Posts by Paul

  • In A Sea Turtle's Face...

    The visor on my hood can help with contrast when peeking into dark holes from the outside. I pull it down all the way so that a bit of it hangs over the mask and it helps minimize the light that hits my mask lens. Yes, it's a surfing suit. 3/4mm one-piece 2011 Xcel Infiniti Drylock. I'm given the choice of various dive and surf suits to use at no cost and this is far by my favorite. It's so good I'd buy one if I couldn't get it for free. If you want to know more, somebody asked me about it a few days ago on Hawaii Skin Diver and there's a thread about it now at: http://www.hawaiiskindiver.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11903


    I hope linking to HSD was OK - if not, let me know and I'll remove and try copying/pasting and quoting the relevant info here.


    -Paul

  • In A Sea Turtle's Face...

    Quote from O2 deprived

    wonderful photos Paul. I love turtles. I hope we can save them from extinction ( all species are on the endangered list).


    In Hawaii they are apparently just "threatened" but they do enjoy the same protection status.



    Quote from attan

    the last pic with the turtle besides you is epic....thats the technisub micromask right?


    Yep. Been using the micromask for a couple or so of years now ever since they came out. Best mask ever for me. Love it.



    I stay the hell away from eels. I no longer carry a spoon (my flasher) tucked part-way into my gloves anymore after realizing that my hand might look like a tasty octopus, and coupled with a shiny flash, could entice an eel into taking a bite.


    -Paul

  • In A Sea Turtle's Face...

    Today, I was working on a photo shoot for an upcoming catalog... I happened to lay down on a deep wreck next to a couple of turtles as a sub approached. One turtle was fast asleep and another one seemed calm, but intensely interested in me so I got up close with it. Then it tried to bite my nose. Almost got it too, but I moved back quickly enough that it's jaws snapped shut on nothing but water.


    A few seconds before the bite attempt:


    So how strong are those buggers' mouths? Would I have lost a nose? I think it just wanted to taste my mask as it did not seem to be behaving aggressively and remained calm/interested in me for the next couple of dives I made to check it out some more. I even took a video clip in case it tried to bite again, but we only ended up in a staring contest. It no longer wanted to bite or taste my mask again...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTKsb7VQGB4&hd=1



    Here are some of the other photos I got...






    -Paul

  • Paul's PWC Float Set-Up for Spearfishing

    Quote from Don Paul

    Thanks Paul, There is a 2000 with 100 hs in my local area for 4k. I'm boat less this year, that SUV would be cool with a T-top and gun rack. :thumbsup2:


    Cheers, Don


    :cool2:
    If it just comes with an average trailer and not much else, I wouldn't be surprised if you could manage to get it for 3k cash. Just point out that the modern FXHO's can be had for 4-5k in southern CA these days...


    -Paul

  • Paul's PWC Float Set-Up for Spearfishing

    :laughing3:



    None of them qualify as boats here in Hawaii. The cut-off size is 14 feet, and the biggest PWC made to date, the 4-seat Yamaha SUV measures in at 12 feet and 6 inches. No longer in production either.




    It's a GREAT ski. Toss the old 2-stroke motor, put in a modern 4-stroke MR-1 motor like the one in mine for outstanding reliablity/mileage and you would have the best diving platforms out there. You can fit spearguns into both sides of the hull. Hell, you could probably sleep two in either side of the hull. Quite amazing.



    -Paul

  • Paul's PWC Float Set-Up for Spearfishing

    Quote from black1

    Paul


    How easy/difficult is it to attach your sled to the ski when you launch it? do you place the sled in the back of a truck and simply hook it up to the ski when launching? a ski around here in south Florida would be great for quick launching and doing some diving since we don't have to go far, I dont usually dive solo, but, there are times when there is no one around to dive and the urge becomes overwhelming and a ski would be perfect, mount a depth/fish finder, clip your float to the ski and dive shallow water for snappers just for dinner would be great...although one problem is that it can get super hot here in the summer and you would get scorched with no shade.


    I strap my gun into the sled bungee, clip it off, then throw the sled in the back of the truck. Throw float and bag in, hook up pwc and drive the 2 blocks to the boat ramp. :D


    Back up pwc to near the water, remove sled, attach sled at 3 points (two bungees on both sides and the main quick release tab in center), put dive bag under bungees, clip it off, clip float to my dive bag (muy importante), strap float under a bungee, then back PWC into water.


    Park truck.


    Go ride.


    I should try taking a video of the process... Probably going out tomorrow after work. Will try to remember to.



    The only real problem with this in Hawaii is that PWC's are banned almost everywhere in Hawaii (tourists would fly over, rent them and run into each other and over other tourists). Almost every time I go out, I am breaking the law and I hate that, especially as a role model/teacher for the future generation. The Department of Land Resources is a joke here - zero enforcement so I don't worry about getting into any trouble. I want the law changed though as the tourist on PWC issue has been taken of with a separate law targeting the rental companies already, and all non-rental users are required to attend a course and be certified to operate one. This weeds out all the idiots and noobs. Been fighting this fight for a while now with the gov't.


