diveyak

[FreediveWI]

I have a couple of boats.

My first was an Ocean Kayak Scrambler that is stable enough to stand on and joust another boater with your paddle- yes, it's been done.

It can easily carry a fully rigged set of gear mounted to a 120. I've owned it for over 12 years and it still keeps and going. It works great in the surf- like when Lake Michigan cooperates in November with some surfable waves.

My other boat is a Futura Surfski that is wicked fast on the water and I use all the time around Madison. It is fiberglass and has a rudder, along with a hatch.

My old computer just died so I don't have any photos to attach to point them out, but if you just do a search on this site about dive kayaks you'll see lots of picutres of both boats, as well as the first time I took Gert out to surf waves off of Bradford Beach. ;D

A rigid hull will cut through the water better, and not get blown around as much, than the blow-up toy kind that I have seen sold in some dive shops. They are also a bit safer when carrying your speargun with you.

Another dive buddy of mine has an Ocean Kayak tandem and we can easily launch it down the stairs at Beaver Lake to paddle oput to the good part of the lake to dive/spearfish. There is no public boat trailer launch so canoe and kayak are about your only options. Still, the lake is worth the effort to get in and dive.

I actually spent today out kayaking in the Madison Lakes as part of a class I'm taking. We were in fully enclosed boats, but I was wishing I had my surfski to make things a bit cooler in the hot temps that we've been enduring.

As far as diving with it, the palstic one cuts through the water fairly easy when towing it behind me- I use a cavern rell to pull it around when scuba diving. For freediving I just drop a small anochor, or tie it off to a wreck if I'm in Lake Michigan, and dive aorund it. The nice thing about paddeling out to your site is that your legs are still fresh for the dive, and while you dive your arms get to rest for the return trip.

Jon