Utility Cycling - Any scuba divers here?

I dive for my county Dive Rescue team and typically drive my truck to get my 200 or so pounds of gear to and from dive sites, but I have been wondering if any of you dive and if carry your dive gear to sites via bicycle.

It would seem like the best gear for this would be an Xtracycle, but a good trailer might work too. So if you do, how do you do it?

Yep. NAUI certified and everything.

I didn't bring my scuba gear out to Cali and I've regretted it ever since I moved here, but when I was in New York, I did the trailer thing on trips to Sherkston Beach, etcetera, or I would just take my sailboat over Lake Ontario with my alternate gear on-board.

I might buy some gear soon, though I'm still pretty sure I'm going to move to Thailand later this year, so it might be best if I just waited until then and bought gear there.

I am SCUBA certified but haven't transported my stuff via bicycle. My first thought is that you should be able to move it in a trailer fairly easily. Definitely on one of the bikesatwork trailers.

Alekline,

A little off topic but do you play chess too? Looks like it in your handle. I'm a chess fan if you ever want to find a way to play online with a biking, chess playing, scuba diver.

PADI DM here, but never transported the gear on a bike. I think I'd want a trailer for that. There's also the physiological implications of exerting yourself before and/or after a dive. ;)

Alekline,

A little off topic but do you play chess too? Looks like it in your handle. I'm a chess fan if you ever want to find a way to play online with a biking, chess playing, scuba diver.

:D

Yep. I'm a chess freak. And I'd be more than happy to play any time you like. I'm always pleased to find fellow chess aficionados.

And ya, my handle is named after Alexandr Alexandrovich Alekhine, twice world champ (and world-class superjerk, unfortunately, but his games were magnificent, so I like him) and the moves 1. P-K4 ...NKB3 underneath my handle (if you're unfamiliar) are the opening to "Alekhine's Defense," which I actually never use because it requires a strategic ability with the hypermodern style that I am not particularly good with!

If you ever feel like playing correspondence-style, PM me with a first move, in either algebraic or descriptive notation - whichever you prefer, though algebraic is more wieldy. Or we can set up a running thread if our fellow posters to this forum don't mind its OT-ness. It would be easier that way. I'm no fan of PM messaging, really.

Or if you would prefer to play in real time, although I never use it anymore, I am available on yahoogames chess as charliebucket88, and we can set up a game in one of the lounges there if I can remember the password I set up for it back in 2002 or whenever it was.

[QUOTE=Alekhine]Yep. NAUI certified and everything.
QUOTE]

Hey same here.. NAUI certified.. everyone I know is PADI (i think?)

Why is that certification so hard to find?

I too am PADI certified. Never transported the gear by bike though. I actually havent dove since about October of last year. And I have since gotten into biking because it (was at first :) ) way cheaper.

Basic and Open Water PADI Certs from the 70's. I was IANTD Nitrox Certified
by Dick Rutkowski in the 90's.
Used to be pretty agressive in my diving, but now that I've gotten older (52)
I just putz about in the 20 to 30 foot range during the lobster season.
I have an 18' boat which I fish and dive from. Couldn't imagine having to haul
dive gear on a bicycle, esp steel HP 120's.

Yes,

Instructor for 20+ years-PADI,DSAT,SDI. Also Advanced trimix, semi-closed rebreather certified as well as being a freediving instructor. Ratings from IANTD, TDI, YMCA, PFI, PADI, DSAT, SDI.

I bought an xtracycle to get my dive gear on and gave up the technical stuff a few years ago- had kids and it got to be WAY too expensive. Freediving is much more enjoyable, cheaper, and challenging. Since I just have fins/monofin and a gear-bag to drag around, instead of some doubles and stage bottles, a bike works out nicely.

I can't admit to being car free, but I am working on reducing my carbon footprint. Giving up tech-diving, plus riding my kids around as much as possible on my bike, are all part of that.

I own a couple of dive kayaks but haven't tried to hook them up to the bike as of yet.;) My father-in-law owns a charter/salvage operation in Milwaukee and I go back to work/dive with him on a, somewhat, regular basis if I need to get deeper than my local lakes allow. Another part of the allure of freediving, is that I can jump in a lake, swim all the way around it, and get out 7 hours later without ever needing a boat, or change a tank. :D

Jon

Yes,

Instructor for 20+ years-PADI,DSAT,SDI. Also Advanced trimix, semi-closed rebreather certified as well as being a freediving instructor. Ratings from IANTD, TDI, YMCA, PFI, PADI, DSAT, SDI.

