Posts by Pablo

    Visibility wasn't the best, I could see the bottom from the top but it wasn't as clear as other times I've been there. I guess visibility was around 30feet.


    Of course I will give you a call Pucho, I need to get the most time on the water I can. Doing it without weights was a plus, never thought the fins could make that much of difference... I though I would need weights to go down... I guess I will need them later to stay down.

    I didn't checked the fish there this time around, I was concentrating on staying down as much as possible. I have gone scuba there many times, there are jacks and groupers. From what I've been told the jacks there are a real challenge, they seem to know what a speargun is and never give you an easy chance for a shot.

    Gang:


    Today I went to crashboat in Aguadilla and was able to touch the bottom, about 25ft, down in the pillars area an stay down swimming very close to the bottom for a few seconds, maybe no more than 10. For you seasoned freedivers... this is everyday stuff... to me... I felt like Superman.


    All thanks for my new GARA 2000HF fins, I used no weights to get down and did a few immersions before my left ear started giving me problems. I suffer from sinusitis and every once in a while I have a hard time equalizing. It's amazing what a decent pair of fins can do for a newbie like me.


    Cannot wait for the next weekend to hit the water again when I get a chance.


    hasta pronto,
    Pablo

    This guy has been freediving with GW for a while now. He offers cage diving charters in South Africa. Here is a link to his page.


    http://www.sharkdivingunlimited.com/index.html


    Some more info about the guy
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Rutzen


    Notice on the video how he entered the water without much splashing and every time the shark is coming directly to him, he has his legs curled and in a vertical position... never in a horizontal position. I think he is trying to make himself look as big as possible and trying not to look like a seal on top of the water. That may be useful for us if we ever have a shark coming to us face to face... although I think most of the attacks reported historically are to the limbs in murky waters and by surprise.


    All in all I think he's nuts :)

    Gracias por la bienvenida.


    Que bien! De que parte de Ponce eres? Yo soy de la Avenida Brisas (El Tuque).


    Travel to PR is about $250 from NYC or FL depending on the time of the year. Check at kayak.com for the best ticket prices from your location.


    hasta pronto.


    Pablo


    Pablo, welcome to the forum! que bueno ver a otro ponceno mas!!!
    mucha suerte!

    I do not know much about sharks first hand... but, unless a shark is a foot away from me with it's mouth open I would not shoot it. The self defense on the story sounds more like... "Cooper got scared of the shark and shoot..."


    It's simple... do not shoot at anything you are not going to eat nor is trying to eat you. On the other hand if you are going to hunt for sharks... get a powerhead.


    In the water you are just another big fish, reef sharks do not have humans on their pray catalog.

    Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I would definitively like to go fishing with you Billy... I need to work on my basic skills first... like loading the freaking speargun.. jajaja.... My mother in law is from Carolina, I spend at least one night every week over there. Hopefully we can get together one of these weekends after I get some gear I need.

    Thanks for the updated specs on the gun... I already started doing weight training to pull those bands. Let's see if I can get those Cressi Gara 2000... and the new mask... then it will be time to hit the water.


    By the way what is a good beginner speargun?

    Pargo:


    I was using a belly/hip loading gun. It's a custom made for/by Pucho... as I understood it someone made the woods for it and Pucho did the rest. A very nice looking speargun by the way. I do not have my own yet. Suggestions?


    Yes, and even in shallow water... if you spent a couple hours battling a current with crappy fins... it becomes incredibly challenging... and the fish do not sit still in front of the gun either... :).

    Hello Gang!


    My name is Pablo Robles, I am from Ponce. I have been SCUBA diving for a few years now. I consider myself a "tourist" diver... I dive mostly with charters at la parguera, desecho or culebra.


    Last Sunday I went out freediving/spearfishing in Aguadilla with my old friend Pucho. I have known him for 11 years and it is the first time we went fishing. It was an amazing and challenging experience. I learned a few things... first that I do not have the technique/skill/strength to load a 54" speargun, second that my sherwood spinta fins are crap in the weakest current. These were the first and only fins I bought... being newbie I went along with the dive shop owner recommendation, big mistake... these fins are good only in a pool and maybe in a lake. The third thing I learned is that "Jurel" (jack) meat is really good... I used to eat only supermarket fish.


    Last but not least, there are people that tell me that we had the advantage because we have the spearguns and the fish had no defense... nothing can be more wrong... fish have all the advantage, we are aliens in their world. You already know what I just found out... fishing requires skill, strength and determination. That's what makes it interesting... it is not as easy as the experts make it look like.


    I am still an absolute newbie, felt incredibly dumb and uncapable on my first "spearfishing for dummies" lesson. I hope to learn a few things in this forum and with patience and practice get better in this sport.


    I am trying to get new pair of fins and more bottom time... it's shame I go diving a few times a year only when I live about one minute from the shore... from my backyard I can see the Caribbean.


    Lastly I want to thank Pucho for his patience and the good memories from my first silent hunting trip.


    hasta pronto,


    Pablo