There is nothing more relaxing , than laying on the bottom of a small riverbed in 4ft. of water , And hearing nothing but your dredge ,running above !!!! IT IS HEAVEN TO ME !!!
I got my diving certification in college, long before I learned about dredging. One day on Cow Creek in Oregon I got into a little trouble in about 12-14 ft. of water. If it had not been for what I learned in those diving classes I probably would have panicked and drowned. I strongly recommend lesson from a diving school.
If you don't take classes NEVER hold your breath when breathing compressed air, whether from a tank or hooka. If you hold your breath at sea level and ascend as much as 3-4 ft. you can burst your lungs.
Trace, I have been dredging for 4 years and the way i learned the diving is to start in shallow water (2 feet or less), pretty soon you get good at it...Just be very careful...the currents in the rivers can change in a heart beat ,...Be aware of your surroundings..
It is not a bad idea to take lessons, the lessons for hookah diving are not as involved as for scuba, but at the very least have some experienced dredger/s teach you the perils of hookah diving, it is not hard the main thing you need to know is how to react incase something does go wrong while you are under water, such as removing your weight belt, which is harder then you would think when you are in trouble, this is something that you need to practice so it is second nature.
You will love dredging there is nothing like sucking up the overburden and start seeing gold going up the nozzle when you are in a great dredging spot, in most places you will not see much gold until you cleanup, but that another thrill in itself!!!!
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If you don't take classes NEVER hold your breath when breathing compressed air, whether from a tank or hooka. If you hold your breath at sea level and ascend as much as 3-4 ft. you can burst your lungs.
It is not a bad idea to take lessons, the lessons for hookah diving are not as involved as for scuba, but at the very least have some experienced dredger/s teach you the perils of hookah diving, it is not hard the main thing you need to know is how to react incase something does go wrong while you are under water, such as removing your weight belt, which is harder then you would think when you are in trouble, this is something that you need to practice so it is second nature.
You will love dredging there is nothing like sucking up the overburden and start seeing gold going up the nozzle when you are in a great dredging spot, in most places you will not see much gold until you cleanup, but that another thrill in itself!!!!
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