Posts by Spearhunter

  • Are there any wrecks off the California coast?

    There are a few wrecks around.... nothing major outside of wreck alley/catalina etc. Most wrecks that are shallow enough to dive are in bays where you can't dive or are too deep. It gets deep pretty quick here in Cali. Kelp is between 20 and 120' usually on rocky bottom and holds a lot of fish. If you did know of a wreck, you would still have to find it in typically crappy viz. Not always so easy even with a scuba tank.

  • 2012 San Diego Freedivers Blue Water Meet

    Many of you look forward to our annual Blue Water Meet. This year, the meet will be held on August 18! The weigh-in will be at 4:00pm. The San Diego Freedivers Blue Water Meet is our premiere spearfishing event of the year. It is a one fish meet in a limited geographic area (40 mi. radius from shelter island). Biggest fish gets you $500 and your name on the trophy. The meet is open to everybody.


    Entry Fee: $30 for members
    $40 for non-members


    Weigh-in: 4:00pm at Shelter Island next to the launch ramp


    The entry fee gets you a place in the meet, t-shirt (if signed up by July 31) and food.


    The meet is held in conjunction with an awesome raffle. Last year was our largest raffle yet benefiting the MLPA fight. This year, the raffle will benefit the Children's Pool lawsuit and the Waterman's Alliance.


    Changes: There are a few changes from previous years. The weigh-in time has been bumped back an hour to allow for more fishing time and take advantage of the light. The meet remains a one fish meet but has been split into a pelagic category and a reef fish category with three places in each. The trophy and money goes to the largest fish regardless of category. As always, there are no rays/skates/molas/sharks/BSB etc... allowed. The meet is CA legal rules so you must follow all applicable CA fish and game laws (even if you are in MX) for your fish entry.


    We hope you all can make it! Last year was a blast and this year should be even better!


    Visit our website for entry information and details: San Diego Freedivers › Log In
    Documents – San Diego Freedivers

  • San Diego Freedivers- group dive

    I normally don't post trip reports but I thought I would share a recent experience:


    We had been working on a plan to do a San Diego Freedivers group boat dive. We did one in Laguna last year which was a ton of fun and this year, we decided to do one local.


    We met at the launch ramp early on a Saturday morning and started loading up. With reports of seabass and yellowtail all over the place, our hopes were high. We had nine guys total between the two boats with a mixture of veteran crew and some newer guys. Everyone were competent divers so I took a chance and decided to hit a spot which had been recently producing.


    I was a bit nervous about having so many guys in the water together but knowing the area we were going was such a huge and thick bed, I figured we would have a decent shot at fish. We loaded the ice, cranked up the music and set out into the morning light.


    Conditions were nice on the way out. The water looked blue and the temp. was about right. The morning looked great. We start cruising the coast and I quickly realize there were very few boats around. I wondered if I had made a mistake because of all the crazy reports in other areas. However, I decided to stick with the plan since conditions were right and the tides were promising.


    We get to the spot and park the boats about 100 yards apart. We put up the flags and everyone starts gearing up. I put my crew in the water first hoping they would quickly get on fish and wanting to give the guys who don't get out on boats too often the best shot. I was enjoying the nice morning and dreading putting on the cold wetsuit so I was in no hurry. After giving the guys a head start to disperse, I hop in the water and start cruising the outside edge.


    The first thing I noticed, was the bait was EVERYWHERE. I am not sure I have ever seen quite so much bait. The jellies were around, the bait was lively, the calicos were friendly, the sand bass were skittish and the bat rays were doing kamikaze runs. I head into the kelp thinking of staying near the outside where I would have a shot of either whites or yellows. I hadn't seen any large fish yet but I wasn't worried. I was enjoying the day but I hadn't seen any fish and I hadn't heard any hooting or seen any floats deployed so I was pretty sure nobody had shot anything. With 9 divers in the area and most of them in the water longer than myself, I began to get a little worried. This was my spot and it didn't seem like it was going to produce.


    Like always happens, I start thinking about shooting some of the 5 lb. calico who were trying to hide at the edge of visibility. They were about 15' away but I figured I knew I could ambush one and at least have fish on the stringer. Then I saw a small barracuda cruising thru and I thought.... at least this is different. I did a few more drops very carefully watching all of the bait fish and bass to make sure I was staying quiet. At this point, the other guys had worked well into the kelp and were halfway through the bed. I was still on the outside edge just a little ways in. I decided to do one last drop before heading back to the boat.


    I dropped down and decided to level off pretty shallow. I hit 10' and leveled knowing that I could see down to 30' and to the surface. There was a haze layer down below 25' that limited viz down to the bottom and with the overcast, it was really dark down there. I look around and was cruising straight for a kelp curtain when I realized that there was a WHOLE SCHOOL of large seabass cruising RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. It took me about 1-2 seconds for several thoughts to flash through my mind. First, which one was the largest. Second, the first question was a dumb question because although I could see at least 5 within shooting range and more around them, there was one BIG one literally in front of me about five feet off the tip of my gun. Third, I thought that even if there was a larger fish in the school that I could shoot, with as close as I was to this big seabass, I could never shoot around her to even hit another fish. Fourth, I thought TAKE THE SHOT DUMMY!!! I quickly aimed for a stone shot and my finger twitched on the trigger.


