Posts by red tide

  • Wetsuit Gloves for long fingers

    Does anybody know of a wetsuit glove maker that offers 3 and 5 mm wetsuit gloves for guys with long fingers.? I have a buddy that can palm a medicine ball and he can not find any gloves that fit him. Any suggestions would be appreciated:toast:

  • If your dive buddy doesn't surface

    Definitely throw anchor. Mark GPS, hale a Mayday to Coast Guard and start your search immediately. If you find the diver on the bottom and it is possible to make a recovery dive you need to get it together quickly because you don't get a second chance. If you make the dive to recover you must ditch your weight belt and ditch the down diver's weightbelt upon contact. This is where most people screw up.
    If the down diver is out of reach it is O.K. to shoot him and try to make recovery. This is something that all of the guys I dive with are O.K. doing in an emergency situation. A good friend of mine saved another good friend of mine this way. We had been talking about just two weeks before it happened and it saved a life.
    There is no substitute for following safe diving practices in order to avoid these situations. Surface time is more important than bottom time. Relax and take time between dives. Keep an eye out for the guys you are diving with while you are on the surface. If you don't see them start looking for them before it is too late.

  • Why a float line is safer than a reel

    Right on Dan. I have been diving for years and the only time I ever nearly lost my life was when using a reel. I still use reels for the convenience but will not hesitate let go of the gun when something goes wrong.
    Here are some reel rules to follow:
    1) Never use a reel in water that is deeper than you can dive to the bottom and un-rock a fish.
    2) If you have a fish rocked up get your buddy to come watch you retrieve it.
    3) Never try and think how to untangle anything until you are on the surface.
    4) Once you are on the surface start swimming towards a running fish then try and get him turned towards the boat. This technique works well with Cobia, Kingfish, Amberjacks, African Pompano, Permit and Wahoo.
    5) Always have your reel set to free spool when hunting. Tighten it on the way to the surface if you are comfortable but always keep in mind getting to the surface first.


    Cheers,


    G.R.

  • Speardiver neoprene core float line


    Red and Black = Excellent!!

  • New Record Black Grouper

    Hey Hookfish, That was me. 11 people on a panga for $200 each on a 3 hour trip was the biggest rip ever. The next two days were much better. We hooked up with a guy that had a 32 Hydrasport that took us to Aerosmith Bank and North of Holbox Island for $800 a day. We crushed it!!
    Dude....The camera is the Sony AS-15. It is the new rage in underwater video. I like it:toast:

  • New Record Black Grouper

    Definitely a Black Grouper and not a Jewfish.
    I was at 127 ft when I pulled the trigger. It was a perfect shot and it basically stoned him but he quivered his nose in the bottom where the sand hits the wreck and got stuck. I had to go to the surface to get some air before trying to retrieve him. After waiting 6 min on the surface I headed back down to get him out of the wreck. When I was about 50 foot above him a monster 10 ft Bull Shark charged in an grabbed him. He had his nose in the wreck with his tail pointed towards the surface and was going crazy. At this point 2 more big sharks showed up. I drug the head to the surface and jumped in the boat with the Bulls on me the whole time. Look in the water behind me you will see a ramora. Tough break but a great story with a great pick to go along with it. The head alone weighed 40.1 lbs!! This fish was well over 100 lbs. This is a New World Record for Black Grouper Head :)

  • Speardiver composite speargun reel

    Reels locking up and jamming are a divers worst nightmare. Especially when you are deep or have shot a big fish. I like a loose drag so that I can control the speed by cupping the reel.
    I basically use my reel the same as I do my floatline. When I shoot the fish I immediately start to head for the surface. I keep light to very light tension on the fish. If he wants to run I let him run. My main concern is getting back to the surface..Period. Once I am at the surface, I usually lock the reel and start retrieving the fish by pulling the reel line and letting the gun float away like you would in a floatline set up. Doing this I am always swimming towards the boat and retrieving the line at the same time.
    There are a lot of variables to consider but getting back to the surface and to the boat are all that really matter to me.
    Reels have come a long way over the years and have changed a lot since my original Riffe Reel. My favorite reel is an old Omer Pelagic that I won in a tournament. I had Tito Diaz modify it for me years ago so that I could mount it horizontal on my 55 Wong. That thing is 15 years old and on its 3rd gun. Still in great shape. Never jams and has never had a bad day. I still run the original 2.0 mm spectra on it. I just wish it was red.:laughing:

  • Speardiver composite speargun reel


    Exactly! A reel is not there to fight the fish. It is there to retrieve your line once you get to the surface and keep you connected to your fish.

  • shark fin tabs

    Those were the days. No internet just trial and error. Like the old Bob Sieger song says "Working on mysterys with out any clues"
    We have come a long way since then. I remember building my first enclosed track tuna gun circa 1998. Crude but effective. I like my custom made Jordan Hamilton Tuna gun much better. :toast:

  • new jbl speargun

    The new JBL guns are excellent and you can not beat them for the money. I got one of the prototypes a year ago and have shot over 100 fish with it. I would recomend it over the Riffe.
    As for the handles, I have them installed on two of my other guns and they are excellent too. Good design and super strong. I do not know what they are made of but they are nice.:toast: