Makoa goes South of the Border

  • Aloha! My boys and I have been hitting Mexican waters (Pacific Side, South) pretty hard the last couple of months. Long swims from remote beaches out to rock islands, kayak and small panga trips, and reef dives. We've sold fish, given away fish, shared Hawaiian style poke and Tahitian style ceviche (Poison Crue), made fish tacos, eaten lobster, and made squid luau with he'e (octopus). We've surfed good exploding beach breaks and a nice point break that breaks right, and spent so many nights diving under the moonlight and stars that I don't know how we've gotten any sleep at all. We've had our small panga break away from its anchor line and drift miles away during a dive on some rock pinnacles during heavy seas, leaving me and three of my boys shooting junkenpo (rock, paper scissors) to see who swims after it while the rest of us continue hunting the good stuff! ( Are we crazy? There's no coast guard here!) I've watched my 11 year old shoot a nice palmilla using my big blue water gun, I've seen him get caught inside an exploding reef break and make it out with my gun still in his hands, and watched him extend his bottom time shooting reef fish through the eyes and growing more stoked with every dive and every wave ridden. Can't keep him out of the water. I've watched my 16 year old take control in heavy conditions, shoot large fish, and care for his little brother on every dive. My 22 year old continues to amaze me with his knowledge and pure stoke in the water. I've learned that even a junk fish (like a jack) can become my favorite fish when cooked/grilled by people that know how to cook it (With Adobo and Asado!!!). We've gotten our Mexican Adventure vehicle (1988 Toyota 4Runner) stuck in deep sand during a rising tide, gotten our gear and bodies thrashed on steep and pounding beach break coming in after a long dive and swim sesh, too tired to care, and we have plenty of wana (sea urchin) spines in all of our appendages from being pushed into rocks and reef with heavy currents. We've made ceviche on the beach with still quivering fish flesh, and eaten fish in every form imaginable for most meals. We've gone out with old time spearos who dive on compressor and tried to Freedive along side them in ripping currents and low viz. We've walked the streets with heavy kui's of fish, filleted so many fish that the entire neighborhood is beginning to smell of fish carcasses and guts, and everyone always stops by to ask how the fishing has been and if we want to sell any. Shots from the surface, shots at 80+ feet, and shots on shallow reef. We did it all!


    All in all, this has been what life should be like; living our passion with the people closest to our hearts. I apologize in advance for the lousy GoPro footage. I hate having to remember to work a camera when what I really care about is the hunt. Of the few times I remembered to film my drops and shots, I've tried to edit and make a video that's not totally lame...not sure I was successful :laughing:


    I have a lot of pics to post and I hope you enjoy. They may not all have fish but this trip was about living the dream, and that, I think, we accomplished!


    Can someone who is tech savvy tell me how to upload more than one picture on my post at a time and how to put a link to my YouTube vid? Big Mahaloz in advance!


    Trip will end second week next month...will be driving gear, yaks, surfboards, and 4Runner north, and taking with us some killer memories my boys and I will talk story about for the rest of our lives. CHEEHO! Live Aloha and live your passion!


    Mahalo for reading,
    Makoa...and Sons!

  • Just a note on my gear. I used my Aimrite 110 Super Venom with MVD roller muzzle and 16mm bands at 360'ish stretch, and 7.5 mm shaft. I used it exclusively as a reef and blue water gun. It performed perfectly just as a roller should. I actually played with rigging several times and retied wishbones while bobbing in moderate swells trying to test every set up and rigging. There are better roller muzzles (Dan, pleeeeease....I'm waiting to try your Speardiver muzzle) and better set ups, but I am extremely pleased as this trip has been a long one and I've shot in every condition. I've redone the anchor line to attach to one of three positions beginning with the reel mount as the max power setting. Having the ability to change power settings as well as changing out bands while in the water necessitated that modification. I also had my Pathos Open Carbon 90 with Merou roller and 14mm bands for some bad viz and hole hunting. My Mexican friend actually shot his first big jack with it in open water. My eleven year old would also use it for reef hunting. I had my 55" hybrid, but never used it because of the effectiveness, range, and power of my roller. I also got very proficient using the one gun and not changing it up. Again, my eleven year old used it in open water for his fish.


    Aloha,
    Makoa

  • Stoned at max range with a 110... that's when I really knew my gun was dialed in. The only way to get your roller gun conversion right is to hunt with it and change it until it shoots exactly the way you want it to. Equations and percentages are a great place to start, but in the end you've got to get it dialed in for you!

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