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From: richard <richard_at_saber.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 08:55:50 -0800
I just read an article in the new issue of Sea Kayaker magazine (Dec 98) titled
Trial By Water: Capsized Off Victoria, BC. In the article the author mentioned 
that he forgot to bring his breathing tube, which would have enabled him to
breathe the air from the cockpit while upside down. Can anyone tell me about
this tube; what is it made of? what size is it? How is it used? etc?

Richard M.


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From: Bill Leonhardt <leonhardt_at_BNLDAG.AGS.BNL.GOV>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 13:03:32 -0500
From: Sisler, Clyde <Clyde.Sisler_at_wang.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 14:09:30 -0500
I just read an article in the new issue of Sea Kayaker magazine (Dec 98)
titled
Trial By Water: Capsized Off Victoria, BC. In the article the author
mentioned 
that he forgot to bring his breathing tube, which would have enabled him to
breathe the air from the cockpit while upside down. Can anyone tell me about
this tube; what is it made of? what size is it? How is it used? etc?
 
Try http://www.radicalgear.com/ <http://www.radicalgear.com/>  for some
info.  You'd probably want to keep the flatuence to a minimum tho.  :-)
 

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From: Saul Kinderis <saul_at_isomedia.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 12:48:07 -0800
Actually, if the tube is properly mounted, it can be used to keep the
vapors vented from below deck to minimize the risk of explosions that come
from your Canadian Ballast Rocks (TM) sparking against your metal
footbraces. This is in addition to "freshening" the air before you have to
re-breath it.

- I couldn't resist

-Saul

At 02:09 PM 11/9/98 -0500, Sisler, Clyde wrote:
>I just read an article in the new issue of Sea Kayaker magazine (Dec 98)
>titled
>Trial By Water: Capsized Off Victoria, BC. In the article the author
>mentioned 
>that he forgot to bring his breathing tube, which would have enabled him to
>breathe the air from the cockpit while upside down. Can anyone tell me about
>this tube; what is it made of? what size is it? How is it used? etc?
> 
>Try http://www.radicalgear.com/ <http://www.radicalgear.com/>  for some
>info.  You'd probably want to keep the flatuence to a minimum tho.  :-)
> 
>
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>

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From: <KiAyker_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 22:09:52 EST
In a message dated 11/9/98 8:57:35 AM Pacific Standard Time, richard_at_saber.net
writes:

<< I just read an article in the new issue of Sea Kayaker magazine (Dec 98)
titled
 Trial By Water: Capsized Off Victoria, BC. In the article the author
mentioned 
 that he forgot to bring his breathing tube, which would have enabled him to
 breathe the air from the cockpit while upside down. Can anyone tell me about
 this tube; what is it made of? what size is it? How is it used? etc? >>

   I used to play around with "breathing tubes" a bunch of years ago for
rolling practice  and just goofy fun. Mine was simply manufactured by taping a
diving regulator mouthpiece to a three foot or so length of garden hose. The
loose end of the hose went through the sprayskirt tube so that when inverted I
could breath the trapped inside the boat. I used to dream of spearing fish
while inverted in my boat, only to find that in practice the process of
capsizing scared everything in the vicinity. Although I had a lot of fun with
my snorkel, I feel that as a rescue device it's really a rather silly piece of
equipment. The time spent practicing with a "breathing tube" could and should
be better spent working on rolling, paddle float rescue, bracing, etc., etc..
Just my personal opinion, for what it's worth. Incidentally, "Sea Kayaker"
magazine had an article on "hull breathing" (the same thing) in the summer
1988 edition for anyone who is interested.

Scott
So.Cal.
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From: R. Walker <rww_at_mailbox.neosoft.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 11:24:38 -0600
> that when inverted I could breath the trapped inside the boat. I used to
> dream of spearing fish while inverted in my boat, only to find that in
> practice the process of capsizing scared everything in the vicinity.
> Although I had a lot of fun with my snorkel, I feel that as a rescue

Awww!!!  I was just thinking of that.  Now that I can roll, I had hopes 
that one could capsize and do just that.  I suppose the oyster 
picking idea might still work, since oysters can't run away....

Might work in a river situation though, where you come across a 
slow stretch, capsize at the start, hunt for fish as you float along 
for a little bit, then right yourself as you get close to the end of the
slow section....

Course, I finally just got my roll last night, so I'm so psyched at
the moment that just about anything sounds like a good idea...



Richard Walker
Houston, TX
http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html
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From: <KayakerKen_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 21:23:02 EST
Not breathing tubes again!

   By the way, on the subject of breathing tubes... 

   Have you ever popped off your skirt and smelled a fart that you let out a
half hour earier?

Just wondering,
Ken Mannshardt
SF Bay
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From: Julio MacWilliams <juliom_at_cisco.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 11:08:11 -0800 (PST)
I tried the idea of the breathing tube. The main problem I had
with it was that it caused leakage into the hull while upside down.

Then I started using a 1.5 foot piece of PVC pipe as a snorkel to
breathe fresh air, and that worked very well. When a roll failed,
I would just retrieve the pipe from the deck bungies, lean on
the front deck towards the surface of the water, pinch my nose,
blow the water out of the pipe, and breathe fresh air until I was
calm enough to put the pipe back in the deck bungies and attempt another
roll.

The only problem I had with my snorkel is that bystanders would try
to jump in the water and rescue me after several minutes of being
upside down.

A diving neoprene hood helps a lot, as one looses a lot of heat
through the head when inmersed in water. 

- Julio
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From: Greg Hollingsworth <gregh_at_u1.abs.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 16:05:23 -0500 (EST)
> Then I started using a 1.5 foot piece of PVC pipe as a snorkel to
> breathe fresh air, and that worked very well. When a roll failed,
> I would just retrieve the pipe from the deck bungies, lean on
> the front deck towards the surface of the water, pinch my nose,
> blow the water out of the pipe, and breathe fresh air until I was
> calm enough to put the pipe back in the deck bungies and attempt another
> roll.

This seems like an very complex way to recover from a blown roll -- all
this fooling around with a bungie and tubes and sticking things here and
there seem like it would be problem prone.  I'd worry about loosing my
paddle during all of this.  I guess there's merit to this technique if
you've blown your roll and lost your paddle or have no chance of achieving
a roll, you could hang out there upside down for a while until a paddling
partner can assist with a bow rescue.

Personally, I've been practicing blown rolls in a variety of scenarios so
that I'm better able to handle a retry when it happens. One thing I always
make sure that I do is get a good breath when I come up and I prepare to
hold it in if I get flattened again by an oncoming wave or some other
silly reason.  A skulling brace it a nice skill to have, it lets you
semi-recover and allows you to breathe, rest, and reevaluate the situation
until you're ready to retry the roll.

	Greg

-
Greg Hollingsworth 

EMAIL: gregh_at_abs.net   PHONE: 240-228-6065 WWW: abs.net/~gregh/kayaking
LIVES: Sykesville, Maryland   WORKS:  Johns Hopkins/Applied Physics Lab
PADDLES: Red Nordkapp usually on Chesapeake tributaries
-


























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From: <dldecker_at_mediaone.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 17:56:56 -0500
At 11:08 AM 11/11/98 -0800, Julio MacWilliams wrote:
>I tried the idea of the breathing tube. The main problem I had
>with it was that it caused leakage into the hull while upside down.
>
>Then I started using a 1.5 foot piece of PVC pipe as a snorkel to
>breathe fresh air, and that worked very well. 


I was told by a Dr. friend that a tube over 12 inches you did not 
push all the used air out and would re breath and over a period of 
time pass out. Anyhow I use a 3 ft. piece of garden hose and don't 
eat beans the day before .

Dana
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From: Saul Kinderis <saul_at_isomedia.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 15:48:52 -0800
Actually it is not the length of the tube so much as its volume as compared
to the volume of your lungs and your normal breathing.

however a real wide tube i.e. as big as a house gets a lot of air mixing,
so that's why people often use the 1 foot as a rule of thumb based on the
assumption that a snorkel just wont be more than an inch or two in diameter

-Saul

At 05:56 PM 11/11/98 -0500, dldecker_at_mediaone.net wrote:
>At 11:08 AM 11/11/98 -0800, Julio MacWilliams wrote:
>>I tried the idea of the breathing tube. The main problem I had
>>with it was that it caused leakage into the hull while upside down.
>>
>>Then I started using a 1.5 foot piece of PVC pipe as a snorkel to
>>breathe fresh air, and that worked very well. 
>
>
>I was told by a Dr. friend that a tube over 12 inches you did not 
>push all the used air out and would re breath and over a period of 
>time pass out. Anyhow I use a 3 ft. piece of garden hose and don't 
>eat beans the day before .
>
>Dana
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From: Philip Wylie <pjwylie_at_planet.eon.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 18:27:53 -0700
dldecker_at_mediaone.net wrote:
 

> I was told by a Dr. friend that a tube over 12 inches you did not
> push all the used air out and would re breath and over a period of
> time pass out. Anyhow I use a 3 ft. piece of garden hose and don't
> eat beans the day before .
 
