Posts by hank

Whatever it is, that's a nice black.

Those look like the mangoes you get in the Philippines. They are really good.

Mo killed it yesterday. He got two hogs, two snappers and the black.
I was diving good.....and the weather was fine.....and we found fish. I should stop here. <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">

So there I was....lying in 55 feet hiding. I felt great diving. Not pushing it, 1 min 30 sec...coming up with a lot of air. And here comes this 15 lb or so cubera....he keeps coming....I have to move my gun because it's behind some coral. The cubera hears it and turns....and then he turns right back at me...he turns sideways....I shoot....and MISSED !!! I grazed his back and he turned and came back again....I guess to say, "you really suck at this spearfishing. Maybe take up tennis"? haha. Then he swam off. I actually shouted at 55 feet, "are you SHITTIN' me" !!?? <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">

Unreal day. I forgot how strong horse eye jacks are. I hit this one dead. It acted dead....then it came back to life. Whooaa. That thing was pulling me under from the surface. Amazing fish.

So sorry to hear this. Rest in Peace diver.

A couple more. It was great while it lasted. There ain't many spots like this in the world

The fish in the second picture are all nice. They look small compared to the 53 lb one though.

Isla Marisol Resort and Dive Center | Belize Diving | PADI Dive Center on Glover's Reef Atoll

This resort is owned by my dive buddy Doc's family. I've been there quite a few times and we did our PFI course there They go to Gladden and it shows the full moon dates for 2016.

There are other operators out of Placencia also. Splash, Robert's Grove, and more. And Hamanasi out of Hopkins. It's about a two hour ride out from Placencia.

Diving in Belize is a bit expensive though. Gas here is US$6 per gallon.

But yeah, the peak season at Gladden for whale sharks is Mar thru June. Right after then full moons. The Elbow of Turneffe happens right fricken' now. Full moons of July Aug and Sspt. the fish can rest easy now....the two sneaky bastards from Mullins River won't be coming..... <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">

And yeah, I'll be 60. Doc and DuQuesnay still call me "the boy".
Yep, these were the days.....

Welcome.

Quote from Marco

Yeah! Happy birthday.

I won't be so exited with a marine protected area. It will lead to more closures.

Good luck!

It is a tough one Marco. But if there were 40 other guys with your skills here, it could put a hurting' on the cubera populations. It is a special place these three months of the year.
Gladden Spit, to the south does the same thing in March April and May. Huge snapper spawning....dogs and cuberas I think....and that's why the whale sharks show up every year. They graze down the eggs as they spawn. I think they should open a season on whale sharks, to tell you the truth.... so we'd have more snappers....goddammmit.... <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">

Sunday is my birthday and I try to make it out to Turneffe every year. (Snapper birthday to me thread) This time of year it's loaded with cuberas.

But, and I think this is good news, there will be no more trips there, other than to just dive and look at the fish. it's officially been declared a "Conservation Zone". No extraction fishing and no spearfishing.

I hope they can enforce it. It is a special place. When the fish are there in spawning aggregation it's a sight to behold. If it were in some other countries it would have been wiped out long ago.

Just north of there on the west side is still open to diving and spearing. It has fish also but not even close to Caye Bokel levels.

Right on Belize. Good luck with maintaining this resource !!

I worked on a shrimp farm that had metal catwalks going out into the pond where you could hang trays with feed to monitor consumption.
The ponds also had about 13 hp per acre of electric aerators running. Sometimes the catwalks were live. The power was all 480 volt too. Lucky no one ever got injured.

We buy quite a bit of equipment for our hatcheries from Pentair. Used to be called Aquatic EcoSystems.

Went to a spot I haven't been to in a year and a half. 22 miles south. It was well worth the trip. Huge school of dogs. Maybe 200. Another small school 60 yards north. Saw a big cero, a real nice cubera and a mutton. Problem was I couldn't hit the ocean with a shot that day. (as George Steele says <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">)
I'm using the excuse that someone who's pretty good at diving was there a day or so before. Maybe Jon, (Belizediver) I was getting down pretty deep but they didn't want anything to do with me.
Beautiful day though. It was great just being in the water with those fish.
Had to get this pic of Andre's pants. haha. Crazy old fart. He's great.

