Kayak Diving Index (Main Index)

I've been playing this game in Wales and Ireland with my partner, Becka, for three years, and have discovered that it can be a lot more fun than diving from conventional power boats. I got the idea off the internet and, unable to find anyone else in the UK who did it, had to teach myself.

This cheap, hassle-free method of diving has caught on in California, Hawaii and other parts of North America, but is greeted with skepticism here in the UK, in spite of the fact that we have just the right kind of coastline. It's not too sunny and hot, and there are lots of lovely sites along the coast that can't be shore-dived because there is no easy access from the land. Kayaks travel at walking speed and have a range of at least 10 kilometres. They can be launched from anywhere, and no one hates them (unlike jetskis).

In four years we've not had any epics. The kayaks are extremely seaworthy, and you can paddle directly against or out of most currents. The greatest risk to sea-kayakers (falling out and not being able to get back in) doesn't apply because you're wearing a diving suit and you're supposed to fall out and get back in. The only problem has been susceptibility to wind, which also affects cycling. Most of the time it's perfectly lovely, and you can get your day's diving done in less time than going on a club boat trip. The usual time wasted launching and managing a stinky boat is spent paddling, which is much nicer.

I am searching in vain for another buddy pair to go out and explore places with. The edgy part of the process is when you are underwater, your canoes are on the surface, and there's the possibility that you will get separated from them. We have learnt to run a line off from the anchor, or carry the anchor itself, to guarentee we remain in contact with our boats. But it would be really nice if there was another pair on the surface minding the farm and keeping us company.

Here are my kayak diving rambles, in chronological order. Lots of pictures. If you fancy joining in, get some sit-on-top canoes, paddles, an anchor, and call us out on a trip some day.

• Kayak diving April 2002. My first two weeks with my own two boats.
• Pembroke Kayak Diving Nuts June 2003. With some trials in Anglesey. UK underwater piccies, but no story because nothing went badly wrong.
• Diving Kayaks Win Lleyn August 2003. Out again with my camera with pretty pictures.
• A Marine Identification Course Ireland July 2004. The pictures are pretty, but the words got out of control during the ramble.
• Kayak Dive Ireland July 2004. I've always wanted to do that.
• North Wales Weekends 2004/5. Mostly for the pictures from several short trips.
• St Abb's October 2005. We took the canoes on and used them on one afternoon, and to surf when the weather got real bad.
• Plymouth July 2006 Ten days with dive kayaking and some near perfect weather.
• Skye June 2007 Same again but up north with not quite such perfect weather.
• St Abbs and Eyemouth July 2007 Finally got good weather and did everything.

External links

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• Kayak Diving dot com. Mark Theobald's original website. Not updated much now, but this is where I learnt how to do it.
• Kayak Diver Very detailed set of instructions how to do it all. Has interesting recommendations against Ocean Kayaks, which is the kind most people have bought up till now.
• BSAC's Dive Magazine - a place where I have posted a small buddy ad. How I wish I could link to a full article explaining the joys of kayak diving in the UK, but they haven't published one yet! How is anyone ever going to find out? (To be fair, their search engine comes up with this article about the new Sevylor inflatable dive-yak product, but it's not the same as telling people about kayak diving in general off of real kayaks.)
• Wikiscuba [Kayak Diving] One of the places where I'm feeding out propaganda.
• Kayak Fishing - Popular in the UK, and nearly the same sport if you forget the bit about the fish not being in the water: www.kayakfishinguk.net, www.anglersafloat.co.uk, and www.kayak-fishing.co.uk.

julian@goatchurch.org.uk.
2007-07-14 ... Julian Todd.