Author Topic: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!  (Read 815 times)

BigJim

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 14
  • Son...they call it fishin' not catchin'.
  • Location: Watson 831
    • View Profile
GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« on: March 16, 2011, 11:57:41 pm »
Who's going out?!?!

I'm down for whatever: abs, uni, spearfishing!!

Only dove right in front of the lighthouse last year and would like to explore new spots/areas, but don't know my way around up there at all...if you want to take a big smiling guy out and show him around, I'm your guy!!
 ;D
Sincerely,

Jim

Domenic

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 28
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2011, 12:06:06 am »
Jim, I will go diving with you!

BigJim

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 14
  • Son...they call it fishin' not catchin'.
  • Location: Watson 831
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2011, 12:09:41 am »
Jim, I will go diving with you!

NICE Dom!!!

Looking forward to it!!
 :)
Sincerely,

Jim

Abking

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 135
  • LoletaEric on Youtube
  • Location: Lovely place at the end of the water
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2011, 12:57:27 am »
I'm all over it, Jim - we're slaves to the conditions there though.  If it's not "nice" then our choices will be limited.  You've progressed so well in your diving, and it may be time for the challenges of extremely low viz!   ;D  JK (kinda) - I hope we get nice clear water, but be ready for something between zero and 10' of viz.   :) 
See you OTW!

MattS

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 12
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2011, 01:44:18 pm »
I am planning on diving Friday afternoon, and Saturday.  AbMan and I are talking about taking our scuba gear to do a dive sometime Saturday.  The rest the time will be free diving.  I have a waterproof camera that takes HD videos, I would love to film some harvesting LCKA style!

BigJim

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 14
  • Son...they call it fishin' not catchin'.
  • Location: Watson 831
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2011, 03:08:22 pm »
I'm all over it, Jim - we're slaves to the conditions there though.  If it's not "nice" then our choices will be limited.  You've progressed so well in your diving, and it may be time for the challenges of extremely low viz!   ;D  JK (kinda) - I hope we get nice clear water, but be ready for something between zero and 10' of viz.   :)

Zero vis or not I'm game!!  ;D

I've actually taken advantage of quite a few minimal viz/high surge days down here and every time I am tempted to just come back another day when conditions are nicer, I remind myself that those kinds of days are EXACTLY what I need to expand my ability to dive and have fun in other places up and down the coast!!

Hunting in those less than ideal conditions is definitely way more of a challenge than the FAC 20+  foot viz days that we have gotten quite a few of down here this winter....

It's awesome to be able to dive in those great conditions, but I have also really enjoyed those days when I had to work HARD just to find a fish, let alone manage to shoot one!!

 8)

Looking forward to it fellas!!

Sincerely,

Jim




MattS

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 12
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2011, 03:28:15 pm »
BigJim,

What size gun are you using in the low vis conditions?  I have a JBL Magnum and an Omer 82cm that I am happy with (mainly the Omer).  I have a pole spear that work pretty good for the low visibility days, but have considered getting a shorty gun for close shooting.  It looked like you had a little Biller or Riffe in your video?

I am really wanting to try for scallops!  Not sure if there are any pinnacles with them at the cove.  I may have to dive Trinidad for them.

Matt

Abking

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 135
  • LoletaEric on Youtube
  • Location: Lovely place at the end of the water
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2011, 04:00:12 pm »
BigJim,

What size gun are you using in the low vis conditions?  I have a JBL Magnum and an Omer 82cm that I am happy with (mainly the Omer).  I have a pole spear that work pretty good for the low visibility days, but have considered getting a shorty gun for close shooting.  It looked like you had a little Biller or Riffe in your video?

I am really wanting to try for scallops!  Not sure if there are any pinnacles with them at the cove.  I may have to dive Trinidad for them.

Matt

I've gotten scallops near the Cove...  We'll get you dialed, Matt.   :)
See you OTW!

BigJim

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 14
  • Son...they call it fishin' not catchin'.
  • Location: Watson 831
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2011, 04:30:17 pm »
BigJim,

What size gun are you using in the low vis conditions?  I have a JBL Magnum and an Omer 82cm that I am happy with (mainly the Omer).  I have a pole spear that work pretty good for the low visibility days, but have considered getting a shorty gun for close shooting.  It looked like you had a little Biller or Riffe in your video?

I am really wanting to try for scallops!  Not sure if there are any pinnacles with them at the cove.  I may have to dive Trinidad for them.

Matt

Matt...my first gun I got was way too big for any low viz/high surge conditions and even though it is a great gun (Riffe Mid-Handle 44") that I got for a great price ($50) it is overkill for rockfish/hole hunting.