    BAM! I nailed her right behind the eyes with a perfect shot. She literally rolled over and did a slow twitch. I grab my bungee and wait for the run if she had any life in her. As I sit on the surface, I realize the fish wasn't going anywhere. Her twitches slowly had her swinging the shooting line around a kelp stalk right at 10'. I put my gun over my shoulder and drop down to grab her by the gills. There was no fight. My shot was perfect and the shaft went almost completely through the head. It was the easiest retrieval I had ever had.


    I head back for the boat thinking.... man this is a big fat fish. She was still twitching but not dead so I brain her. In the process, my knife went through and I gashed my knuckle. Stupid move.... I climb on the swim step and look around to see who was in view before swinging the fish quickly over the rail. She slides right on the deck and I retrieve my gear. I radio to the other boat to let them know not to give up hope. There were indeed fish in the area. A whole school in-fact. I put the fish on ice, collect my gear, tell my crew where the fish were sighted and head back out.


    The other boat also had one on board so I was confident and went back out. I head right back to where I had seen the fish and spend about 20 minutes looking. About the time I was wondering if the school had moved off and I wasn't going to see any more, I dive down and see a single cruising about 20 feet below. The fish sensed me and started heading deeper. I knew I had good range and a good shot and I knew the fish was a decent size so I took the shot. Again, I nailed the fish.


    I grab my float line and head back for the surface. I decided to horse the fish since I knew it was a good shot and we were pretty deep. The fish tied up around 35' and I had another easy retrieval. Swim fish #2 back to the boat and put on ice.


    By then, everyone in the group had either seen fish or shot fish. I went back out to the same spot. I quickly realize that there were way too many divers in the area. I head over to the other boat (which had relocated to my magic spot) and hop on to see their catch. I find out that one of the other guys had shot a very large fish and had lost his floatline after it ran too far and too fast.


    That was going through my mind when I got back in the water and started heading around the kelp back to my boat. I had a 100' floatline with integrated bungee and kelp carrot so I had never had a problem but the large fish I had shot could have given me quite a fight if I hadn't stoned it. With these thoughts in mind, I am looking around and see two more seabass swimming about 10' right under me. I was outside the kelp and they were just heading in. The first one was HUGE!!!! noticeably larger than the first fish I had shot. Unfortunately, they were rather close and the water was real clear on the edge of the kelp. They had seen me!


    I am mentally cursing myself for not getting a shot off immediately and drop in behind the big sucker and her little brother. I quickly realize there was no way to get around and ambush them on the other side of a kelp stalk or any other shot. I had a long (15') tail shot on the big one..... but if I land the fish..... my first limit of seabass AND my largest seabass! Greed got the better of me and I take the shot. Mid-body at a slight angle from the rear. It was not my best shot but I connected. I thought I had enough power and figured it had lodged in the ribs.


    The fish took off and the floatline was whizzing past. I grab the line and did the full-body parachute/waterski drag on the line. I was being pulled pretty good but fortunately, the fish had gone right into the kelp and I was bound to tie up. Sure enough, we hit the kelp and stop. I noticed one of the other guys was literally right next to me. Apparently, he had come up right next to me inside the kelp on the surface and he was just about to take a shot on the fish when I took my hail-mary. I ask him to hold my gun and the end of the line while I drop to figure out the situation. I go to drop down and the shaft came loose and I realized the fish was gone.


    I was totally bummed and totally exhausted so I decided to just head back to the boat and call it a day. We went back to the landing and I weigh the fish. The small one was right at 40 lb. and the big one was just shy of 60.


    Overall, it was a fun and successful day. Almost everyone saw seabass and several ended up on the boats. I will never forget the day and I am proud I could share it with my friends in the San Diego Freedivers.

  • Huge Children's Pool Announcement!

    The Children's Pool fight continues. Some of you are aware of efforts to get the City to follow the California State Constitution and stop their attempts to close the Children's Pool Beach. The City has attempted to prohibit fishing and discourage beach goers for years. First, they closed the beach entirely. Then, they were forced to re-open the beach but they put up an rope in an attempt to keep people from using the beach. Now, the City Council has voted to allocate $30,000 to close the beach during pupping season.


    Now it is the public's turn. Today, a lawsuit was filed by a private citizen against the City of San Diego and State of California. The lawsuit is intended to ensure fishing is preserved at the Children's Pool. As recognized in the trust and consistent with the State Constitution: "The absolute right to fish in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.... with the right of convenient access.... is hereby reserved to the people of the State of California". The City quite simply does not have the authority to stop us from fishing at the Children's Pool and has the responsibility to see that we have convenient access!


