Joe, I've done a fair bit of freediving from a traditional cockpit based kayak, but no scuba diving. In a traditional kayak the getting in and out are a little trickier. One of the most difficult things it keeping track of all your gear, and getting right on a reef or wreck, and anchoring properly. Some pointers: -teather everything really well. I made 3 or 4 teathers, like paddle parks, but longer. thin rope with clips on both ends. Go slow, and be sure everything is clipped before getting in or out of the boat. -i find it easier to do all/most of the gear donning in the water. -i usually wear a 1-piece wetsuit, but only put the bottom on at the beach. It's real hard to paddle in a wetsuit. I slip my arms through when I get there. Depends on the paddle, but in some cases I had a 5 mile paddle to and from the site, so definitely didn't want a heavy wetsuit tearing up my arms. -get a good anchor. Orvis, and Sweetwater Kayaks in FLA sell little tiny anchors that are like grappling hooks, be sure to attach a short piece of chain. Usually they won't hold the boat, until you go down and set them. -i'd be real worried with scuba if I was by myself, and far from shore if the anchor didn't hold. With free diving you are only down for a few minutes so you can keep an eye on the boat. -as far as training I'd just get general kayak training, the diving you can figure out with practice. Get good at getting in and out of the boat, but its a lot easier to get in with fins. Get good at general paddling skills, Navigation is important to find dive sites. There are 2 commercial operators in NYC. New York Kayak, and Manhattan Kayak. You can also get some training for free at the Downtown Boathouse. (disclaimer: I work as a guide an instructor for New York Kayak from time to time) There are a number of things on the web about kayak diving. Many related to spearfishing, just do a search. Some SOT's have a slot for a scuba tank, so you might not need a double. Also think about putting all the dive stuff in a separate boat and towing it behind you. > I've got a double SOT and was curious about scuba diving from it, anyone > done this? Cannot find instruction in the NYC area so I'm looking for pointers. > - -Joe G --------------- Tim Gamble *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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