Posts by makoa

Logan, good knives will last a long time. A cheaply made knife will be a waste of money and useless after a few dives. The good news is that there are affordable good quality knives available new and used. I like knives that are one continuous piece of steel. So many of the knives that have huge handles end up falling apart. A good strong steel can be sharpened over and over again. A sharp point like a stiletto style knife will allow you to brain your fish without the point bending. Having a serrated edge on a portion of the knife is great for cutting or sawing through tough skin, line, gills, etc. the other thing to think of is that some knives have a "line cutter" on the top portion of the blade for a quick (sometimes live-saving) cut away of line that may have you tangled or wrapped on the reef. You don't need a big knife or blade. A small one will suffice and can be as lethal as a big one without getting in the way. They can be worn on a weight belt, strapped to the inside of your calf, or on your arm for ease of reaching. Make sure you can put a looped band on the handle so you can keep hold of it while managing your fish, gun, shooting line etc. I've dropped plenty knives to the abyss because I've not had the knife bungee around my wrist. Price and quality are not always synonymous. You can find quality knives for a decent price. Once you loose a knife you'll be glad you didn't spend a fortune for it!

The good thing about brands like Speardiver is that they are designed and used by guys that actually use their gear effectively, without the added price tag of the big brand names. But then again, if you are being mentored by local divers they may have used knives that they don't use any more that they may sell you for a decent price knowing your enthusiasm for learning the sport and waterman way of life.

This is probably stuff you know, but I thought I would share what has worked for me and my five boys who all dive.

Aloha!
Makoa

If you're looking for quality and decent pricing, Speardiver wetsuits are made to please. I have the Sombra 3mil and it has been my favorite wetsuit! I like the fit better than my Riffe ocean mimetic. Spear diver prices are so affordable and the products are quality! The gray Sombra is perfect for the lava rock reef and holes on Big Island and matches perfectly with the boulders and rock ledges we have over here. My suit has been dragged across reef passes, scraped on lava rock entries/exits, with minimal damage. A few tears that have been remedied with good wetsuit glue. Wrist and ankle areas still tight. Good stretch, open cell quality very good, hood and neck areas fit "like a glove."

My 16 and 19 year old sons try to steal my suit and they own their own Riffe mimetics and Spetton. I tell my sons to make sure that when they consider price to also consider quality. You can also look at used wetsuits. Just make sure the seams are not torn, the wrist and ankle bands are not too stretched out, the inside and outside are not worn through, and that it's clean...seriously! :laughing: Definitely can't go wrong with these suits. IMO best value suits out there.

Other gear can also be found used. A good wetsuit though is something that you'll be glad to have new. Other gear gets scratched but retain their functionality better than wetsuits.

Good luck mate!

Makoa

I'm curious. What band stretch percentages have been used for the three anchor positions using 14mm smal ID?

Finally back on after what seems like years of adventures, trips, dirt bike injuries, and taking fish from waters in South Pac, Hawaii, Mexico, and Cali. (and even a few shots in dirty, low via fresh water in AZ). I have determined that the roller concept has its greatest returns and performance on short guns for holes, bad vis, ledge hunting and getting inside structures and under ledges. A short gun with traditional bands just can't get enough stretch to send a shaft to terminal velocity without the prestretch design of the roller. The benefit decreases exponentially though after about 110/120 cm IMHO and Dan's theory of traditional band set up is best on longer guns because now the band stretch can reach the percentages needed for the same result. Especially with small id bands.

Dan, that roller muzzle is the best looking roller I've seen. I definitely want to get one and check its performance. I've got both MVD and Merou, and have shot the Manny Sub. Yours by far has the best aesthetics of any I've seen.

I've shot my converted 90 cm Pathos open carbon roller and Aimrite 105 roller with deadly results to fish populations, and have used my longer banded guns in open and clear seas with same results. Never had issues with tangles or loading with my rollers and LOVE using them, especially when reef hunting bigger fish that require solid penetration. I have determined that the best gun really is "more than one" and instead of turning to the roller concept to reduce my quiver of guns and make a "do-it-all" gun isn't practical. Funny thing, using my rollers with great results and satisfaction have made me appreciate my banded guns more for where they exceed the performance of my rollers....the longer, bigger blue water guns. In either case, balancing band pull, shaft weight/diameter, shaft overhang, etc is more important than muzzle style.

Sorry to high-Jack this thread but it seemed like a great place on my first visit back to give a report on my last year's use of my converted rollers and my final assessment of both banded and roller guns. As far as this Speardiver muzzle....I WANT ONE! Well thought out kit to include band anchoring and reel bracket. Seriously, NICE WORK, As always, thanks for thinking beyond the obvious and keeping it affordable.

Big Mahalo Dan for producing a roller muzzle that actually looks like it was made as part of a production gun and not an after thought like the rest.

Aloha! Makoa

I'll make shoyu poke with cuda and give it to friends to try, then ask them what kind of fish they thought it was. Most, without exception, think they are eating ahi...yellow fin tuna! Cuda is too good raw to cook. Se hace lo mejor ceviche!

Hank, eh Bruddah I posted a recipe a while ago in the Hawaii forum. I think it was titled Hawaiian Poke.

Thanks

I'm not savvy on posting links. Don't know why it won't come up.

http://westhawaiitoday.com/com…ntenced-underwater-attack

Interesting. Exotic fish collectors on scuba raping the reefs of exotic fish species. These guys are not welcome at our spots!!

