Rebreather World - View Single Post - An answer to the question "Do you see more fish on CCR than OC"...

onetime · 20th August 2006, 20:24

Common question and it seems there are three answers whenever the thread comes up:

"yes", "no", and "yes and no"

Feeling a little experimental and since my Rebreather was apart a couple of weeks ago I decided to drop into my local lake using my OC gear. Not a particularly special dive, just needed to get wet and wanted to check out one particular area where lots of people anchor on the weekends.

Anyway, water temp 79 degrees at the surface, wind about 5 mph, a few clouds in the sky, little to no boat traffic. Dropped down the anchor line to a depth of ~25 ffw bottom temp maybe 5 degrees cooler than the surface (some spots it dropped another 10 to 15 degrees where the springs feed the lake). Counted 5 fish (locally known as Sunnies) hanging just out of clear visual range. Visibility was ~5 ft and they had their faces right at that 5' mark. Wherever I moved they kept that 5' space between us until they lost interest in me and I went wandering around the bottom for a while.

Today, jump in the same spot this time on my Rebreather. Same water temps, air temps, boat traffic, visibility, depths, everything is as it was two weeks ago. This time I lost count at 25 fish all within 1' of me. Some were just inches away. One was less than 1/2" from my mask, another hanging right near my hand on the anchor line. This one was one of the bigger of the bunch. Figuring I'd have some fun I stuck my finger out and wiggled it. Without any hesitation the little bastard bit it and retreated a couple of inches away.

Not many people ever dive here so the fish are completely unaccustomed to divers. On OC there's no doubt in my mind they were frightened by the bubbles. On CCR they had no fear and acted as if I belonged there. When I dove this lake over the past years I always felt like I saw more fish on CCR than OC but since I was always moving around to different spots could never really quantify it. In this admittedly rather unscientific study I saw 5 times as many fish and they were 5 times closer to me. The interest in me lasted about the same amount of time but they were closer and far more interactive with me. I was able to reach out and touch them and they were never more than a foot or so away from me.

Just thought I'd share.

Dive Safe.

--Paul

20th August 2006, 20:24	#1 (permalink)
onetime Classic KISSer #138 Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: US, NJ Posts: 673	An answer to the question "Do you see more fish on CCR than OC"... Common question and it seems there are three answers whenever the thread comes up: "yes", "no", and "yes and no" Feeling a little experimental and since my Rebreather was apart a couple of weeks ago I decided to drop into my local lake using my OC gear. Not a particularly special dive, just needed to get wet and wanted to check out one particular area where lots of people anchor on the weekends. Anyway, water temp 79 degrees at the surface, wind about 5 mph, a few clouds in the sky, little to no boat traffic. Dropped down the anchor line to a depth of ~25 ffw bottom temp maybe 5 degrees cooler than the surface (some spots it dropped another 10 to 15 degrees where the springs feed the lake). Counted 5 fish (locally known as Sunnies) hanging just out of clear visual range. Visibility was ~5 ft and they had their faces right at that 5' mark. Wherever I moved they kept that 5' space between us until they lost interest in me and I went wandering around the bottom for a while. Today, jump in the same spot this time on my Rebreather. Same water temps, air temps, boat traffic, visibility, depths, everything is as it was two weeks ago. This time I lost count at 25 fish all within 1' of me. Some were just inches away. One was less than 1/2" from my mask, another hanging right near my hand on the anchor line. This one was one of the bigger of the bunch. Figuring I'd have some fun I stuck my finger out and wiggled it. Without any hesitation the little bastard bit it and retreated a couple of inches away. Not many people ever dive here so the fish are completely unaccustomed to divers. On OC there's no doubt in my mind they were frightened by the bubbles. On CCR they had no fear and acted as if I belonged there. When I dove this lake over the past years I always felt like I saw more fish on CCR than OC but since I was always moving around to different spots could never really quantify it. In this admittedly rather unscientific study I saw 5 times as many fish and they were 5 times closer to me. The interest in me lasted about the same amount of time but they were closer and far more interactive with me. I was able to reach out and touch them and they were never more than a foot or so away from me. Just thought I'd share. Dive Safe. --Paul Last edited by onetime : 20th August 2006 at 20:26.
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