Hobie Odyssey - Kayak Fun

  • I am beyond excited to have purchased a new kayak, from which I will be free dive spearfishing. It is a Hobie Odyssey, 14' tandem yak, that I purchased from Nautical Ventures in Ft. Lauderdale (I talked them into a $100 off, no tax deal to get it out the door for $28 less than the before tax price, by telling them that a company in NY was going to ship it to me free without tax. Normally, they are $1,300 before tax, so I got it home for $1,272 - sweet. Would have been around $1,400, otherwise). I live in Miami and will, gratefully, be launching this bad boy either tomorrow or the next day, off of Key Biscayne (Bill Baggs State Park) with my Cuban spearo sensei aboard. I took the kayak out on a test run in Biscayne Bay with 1.5' swells and it handled beautifully. I feel that it is the perfect balance between width (stability) and length (tracking), amongst other attributes. I will update this thread with the results of my first kayak spearfishing endeavor in a few days.


    I have been accumulating all the "essentials" for the past few weeks, including, but not limited to: 100 ft. float line, West Marine clear dry bag; Plano dry box; 3 lb. Hobie anchor; safety kit with first aid, glow sticks, flares, and whistles; large dive flag zip-tied to an 8 ft. PVC pole that fits snugly into one of the built-in fishing rod holders on the back of the kayak; reflective tape for the paddles; paddle leashes; and even neoprene paddle grips for added comfort during those long trips that I know will happen, soon. Not to mention, I just recently acquired a Riffe Mid-Handle Hawaiian (50") with a double flopper shaft with a mid-shaft repositioning notch and a reel with 200 lb. mono, as well as a Riffe Terminator spearfishing knife, some Riffe free diver fins, and a custom WetWear wetsuit (manufactured in Hollywood, FL by local company, "WetWear").


    As you may have inferred, thus far, I have been on a warpath for the last few weeks. Now, it is the day before the first battle (fish battle - I'm going to win, undoubtedly). I know it may seem utterly ridiculous to some, the amount of money I have put into all of this, but one thing that I have learned from being a life-long musician, in terms of buying gear, is that 99% of the time, with proper research and due diligence - you get exactly what you pay for. I should add that all of my purchases were cold calculated decisions that were backed up with days upon days of various forms of research and that nothing I purchased was purchased without some sort of discount (either through my Cuban spearo sensei's dive shop connect, or through my ultra frugal sense of jewish heritage - much love to my jews). Also, the sale of my old Native Watercraft 12' fishing kayak supplemented, greatly, the purchase of my new Hobie Odyssey.


    With all that being said, I just wanted, for the sake of fun, to share with you all some pictures of my yak and speargun. Does anybody else use Hobie Kayaks? If so, which Hobie do you use? Another member on this forum posted about the Humminbird 385 kayak combo fish finder/GPS; I was checking that out and it looks pretty legit (better be for ~$500). I was thinking about getting some sort of mountable GPS/fish finder system at some point in the future. But, until then, I will simply be using my iPhone 5 as a GPS tool in a "Case Marine" waterproof case (check out these cases, if you haven't) with the Navionics app, along with some weather, tide, wind, and beach cam apps. The only thing, that I can think of, that I haven't fully ironed out is my fish storage. I was thinking about getting the Surf to Summit 24" bow-mountable kayak fish bag, but until I decide to go that route I was just going to bungee down one of my old clunky, junky coolers to see how they work, first. For large fish, I was planning on bringing a couple of large black contractor trash bags and some bungee, or rope, to close the bag(s) off and then slide into the hull of the yak via one of the three hatches.


    As a side note, I am working on a periscope design for quick viewing of underwater structures from the comfort of the kayak - it came to me in a dream. I will post pictures of the periscope soon; I am planning on executing my idea for the prototype tomorrow. By and large, I feel like I'm ready for this war and it's finally the eve before battle. However, if anybody has anything they would like to suggest, or if you would like to discuss any particulars, I welcome all feedback, critique, and general correspondence.


    Much Love, Even More Fish,


    Jake
    Telekinetic Walrus

  • Nice yak! Thanks for sharing. It looks like you've got all the ingredients for a successful hunt. Don't worry too much about thinking of every little thing. Mainly you just need a gun. A flag. and dive gear. Although you've done a lot of research, experience will change and solidify your preferences tremendously. For instance I own two kayaks I never use for diving because where/who/how I dive it just usually doesn't make sense.


    Be wary of that double flopper. Personally I think a single flopper shaft with a tuned flopper is far superior. I lost too many fish because of my crappy scuba gun with double spinner flopper. Also imho midhandle spearguns dont make sense in SE Florida. They are more for low viz fast tracking situations. Some people like them, but many hate them and others cant even shoot them well. The gold standard around here seems to be 120 rear handles with 2 bands.


    Good luck in your new adventures. Take it slow and keep an eye and ear out for boats. They arent keeping an eye out for you.

  • You sound very well equipped. My first suggestion is to put your yak in the pool. Fully load it and flip it over. Then resecure everything


    Losing gear doesn't have to happen off a yak. But it will



    Buying good gear up front is a good idea. You made some good purchases. The yak and GPS are solid. Dive gear and guns will develop as your tastes do.


    Dive safely and hit me up by pm to set up a dive. I am on south beach

    i like to spear fish

  • Nice setup. Have to check out that wetwear place... I have everything pretty much tied to my kayak when i go out. I started keeping my fins, mask, etc all in a bag so if i yardsale beaching the yak I can flip it over and still have everything. I use a bag in the water for my fish and bugs. The bag I use is a rollup bag with plastic inserts that make the bag snap shut once I let go of it.

  • Reefchief, thanks for the advice. I had never heard of a tuned flopper before; research into this shall now commence! I just watched Dan's video of his tuned flopper; it looks and sounds like a good idea. Do you exclusively use the tuned flopper? The subject of the mid-handle vs. rear handle is interesting, as well. I chose the mid-handle on the grounds of trying to attain as much versatility as possible. However, I recently discovered Koah spearguns (based out of Jupiter, FL) and I think I may get one - they seem to be top notch. I actually met the two guys who own the company at The Blue Wild expo a few weeks back, I'm sure some of this forums' members were in attendance and may have seen their booth. Their spearguns are enclosed track, which supposedly, in combination with the metal sling bands, as opposed to rope sling bands, shoot straighter. Their reasoning behind the metal slings (just using the word sling because I don't know the proper term) is that they always line up straight on the notches, while the rope sling bands will always be shifted to one side or the other. That seems to make sense. Also, the Koah spearguns are very reasonably priced for beautiful custom made guns. We'll see what happens, maybe I'll sell the Riffe and get a 50'' rear handle Koah, if I decide the Riffe doesn't work. Or, maybe I'll just add a Koah to my arsenal...


    Lunkerbuster, thanks for the pool advice, that sounds like a very smart idea to test out the tether situation. I tried to hit you up on pm, but it said I "do not have permission to acces the page", maybe you can help me out with that. Thanks.


    Andrewk, definitely check out Wet Wear. That's interesting about the bag in the water. I had not even thought about dragging the fish around - probably keeps them cooler, too. Can you give me a product name or link to what it is you use, so I can check it out? Or, do you fashion your own bag?

  • Reefchief, thanks for the advice. I had never heard of a tuned flopper before; research into this shall now commence! I just watched Dan's video of his tuned flopper; it looks and sounds like a good idea. Do you exclusively use the tuned flopper? The subject of the mid-handle vs. rear handle is interesting, as well. I chose the mid-handle on the grounds of trying to attain as much versatility as possible. However, I recently discovered Koah spearguns (based out of Jupiter, FL) and I think I may get one - they seem to be top notch. I actually met the two guys who own the company at The Blue Wild expo a few weeks back, I'm sure some of you were in attendance and may have seen their booth. Their spearguns are enclosed track, which supposedly, in combination with the metal sling bands, as opposed to rope sling bands, shoot straighter. Their reasoning behind the metal slings (just using the word sling because I don't know the proper term) is that they always line up straight on the notches, while the rope sling bands will always be shifted to one side or the other. That seems to make sense. Also, the Koah spearguns are very reasonably priced for beautiful custom made guns. We'll see what happens, maybe I'll sell the Riffe and get a 50'' rear handle Koah, if I decide the Riffe doesn't work. Or, maybe I'll just add a Koah to my arsenal...


    Lunkerbuster, thanks for the pool advice, that sounds like a very smart idea to test out the tether situation. What GPS do you use? Also, I'll definitely be hitting you up on the PM. Thanks.


    Andrewk, definitely check out Wet Wear. That's interesting about the bag in the water. I had not even thought about dragging the fish around - probably keeps them cooler, too. Can you give me a product name or link to what it is you use, so I can check it out? Or, do you fashion your own bag?


    No Problem, The terminology I usually hear to refer to that style shaft is "Hawaiian flopper shaft" (tahitian flopper is the same with the flopper on top) . Its pretty much the standard shaft style for reef spearfishing. The tuning is used to ensure once the flopper deploys it never closes. Double flopper shafts are most commonly used when shooting fish against rocks/bottom where a very short flopper deployment is needed. The double floppers I used had a tendency to put large holes in the fish allowing them to tear off easier. In bigger fish or good brain shots they had a tendency to do the opposite and get stuck. But the double flopper will work for now just fine.


    Based on what ive learned. Enclosed track spearguns arent really any more accurate then a properly set up open track spergun. When a gun is overpowered it can prevent something called shaft whip etc but from what ive read and been told. Other then making the gun easier to load, and the line easier to wrap, it doesn't really matter if a gun is enclosed track. I personally dislike enclosed tracks because of how I load my spear gun.


    I also don't think metal wishbones increase accuracy. Really you couldnt pay me to use metal wishbones on my speargun. Unlike spectra, they dont visibly wear, can break without notice, damage guns, muzzles, and fingers.


    A few members here own koahs and can chime in more on their quality. But I would say try to get some more exposure to spearing and different types of guns before making a big decision like a custom gun. Some people love enclosed track, others dont. Some people like wooden guns, others like pipe guns. For the reef, I prefer a pipe-gun hands down to wooden guns. And if I had a custom wooden reef gun it would probably collect dust.


    With enough exposure it will become apparent what you like in a gun and then you can buy or have built exactly what you want.

  • Congrats on committing to not only a sport, but for many of us a life style. I think we all have a little gear nerd in us and it's fun to watch the development of a spearo discovering what works and then the light going on when it all comes together.


    My boys and I use a variety of guns (rail, wood open track, wood enclosed track, wood ballasted blue water mid handles, rear handle pluses, hybrids and of course the island staple "Three Prong"). All styles were born out of someone's particular need to enhance a style of shooting, or cater to specific conditions and game. BUT, regardless' whats most important is what works for you. Reefchief is correct to advise you to shoot a few guns and then determine what fits your style and spearfishing conditions"


    I have 10+ years of my almost 30 years of spearfishing in Fla waters. The first time I shot my B.A.D. Enclosed Track Wedge (Built by Bobby Abril on the Big Island,Hawaii) in Fla waters I found that I loved the fact I could quik reload and fire at schooling AJ without having to wrap the line. Breaking the surface with one AJ on my shooting line and one on my shaft was SiCK! Especially back in the day when you could harvest more than one AJ per shooter. In fact, back home on BI (Big Island) I shot TWO juvenile tuna in one drop as I was able to pull my shaft completely through the first, slide my shaft into the track and trigger mech and shoot at another without having to wrap my shooting line. Haven't repeated that one yet with tuna (but have with snappers'AJ, sheephead) but I developed an awareness that if an opportunity is there to shoot multiple fish at depth I have the ability to reloaded my shaft and bands before reaching max breath hold or quickly at the surface and skip the wrapping process, turning my shooting line into a stringer.


    The other reason I love enclosed track guns is the fact that your trigger mech stays protected from when the shooting line unwraps from the muzzle causing the shaft to fall out of the track putting a twisting force on your trigger mech. But as Reefchief mentioned, a correctly tuned gun (balance between power, range, and accuracy) can be just as accurate with an open or enclosed track gun. Each gun builder (Riffe, Omer, Wong, Aimrite, Koah, Hatch, etc...) builds characteristics that may differ from the others. I've experimented with powering up my Riffe's and found that they loose alot of accuracy due to the band slot placement and muzzle lift when powered into a cannon! Wongs work best with 9/16 bands and are laser accurate for reef hunting. Our Aimrite blue water 140 Sper Venom has punch and accuracy with three 5/8 bands. And of course my custom B.A.D. Ballasted wedge is steady and accurate with shortened 5/8 bands and a heavy shaft! So each gun style and brand will have its strong and weak points...so to an Island boy like me the best gun is more than one!! Just my opinion.


    Good luck with your blue water spearing journey! As a waterman who's life has been on, in, and around the salt, watching the progression of my 5 sons as watermen (the youngest 8!) is the most satisfying feeling. And to watch new guys discover this amazing sport is MAJAH STOKE!!


    Aloha,
    Makoa

  • In this one there are three different styles of guns...each suits our own different shooting styles. An Aimrite 110 rail gun for Kawika (a total assassin of reef sushi with this style), a Riffe C-3x for Hali'alani who has landed a PB Bull Mahi of 55lbs, and my B.A.D. Wedge for me.

  • Reefchief - "WISHBONE" That's the word I needed. Haha, now I know, thanks. That makes a lot of sense about the visible wear. As a piano and string player, the last thing I need are damaged hands, or fingers. So the "tuned flopper" is synonymous with "hawaiian flopper"? Can you give me any reason(s) as to why you prefer a pipe gun on the reef as opposed to a wooden speargun? I just love the look and feel of wooden spearguns, and basically wooden anything, even my eyeglass frames. Trees are cool. And those Koah spearguns are especially beautiful. I would be interested to hear some reviews from people who own Koahs.


    Makoa - Thanks for the congrats and well wishes! I am very excited to have found a new love, next to my music. I would love to try out as many spearguns as possible, to see the differences of each; however, right now I only have two spearfishing buddies that have a total of 3 guns between them. All three spearguns are off brand types (two air guns and one carbon band gun), of which I can't remember the names. I've killed fish with all three though. I don't like loading air guns, that's for certain. Bands are way less complicated, in my limited experience. But, on the other hand, they do get the job done, equally well. That's awesome what you were saying about using your line as a stringer for the boom boom quickness sickness. I'm guessing that I won't be able to do that with the Riffe, as you have to wrap that line around the top of the shaft so that it stays in place. The laser accurate Wong sounds nice, too. I actually met Dr. Wong at The Blue Wild expo last month - very cool, humble guy. It was an honor to learn how to tie bands from him! And his spearguns look absolutely killer (double entendre). Basically, I need to continue meeting local SoFlo spearos and try their spearguns out before committing to another speargun. I feel that's very good advice. I'm sure the Riffe will be a naughty beast for the time being. Either way, I'm getting up before the sun tomorrow and heading out off of Key Biscayne in the new yak, with the new gun, and all the new gear! It's going to be dope.:cool2:

  • Andrewk, definitely check out Wet Wear. That's interesting about the bag in the water. I had not even thought about dragging the fish around - probably keeps them cooler, too. Can you give me a product name or link to what it is you use, so I can check it out? Or, do you fashion your own bag?


    I have no idea what the brand is, Ive only gotten them at the dive shop i quit working at a few months ago, and at the dania marine flea market. theyre hard to find on the market. Any mesh game bag would suffice but I would go with something thats not completely mesh. Its nice to be able to keep the fish in the water and out of the sun. Nate on here, my dive buddy, tried the kayak cooler bag and doesnt use it anymore it was too much of a hassle. Whats nice about the bag; drop your fish and bugs in it and leave it in the water til its time to move.

  • Awesome pics Makoa, thanks for sharing! I heard y'all can shoot parrot over there. I've always wonder how they taste. What's the deal with these B.A.D. spearguns? I can't find any website or info on buying them at all.

  • Andrewk - What about sharks? Does having them in a bag in the water make sharks much more prone to coming around? I'm sure if it were a fully mesh bag, this would be a likely scenario, but maybe with a nylon bag or something like that it would help isolate the scent a bit more. Maybe not, though - animals do have crazy senses of smell that we can't even imagine, especially sharks, I'm sure. I was also thinking that the fish bag might be to much in the direct sunlight. That's why I especially like the bag in the water idea. Let me know if you can find any pictures of these bags. Thanks!

  • Reefchief - "WISHBONE" That's the word I needed. Haha, now I know, thanks. That makes a lot of sense about the visible wear. As a piano and string player, the last thing I need are damaged hands, or fingers. So the "tuned flopper" is synonymous with "hawaiian flopper"? Can you give me any reason(s) as to why you prefer a pipe gun on the reef as opposed to a wooden speargun? I just love the look and feel of wooden spearguns, and basically wooden anything, even my eyeglass frames. Trees are cool. And those Koah spearguns are especially beautiful. I would be interested to hear some reviews from people who own Koahs.


    Makoa - Thanks for the congrats and well wishes! I am very excited to have found a new love, next to my music. I would love to try out as many spearguns as possible, to see the differences of each; however, right now I only have two spearfishing buddies that have a total of 3 guns between them. All three spearguns are off brand types (two air guns and one carbon band gun), of which I can't remember the names. I've killed fish with all three though. I don't like loading air guns, that's for certain. Bands are way less complicated, in my limited experience. But, on the other hand, they do get the job done, equally well. That's awesome what you were saying about using your line as a stringer for the boom boom quickness sickness. I'm guessing that I won't be able to do that with the Riffe, as you have to wrap that line around the top of the shaft so that it stays in place. The laser accurate Wong sounds nice, too. I actually met Dr. Wong at The Blue Wild expo last month - very cool, humble guy. It was an honor to learn how to tie bands from him! And his spearguns look absolutely killer (double entendre). Basically, I need to continue meeting local SoFlo spearos and try their spearguns out before committing to another speargun. I feel that's very good advice. I'm sure the Riffe will be a naughty beast for the time being. Either way, I'm getting up before the sun tomorrow and heading out off of Key Biscayne in the new yak, with the new gun, and all the new gear! It's going to be dope.:cool2:


    Im not 100% on this but I believe "Hawaiian flopper" is the name for a single flopper on the bottom of the shaft. "Tahitian flopper" is like hawaiian only with the flopper on top. "Tuning" refers to the act of pinching a flopper (tahitian or hawaiian) so that when it opens about half way it sticks to the shaft. This means once the shaft goes through the fish, it falls and sticks to the shaft, and is then fully pushed open (and then stuck open) by the body of the fish as it runs. It works very well to ensure the shaft doesnt turn upside down allowing the flopper to fall and the fish to tear off.


    I like my carbon Speardiver pipegun over wood guns mainly because I feel like its a lighter better killing machine for the type of hunting I do.


    Extremely light, very thin circular profile of a carbon tube for the fastest tracking you can get from a rear handle ( a bigger heavier gun will be slower) Plus I do a lot of beach diving. It really helps the walk back when your gun weighs nothing. Many Aluminum Pipeguns are pretty light too. Unless its an ET Omer.


    Very level band stretch from tip to butt of the gun. Look at how far back the loading tabs go. Some people hip load their speargun and hate this. I chest load so the further back the better.



    Also look at the very ergonomic handle raised all the way up so the trigger is just below the spear. With my hand in that handle I feel like My hand and the gun are one. Like the speargun is a giant finger and I made one of those rubber band finger guns. When I hold a wooden gun I feel like im holding a big clunky cannon.


    Dont get me wrong. I just finished building a huge wooden 4 band gun for blue water hunting. I just prefer the compact ergonomic cleanliness of a euro pipe gun. I would also shoot a euro wooden gun like an abellan denton or the speardiver euro as well. Those guns have most of the features I mentioned minus the light weight. But price is a factor there and I could have 2 pipe guns for the price.

    Edited 5 times, last by Reefchief ().

  • Mark. You need to dive with my Tito gun. Wood is just a material. The handle geometry is what you are after.


    For sure Judah, read the last sentence of what I wrote. I basically wouldn't mind shooting a nice wooden euro. Except on beach dives I would go for the lighter gun. Also nice wooden euro guns usually cost much more then pipe guns.

  • Parrot fish, or Uhu, are a highly sought after fish due to the high culinary value of their moist, tender meat. The females (rust colored) are the most tender. Uhu are very hard to land in the islands because they have been hunted for generations. Most fish in Hawaii are what we call Akamai...smart, wise. You have to be a great fish charmer to bring them close enough for a shot. In Bahamas and Mexico the Uhus swim right up to your shaft and basically jump on your shaft. B.A.D. Guns are made by Bobby Abril in Kona, on the Big Island. You can google and find his stuff.


    Reefchief you're correct on the Hawaiian and Tahitian floppers.


    Look forward to hearing how your hunt goes.


    Aloha

    HUI KOA KAI O HAMAKUA
    MAHALO KE AKUA
    E MALAMA I KE KAI

  • Long story short - the hunt was a complete success. 3 Hogfish, 1 Sheepshead, 3 Yellowtails, and 6 lobsters.