When staying with cousins on Naviti island, Fiji we would eat puffer fish. The village would simmer them for hours in coconut milk and make a soup with them. I always thought they were poisonous but they ate them and I enjoyed how they cooked em. In Hawaii and while living on the mainland we cook a lot in the umu/ imu (Samoans cook with heated stones above the ground=umu, Hawaiians cook with heated stones under ground= imu). We use the imu and burry pig, breadfruit (ulu), Hawaiian-Filipino sweet potato (purple flesh) and fish in coconut milk and wrped in Ti leaves and banana leaves. I was raised same way...everything from the sea is edible and valuable, limu (seaweed), opihi (limpits found on rocks in surf zone), pu'i (eel), he'e (octopus), and just about every small reef fish. Even the various triggers, not the best tasting, but when camping you can throw them whole on the coals and the meat steams inside the tough sandpaper like skin.

How about scorpion fish (nohu)? Awesome white meat. One of my favorites, pictured below with my son Kawika.

Yeah, that was my problem with Kaku, Cuda, the slime and the ammonia smell! But Bruddah is it good. Personally I'll sashimi a piece of flesh of any fish I'm not familiar with and taste it raw. That way I know the flavor of the fish if it will be good eating or not. Cig is scary but seems to be regional in occurrence within certain fish. I know fish on O'ahu that are hot with cig are fine to eat on Big Island. Fish in Caribbean like Cuba and other reef predators are hot with cig but in Central Fla are perfectly good to eat.

Oscar, you need one Local Hawaiian Boy to cook your Uhu...parrot fish! OR just make a light beer batter and fry it. The flaky white meat stays very moist and makes for great fish tacos or fish n chips.

Local style uhu...stuffed with a mixture of mayo, green onions, lap Chang (Chinese sausage), carrots, then steamed.

Now I'm hungry!

Nenue are old school poke. Yes they are very good meat. Not black but vary between gray to white in Hawaii and the meat is firm. I know the different regions offer different variations on fish species that tend to influence their culinary value. In Samoa they fry reef fish with scales and guts still in the fish!

Eel,,,any of you guys eat it? If prepped right, smoked then simmered in coconut milk is delicious.

Didn't mean to hijack the video thread. So here is the new thread about fish you target and eat that others won't.

While living in Fla. I would tag barracuda but wouldn't eat it. Everyone told me to give it to the Latinos cause they love it. I finally asked a buddy of mine from Colombia about it and was told it makes the best ceviche. So next one I got i filleted and tasted sashimi style and was blown away by how mellow the meat is. I eat it raw, in ceviche, in Hawaiian Poke. The meat is perfect for raw culinary dishes.

Yeah, big ulua not the best meat, so it goes great in the smoker! Omilu, the smaller blue fin trevally is the best meat of all the trevally and even makes good poke. Uhu, parrot fish, not valued as food in many parts of world, but highly prized in pacific, Hawaii, for its juicy, white flaky flesh. in Bahamas the local Bahamians thought we were nuts to target uhu. But in Mexico they welcomed our spearing of uhu because the meat stays so juicy and tender and make great fish tacos.

Would be interesting to have a thread describing all the fish local populations consider valuable that others would consider junk.

Great vid though. Water so clean, fish plentiful, and some good depth. :thumbsup2:

SICK SICK footage! Fish seemed friendly and not super skidish. Loved the shaft penetrating footage. What depths was your West Indian going for those doggies?

It was painful to see that big ulua (GT) and no shot taken!

Great article.

Quote,"I think the 110cm is a fantastic gun, and will be a great all-rounder. Especially if you need a shorter gun, for either bad vis or maneuverability. The 110cm will give you the assurance that if you do come across something bigger than normal you will still have the juice and distance to get the fish. I experienced this when I went to shoot Snapper. I took the 110cm and landed up shooting my biggest fish of the trip, a 27kg Couta. This is something I doubt I would have been able to do with a standard 110cm."

:thumbsup2:

Thanks. I'll check it out.

Anyone know where to purchase red or black spectra reel line? 250 lb - 500lb ISH

I've ordered reels with line advertised as red but they are all either pink or orange.

Beautiful fish Chase. I know we all get on a soap box regarding our personal gear, but in the end Bruddah, a hunter is a hunter and it looks like you got it! I've been privileged to have a rather large quiver of guns for the fact that me and my five boys all hunt and we have tried all the various styles of production and custom guns. I like em all! In fact, it's almost an addiction for me to constantly try new rigging, new trigger mechs, new barrel designs etc. I want to be lethal with all of them. I also enjoy time away from the water tinkering with my gear as this keeps me involved with my passion. My boys always laugh at me because I come back from a trip or have delivered more gear or DIY projects. While living up in Central Fla we would launch out of Cedar Key and I have never seen "fishier" water except in a Marine Protected Area! So. Fla is tougher. Hawaii has been hunted for centuries so fish are very smart and stay far away from anything pointy. Bahamas are full of fish and a blast to shoot with Hawaiian slings, three prongs, pole spears. Atlantic side of Central Fla is great but a much further boat ride than you guys have down south. When I fly out of Lauderdale I'm fascinated at the reef lines, weed lines and clear Gulf Stream water that is so close to shore.

All in all, any speargun, any gear, any location is a blessing if it keeps us tucking below the surface and surrounding ourselves with the therapeutic blanket of salt water. And whatever puts fish on the boat or the kui (stringer) in the end comes down to the abilities of the trigger puller. Having different tools for different work makes the job more manageable, but they don't take the shot, we do.

I have totally enjoyed Speardiver these last few weeks as I've been flying around cold parts of the country more than I normally do. (Got to make $$ to pay for these toys). It's great to stay connected to Spearfishing while sitting in a hotel room and looking out at the cold, snowy world where diving is only watched on YouTube. If only they knew, yeah?!

Big big MAHALOS to all the contributors of these awesome threads lately. Its like we've been out on a dive trip together...

Aloha!
Makoa

Deal!:thumbsup2: