Posts by fuzz

    Here's what I got for my pockets:


    Sporasub 44-46
    795g


    Omer 44-46
    805g


    Spetton 43-45
    705g


    Omer Mustang 44-46
    720g


    Picasso 44-46
    755g


    Beuchat 43-44
    635g


    Beuchat 45-46
    710g




    Hope this sampling helps. Unfortunately, most of my smaller sized pockets are back in Hawaii.


    I did notice differences between newer and old pockets. ( i.e. the Omer & Sporasub pockets I weighed were older and a different rubber composition than the newer ones). I'm beat from work, so didn't have the energy to keep disassembling fins. :(





    Dan - I weighed my Beuchat Carbone blades for reference. 370g.





    Any questions, just ask. :)

    Thanks fuzz. How about also including actual foot size since the manufacturer's sizes are not exactly the same. I edited my post accordingly.


    Ya, shoesize/pocketsize/bootiesthickness is a good idea, along with any other notes. I use between barefoot and a 5mm sock, so in addition to manufacturing sizing discrepancy, personal fit also varies widely from region to region.

    Feel free to delete this post - just wanted to mention that it might be a good idea to include pocket size if we're taking survey results. Sizing can cause considerable variation in weight between a 40-42 & a 46-48. ;)



    I have a bunch of pockets to contribute weights of,... when I have time to dismantle them.
    (omer, sporasub, picasso, mustang, beuchat, spetton, etc)

    If I had to list the top ten aspects that make one a better spearfisherman, static breathholds would not be among them.


    I definitely have to agree on this point, but would have to slightly disagree on others.


    Personally, I HATE statics. I'm a big fan of breathing and no part of holding my breath out of water is fun. However, there are many aspects of static training that directly translate to spearfishing for me. It's very true that statics are a completely different animal than dynamics, but in general - both have very applicable components to spearfishing.


    Statics definitely help refine breathe up techniques, relaxation methods, and mental focus. It's all about common sense and learning what translates from freediving to spearfishing and vice versa. I agree that those who don't understand the differences could easily get themselves in trouble. Just like hyperventilating - it's easy for a newer diver to get wrapped up in the easy gains, while ignoring the potentially dangerous pitfalls.


    This conversation reminds me a lot of shooting accuracy. Everyone says the best practice for spearfishing... is to get out and go diving! While this is unequivocably true in many respects, for most of us, an hour of target practice with a new gun will be exponentially more beneficial than several hours of hunting. This is especially true for out here, where we can go a full day without even taking a shot... so every shot counts. When a shot is missed on a fish, the reason is not always as apparent - the gun might shoot off, elbow or wrist bent, fish might have flinched, or rigging issues. By learning how one's gun shoots, the learning curve is accelerated dramatically. With my new enclosed track Sea Sniper euro, I kept shooting over the top of the fish. Target shooting, I found that the bands stacked higher on the enclosed track and the shorter shaft overhang made triangulation slightly different. After a quick adjustment, I was soon stoning the majority of fish shot. This is analagous to the static debate as learning proper breathing and relaxation techniques out of water will help infinitely more than constantly diving for years with the same bad habits.


    K, I'm rambling like usual. :crazy:







    As a general FYI for this thread, the loose rule is that dynamic potential is roughly half of statics.

    To reaffirm, I agree with both av001 & Rolo wholeheartedly. Just trying to provide some anecdotal background in support of it. :)



    As Rolo mentioned... coming off the bottom in 30m of water can really suck if you're over-weighted. ESPECIALLY so if you're wearing a 7mm suit and the ton of weight that comes along with it. :angry5:



    The class made me think about a lot of things. Proper weighting is a large one. As a starting point, I'll weight myself neutral at 1/3 of hunting depth and adjust accordingly. Something I noticed when weighted lighter was that it was much easier to breath deeply. I'm so used to being heavy and sinking if I breath out that it interrupts my breathe-up before a dive. As part of my normal dive kit now are two removable weights. That way I can adjust my belt quickly based on hunting depth.




    Pargo,
    I don't have a normal hunting depth since I travel around so much to dive. Varies so much depending on where I'm diving. Huge differences in fish, dive styles, depths, wetsuit thicknesses, etc. If I was to dive in avg 60ft water, I'd probably start at 25ft neutral to start. Hard to say until I try this out for a bit. :)


    Toledo,
    Yeah, the physiology they described made me re-evaluate my breathe up (or lack thereof) as well as recovery breathing. As I mentioned, I was always over-weighted on the surface, so it interfered with my breathing. I always knew proper ways of breathing up... but just never did it. :rolleyes1: I'll definitely make an effort to get used to it and make it routine.


