Posted by RaiderKarl on March 12, 2001 at 09:55:06:
In Reply to: Shallow Water Blackout? posted by Dimitrios on March 12, 2001 at 01:45:52:
To deal with the possibility of shallow water blackout while freediving, I weight myself just slightly positive at the surface. That way, I have to kick down somewhat to get to the abs.
When I find a good ab, then I release my marker buoy, and the morning's freediving begins there. It may take me a couple of dives to bring the ab up, since I spend so much time looking around first. That leads to a lot of CO2 buildup for me.
Since I do worry about shallow water blackout, a slightly positive buoyancy, combined with a dry snorkel that locks shut when water tries to enter it, serves as my margin for error on these ab dives, which usually end up solo. That way, if I black out, I should float to the top, and eventually regain consciousness. The operative words are "IF" and "SHOULD."
Since I also worry about lawsuits from giving unsolicited advice on web boards, an anonymous pseudonym works great too. My friends who dive know who I am, but any litigious minded ambulance chaser would be hard pressed to do so. In other words, dont try this at home, unless you accept full responsibility!
/s/ RaiderKarl The Stroke!
NAUI OW1 '75, SSI AOW & Rescue '00, PADI DMC '01
[TDI is next!]