    Short story long - it all began, yesterday, at 5 AM. The sky was still dark and the busy sounds of Miami had been deadened for a few short hours, usually between 4 and 6 AM. I woke up and drove to pick up my Cuban Spearo Sensei, bringing him back to my warehouse to get the 14' kayak loaded onto the truck; I packed a few more things, drink some glorious colada (cuban coffee mixed in a specific fashion with sugar), and we were ocean bound by 5:45 AM. Realizing, only once we arrived on Key Biscayne, that the park we were intending to launch from didn't open until 8 AM, we began scouting for beach access. We quickly found a small side street leading to a hotel on the beach, where we parked the car and unloaded the kayak and all the gear. By 6:30 AM we were on the water; beautifully calm, all there was were the sounds of our paddles breaking the surface of the glass-like water.


    After about 30 minutes of smooth paddling, we started to see rock formations with fans and grass about 15-20 feet below. Preparation for water entry and the situating of the non-dive gear initiated. My Cuban Spearo Sensei (CSS) got into the water first, as I was strapping down gear to the deck and putting my wetsuit on the rest of the way, along with my gloves, hood, fins, mask and snorkel. I unstrapped my speargun from the side of the kayak and replaced it with my paddle, locking it in to the elastic band that is meant to hold it to the kayak. But, before I could get in the water, my sensei was already coming back to the kayak, hogfish inhand. It was a bigger hogfish than I had ever seen, and according to the CSS, bigger than any he'd seen in Miami for years. It actually had the long black, thick stripe down its snout, along with the very large, thin fin that stands up on their heads - not a juvenile. The CSS also nabbed a monster Sheepshead, while in the same area.


    From this first spot we continued outward, seeing little but grass and a few small fish along the way. Then we reached the sand doldrums - nothing, but sand and swimming for at least a mile, maybe two. Then we hit the second reef line. We did well here. We snatched up 6 lobster, two more hogs, albeit they were smaller than the first big guy. Also, we got 3 yellowtails and a Grey Triggerfish. In addition, I saw a bunch of giant star fish that were 3 times bigger than my hand, and a gorgeous four foot sea turtle chilling on the ocean floor. After a while, we decided to head back towards the initial dive spot to look for more monster hogs. By this time it was afternoon and the yacht waves began to give us a run for our money. The worst part wasn't necessarily the waves, but the combination of the waves, a northern wind and a south western current - go figure that one out, please. So, as the wind pushed us north, while the current spun our nose South West, we battled the yacht waves of Miami Dade; a steady starboard paddle kept us straight enough.


    We finally got back to where we estimated the first dive location had been (no GPS, yet) and we suited up and got ready to dive. Once, again the CSS was in the water first, but this time, the current and wind were much stronger. About 4 or 5 minutes later, when I was ready to get in the water, I looked around for the CSS. I saw his orange float about 200 yards away and I thought, "damn". The forces of nature had pushed my kayak, with a greater surface area, much further in its course that it did the sole human body of the CSS. "No, biggie," I thought to myself, "I'll just head that direction and do some spearing along the way until we meet up. That's when the boat came.


    It's typical in Miami for people to be self-absorbed assholes, and the intelligent gentleman driving his speedboat in the direction of my friend, the CSS, I'm sure was no exception. The CSS waved his speargun and orange dive float in the air, simultaneously, to alert the boater. A collision looked possible, so I turned my speargun around to make available the super-loud whistle I had zip-tied to it, for just such an occasion; I had hoped I'd never need it, but hadn't guessed that I would need it on my first trip out. I whistled and screamed, and whistled some more. But, the boater was, seemingly, only concerned with his own world. He never veered off his course, which from my perspective looked to be a disaster in wait. After, the boat had passed over what looked to be the exact spot the CSS was diving, I looked for my friend, or at least his float. Finally, I spotted his float.


    But, I couldn't see him. I swam as hard as I could, against the current, lugging a 200 lb. kayak into the wind. Every few seconds I would look up, while swimming, to see if I could spot the CSS's head, or snorkel, to no avail. I was already almost out of energy before this incident occurred, so by now I was breathing as if I had just finished a triathlon. Finally, after I was about 50 yards away from my friend's float, I saw his head looking back at me. Wow, what a scare. According to the CSS the boat had passed a mere 20 feet away from him - "welcome to Miami", I thought. I crawled back onto the kayak to rest, as I was about to sink to the bottom due to extreme exhaustion from swimming at the speed of "oh, shit, my friend just got run over."


