Posts by Don Paul

  • Never leave home without one!

    Quote from Dan

    May, June, July, August? Are you kidding, or do you mean summertime?


    Yeah, I stay away from the seal hull outs in the fall and winter, One spot I dive has a big WS that shows
    up like clock work the second week in Oct. The spot is on the west side of Catalina called Johnson Rock.
    I had a face to face there with a big one chasing a seal, I just don't want to tell the story before I sleep
    tonight. I'll try to find some pictures and post a little story next week.
    Cheers, Don:toast::toast::toast: Party time. bye...

  • Never leave home without one!

    Quote from Dan

    Great story with seal Don. Aren't rookeries prime patrol areas for GWS? Did you feel it was a reasonable risk to take or were you just feeling invincible at the time?


    I have dove in front of one rookery over 500 times and only saw one WS there, so I figured the odds were in my favor. I kept very good records of WS sightings and catch by gill netters at the Islands and 100 mile off shore banks I dive. I try to calculate the risk as best I can.... it has worked so far.

    I have found if I don't dive some spots on months that have the letter ''r'' I have less face to face encounters. Sept, Oct. Nov, Dec, well, you get the idea. I don't dive up where Fuzz is, I don't have the balls.


    Cheers, Don

  • Never leave home without one!

    I have never lost a fish to a seal, and I have gone face to face with some big bulls.I have hunted in front of
    many rookery's as some times they be great WSB spots because no one likes to dive there.


    A big bull Fu#ked with me for 30 min when I had a 4O # yellow in one hand and was fighting to not get
    swept off Pyramid head by a raging current on San Clemente isalnd. I still had my lower shaft cocked and
    locked on my double, but there is no way I would have shot him, even though he bit my fins a few times and was barking in my face. When I finally made it to me swim step, I flung the yellow over the stern and
    the asshole went on to the swim step barking his ass off. Before he made it onto the deck my friend
    hit him over the head with his teak gun which did nothing but piss him off more. I got to the bridge and
    grabbed a air horn and that did the trick.


    If they ever get a few fish from you they will try to rule the spot. I had a few guns on my boat but there is
    no way I would ever kill one. It's their ocean, but they will have to compete with me for the fish I shoot.
    I would not want to Fu#k up my karma. I have not fared as well with Giant Black Sea Bass, big one's have
    swallowed 30# yellowtail and bent my shaft a few times.


    Cheers, Don

  • New to the game

    Quote from Marco

    Looking for a boyfriend? :rolleyes:


    Welcome 13! ;)


    No Marco, the 13b through me off. I just waned to make sure something I talk about was not going to
    drown a young kid.


    Welcome 13bpower we like to horse around here with each other, and I got a chick.^^


    Cheers, Don Paul

  • Deep Diving Mentor

    Quote from psychobilly

    Hey Don, have you ever written a book? If not I think it's about past due......I have read stuff from other great legends of our sport like your friend Terry and others and your pics and stories should be right there along with theirs. Great stories and the history of our sport is to be recorded so future generations of spearfishermen know where it all began.:)


    I'm happy to hear you guys are enjoying my little footnotes. Terry asked when he was doing his book
    for images and contributions. I was at time in my life when I did not share my gun science or diving methods. Many of the things I did was very dangerous. Terry and I lived very close to the edge.

    I have been lost at sea swimming 105 miles of shore, circled by 15' Tiger sharks while caught in a current.
    Dumb enough go off shore in a 25' boat in a gale and live. Had two 10' face to face meetings with the
    Big boy. Had a 12' Black Marlin charge up from the blue and run me over before I pulled the trigger.
    Plus living a life time of diving with many of the greatest blue water hunters in the world.

    I have lots of foot notes from trips, maybe I should take some writing class's and try to shape my stories
    into something worth reading.

    In the mean time I'll share wee bits of my adventures here with you guys if you'd like.....

    All the best, Don

  • New to the game

    Quote from 13bpower

    Hey everyone. I haven't done any spearfishing yet, and I have yet to decide if I'm going to start, but I'm just starting to get into snorkeling/apnea diving. I've always done a lot of swimming, and just recently started diving and snorkeling. I haven't done much snorkeling for about 10 years, so I'm getting all my gear for the upcoming summer. I live up in northern Wisconsin, so I'm diving inland lakes and a little bit in Lake Superior. I'm obviously not a spearfisherman and not much of a freediver (yet), so I don't have much knowledge to offer, but this looked like a good place to learn. So if it's cool, I'll have to leech off of you folks until I've built up something resembling a base of knowledge. Thanks.


    How old are you?
    Don

  • Safer

    Quote from Rolo

    Nice guy, very knowledgable. Not sure he's offering that course any longer.


    I was thinking more about just having him as a mentor for guys that have freediving questions.
    I'm not trying to get any deeper, but I have very little diving science to share.
    Cheers, Don

  • How to improve a Riffe Euro, mexican style.

    Quote from Marco

    Don't think so. Usually he's the one who's banned everywhere.... :rolleyes: <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">


    Why do think I came here?... <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">
    Don