I bought an xtracycle to get my dive Jon

Dude...you're my hero!

What is a dive Kayak? How does it differ from a regular one? I've wanted to get a Kayak for a while now and I'd definatley be interested in one of them..

Thanks

A dive kayak is an open topped boat that allows you to climb in and out of it while in the water. They have room to tie tanks and gear bags in and allow you to get a tan while you paddle.:D

Here's a few shots of some of my freinds with their boats. They can be single or tandem and are not as tough to drag through the water as you might imagine. I hook a wreck reel to mine and drag it behind me if on scuba- since it slices through the water it's easier to tow than an innertube and flag. If I am freediving/spearfishing I anchor it in place and work the area around it.

You can surf them when the waves are up and take them down class 2 rapids if you want as they are made out of plastic. I used to have a fiberglass surfski that was much faster, but couldn't carry the load and would be to fragile to take down any rapids. Still, it was a VERY fast boat and fine to freedive off of- just not scuba since it had no tankwell.

Jon

Wow, lots more certified divers here than I would have expected. I am thinking in the near future I will be either building an Xtracycle or buying a bakfiets so that will be the way I will go with transporting the gear for nearby recreational dives.

Awesome info freediver. I haven't gotten all the fun out of my scuba diving yet, but I would like to try freediving sometime. Do you find it is pretty easy to get back into the dive kayak when you need to from open water?

Stay in the middle of the boat and keep low while your pull/kick yourself out of the water and your good to go.

I put together a midwest freediving event every July in northern Wisconsin called Freedive-a-Palooza. You should come on over and join us to see if you like it. We get divers from as far away as Texas and there's always enough gear to swap around so you can try quite a few different things while your there.

Jon

A dive kayak is an open topped boat that allows you to climb in and out of it while in the water. They have room to tie tanks and gear bags in and allow you to get a tan while you paddle.:D

Here's a few shots of some of my freinds with their boats. They can be single or tandem and are not as tough to drag through the water as you might imagine. I hook a wreck reel to mine and drag it behind me if on scuba- since it slices through the water it's easier to tow than an innertube and flag. If I am freediving/spearfishing I anchor it in place and work the area around it.

You can surf them when the waves are up and take them down class 2 rapids if you want as they are made out of plastic. I used to have a fiberglass surfski that was much faster, but couldn't carry the load and would be to fragile to take down any rapids. Still, it was a VERY fast boat and fine to freedive off of- just not scuba since it had no tankwell.

Jon

That is awesome. :D

I have a Bike Friday folder, which trails a suitcase behind it that you can tow behind you (it has a little trailer carriage on wheels that connects to the non-driveside chainstay). The suitcase stows the folding bicycle inside of it if need be. Anyway, one of my "things to do" this summer is to get an inflatable kayak (some of them are much nicer than they sound, and can carry a substantial amount of weight and are quite hardy if used properly) and stow the kayak in the suitcase, get to a river, disassemble the bike and toss it into the suitcase, lash the suitcase/bike in the kayak after inflating it, and then row away to a new spot with a new road - basically leap frogging between bike and kayak, with one carrying the other. The possibility that I could somehow stow scuba gear in with the trip is compelling and I hadn't thought of it until now.

That is awesome. :D

I have a Bike Friday folder, which trails a suitcase behind it that you can tow behind you (it has a little trailer carriage on wheels that connects to the non-driveside chainstay). The suitcase stows the folding bicycle inside of it if need be. Anyway, one of my "things to do" this summer is to get an inflatable kayak (some of them are much nicer than they sound, and can carry a substantial amount of weight and are quite hardy if used properly) and stow the kayak in the suitcase, get to a river, disassemble the bike and toss it into the suitcase, lash the suitcase/bike in the kayak after inflating it, and then row away to a new spot with a new road - basically leap frogging between bike and kayak, with one carrying the other. The possibility that I could somehow stow scuba gear in with the trip is compelling and I hadn't thought of it until now.