    After about a 20 minute rest, I was ready to continue. We were back in the shallows where the first hog and sheepshead were landed. "Ok, let's do this," I thought in my head. I got everything ready and situated again, and took the dive. A few minutes in to this dive, I was visited by a 6 foot lurking Bull Shark, no more than 12-15 feet away from me. I "stood" my "ground" and pointed my spear directly at his face; he passed. "Nope, that's it! Bad juju seeing a shark like that after someone almosts gets hit by a boat," I thought to myself. "CSS, get back to the kayak, were calling it a day," I exclaimed in a detectably frantic tone.


    "What happend?" CSS asked.


    "Big f***ing Bull shark, buddy! And it looked hungry!" It wasn't that the shark necessarily scared me, so much, but in the extreme exhausted state I was in, (only minutes after a full-speed "life-saving" swim into the wind, waves, and current - not to mention after approximately 9 hours of non-stop paddling, swimming, and diving) - I would have simply been no match for a 6 foot Bull shark, had he decided to come back to confront me as a potential dinner-menu item. So, we bagan to head in, paddling on the left-hand side the whole time to account for the wind, waves, and current. It took another two hours to get in from where we were (approximately 3 miles out). But, as our landmarks became larger in the distance, our excitement (or hunger) to get home and cook our catch grew, as well .


    Finally, we landed on the beach. I had never been so happy to see Key Biscayne in my life, what an epic odyssey. Thinking that it was only about 2 PM, I pulled out my phone from the dry bag to discover that it was now 5 PM! Wow, 11 hours of a non-stop fish-killing workout - a thrill like no other. A storm was rolling in now, so we loaded the gear in the car and the kayak on the roof rack just in time to watch the first few raindrops fall on my windshield the second that I started the car. The whole way home I could not get over the feeling that my car had never driven so much like a kayak on the ocean. As I felt the ebb and flow of the ghost waves slowly pulling the wheels of my car side to side, I passed though the usual 5 o'clock Miami traffic at snail speed. I looked over at people in their cars, going about their daily lives, going home from work and such, realizing that almost all of them will never experience the world where I was for the last 11 hours, a world that is right in their backyards.


    How sad it is that there are those people who think that life is best-spent in a continual cycle of work/school, money, rent, bills, and maybe going out to clubs to "enjoy" the nightlife. Sure, maybe that lifestyle is just not for me, but I can't help but remark at the level of contentedness that being free in the vastness of nature, as opposed to locked in the cage of humanity, brings me. I knew, as I looked at the citizens of my great city on their daily rush-hour-drives, that if they only understood what was out there, if they only knew that level of contentedness, this would be a much different world. I then realized how lucky, not only I am, but also, the entire community of people who seek enjoyment in the great outdoors. A smile creased my face. I am truly happy. Truly content.


    In closing, I learned A LOT from my first kayak dive and I am very excited for next week when I get to do it again. Some things that I learned, in no specific order are the following: minnows will find you and follow you around, presumably for cover, but in the peripherals of your vision they can be little tricksters (I wondered if he was mocking me, knowing that I wouldn't and couldn't shoot him, not that I'd want to, anyway); if the current is strong and you're diving with a partner, make sure that you get in the water at the same time and stay close to each other; boaters are dumb; lobsters DO NOT want to leave their caves; controlling your breathing is the most important discipline for a long dive time - and it's exactly like a form of meditation if you do it correctly; wear a turtleneck rash guard under your wetsuit (wow, you should see my neck right now); make sure that you strap down the lid of your cooler with a bungee every time you close it, because it can and will tip over, spilling your fish back into the ocean, and you will have to retrieve them from the bottom; sharks are real and really big; sea turtles are also real, and really cool; the hardest part of kayak diving is the paddle back to shore after a long day of diving and paddling; do not forget sunscreen; wear a wide-brim hat; you don't really see what's on the sea floor from above, you have to get down there and look out across it to really see, and wow, does that change the perspective drastically; kayak spearfishing in the open ocean is a serious workout; fish come out of nowhere, be ready at all times; when kayak spearfishing, you must earn your catch, so much more than spearfishing from a power boat; kayak spearfishing is insanely extreme and it is one of the most rewarding, thrilling, and enjoyable things that I have ever experienced.

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