I had posted this elsewhere,but was hoping for a bit more feedback.Thought maybe it'd happen here.

Anyhoo,alot of my diving/hunting occurs in less than ideal vis. Would it be woth my time to even learn freediving techniques ?I'd really like to learn, but wonder how practical it'd be.

Vis here can really suck at times but sometimes the bad viz leads to more and better fish sightings. Dirty water is full of particulates and nutrients. This brings in bait. Bait brings in big fish. The fish also must deal with the less than ideal viz and sometimes this helps us get closer to them and bringing the fish we are after further away from their hiding places. The few times the viz has been stellar here the fish are very hard to approach. I think you should foster your desire to learn to freedive....the experience can be liberating. Imagine being able to just put on minimal gear and dive without the bulk, noise, expense and complication of all the extra equipment. I am on the other side of the coin. I freedive and am looking to compliment my speardiving by adding scuba hunting to my repertoire. Knowing how to do both will expand your opportunities. Good luck and ask any question you like. Many great freedivers on this board willing to share the info. Good luck

I had posted this elsewhere,but was hoping for a bit more feedback.Thought maybe it'd happen here.

Anyhoo,alot of my diving/hunting occurs in less than ideal vis. Would it be woth my time to even learn freediving techniques ?I'd really like to learn, but wonder how practical it'd be.

Absolutely. Low vis situations can be very uncomfortable. This is where mind over matter really takes hold. You have to work a bit harder to relax and maintain that state throughout the dive. I know that the low vis diving I have done here in the NC inlets has helped me to remain calm during my dives and being relaxed is the number one factor for me in freediving.

Absolutely. Low vis situations can be very uncomfortable. This is where mind over matter really takes hold. You have to work a bit harder to relax and maintain that state throughout the dive. I know that the low vis diving I have done here in the NC inlets has helped me to remain calm during my dives and being relaxed is the number one factor for me in freediving.

Thanks, Kolt. What about as far as hunting,alot of times I'm having to wait a long time for fish to appear/reappear.

I guess that's all part of it. Last summer, I found a spot in about 22 feet at the base of a channel marker (I know, I know...) It had three other broken off channel markers there too and marked the edge of the drop off down to about 30-35 feet. I would just dive down to the base of the marker and stay there, trying to peer through the particles in about 5 feet of vis. Often times, fish would swim right up to me. Try and find a place that is pretty shallow and practice waiting on the bottom (aspetto).

I guess that's all part of it. Last summer, I found a spot in about 22 feet at the base of a channel marker (I know, I know...) It had three other broken off channel markers there too and marked the edge of the drop off down to about 30-35 feet. I would just dive down to the base of the marker and stay there, trying to peer through the particles in about 5 feet of vis. Often times, fish would swim right up to me. Try and find a place that is pretty shallow and practice waiting on the bottom (aspetto).

This is a great technique to use (aside from using the channel marker :nono:)
The single greatest issue with low vis. freediving is safety. Firstly, you should never dive w/o a responsible buddy. Secondly, if that buddy cant locate you and something goes bad... you're FTD (fixin to die).

Easiest way to remedy this IMO is simply a good jug line and/or floatline (actually another thread on this I see). Juglines to me give me the psychological edge in a place I'm unfamiliar with or on complicated structure like wrecks. You can tie em to the structure or put like 20lbs of lead on em. They also save you energy as you can go up and down on em. (if they're of the 1/2"+ variety)

Floatlines are a must anyways, just due to the stupidity of other boaters. But, unfortunately they dont help you stay located.. obviously you'll drift. To solve this I'd simply drop a simple jugline on location and just dive off the floatline. That way, I always have a frame of reference but still some freedom and I can be located for emergencies.

All in all, if you've got a small honey-hole and you dont need to cover a lot of ground... that jugline will pay dividends by itself.

This is a great technique to use (aside from using the channel marker :nono:)
The single greatest issue with low vis. freediving is safety. Firstly, you should never dive w/o a responsible buddy. Secondly, if that buddy cant locate you and something goes bad... you're FTD (fixin to die).

Easiest way to remedy this IMO is simply a good jug line and/or floatline (actually another thread on this I see). Juglines to me give me the psychological edge in a place I'm unfamiliar with or on complicated structure like wrecks. You can tie em to the structure or put like 20lbs of lead on em. They also save you energy as you can go up and down on em. (if they're of the 1/2"+ variety)

Floatlines are a must anyways, just due to the stupidity of other boaters. But, unfortunately they dont help you stay located.. obviously you'll drift. To solve this I'd simply drop a simple jugline on location and just dive off the floatline. That way, I always have a frame of reference but still some freedom and I can be located for emergencies.

All in all, if you've got a small honey-hole and you dont need to cover a lot of ground... that jugline will pay dividends by itself.


Interesting idea regarding the use of a Jugline. I'd never even thought of using a jug like that.

Interesting idea regarding the use of a Jugline. I'd never even thought of using a jug like that.

I got the idea from Martin Stepanek (the freediving god himself). He dives off a line on deep wrecks in current. After he told me I was like duh! :slap:
Also, he uses an enclosed inner-tube instead of a torpedo. That way he can flip the fish inside of it instead of swimmin back to the boat or hangin bait for the sharks. 'Course, a real "jugline" is just some fishin line around a jug... obviously that's only good for marking spots n such.

Needless to say, I'm buildin one of those dropline innertube rigs for this weekend. I'll probably build a cooler into the center.

Good advice on the jugline. We use them all the time here in NC. Often times the bottom is not visible and the jugline allows you to consistently hit the structure you want to hunt around.

Low Vis is the most comfortable for me, and I always seem to do better in the low vis. I have found that in a low vis situation I do not have to "cover ground" instead I am able to position myself on a peice of structure and stay there conserving energy and air. My dives are longer and if you stay still the fish will come to you. I promise that. I free-dive the Skyway bridge here and the others as well. The best way to do that in my opinion is dropping down about fifteen feet away from the pilings and slowly glidding up to them from the bottom. Depending on the current either lay about three feet away from them and let the fish come out to you, or position yourself against a piling to hold on when the current is really ripping. Either way my gun is underneath me with the tip no further than the tip of my nose. I hold it upside down and shoot with my thumb. In five feet of Visibility the fish will be one foot away from you. I love the low vis, and once you get comfortable with it, you might too!

Thanks guys !!:smthumbup::smthumbup:
I'm starting to feel alot more comfy with this idea,think freediving actually may become a viable option in the fresh water murk.
Great idea on the juglines.