Go Even further. I have a 16 foot folding 2-person Folbot kayak, and a little trailer from the Costco on south Santa Rosa Blvd. that would allow me to tow the kayak behind my bike. Get a folding bike, fold it and the kayak, and use public transit to get to near where you want to dive. Unfold the bike and kayak, put the scuba gear in the kayak and head for the water. Gear on, bike in the kayak, and into the water. Tomorrow the wife and I are heading to Jenner, 15 minutes to put it together and into the Russian River. If you are going to the July 4th event at Juillard park watch for the couple on the semi-recumbent tandem.

Go Even further. I have a 16 foot folding 2-person Folbot kayak, and a little trailer from the Costco on south Santa Rosa Blvd. that would allow me to tow the kayak behind my bike. Get a folding bike, fold it and the kayak, and use public transit to get to near where you want to dive. Unfold the bike and kayak, put the scuba gear in the kayak and head for the water. Gear on, bike in the kayak, and into the water. Tomorrow the wife and I are heading to Jenner, 15 minutes to put it together and into the Russian River. If you are going to the July 4th event at Juillard park watch for the couple on the semi-recumbent tandem.

Thanks for the advice. :)

Maybe I'll do something just like that, but I don't use rapid transit very much. Actually, I haven't once since I moved here, though I have used the airport shuttle bus to get to SFO. The Russian River is definitely what I was thinking of. There are some nice places near Guerneville that look like good jumping-off points, and the routes I take there, up Olivet or Laguna to River Road, don't have too many hills to worry about with a 250-pound trailer behind me. :eek:

I also want a 2-person inflatable/folding kayak. I was thinking of a Grabner Holiday 2 (http://www.paddling.net/buyersguide/showBoat.html?boatID=729&boattype=Kayaks), but I'm still looking. Those Folbots look very sleek. EDIT: The Greenland 2 is the only one that would be able to handle the payload I'm talking about, but it looks pretty serious at 62 pounds itself.

And I was wondering who the closest bike forums person to me might be; so far it seems to be you. Sheesh, I live less than a mile from Juilliard Park, which I guess in Santa Rosa isn't too hard to believe.

If I do go to the July 4th event, I'll most certainly be on a black Bike Friday folder with Ortlieb bags or a dark green Mercian tourer, same bags - just in case you spot me first - but I'll look for you! Still not sure what I'm doing for the holiday though.

I got out spearfishing with a buddy of mine on Saturday.:)

He only has a cyclocross bike so I gave him the weighbelts and loaded the rest of our gear up on my xtracycle. It was a little bit top heavy once I put the two coolers full of ice and fish onto it, but it held the rest of the gear without a problem: wetsuits, fins, spearguns, masks, snorkels, floats, stringers, camera, and towels for two. Had I just been carrying my own gear, and not both of ours, it would have done it all without even a second notice.

Jon

[QUOTE=Alekhine]Yep. NAUI certified and everything.
QUOTE]

Hey same here.. NAUI certified.. everyone I know is PADI (i think?)

Why is that certification so hard to find?

Naui instructor here. NC diver. Wrecks and spearfishing. Naui is mostly university based, I'm a prof who took all the classes at the university.

Can't say we reduce the carbon footprint here. Got to go at least 15 miles offshore to get decent diving. But go 22-30 and you get crystal gulfstream with german subs and ships sunk by them.

Of course occasionally the sea decides to loosen your fillings.

I also want a 2-person inflatable/folding kayak. I was thinking of a Grabner Holiday 2 (http://www.paddling.net/buyersguide/showBoat.html?boatID=729&boattype=Kayaks), but I'm still looking.


What about these?

http://www.dakken.com/

I don't like the color but the weight seems good for biking them around.

Of course occasionally the sea decides to loosen your fillings.
Wince! :eek:

Always wanted to do some NC wreck diving. There's a U-Boat (853) off Rhode Island that we keep threatening to go dive, but never do.

[QUOTE=Alekhine]Yep. NAUI certified and everything.
QUOTE]

Hey same here.. NAUI certified.. everyone I know is PADI (i think?)

Why is that certification so hard to find?


NAUI Advanced here. Everyone in this area is NAUI. The Pay A Lot Dive In is few and far between.