boat as a buoy

[francois.harmse]

hi

I was just wondering how and if others do use their kayaks or boats to anchor or tie their buoy lines to when spearfishing.

I tried it once and it was an annoyance since the wind would drift the kayak too fast, and diving becomes a struggle.

Are there any other reasons beside the drifting & drag why one should rather not use your boat as a buoy?

tx

 

[Adrian B]

You could try a drogue anchor to slow your boats drift down.

Tried using my boat as a buoy once on a little solo launch when I was young and dumb but the boat drifts way to fast and as you line up on a fish the boat invariably gives you a good yank.

Bungee on your float line helps limit the shock of the tug a bit as well.

Not a first prize solution. Better off anchor your tub or ski is the current is swimmable.

 

[L Hooker]

francois.harmse wrote:

hi

I was just wondering how and if others do use their kayaks or boats to anchor or tie their buoy lines to when spearfishing.

I tried it once and it was an annoyance since the wind would drift the kayak too fast, and diving becomes a struggle.

Are there any other reasons beside the drifting & drag why one should rather not use your boat as a buoy?

tx

I would not suggest this at all, pretty dangerous in my opinion. Small wind will catch the boat like a sail and you'll end up being dragged. Best option have someone on the boat at all times to pick you up once your dive is finished. Use a std speafishing buoy.

 

[francois.harmse]

Regardless of whether someone is on the boat or not, is it not better to have a boat as a buoy purely from a "no fish can drag this thing under" point of view.

As mentioned earlier - the drag or drift of the boat can be a hassle, but is that the only reason why no one ever does it?

 

[pelagic]

I dont think its a good idea to have your line attached to the boat when diving, what happens if a shark comes to say hello and your buggy boy could have problems with the float line getting caught up in the props trying to get to you in an emergency. What happens if the wind picks up and pulls your gun out of your hand and then your boat could drift away and you can't swim back to the boat /kayak cuase its drifitng too fast in the wind/current.

I never tied myself to the boat when diving, we either had a guy operating the boat and keeping a look out for us at all times or if it was a sheltered bay where we felt safe , we would anchor the boat and dive closely around it say up to 50 meters max. (lots of sharks around capepoint)

Regardless of whether someone is on the boat or not, is it not better to have a boat as a buoy purely from a "no fish can drag this thing under" point of view.

You actually dont want a dead weight for a float like a boat as it will just tear out your spear from the fish if it fights it, thats why a good float is the way to go

 

[francois.harmse]

makes sense. but sometimes "creativity" takes over
it is frustrating to sit on a boat and see your buddy 'klap' the nice ones.
and it is never a nice feeling to jump in the water and see your boat drift off... with you and your buddy now both in the water

 

[L Hooker]

francois.harmse wrote:

makes sense. but sometimes "creativity" takes over
it is frustrating to sit on a boat and see your buddy 'klap' the nice ones.
and it is never a nice feeling to jump in the water and see your boat drift off... with you and your buddy now both in the water

Safety first dude! Always have someone on the boat keeping an eye on the diver! Bottom line is dont use your boat as a buoy and always dive in pairs if at all possible!