Posts by Dan

  • Kent rubber poor quality speargun bands

    Kent Elastomer Products is a US company that manufactures rubber tubing for different applications, including speargun bands. I tried their rubber years ago and found it inferior; too easy to stretch, has less power, and poor power retention after a short time in loaded state. Recently I revisited Kent with the idea of offering another more economical rubber option for those spearos with a tight budget. As Kent rubber is priced significantly lower than other manufacturers. This time around I found the product to be even worse.


    Kent rubber is nice in appearance, uniform in shape and color, and arrives clean with no residue from the extrusion process. But that's where the positives end. I cut two bands for a 120cm speargun at %250 stretch. The speargun shot soft and the bands were too easy to stretch. So I cut them down to %300. As soon as I did that and loaded the bands for the first time, they became practically useless. I could not get penetration on a 2lb fish at 6ft distance. I will never use Kent rubber again for speargun bands.


    How to know if you're buying Kent rubber? Some shops advertise it outright like Austins Austin's Diving Center | Kent Elastomer 5/8 Latex Rubber Tubing. Others don't but you can normally tell by the price. If it's less than $3/ft retail for 16mm (5/8") rubber tubing you're probably buying a Kent product. That's not to say that some sellers will not price their Kent rubber high to pass for better quality.


    I felt compelled to share this information because I was truly surprised at what a poor performer Kent rubber was. At the same time I realize this raises the question; how to be sure I'm buying good quality speargun rubber? To me the answer is easy, Speardiver rubber is a trusted source always offering only the highest quality rubber Speardiver Small Hole Speargun Rubber Tubing.

  • Iki Jime

    I said that in response to the last video you posted, not the tuna processing. I understand that whatever they do to keep the tuna sale price high, whether really effective or just for show, is justifiable.

  • Iki Jime

    The videos are somewhat macabre to me but fascinating. So that's where the canned tuna I buy at the supermarket comes from?


    I think the braining site would be a great resource. First thing I checked is barracuda because I can never get it right, so I gave up braining cuda a long time ago and just rip out the gills. Guess what, no barracuda.
    Cobia was another fish of interest because it has a hard head. They have it but I don't know if I'd trust it. Again I rip out the gills.


  • Yellowfin tuna spearfishing vid

    Philippe, thanks for sharing the video and explanation. That's an impressive shark bite.


    One way to see it is Philippe needs to get the fish out of the water as soon as possible. At the same time he can't control how the people handle the fish on the boat once they're handed off. People who work with fish often have a callous attitude. You can try to explain that you want the fish dispatched quickly but they will just not see it as important. And it may create tension. Unless they are under your control because you're paying for every aspect of the outing. I get the feeling Philippe goes to some places where he's lucky to get access to in the first place, maybe not the right time to be demanding.


    Other than that I agree, I don't like to see fish suffer needlessly and will dispatch them quickly if it's safe to do so.

  • Shark feeding diver bitten by shark West Palm Beach

    From Charter captain known for hand-feeding sharks suffers bite


    Charter captain known to hand-feed sharks suffers bite


    Kimberly Miller May 31, 2017

    The captain of a Jupiter dive boat that specializes in shark encounters was bitten on the hand Sunday, suffering injuries severe enough that he was airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
    Palm Beach County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said the sheriff’s Marine One unit picked up the owner of Emerald Charters after a distress call that he was bitten by a “sea creature.”
    Until December, Randall Jordan, was listed as the owner of Emerald Charters in state records. Ownership has since been transferred to 257 Charters, LLC, but Jordan is still named as the captain of Emerald Charters on its website.
    Jordan was in good condition this morning, according to a St. Mary’s Medical Center spokesman, who confirmed he was still at the hospital.


    A diver is delivered by paramedics to a Trauma Hawk helicopter at Lighthouse Park in Jupiter on Sunday. (Melanie Bell / The Palm Beach Post)


    Deborah Toohey, who lives in Springhill, Fla., said Jordan is her brother and identified him from a picture taken Sunday by a Palm Beach Post photographer at 111 Love Street in Jupiter where the helicopter picked him up to take him to St. Mary’s.
    “He tries to teach people to not be afraid of sharks,” Toohey said. “He’s an avid environmentalist when it comes to sharks.”
    While Toohey didn’t know details, she said Jordan had to undergo “reattachment surgery.”
    Well-wishers left messages on social media for Jordan, but other dive charter companies did not want to comment for this story or about the practice of feeding sharks during dives.
    Jordan did not return calls Tuesday.
    In 2015, Jordan was sentenced to a year of probation, a $1,500 fine and 100 hours of community service after he was convicted of three misdemeanor charges stemming from illegally feeding sharks in Florida waters.
    Florida banned feeding sharks in 2001, but it is still legal in federal waters, said Amanda Nalley, public information specialist for FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management.


    A diver is delivered by paramedics to a Trauma Hawk helicopter at Lighthouse Park in Jupiter on Sunday. (Melanie Bell / The Palm Beach Post)


    George Burgess, who investigates bites for the International Shark Attack file at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said a bite that occurs when someone is feeding a shark is considered a “provoked” incident.
    He said he will investigate the bite, but doesn’t know how forthcoming people will be with information. Shark diving is a multi-million boon to Florida tourism and dive operators don’t like to discuss events that could appear negative to prospective clients, he said.
    “The impression that shark diving operations give is that it’s a perfectly safe operation,” Burgess said. “It’s generally safe, but not perfectly safe.”
    A report earlier this year from the ocean conservation group Oceana found that in 2016, shark dives generated about $337 million, fueled about 6,000 jobs, and $80 million in wages.
    The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday that seven divers who were rescued 5 miles east of the Jupiter Inlet last week were separated from the Emerald Charter, but it is not investigating the incident and has no report.

    Jordan isn’t the first charter operator bitten while on a shark excursion.
    In 2011, Jim Abernethy was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center after being bitten on the arm. The bite happened about 18 miles north of West End, the Bahamas.

  • Pike spearfishing bounty hunters wanted in Colorado

    Nice pic, well done Brett.


    I heard Pike is prized and eaten in Russia, where it's called Shuka.


    Interesting and beautiful fish. Aggressive like our barracuda. I remember something about an attempt to market barracuda as saltwater pike. BTW barracuda is great table fare. I agree about freshwater fish not holding a candle to saltwater, but if you're hungry and/or don't know better I'm sure it's good eating too. We're probably better engineered by nature to eat freshwater fish.


  • Point of Rocks, Sarasota FL

    I can give you general spearfishing advice. I don't know if there's anyone here familiar with that particular spot. To be more relaxed about sharks consider carrying a powerhead.