[aigel]

I abalone dive and spear fish in NorCal. I dive 1 minute tops and surface at the first urge of breathing - that leaves another minute of safety before I really will be in trouble.

I used to dive with guys in a free dive / spear fish club in LA that wouldn't even bother coming up before 3 minutes. Truly amazing - but with the continued practice of diving, the urge to breathe is more and more suppressed and it can land you in trouble. Coming up, guys pass out in shallow water.

If you aren't comfortable in the ocean, you definitely don't want to start diving in NorCal. If you want to get going, go to HI or the Caribbean and snorkel there. Also, don't make the mistake of jumping in the NorCal pacific as your first diving experience. Work up to it with pool diving, learning the techniques, then add the gear, also in a pool or shallow lake. Then take it to the ocean. Every year several guys die in NorCal. Usually they are ill prepared, not fit and not reasonable when considering conditions and their limitations. Testosterone probably kills most of them.

If you are interested, I can get you started. I do about 5 trips a year to get my abalone, uni and spear fish fix ...

G