> Dana
____________________________________________________________________

Awe heck anyway! Why not just strap on a rebreather under or over
your PFD and be done with it! 

Roll, immerse, flood, spear fish upside down, here's
a way to do it all. You can even spend hours in the pool just
trying to perfect your roll. 

Cheers,

Philip

Who wishes he could visit Florida like those Eastern Canadians.
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From: <dldecker_at_mediaone.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 20:57:20 -0500
At 06:27 PM 11/11/98 -0700, Philip Wylie wrote:
>dldecker_at_mediaone.net wrote:
> 
>
>> I was told by a Dr. friend that a tube over 12 inches you did not
>> push all the used air out and would re breath and over a period of
>> time pass out. Anyhow I use a 3 ft. piece of garden hose and don't
>> eat beans the day before .
> 
>> Dana
>____________________________________________________________________
>
>Awe heck anyway! Why not just strap on a rebreather under or over
>your PFD and be done with it! 
>
>Roll, immerse, flood, spear fish upside down, here's
>a way to do it all. You can even spend hours in the pool just
>trying to perfect your roll. 
>
>Cheers,
>
>Philip
>
>Who wishes he could visit Florida like those Eastern Canadians.
>


I do it to watch fish swim around, besides a re breather would cost more
than 29 cents which is what I have invested in my breathing hose. 
I wish all them Eastern Canadians would leave Florida alone and go home.
Florida is a horrible place you don't want to visit here, we shoot visitors
some times when they won't go home.
Down in Fla wishing only native Floridians were the only ones allowed.

Dana
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From: Karl Coplan <kcoplan_at_Genesis.law.pace.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed Nov 11 12:00:20 1998
Julio MacWilliams wrote:
> Then I started using a 1.5 foot piece of PVC pipe as a snorkel to
> breathe fresh air, and that worked very well. When a roll failed,
> I would just retrieve the pipe from the deck bungies, lean on
> the front deck towards the surface of the water, pinch my nose,
> blow the water out of the pipe, and breathe fresh air until I was
> calm enough to put the pipe back in the deck bungies and attempt another
> roll.
> 

Let's see -- one hand holding my nose . . . one hand holding the tube 
--- whoops, there goes my paddle.

Seriously, does this idea work in the kind of choppy conditions where 
you might need to roll?  Or might you get an unexpected lungful of 
water when a wave crest passed over your breathing tube?


Professor Karl S. Coplan
Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Inc.
78 North Broadway
White Plains, N.Y.  10603
kcoplan_at_genesis.law.pace.edu
(914) 422-4343
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From: Julio MacWilliams <juliom_at_cisco.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 13:37:28 -0800 (PST)
When I do not have my nose plug on, I put the paddle in the fore deck,
which is one of the advantages of Greenland paddles and kayaks.

The snorkel is a good idea for learning how to roll in calm water.

For a roll back up I use my solid version of the avataq, or float
that I carry under the aft deck bungies. Rolling with that rarely fails
in any conditions. In fact, there is a product on the market based
on the same priciple; it is a CO2 catridge that fills a bladder with
which the paddler rolls back up. It is an excellent idea.


Now, I just realized that the context of the breathing tube discussion
is about paddling in storm seas without caring of whether or not you
are upside down. 

If I decided to do something like that, I would just take my regulator
and a small tank, just because I already have it.

- Julio

> Let's see -- one hand holding my nose . . . one hand holding the tube 
> --- whoops, there goes my paddle.
> 
> Seriously, does this idea work in the kind of choppy conditions where 
> you might need to roll?  Or might you get an unexpected lungful of 
> water when a wave crest passed over your breathing tube?
> 
> 
> Professor Karl S. Coplan

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From: Scott Ives <ssives_at_erols.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Breathing tube
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 21:54:07 -0500
Oh, I should probably be embarrased to admit this.... when I am
practicing rolls, I will often go to a calm, fairly shallow area of a
river.  If I roll up - fine.  If I miss,  welllllll .... there's always
the paddle push off the muddy river bottom!  There, now that I admitted
it I feel much better!

 - Scott

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