Posts by shallow runner

  • Toronto?

    So I am heading to Toronto tomorrow for the first and likely last time (because it's cold, lol). So with that does anyone have any suggestions on things to do and places to go. I am staying at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in the entertainment district. I plan on hitting the microbrews hard but that's my only plan so far. Suggestions? :toast:

  • Musicians Thread

    Great thread Lunker. I consider myself an average guitarist but I am still learning as I have always been the vocalist in any band I have been in. I actually started playing again about a year ago because I wanted to make music and didn't know any musicians in the area. I play mostly acoustic but break out the electric from timer to time. I dig on mostly classic rock and country when playing right now but love all types of music. I have been in bands that played anything from punk to country; though I love making/playing original stuff. After messing around with Lunker's ukulele I have been on the hunt for one; just too fun to play not to have one. Lunker man, hit me up any time you want to jam. :thumbsup2:


    My toys so far are an Electric/Acoustic Dean which plays amazingly. Great action and no fret buzz. The Elctric is a Yamaha AES520D6. It's a bit heavy buy sounds great and has amazing action.

  • Glad I know exactly what species I am eating!

    That is crazy but not surprising. I read a paper the other day on this topic. The imitation crab is made from Surimi (or ground up fish meat from various sources). Sometimes the labeling is done to save money by substituting a cheaper fish but sometimes, like with "Chilean Sea Bass" the name is changed because nobody wants to eat something called Patagonian Tooth Fish. I had a place give me Cod the other day instead of the Grouper I ordered (locally caught they said) and it took a damn debate with the manager to get my order switched because he swore it was grouper; despite the differences in appearance b/t the two.


    If interested there's a book called Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the perfect fish by G. Bruce Knecht that is a great read about the Patagonian Toothfish industry.

  • 8 10 and 13lb bugs.....(all released)

    Quote from ladvr

    Google "urchin barrens and lobster". Lots of good info. Thanks for your input.


    I know that they tend to eat the kelp and in large numbers can lead to barren areas. Was the area being deemed an MPA soon a heavily hunted area for bugs? But I hope that works man, I know kelp is a vital part of the ecosystem there as well. Actually never dove in Kelp; always wanted to though. Cheers.

  • 8 10 and 13lb bugs.....(all released)

    Quote from ladvr

    I generally leave the large bugs alone. However, I decided to start relocating the larger lobster to the MLPA areas (marine reserves) that go into effect 1/2012. These areas will be no take zones for lobster. Large lobster help keep the urchin population under control. A big problem in some zones.


    Happy hunting!


    What damage is the urchin population causing? I am not familiar with the Cali ecosystem but I know the lack of the urchin is a huge reason for the decline of coral cover in S. FL and the Keys as they are grazers and consume algae that smothers the reefs. As far as I know there has been no real indicator of what caused their decline here. I know that urchin also eat kelp though, is that what you are attempting to circumvent? But I would caution against adjusting or altering marine ecosystems without a good scientific base for it as what seems like a good idea on the surface could cause a trophic cascade effect that was unintentional but ultimately bad/counterproductive for the ecosystem. Also some MPAs are not just no take zones but it is also illegal to alter the area in any way including adding species. From how far away are you bringing these lobster? There could be a good reason they are not there already, especially considering a viable food source like the urchin.


    On a side note I wasn't aware that lobster ate urchin.

  • Children's Pool Controversy thread

    I am a conservationist and am studying fisheries management and marine biology so on the surface I understand the concern of the seal activist but like was mentioned before these people give us a bad name as they go about things in a counter-productive way that only serves to muddy the real issue. Many of those people seem to be heavily misinformed as to the behaviors of those animals. True, the Harbor Seal does hunt at night but they mostly hunt during the daylight hours and most nocturnal hunting would be done further out and at deeper depths. And if the seal population felt threatened they would simply vacate the beach and move to a different location. But while preserving the seal population is necessary for a stable ecology I feel that the sharing of this beach wouldn't negatively impact that. If this was their last numbers or place they can seek refuge then I would support the beach closure but that area has other places they can relocate to; and they will if they feel threatened. I have dealt with extremist groups like those 2 and have known people in both groups and can say that they represent only the fringe of the animal rights population. It's unfortunate that the Sea Shepard people are there and acting in such a manner as I am a supporter of their cause against whaling (though I do have some issues with their methodology); but this to me lessens their credibility in some ways. I would actually love to be there and chat with these people to see how much they really know about the animals as opposed to just getting angry and worked up to feel better about themselves. Uninformed, self-righteous protest aren't going to help anyone. Unless they take this to court or gain political backing their efforts are going to be for not anyway. And like was said, as divers we probably have more of a connection with the ocean than most of those people.


    Love the videos, that must be amazing to swim with a seal like that. Cheers guys.

  • Gifts from the sea.

    Thanks guys, it was definitely a great find to be sure. Like Dan and Lunker said the trigger mech seems to hold fine. I went outside and kept the gun aimed in a safe direction and loaded it under both bands and let it sit for several minutes and it held fine. I did that a few times and in between I engaged and disengaged the shaft several times within the mech looking at functionality and smoothness of the trigger and line release; all which seemed to move seamlessly. Like I had mentioned I soaked in CLR overnight and the stuff on the outside simply whipped away with little effort so I imagine whatever was in the mech was dissolved. I noticed no pitting or other serious corrosion that would compromise the structural integrity on any part of the gun including anyvisual SS parts so I imaging the SS in the mech fared well. I would rather not pull it apart as it shows no signs of functional problems and I am not familiar with the mech. As for painting, I am thinking of just getting the blue camo stuff from Omer or using Lunkers idea of the flash tape or possibly using some Rhino Liner.


    On Lunkers side note I can say that it was my first time making bands (Thanks Lunker for showing me how to do that :thumbsup2:) and the wishbones I got from Dan worked awesome and like LB said a small square stop knot was plenty to keep the line. Now I just have to get used to this chest loading stuff without hurting myself :laughing:. Coming from an old JBL. But thanks again to Lunker and Dan for everything.


    Lunker, if the weather improves maybe we can get out and field test her this weekend. Cheers.

  • Gifts from the sea.

    A few weeks ago some of the divers at the Oceanographic center found a spear gun in about 120' of water somewhere north of Port Everglades. They had tossed it in the garbage so I pulled it out to take a look and discovered it was a Rob Allen Tune Tuna1200. At first I was going to leave it as it was well on its way to being an artificial reef but I decided to try to restore it and was successful. I took the small parts off and soaked them in CLR overnight and then made a pouch from a garbage bag to soak the tube in for a few hours. All ocean decorations came off easily and the trigger mech still worked fine. I replaced the shaft, bands, and lines, and removed the reel. When buying parts from Dan he suggested I post about it with some pics so Here they are. Thanks to Judah (Lunker Buster) for helping me with rigging it up and to Dan for the quality gear. Cheers.