# Kayak snorkeling



## andrewyakfisherman (Oct 5, 2010)

Me and a mate want to go snorkeling of our kayak in the warmer month's, And I am just wondering is it esy to get in and out of they kayak when you are decked out with kayak gear? and is it easy to get back on the kayak when you have flippers on?

Cheers, Andrewyakfisherman

Advice please I would appreciate it 8)


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## andrewyakfisherman (Oct 5, 2010)

RedPhoenix said:


> http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=42277


Thanks


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## Kathy (Oct 26, 2010)

I gather from your question that you will not be parking your yak on a bank somewhere. So while you're head down bum up snorkelling, how do you hold on to your yak to stop it drifting away? I am presuming some strap tied to your wrist or ankle like a surfboard but really have no idea. I am total rookie to water sports of any kind so have lots to learn from the very basics.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## NoelMc (Feb 6, 2010)

Hey Guys it's easy.
1st issue, getting back in. Lots of people seem to have a prob with this. Remove scuba tank & weight belt. 
Have a clip on a short piece of rope for the tank. Leave fins mask & snorkel on. 
Roll scuba tank onto deck & secure with strap/ clip, not bungee.
Grab hold of both sides of yak, kick & haul in, aiming low, not lifting body weight up, & get the hip or stomach into the seat area. Roll into sitting position, feet still over the side. With fins on this is very stable. Remove fins.

Next issue, anchors. I used to just have a 3lb divers weight on a fixed length line of about 25'. This meant that I could be slightly positively buoyant on the surface & just right when I picked up the weight. 
I now have a small fold-up anchor as the A I has more drift due to mast etc.

In general, yak diving/ snorkeling is very enjoyable.
Last summer I sailed up to a dive charter to ask about depth etc, got talking & they lent me a tank. Had an amazing dive, took some pics & had the benefit of their shark shield. 
There are a few very experienced yak divers on the AKFF & dive shops have even started a yak diving specialty course.

See u in the water, Cheers, Noel..


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## NoelMc (Feb 6, 2010)

p.s.
Carry a (divers) knife attached to arm or leg anytime rope & water are involved.
I wouldn't be comfortable with a rope round the ankle. NMc


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## muligun (Jul 6, 2008)

just be aware of the wind and current. I wouldn't be attaching any tether to my body if you are doing any kind of diving but snorkeling on the top sould be ok. I do a bit of spearfishing out of my yak. I either anchor up somewhere or attach the yak to my float line which is attached to my spear gun so if it get caught I can leave the gun to go get a breath, then if alls well I can go retrieve the gun. Hope it helps


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## matcoburn (Feb 6, 2009)

Treat your yak like a tinnie, anchor it, wait for anchor and current to settle, overboaRD you go........maybe a mermaid line out the back, dive flag should stay on the yak.


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

I scuba dive from mine all the time, so snorkeling should not be an issue.
First and foremost, get a medium to large dive flag and display it off your kayak.
Snorkel in a group, even better if there are enough to keep at least on diver seated on a kayak while the others dive/snorkel.

In Victoria if you are going out diving and are wearing a minimum 3 mm neoprene full body wetsuit, you do not need to wear a pfd however I would still recommend wearing your pfd.
I personally believe you should never tether yourself to anything floating on the surface when diving, hold any ropes etc by hand so they can be released in a hurry if need be and to minimise the risk of entanglement, minmise the amount of rope you have in the water.
Always wear a sharp knife when diving and using ropes or if there is a risk of entanglement with fishing lines or nets.

If there is any form of current I would suggest not using an anchor in case the current washes you away from the kayak and you cannot get back in touch with it, 
or,
In case the kayak is washed from its anchorage while you are away snorkeling. I always tow mine behind me and you feel very little drag even with the AI, or I use the wind to my advantage allowing it to push the kayak across the surface and by hanging onto the rope below, drifting easily just off the bottom.

The following should be practiced in shallow water with a buddy first and not attempted in deep water until proficient, then move to only slightly deeper water (buoyant and cannot quite touch the bottom) until once again proficient, always with a buddy who can assist from a kayak.
You should also only use a weight belt if properly supervised and buoyant, do not go out into deep water with a weight belt before being trained how to use and remove a weight belt if need be.

Even without fins, getting back on can be easily done, hold on to your kayak, stretch your body out and get your feet up close to the surface, then as you kick with your feet pull your self up onto the kayak until your waist is in line with the seat, then roll over keeping your feet as low as possible and sit up in the seat.

Wearing your fins and sitting side saddle, stability is greatly increased on the kayak, and getting back in is also a lot easier if you use the power of the fins to your advantage. 
Hold your kayak either from both sides (better control if narrow enough) or one side with arms split, first pushing your body as deep in the water as possible then kicking up with your fins while carefully pulling up with your arms, push/pull your self high enough that you can lay across your kayak at your waist, then as you roll over sit your bum into the seat while still using your fins in the water for increased stability. Keep as much weight as possible as low as possible, and if you are wearing weight belts, then remove and tether them before attempting to climb back on. Putting weight belts inside the hull is generally better as it lowers the center of gravity even more, increasing kayak stability.

It is best to do it with someone experienced first, but it is quite easy to do, and great fun ;-) .

http://www.wfn.tv/video/video.php?video=3123


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