I then got a 75cm Mako Predator Pro....cool looking gun and was deadly accurate, but it jammed on me the very first time out and even though they sent me a replacement part right away I lost confidence in it...

I sold the repaired Mako at price to Andy baitnbeer Gomez who loves it, and used the cash to buy a Riffe Padauk Competitor 00 for $225 online from Austins in Miami (free shipping, no tax, very nice guys).

http://www.austinsdiving.com/proddetail.php?prod=RCP-0000

http://www.speargun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16%3Apadauk-series&catid=9&Itemid=10

27 inches long and beautiful dark blood red wood...supposedly the hard straight Padauk wood allows the gun to be made from one piece of wood and so the price is cheaper than the other Riffe's but besides that is exactly the same...

Have it rigged with only one wrap of line and a single "Hawaian Flopper" shaft, and one beefed up 5/8 band and one of the 1/2 bands it comes with.

It has enough range to pick off schooling blues at about 6 feet (about as far as I can accurately aim anyways to be honest!!), and get real tight in even the smallest holes. The small size also makes it very easy to move around with in strong surge.

For hunting in the holes I am just loading the one 5/8 band to try and avoid messing up the shaft on the rocks and have found it has plenty of power to punch through a Cabbies skull....will see how it does on Ling skulls come April 1st!!

When the vis is better it is real easy to load the other band to give me a little more power/range and it snaps out nicely to the end of the shooting line. Then if I am going to check out a hole I can slip the second band off real easy as well.

My one "complaint" is that with the single hawaiian flopper shaft you really need to get the shaft about two inches all the way through the fish to have the flopper "engage"...This can be real hard to do in some holes where the fish is right up against the rock!! I am trying to work on shot angle/placement in these scenarios, but still sometimes the shaft does not go through far enough cuz it hits the rock on the other side and then if I don't get control of the fish immediately they can slip off the shaft....

Riffe sells a threaded shaft for these guns and I am thiniking of getting one and a smaller double or single flopper that sits closer to the tip of the shaft to increase the chances that it will go all the way through...but the shafts aren't cheap and so for now I am working with the one I got!!
 ;)

In between buying the Mako and selling the Mako I also picked up an AB Biller 32 with some christmas stocking $$. IMHO it works great and I have shot plenty of fish with it....my buddy Jim Okumoto welds 5 prong barbed trident tips and he gave me a couple to use...I put one on the Biller and it works great and had plenty of holding power for big grassies, cabbies and eels!! Not sure if they could hold a big Ling down though!!

The difference in ability to move in surge and get tight in holes was still limiting with the 32 Biller, and definitely feel that the 27" Riffe is my favorite gun I have used so far for the kind of hunting I do!!

Anyway....if you want to try it out up at GS5 just let me know!!

Oh yeah....I am DOWN to look for a scallop as well!!

 ;D

Sincerely,

Jim

MattS

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 12
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2011, 06:07:30 pm »
Thanks Jim!

I may have to pack the long fins!  Of course I need to start running again, it has been a long fat building winter.  I can't wait to get in the water, it has been too long.  I may take the family to the lake for some diving.  I can't spear, but can take the camera for the Black Bass and turtles.  I need to start getting my lungs built up again, and get into the mode.

Scallops would be sweet!  We will definitely have to go for some for the grill.  How deep have you found them Eric?  Last year I could go 30-40 feet with the long fins.

Matt

Abking

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 135
  • LoletaEric on Youtube
  • Location: Lovely place at the end of the water
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2011, 07:07:05 pm »
Quote from: MattS
I need to start getting my lungs built up again, and get into the mode.

How deep have you found them Eric? 

Out of shape - I'm soooo there...   :'(

I've never been a super deep diver - 30' makes me feel like I have no time.  I've found scallops in 10-15' at Trinidad, and we got some huge ones off pinnacles along the coast north of the Cove about 20 years ago - diving maybe 20-25'.
See you OTW!

Pacman

  • Administrator
  • Newbie
  • *****
  • Posts: 3
  • Location: Humboldt
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2011, 07:18:22 pm »
What day and time do you guys plan to scuba dive? I'm bringing a couple tanks for the weekend, but I haven't dove Shelter Cove yet.

MattS

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 12
    • View Profile
Re: GS5 Friday and Saturday Dive?!?!
« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2011, 07:48:36 pm »
Hi Pacman, probably around afternoon to early evening.  I would rather scuba after free diving.  I wouldn't want to build up the nitrogen and then free dive.  Doubt much would happen, but that is a long way away from a hyperbolic chamber!  I have four tanks, and will probably bring along two.

Matt