    Mr.Slayer,
    I'll have to take some time to write down the things I learned, things I had doubts about, and how they apply to spearfishing. It's definitely a different discipline and some things are potentially dangerous. After all, their goal is to prep themselves for one personal best dive with a crew of safety divers watching. We're prepping ourselves to dive all day and recover fully in between dives.


    One major thing that I did take away from the class is their "rule of nines". This basically states that roughly 90% of blackouts happen at the surface, 9% within the top 15ft, and 1% below that. So many people (myself included) think of SWB as happening on the way up, just before hitting the surface. In reality, the first 20seconds after reaching the surface are even more critical. This is another reason for weighting yourself light - you want to be able to float even with an exhale in case of a blackout. ;)



    Sorry for the rambling, half asleep & off to bed... :boring1:

    Personal perspective/experience.



    Just took the Performance Freedive clinic a week ago & they had us weight ourselves to be neutral in 33ft of water with a full breath of air. A lot of this is for safety - even if we black out on surface with no air in our lungs, we'd still float. Typically, I wear ~18# of lead with my 7mm Picasso, but got down to less than 8# during the class!!! :0



    Since at this weighting, we're more buoyant than we're used to, the initial arm swim you see Mifsud doing combined with the normal surface leg lift aids in the initial descent and getting the fins underwater. We were told to count the # of strong kicks it took to get to 33ft... then once we hit 33ft, count the # of soft kicks to hit 66ft.


    Again, since we're more buoyant, the kicking took slightly more effort than normal. One guy in our trio took 8 cycles(16 kicks) to hit 33 ft. Since I don't need to clear my ears, I put both hands over my head and with a much more streamlined shape, reached the same depth in only 4 cycles. The hard kicks were to get us to the neutral point and the soft kicks were to accelerate into the negative phase. Then the fun part - gliding. My total kicks for 100'+ dives was between 8-9 cycles (16-18 kicks). :)



    As for the class itself, it was interesting. Learned a lot about the physiology of freediving, safety/rescue, and the "proper" way to dive. Some of it didn't transfer too well to spearfishing, but a lot did. I don't think it necessarily made me any better a diver, but gave me the tools to work on improving. :D

    I'm buddies with Erik of Sumora, but I gotta say that I agree with AV001 completely - Mako's strategy was executed well.


    Mako found a way to circumvent the supply chain and undercut the heck out of Sumora. This may seem shady to some, but in reality... it's the parent company Rabitech's responsibility to protect and support their distributors. From what I understand, Rabitech protected South Africa, Australia, etc.... but not the United States. Mako executed their strategy well and created a big stir.


    Mike Damm recently announced RA price drops, so it looks like the customers are gonna benefit from all of this. :)

    Nice gun, the main difference being the plastic insert on top third of barrel. Makes the gun/rail a lot quieter than a Rob Allen.


    Feels lighter than a Rob Allen out of water, but heavier in water due to extra metal ribs and decreased internal air space.

    Good tip. I was actually thinking about doing that to salvage some use out of this bag. Figure it'd make a nice triangular shaped bag with zipper pointing upwards. Unfortunately that sea angler bag is also a fluffy fill material rather than the denser(better) quality fish bags, so I figure I'll retire it (sell it) and put the money towards better projects. That fluffy fill also means it runs risks of internal leaking into the fill if you stitch it. That could be very bad. :(


    A manager at GoBananas (hawaii kayak store) sells some custom fish bags (for tankwell as well as internal), but very pricey. He mentioned that if I transition the sea angler bag to a standing style with zipper on top, I should use Amazing Goop or some similar waterproof adhesive to permanently seal the first few inches of zipper on the ends. The bag could never be opened flat again, but it would be waterproof where it's gooped and won't leak where the melted ice sits.


    I got my system pretty dialed in for what I want, so I'm not going to bother. ;)



    For quick trips, especially those where I'm only going to be in the water a couple hours, I often don't use a fish bag. Just paddle back to shore when done, and put the bled/gutted fish into a cooler(filled with ice) in my trunk.

    Don't put ice directly in the kayak... you'll just end up with a sloshy mess as the ice reduces to an inch of cold water throughout your kayak. In a pinch, you could use a couple heavy duty contractor garbage bags. Not great, but better than nothing. The main problem is that those pargos and other Mexican fish are mean buggers... with all sorts of spines that will quickly make holes throughout your bags. Still better than nothing, I guess.




    Nowadays, we bring tons of ice on boats along with fish bags(more versatile, especially for deck space and/or travel). Once in a while, we use standard ice chests or fish holds. As you know, for kayaks... it's a far different story. Kayak diving is a bit different from boat diving due to the space available.


    Up here in Northern Californiai, the waters average ~50deg F. We don't last more than 5 or 6 hours in the water and it's so cold, that I don't worry too much about fish storage. In Hawaii, it's much different. While not as hot as Mexico, it did force me to rethink fish care options.




    There are 3 main ways I bring ice on a kayak.


    The first is for small fish. Costco has these bags available for very cheap. When I first bought it, they were 2 for $5! They were also a cheaper nylon outer material which repelled water more effectively. The price has gone up, but still an affordable option. They're not of great quality, but are excellent options for storing smaller fish (like parrotfish or pargo amarillo). Nice cheap solution. I've gone through a few, but no complaints. Here's a pic of the bag itself and an inside shot of a parrotfish stowed in my front hatch.



    For a top deck fishbag, I've used this style of fishbag. The size is nice for most reef fish at 36"x20". It works okay, but the 3-sided zippers leak water quickly and the broad surface area gets hit hard by the sun. You can store it in your hatch, but the way the zippers are situated makes it cumbersome to access. The zippers wll also cause the water will leak out (not really a deal breaker, but leaking water signifies bad insulation). I've used it for halibut and a few other times for regular fish, but prefer either the first or last kayak fishbag option.



    This is the premier bag, especially for kayaks with a large rear hatch like the 2-hatch scupper pros. The Da Kine tapered fish bag was made specifically for this application. This one is a 6-ft model, but the 5-ft model is probably a better fit. I slip the whole thing into the rear hatch and toss a 7# bag of ice in there. The top zipper makes access a cinch and will easily handle white sea bass, wahoo, dorado, etc. The material is very nice and heavy duty. Hard to tell from the perspective of the camera, but it tapers from a little over 2ft wide on one end to 1ft wide on the far end, fitting the shape of the kayak quite nicely. The down side? No one makes them anymore... :(




    I owned one of these for a bit:

    http://www.creativefeathers.com/details.cfm?id=188
    Worst kayak bag design... it had some thin insulation on the top and bottom, but the sides were plain nylon! The zippered was a pain as well. I promptly returned it with a handful of complaints.




    Fish bags for kayaks are such a small market segment that I'm surprised Da Kine even bothered for the brief time that it did.


    Sorry I sidetracked the thread so much into kayak fish bags... don't even get me started on boat fish bags. ;)








    BTW, that Cobra Fish 'n Dive is indeed a beast of a kayak. :laughing3:


    I agree it's already way heavier than it needs to be. Stable as heck though.



    A small insulated bag in the forward center hatch would be a good way to keep smaller reef fish cold, but for big fish... a big deck bag would be the only real option for that kayak style. :(


    Just shoot all your big fish at the end of your dive. ;)

    Another old thread I felt I'd drag up. :D




    Bleeding fish makes a marked difference in some species, a more subtle difference in others. Just like proper icing, proper bleeding and gutting of a fish will help extend fish quality and longevity.


    One example of a fish where bleeding makes a marked difference is our California yellowtail. By the color of the flesh, I can immediately tell if a fish has been bled and how well. The taste difference is quite noticeable as well. After securing the fish, I brain the fish then immediately slit the gill membranes. Once the blood cloud disperses, I gut the fish and scrape the bloodline out. Then it goes into the fishbag. :)





    Here are two useful online resources I've come across:


    Great site overall. This particular article numerically quantifies the correlation between temperature and shelf life. :cool2:
    http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/pubs/spoils.htm


    Very thorough PDF on handling and care of fish for sashimi-grade quality. While a lot of it's not applicable for spearfishing, I found it interesting. I've used some of the techniques before, such as the gutting method for removing all organs without opening the belly. With pictures for those of you that have ADHD like me. ;)
    http://www.spc.int/Coastfish/Fishing/Sashimi_E/Sashimi.pdf