19
votes
What is a 'Whitecap' and why should I be concerned about boating in them?
White caps are named for the white caps at the top of waves.
White caps are sign that the wind is picking up and that the weather conditions are getting worse and look like this at low wind levels.
...
- 69.2k
18
votes
What kind of personal flotation devices should surfers use? Or does the surfboard provide that function?
Generally, the board is your flotation device. Because you need to be able to dive, any additional flotation is likely to impede your ability to surf well.
And you are absolutely right, that the ...
- 24.9k
14
votes
What kind of personal flotation devices should surfers use? Or does the surfboard provide that function?
Regarding that tragedy:
In that specific instance the victims were most likely not killed by water filling their lungs, but the dense foam. I don't think there is any current flotation device what ...
- 241
13
votes
What is a 'Whitecap' and why should I be concerned about boating in them?
As well stated in another answer, whitecaps (the white tips of waves) are a visual indicator of local wind speed over the water.
Just wanted to add emphasis that whitecaps, as an indicator of wind, ...
- 3,486
13
votes
De-stinking my water shoes
Care for your neoprene water shoes as you would for any neoprene wetsuit.
http://scubadiverlife.com/2011/03/15/scuba-wetsuit-care-101-removing-odors-extending-suit-life/
You can use any search ...
- 980
11
votes
Is is okay for a SUP-pump to get wet?
I'm assuming you have some sort of barrel pump like this one pictured?
In short, it is fine but not great if it gets wet. The pump will work better and last longer if kept dry. Water will mess up the ...
- 3,998
10
votes
Accepted
How dangerous is swimming fully dressed in cotton/denim clothes?
Cotton kills - but only when not in water. Whilst in water, cotton will not have any thermal effect. However, the material itself can easily wear you down through drag. You might be able to swim ...
- 2,343
7
votes
Can a floating foam pad be used as a cottage swim platform?
You can't use the soft mats as a diving platform, nor can you get fully out of the water on them. (A concern if water is cold.)
Building an offshore platform is fairly straight forward: You need ...
7
votes
Using liniment / heat rub to warm up feet
Depending on how cold the rest of you has got, warming the extremities by increasing blood flow to them may be a bad idea. They're probably numb in the first place because your body prioritises ...
- 25.9k
6
votes
Accepted
What degree and/or type of athleticism is required in no-limits free diving?
The abilities required are developed through practice and mostly focus on three areas:
increasing the oxygenation capability of the body
retraining autonomic apnoea responses
minimising the metabolic ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
De-stinking my water shoes
Rinsing them in clean water when you are finished using them will definitely help stop them smelling.
To deal with the current smell I would just leave them in a sink/bucket of clean water for a ...
- 7,099
6
votes
What's the best way to train oneself to swim in open waters?
The straightforward answer is that you train yourself for resilience and stamina by practicing.
The good thing is that strength, technique and stamina are all trainable in a pool, which is much safer ...
- 24.9k
5
votes
How should latex socks be fitted to a drysuit?
I scuba dive with dozens of divers who exclusively used Viking drysuits. The photo you have shows a similar drysuit, though not as heavy duty.
After about a dozen or two dives, each one of the ...
- 1,329
5
votes
What is the best way to plan an inland sailing trip?
If you look on an online map of the lake (actually, it used to be sea and it is only that it is behind a dike that it is now called a lake) and you will see that there are many smaller and some bigger ...
- 3,499
4
votes
Accepted
Are coasteering routes graded, or does one have to rely on a qualitative description of the difficulties of a route?
From the coasteering excursions I and my family have been on in Scotland, the rest of the UK and some other European countries, there appears to be no consistent grading.
What I have seen is use of ...
- 24.9k
4
votes
Where are some places for people who can't stand up to learn water skiing?
It looks like the gear you need is what is called a "sit ski"
Individuals that are unable to stand will ski using a “sit ski,” which comes in a variety of sizes from wide, stable skis to ...
- 69.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Where are some places for people who can't stand up to learn water skiing?
Seems like standing on conventional skis is out if cannot stand.
There actually is a disabled skiing category. There is specialty equipment and I bet as least one ski camp that caters to the ...
- 7,156
4
votes
How should latex socks be fitted to a drysuit?
The sock would have been glued in there, yes. In service the socks and the wrist seals would have been replaced often as they didn't last long. Now you can glue either booties, the latex socks or just ...
- 3,280
4
votes
De-stinking my water shoes
Apart from what all options suggested by other users here,
If you are up for investing a bit, You might want to look out for Neoprene shampoos that are used by Scuba Divers to clean their Scuba suits....
- 31.7k
4
votes
Accepted
Learning to Surf in Goa - Your advice
Definitely do it, you can make enormous progress in 4 days! But take safety seriously in the ocean:
Buy your own leash and carefully check that the connection to the rental surfboard is very secure. ...
- 3,486
4
votes
Can a floating foam pad be used as a cottage swim platform?
It's very likely the kids will fall over when they move around on a foam mat - that's part of the fun. Jumping in is easy from these foam rafts, proper diving not so much.
PFDs would make it harder ...
- 25.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Earliest in the year one could deep water solo in Majorca?
Earliest in the year one could deep water solo in Majorca?
Well it is safe to say that the month of March is somewhat too cold.
People in Mallorca go swimming in October. But then the water ...
- 9,589
3
votes
What material is a good alternative to neoprene?
Fleece dries fast, and fleece is relatively warm while wet. It's probably the best you're going to get in normal clothing materials. But it's not an alternative to a wetsuit or drysuit, more of a "I'm ...
- 1,923
3
votes
What material is a good alternative to neoprene?
I would say that it would depend more on the air temperature.
If you have cold water and rather warm temperatures, such as rafting on a cold river on a hot summer day, then synthetics like polyester ...
- 69.2k
3
votes
Where can I get long but light bottoms for water?
I was searching for something like that myself earlier this year. Living in Florida, I was trying to find long pants that are light, cool, and dry quickly that I could wear hiking, camping, and ...
- 135
3
votes
Can a floating foam pad be used as a cottage swim platform?
I would never trust a flexible and thin foam mat like that with kids, even wearing PFDs. They are very hard to climb back onto, and the fact that they are flexible makes it hard to push away from when ...
- 5,007
3
votes
What is the best way to plan an inland sailing trip?
Some suggestions have already been given, but I'll try it anyway. Do note that this answer includes personal opinion and your decisions will depend a lot on your preferences.
how do I find the right ...
- 1,368
2
votes
Is nyloprene less smelly than neoprene?
Without further information on the actual fabric makeup of the nyloprene being used by stohlquist it is going to be extremely difficult to properly answer this.
This reason for this is because ...
- 589
2
votes
What to consider when buying fins for recreational snorkeling?
I'll say full boot (more comfortable, and you don't need to buy booties), open toe (for water and sand to drain), solid (more sturdy against accidental strikes), and on the shorter end of the models.
...
- 101
2
votes
Accepted
How can I adjust a neoprene wrist/neck seal on a drysuit, by cutting and joining?
I finished the job last night, using "Black Witch" glue and reinforcing tape. It looks good so far - the join is like a less tidy version of the seam in my first picture, as I erred on the side of ...
- 25.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible