appear smaller, but more can be seen.


    30fps is the standard framerate for videos. 60fps would allow you to do fancy things like slow motion, but for the sake of keeping it simple and keeping videos smaller 30fps will work fine.


    Whatever you have been doing has been working good. Your videos look great on youtube and I can always see you shooting awesome fish in perfect detail :thumbsup2: but 1080p may improve the quality.