    The lawyer representing the private citizen in this matter is Paul Kennerson. He is the same attorney who won a judgement against the City last time when they were breaking the law at the Children's Pool and kept it open. See here: Judge: Children's Pool Seals Must Leave La Jolla - San Diego News Story - KGTV San Diego


    Many of you have helped us greatly in the past. If you want to support the cause, please donate here: La Jolla Seals


    More announcements will be forthcoming.

  • San Diego Freediver Meeting- tonight 3/26

    The San Diego Freedivers has a meeting tonight at the La Jolla Brewhouse. We typically start meet/greet around 6:30 and get the meeting started around 7:00. Tonight we will be hearing from a speaker about caring for your catch. We are an open club which means anybody is welcome to join and welcome to come to our meetings. You will be welcomed and introduced.


    Outside of our monthly meetings, we have quite a few events including clinics and club dives. We most recently had a floatline clinic which was highly successful. We bought floatline kits at cost and through the generosity of Ryan Craig and Craig floatlines (Craig Float Lines - Spearfishing Products) we were able to help members build 10 floatlines for seabass season. We have more clinics planned and this weekend (3/31) we have a club dive/cookout planned in north county. Michael Delgado will be sharing his famous paella recipe with us.


    For information on our meetings/membership/upcoming events, please visit:
    San Diego Freedivers
    Club Meetings – San Diego Freedivers

  • Spearboard coercion of sponsors

    Quote from Dan

    Thanks Don. I know Dean makes spears, and dealing with him it was clear that he's conscientious about his product which says a lot. But I'm not sure he's Addiction spears? Or maybe that's not at all what you meant.


    BTW I predicted that thread will disappear and it did. I'm going to get in the habit of downloading SB threads for reference.


    It is in the CA drama department. Password: "Drama"


    still funny as hell. Grogan is such a tool

  • Children's Pool- Big Announcement!!

    Many of you are well aware of the sad saga of the Children's Pool. Eco-groups and "friends of the seals" have orchestrated a campaign of harassment and intimidation against divers, fishermen and the beach-going public for over a decade now. Actions such as throwing rocks, spitting, stealing, vandalizing, punching, shoving, yelling profanity, death threats and even assaults with a stun gun perpetrated by animal-extremists against beach-goers and tourists are commonplace and often ignored by the police and the City of San Diego. Additionally, despite court orders and in violation of state law, the City of San Diego has continuously ignored its obligations to the citizens of the State of California and residents of San Diego. These obligations are set-out in the so-called Children's Pool Trust and the State Constitution. Among these obligations is the guaranteed right of "convenient access" to the Children's Pool beach for fishermen. Despite this constitutional right to access, the City has, in the past, closed this beach and continues to post rope barriers and warnings across the beach. The City has even sought to outright close the beach and pool for part of the year in violation of State law and the Constitution.


    Unfortunately, what was once recognized as a true San Diego treasure and originally built primarily for a Children's bathing pool and playground has been neglected and virtually destroyed. Hollywood once shot movies there. Detroit shot a car commercial at the Children's Pool. The first permanent San Diego Lifeguard Station was constructed there. National Geographic once wrote of the Children's Pool: "Even Alice, fresh from Wonderland, would have gasped at the landscape spread below me". However, we have a lifeguard station which has been condemned. We have "port-a potties" on the sidewalk. The sea wall and stairs are literally crumbling. The cliff-side has collapsed onto the beach and undermined the sidewalk. Extremists populate the sidewalk shouting obscenities at anyone with the temerity to step foot on the beach. The City Police Department has a special "policy" not to enforce many City codes and ordinances at the Children's Pool. The sand is polluted with seal feces. This San Diego treasure has nearly been lost.


    Fortunately, unlike the politicians who bow down to the animal extremists, brave individuals have been willing to take a stand. Attorney Paul Kennerson fought for years in court to have the fact recognized that the City of San Diego breached its obligations to the citizens of this State and to have the Children's Pool restored. On the eve of victory, the legislature modified the trust to allow the seals to remain at the Children's Pool at the discretion of the City. However, this same State action re-affirmed the rights of the citizens of this State to have "convenient access" and safe facilities at the Children's Pool. The City let the seals stay but never improved access or improved the facilities. Instead, the City has actually let the situation get worse and tried to close the beach entirely. Therefore, a new plaintiff has stepped forward represented by Paul Kennerson to make a claim against the City of San Diego. Just as the Supreme Court previously recognized that the City had neglected its duties to the citizens of the State, we expect that either the City will restore beach access and restore the facilities at the Children's Pool or once again be found negligent by the Courts.


    This fight has entered a new and final phase. The City is running out of excuses for breaching its obligations. Last time, it cost the City almost $1 million. This time we will win. We need your help. The Council of Divers and the Friends of the Children's Pool need donations to help hold the City accountable. Please visit La Jolla Seals for information. Please consider a donation. It is desperately needed. Any new/lightly used dive gear can also be donated. Please contact me to find out how you can help.