Posts by granitedive

Here is a link to the Keep America Fishing website with a simple way to send a letter to your State representatives and Governor Brown protesting the attempt to remove Dan Richards from the Fish and Game Commission. Please follow the link and send the email; it takes literally 2 minutes. I'm going start a separate thread for this also so that everyone sees it. This is REALLY important to fishing/hunting/spearing rights in California. Thanks!

California Conservationist Unfairly Attacked for Legal Hunting Activities

Stickem, I totally understand your perspective and I share it as well. As you can see from my Avatar, I'm not shy about showing off MY prize catch. However, when I opened my San Mateo Times (before this thread was started) and saw that photo and article, MY knee-jerk reaction was "dude, what were you thinking?" (Meaning, why did you let them take/publish this photo). Being in a political office, appointed or elected, puts you under a public microscope that doesn't apply to regular folks. It's too bad, but it's the reality. The letter writers to the SM Times are debating it now, but the decision whether or not to terminate him won't take place there.
I suspect the outlook toward this type of thing is a bit different in Montana, even though we had a mountain lion spotted walking up the San Pedro Creek here in Pacifica, San Mateo county a couple of years ago (the creek doesn't border open space, it is completely in the middle of a neighborhood). Shooting that cat to protect your kids or pets would have been illegal.

Welcome Alex. 6-12' is great day where I'm from! Only time I dove Leo Carillo is was same conditions; middle of march. It's been a rough-water winter up north here; no rain/storms so consequently no pre-storm calm water. Enjoy, it sounds like you're well on your way!

I feel that even though the cat hunt was legal (and I proudly pose for pics with my dead fish), he should have thought twice before letting his picture be taken/published given his position. Especially because he works for our illustrious state of California, home of the knee-jerk environmental reaction. If i'm correct wasn't Sutton a swing vote in favor of the stricter MLPA's? This is not good.

Nice halibut. Is it legal to take them at night? Did you spear it, stab it, or how?

Steve,
I'll be going out on the Peace March 16-18 for 1 day WSB trip followed by 2 day lobster.

Thanks Bamz. I'll probably do a couple of early morning midweek dives. I'll post somethiing before I come down.

Thanks for the welcome Don. I noticed your Neptune status (read: envy). I'm coming down with my wife and kids week of April 9 for Disney, etc. vacation. Will bring my shore dive stuff. Last year I spent most of my dive time scouting/finding a place to dive at Palos Verdes (water was rough), and just a short time in the ocean. Thought I had it mapped out pretty good for this year, and now I see the spot I was ready to go straight back to is mostly MLPA.
Anyway we are staying in a condo on Naples Island so I will try again with hopefully some positive results.

Welcome Billum (from another diver new to the forum).
What's this apnea ap? I should definitely have that!
My workout for generally staying in shape is swimming at the pool. For breath hold practise I use some old smallish fins and do underwater laps with a kick board. The board provides resistance so I'm not going too fast plus strength-building. It's great for my knees too which are close to replacement time. Just try to relax and not go fast.

Hey everyone,
My name's Rich Shafer and I go by "Granitedive" on these forums. That comes from my former passion for rock climbing and of course my current passion for diving/underwater hunting. I live in Pacifica CA just south of San Francisco on the coast. I'm 54 years old and I've been diving the ocean seriously since the early nineties, and freediving mostly the last several years. I hunt locally in the cold murky sharky water off the San Mateo county coast. I don't take a lot of game; I'm not big into rockfish and that's the main quarry here. But I love to be out there and getting the exercise. I do trips on the diveboat "Peace" out of Ventura in southern Cal 3 or 4 times a year for lobster and white sea bass. On those trips I definitely do try to take more game! I am also a kayak salmon-fisher dude, though that has been slow here the last several years (picked up this past year - knock on wood). I am an electrical contractor and I have a beautiful wife and 2 kids. Life is good!
If you find I'm not posting much it's because I'm out diving. This is usually the case!