There's plenty of good waves in the world where there are no great whites....brrrrrr.....:@

Quote from makelymyday

Nice! What was the water like?

For sure, I would say.....cold. Nice fish.

Quote from Dan

I never want to go through this again.

What.....the sting? or all the bullshit you had to take after posting it here? <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">

Quote from sdeisen

They'll call him "dan The one Hand Man"

I hope not, but I can see the making of a song out of this…."he could gut a fish…..drive the boat while opening a beer can…..they called him Dan…..the one hand man….."….. A Legend is born…..

Dan, this is no time to be a badass. Get it checked....if you were my son, I'd kick you in the ass. <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">

Quote from Chuckd

That sponge sounds like the culprit.

I believe it could be a lionfish sting from a little guy. They hide on the undersurface of rock outcroppings. No visible puncture wound anywhere?

C

I wear mechanic's gloves now for that reason. I get finger holds in little holes in the rocks and reef and you're right, those sneaky little lion fish could be in any one of those. But I think that pain would be more localized to the point of the injection. ?
(I'm no doctor, but my dad was and my two sisters are nurses <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">) But this is an eye opener.

And yes, I would think other animals out there are affected by the weapons marine organisms have developed over millions of years. Humans weren't even around when a lot of this was going on so we can't be the only animal susceptible to the stings, toxins and bites. ??

Welcome.

I typed in "things that sting in the Caribbean. Some interesting things I didn't know here. A sponge? Sounds like some of the same symptoms you have Dan. And the Bristle worm. I got one of those on my lip when changing to an O2 bottle during a deco stop in the Philippines.

http://www.bootkeyharbor.com/MarineStings.htm
This is a small worm that grazes on the surface of corals or algae. It sometimes hides under rocks. They're fun to watch. the segmented body has two rows of bright white tufts along its length - these white tufts are what hurts! They cause an intense burning sensation and tend to stick to your skin like little fiberglass. strands

Bristleworm closeup - Venomous bristles in the white tufts
When stung, you must remove all the bristles you can see. You can try to pick them off gently with tweezers (don't rub or scrape!). Once you have those off then dry the area - use a hairdryer or something if you have one. Gently apply sticky tape to the area and peel it very slowly away. Hopefully most of the remaining bristles will stick to the tape. Apply the vinegar or alcohol (discussed previousl) for some pain relief. The meat tenderizer or diluted ammonia solution (sometimes found in your own urine) also works. If you really welt up you might try some hydrocortisone cream.
IRRITATING SPONGES

Most of the sponges on the reef are harmless. The one shown at left though is the exception. It is a Caribbean species that causes extreme irritation and will make you miserable for a long time. It's been called the "Dread Red Sponge", the "Irritating Sponge", and the "Do-Not-Touch-Me Sponge" (pretty self explanatory name). It gets big and has an irregular shape. It's a dark reddish brown and rather bland aesthetically. It has numerous tiny spicules that will stick to your skin and burn for days. The same applies with the other stings: Use the vinegar or alcohol and don't rub or scrape. You can also try the same trick used with the bristleworm tufts: dry the area and use sticky tape to gently and slowly peel away the tiny spicules. Use the hydrocortisone twice daily. If it gets really bad, and you develop an allergic reaction, you might have to be treated with Benadryl or other antihistamine. If you've rubbed up against this sponge with clothing or gloves then be very careful in handling them. The little spicules are easy to transfer this way. You can soak the material in the vinegar solution, then wash them.

Is your hand starting to look like this? It says this is hydroid stings. Or coral dermatitis. But I would guess you've looked up all these already. Hydroid, anemone, urchin, ?? Did you try soaking it in very hot water? Hope you get better soon.