Just got back from a fresh water dive trip and while talking to a few other divers I was surprised to hear many are running over 20lbs of weight while using 3mm wetsuits. This surprised me because that is so much I would drop like a rock. I use 8lbs of weight and am perfect and have nice buoyancy and trim. These divers were similarly built to me and were running similar gear. So my question is am I running to light or am I missing something here?

With Florida lobster season coming up soon, there is always the discussion amongst my group whether we're going to be freediving, running a hookah setup, or scuba diving. So what do you all think the best way to hunt bugs is - freediving, scuba, or a hookah system?

For anyone who is new to or unfamiliar with lobster hunting, each method has its own advantages. Freediving keeps things simple and lets you move quickly from spot to spot, but your bottom time is limited by your breath hold. Scuba gives you much more time to search ledges and work on difficult catches, and you can get on much deeper reefs, but you need more gear and have to stay on top of your buoyancy and gas management. Hookah is sort of the middle ground. You get a continuous air supply without wearing a tank, but are limited to shallower depths based on what hookah system you run, and the amount of people you have on your system.

I personally have done all three, and don't think there's a single "best" method. I think it depends on the conditions and depth of the spot you're at. If I'm going out to shallow water spots getting towed behind the boat looking for structure, freediving is my choice, but If I'm planning to spend time at deep spots searching ledges, scuba is hard to beat.

So I'm curious where everyone stands - Which method is your go to?

I need help choosing an action camera. I'll primarily use it for scuba diving down to 40 m (130 ft) and freediving down to 20 m (65 ft), often in low-light and shadowy conditions.

My options are:

- DJI Osmo Action 4: I like it because it seems to offer the best value for money.

- DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: I like the built-in depth gauge feature when used without the waterproof housing.

- DJI Osmo Action 6: Better video quality in low-light conditions.

- GoPro Hero 11/12/13: I haven't looked into them much, although I've read they're not as good as DJI cameras for diving.

- Insta360 Ace Pro / Ace Pro 2: I like that they feature Leica lenses, although, like the GoPros, I haven't researched them much.

Long battery life is also important to me.

Which one would you recommend? Is there any other action camera I should consider?

Edit: The Mission 1 is too expensive for me.

I'm a stocky guy, and could definitely stand to lose a few lbs, but it ain't easy. I'm 5'9", 225lbs, 47" chest, 38" waist. I have a pretty active job, and other than the extra weight, am generally in good health. No BP, CV or respiratory issues.

I've rented a couple different 3xl 7mil Scubapro wetsuits and, aside from being ridiculously long, they are so tight around my chest that I feel like I can't breathe deep enough. My SAC in my 3mil shorty is right around 20. On the last attempt in the 7mil SP my SAC was 45 because I felt like I wasn't getting enough air (obviously I was, but I'm still new). I've used a 3xl 5mil SP and that was tolerable, but I'm at the point now where I don't want to dive anything below 70 degrees.

It's been recommended that I look into dry diving.

Before I take out a second mortgage to pay for a dry suit.... My wife has a Henderson that she loves. She said it's really stretchy and feels great in the water, which I would be fine with if it will work for me.

So I'm looking for suggestions and experiences from similarly situated Big Dogs. I know you're out there because I've seen you! I just don't feel comfortable asking in person "what's a good wetsuit for us fat guys?"

Have you ever wondered how scuba divers sleep? Enjoy this video of me trolling my husband who was unknowingly panning the camera to a sleeping diver.

It was such a fun trip with beautiful sites (Bonaire).

EDIT: For clarification, I was not actually asleep.

Been fighting buoyancy since certification — constantly finning up or sinking, too much brain space on it instead of looking around. Something clicked on a reef dive this weekend: breath control alone kept me hovering, and I stopped thinking about it. Spent the whole dive just existing next to the reef instead of managing depth. Anyone else remember the dive buoyancy finally went automatic?

I am going to dive Fort Wetheril in RI next week and plan to stick to the West Cove. Aside from just messing around and swimming aimlessly, is there a recommended plan for this spot? I am specifically not going to the wall since I am just looking for an easy beginner dive to see some cool stuff. Is it recommended to just follow the side of the cove and then cut across to make a full circle and work your way back, or is there a better way to do it?

