Free Diving...the Eskimo way!

Been doing some re-search for my move to Ketchikan and here's what I found

http://www.snorkelalaska.com/aboutthetour.html

I think I need to come up and test the waters myself....65 degrees! That is crazy.

-Brian G

I would get a dry suit if I were you Mooch 

i see the 'professional staff' has a very gentle hug approach.

I would get a dry suit if I were you Mooch  

I already have a 7 mil free dive suit


from the site:

WHY USE WETSUITS NOT DRYSUITS?

A wetsuit is truly the best way to Snorkel in Alaska for a number of reasons.  A wetsuit protects a diver by trapping a thin layer of water inside the suit.  This water is then heated by the divers body to body temperature.  Our guests are amazed how comfortable they are during the tour.  Drysuits keep water out and to remain warm the diver must wear suitable undergarments to keep warm.  Generally this is a thick fleece jumpsuit.  A drysuit combined with the jumpsuit is much bulkier and less streamlined than a wetsuit.  This requires greater effort to move through the water than when wearing a wetsuit.  Also if a drysuit develops a leak you no longer stay warm and will have to exit the water.  Leaks can be caused by poor fit, improperly maintained seals or more commonly from sitting or kneeling on the rocks, barnacles or other sharp features so common to Alaskan waters.

 The last reason we like to snorkel in a wetsuit is for the ability to freedive.  Freediving or breath hold diving is a great way to get closer to our marine life by holding your breath and swimming underwater.  This can be accomplished with the addition of a weightbelt and a sense of adventure.  Drysuits are not suitable for freediving so you are stuck on the surface of the water.  If you were to freedive in a drysuit the air inside the suit compresses and the suit then sucks on to your body.  This can cause painful welts on your skin unless air is added to the suit with SCUBA gear.  Many of our guests enjoy the thrill of joining one of our guides for a freedive down the wall at Mountain Point.  It's quite exhilarating to dive down 10, 20 or even 30 feet and beyond on a single breath of air.  The bottom of the wall is at about 100 feet!  You'll feel like an astronaut suspended over the depths hovering weightless.  Our staff are all accomplished freedivers and are eager to provide you with pointers and helpful tips.  Try freediving in a drysuit and you'll agree that wetsuits are the way to go.          

U R right!  I was thinking about SCUBA dive in Alaska and I rather stay warm with a dry suit.  But for free diving, wetsuit is the way to go.

Another reason to visit, I'll bet they have some pretty good spearing possibilities too.  I did a fair amount of freediving in a dry suit PITA for sure,

Mooch,
 Congratulations on the move.
 You should fit right in because a chunky Filipino mimicks an eskimo well.
[ ooopps, can I say that?]

W/ regards to the spearing....3 words;
 Ling-logs and halibut....

 Can you get em in the inland waters???
 Will there be visability enough in the good areas?
Will there be blood?

Steve

PS. When you cause a lot of us to come up and spend money, you will look good to the boss eh?

Alaskan manatee... 

$hit, at 65 degrees, that's downright toasty compared to some popular open water swims.  So fashion faux pas aside, you can skip the wetsuit altogether and swim in a speedo!

65!  That's like river water!  6 or 7 mil is fine for water that warm.  We don't get cold in that gear in low 50's water.  It starts getting frigid in the high 40's...

Have fun!   

Heck, the Monterey bay is usually low fifties, you will be sweating in AK.  Wonder what the winter temps are like?

I free dove/snorkled in AK for about 30 minutes . I had a high quality dive wetsuit with a liner under it, hood, gloves, boots. The water was gin clear, vis to 50ft probably. Water temp was probably 35-38 degrees at the salmon run due to glacial meltwater.

The problem wasn't that my body got cold, it was that after 20 minutes I couldn't keep the snorkel in my mouth because my lips were so cold. It was like trying to snorkel with your mouth shot up with Novocaine! Laura & I sat in the car afterward trying to talk about how cold it was and we couldn't quit laughing because we both sounded like mush mouth from the old fat albert cartoons.

If you can get around the snorkel problem I know the free diving would be awesome.

I freedove a spot about 50 miles out of Ketchikan about 2 years ago.  It was September and the diving was pretty epic.  Water was very clear and no different than here.  Fish and scallops everywhere.  Pretty amazing.  My cousin lives there and freedives in a 7mm wetsuit all the time.  Have fun.
Dave