Hello!

I am a diver based in the UK with an upcoming work trip to Sydney mid-December, and looking into doing some diving either before or after, but I know nothing about diving in Australia!

Looking mostly for life, as we get a lot of wrecks in the UK.

Comfortable diving to 40m + some deco, but only if there are interesting things to see, and not looking to do big tech dives. Perfectly happy doing 10m dives if all the fun things are up there.

The GBR is obviously the most well known, but it seems like diving there in the summer isn't really recommended? Would the south east coast be better? Would that mostly be day trips?

What would you recommend?

Thanks!

Hello All. My wife and I will be in Barcelona in a few weeks. It’s our first time to Spain and I can’t pass up the opportunity to dive. I just dove the Mexican cenotes with a dive master who is from Barcelona and he recommended diving in Tosha Del Mar. it looks beautiful.

2 issues:

1) we planned on using Barcelonas robust public transportation for the trip, so we don’t have a rental car. Can one be rented for a single day that will do hotel pickup and drop off? All of the major companies require a trip back to the airport.

2) my wife does not dive but loves the beach. Google raves about the public beaches in Tossa Del Mar. is it safe? Can my wife hang out at the beach for the morning while I dive? Afterwards we could explore a bit, find a nice meal, and drive back to Barcelona.

All help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

So, I have 3 Catalina S80 tanks and my wife is wanting to paint them -artistically (probably with acrylic paint).

My concern is with visual and hydro inspection (due next year).

What are the Reddit Diver community's thoughts on this?

Bought this in Facebook. Caught my eye since I've never seen this shape in a dual lens. Also has a pretty cool textured rubber strap. Looks vintage, brand says Ikari. Nothing shows up in Google except their single lens masks. Image search brings up welding goggles. Planning to replace rusted parts and see if still dive worthy.

Hi! We are doing DSD this weekend. Where is the best dive spot experience for us friends? :)

My wife and I are considering a trip to Indonesia in Late January and / or early February.

She's a non diver and will be recovering from knee surgery. I want to book a nice oceanfront resort for 7-10 days.

Not looking for a dive resort as my wife probably wouldn't enjoy being surrounded by divers and endless dive talk for a week.

I get restless and would like to get some diving in while there. I'm AOW and fairly new but comfortable.

I'd like to get out for morning trips for 3-5 days while there. Not looking at live aboards for this trip.

Any recommendations of an area that would work for us?

Any recommendations for shops or dive companies?

All the help is appreciated.

We are very experienced divers with 500ish dives but haven't been to Fiji. We will have 12 days on the islands in November. We are looking at least part of this at Paradise Taveuni Resort. Looking for a place where we can do at least 3 dives a day. A really good house reef would be great.

What should we do with the other days? Bequ? Volivoli? Something else?

Anything other than the diving that are must do?

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone! I recently found out that Louisiana has 2 crystal clear lakes which was unbelievable at first due to it being a swamp, but it’s surprisingly true! So i thought with Florida also being a swamp state that there’s the possibility of freshwater lakes in Florida to scuba dive or even snorkel in ? Since Florida is my 2nd home state , i don’t mind scuba diving in water with little to no life to see as long as i can see my surroundings.

I’ve heard decent reports about Lake Denton , Lake Aurora outside the town of Lake Wales , Lake Louise in Windermere , Lake Weir in Ocala , Blue Cypress Lake in Vero Beach , and Compass Lake in Alford ?

I know that there’s several cold springs to scuba dive around but was wondering if there’s any actual lakes or if those mentioned lakes are any good for underwater visibility ? I KNOW that most of the 7,800 lakes that the state offer are naturally dark with undesirable visibility but surely if Louisiana even has 2 that are crystal clear , Florida has to have some too right ?

Thanks in advance

My BC, an older SeaQuest black diamond, has mesh bottoms on the pockets. I have had a couple holes in the underside mesh that have gotten together over the years and unionized to make sure I can’t use the pockets.

I’m not very skilled at sewing. What methods do you use to repair these holes but still retain the drainage?

Totally worth the chopy ride out. Saw 8 Bull Sharks that kept circling. Then swam into a baitball that seemed to just keep goingl. Fantastic dive!