    Nevertheless, I plan to sell it after this winter's big-wave tow in season and get myself a boat. I'd be so screwed if I shot a 1000+ pound marlin 30 miles offshore. So far I've been lucky that I've been able to fit all of my fish on my sled... :thumbsup2:


    -Paul

  • Aloha

    The turtles are actually starting to get annoying around here. We have so many of them and for some reason they really like the Riffe cryptic wetsuit color pattern. Last week on a dive, two turtles were hanging out nearby watching my partner and I dive. About 30 minutes later, I had my eyes closed and was breathing up to make my next drop when one of them came up to me and smacked me in the face with a flipper. I think it was checking to see if I was still alive. Sometimes I worry that one of them is going to try mounting me...


    I have some funny footage of a sea turtle doing stupid things all during one dive session. Trying to fit through a too-small wreck window, hitting it's head on a chain, even almost swimming into me as I did a fin-less forward somersault off of a wreck that sits at 100'. I haven't edited that footage and uploaded it yet. They are a no-touch animal in the US but they are so common and brave in Hawaiii that they do get in the way sometimes, and do need to be pushed or poked away.


    In this clip put together by my partner, you can see a turtle floating around next to my partner at 1:20 as I make a drop.


    Then on another drop starting at about 4:24, you can see two turtles just hanging out on the wreck. I go in the wreck, and end up coming up through the opening that's covered by a turtle so I gently lift it out of my way. Didn't seem to mind much.


    -Paul

  • Too Many of Us Dive With Too Much Weight... A Plea by Paul

    Yeah, a well-respected spearo on Maui mentioned that he used to dive overweighted and when he tried to go light, he found it to be very difficult. He seemed to expend a lot of energy and it took him forever tg get down there. It wasn't until somebody mentioned that he wasn't dropping vertically. He learned that he had been using his weights as a crutch in getting him to drop vertically. He had to work hard on developing a vertical drop angle and once he did, his diving jumped up several notches. I think he uses 3 or 4 pounds now. :)


    -Paul

  • GoPro HD Underwater Blurry Fix

    I have the eyeofmine housing.


    I do not like the R5 setting and almost never use it.


    Due to the camera's lack of a viewing window, there is no way to easily and consistently aim the camera and check it's framing when leaving it underwater, or using the head strap. I have wasted time, and lost some potentially amazing footage due to the camera not being centered correctly on the subject.


    I find that R4 lets me get away with much more, even if you get some slight vignetting, and sadly things in the distance appear a fair bit smaller than they really are, or can't be seen.



    Fast-forward this clip to about 2:45. If I was in R4 mode instead of R5, I would have gotten the uluas in the frame and the money shot.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoJ4Obw1EOw&hd=1


    A example of what R4 looks like:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_thx1XAFEgI&hd=1


    Even though it apparently wouldn't record the ono (wahoo) it is more engaging, you can see my fins, mask, snorkel, body, me clearing my ears, doing a rope pull-down, my dive partner and boat up above. Then for the trip up, you can see how I inhale back in my precious air by watching the nose piece of the mask compressing and expanding and how hardly any air escapes out from my mask. In R5 mode, almost none of this would be viewable.


    By the way, on the way up just as I clear the wreck, if you look to the right in the above clip, you will see another eyeofmine housing sitting on the deck of the wreck, recording.



    This is the footage it was getting that day:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0N7J4VyOog&hd=1



    This trick is proving to be a VERY useful tool in determining what kind of fish, and how often they visit a particular piece of area, especially in 100' of water as I don't like camping out on the bottom for long periods at those depths for safety reasons. A example can be seen in this clip put together by my partner of a jumbo kahala (amberjack to the rest of you guys) cruising by (big by Hawaii standards). I'm the one with the camera on my head. Taken in R3 and R2 mode. Plane is in 109' of water. Neither housings have leaked in over 2 weeks of almost non-stop use in deep waters.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF4UiJHgm9I&hd=1



    -Paul

  • Aloha

    Quote from Mariner

    Welcome Paul!!! Your pics and stories from SB and HSD have been amazing. Now how about posting the link to your motorcycle accident!!!!????? :D


    I have no idea where the accident footage is - I know there was a clip circulating on youtube for a while. When I see it on TV, I look away before the impact - just too creepy because I still have no recollection of it.


    Quote from Rolo

    Welcome Paul. Glad you made it over here. If you would not mind, posting your thread here about proper weight and diving. It may lead to a good discussion as I think spearos sometimes have a tendency to overweight themselves and be negatively buoyant at about 20 feet or so. Some of us although with posting priveleges on SB, choose not to post much over there and enter the discussion. You will find a much more friendly audience here and no moderators resembling the Hamburgler.


    Sure thing Rolo. Let me see about copying/pasting it onto the general discussion board.... Here you go, slightly updated/edited. :cool2:


    http://spearfishing.world/gene…ea-by-paul.html#post35508



    -Paul

  • The Diver's Platform and a 25# Kettlebell for Freediving/Spearing?

    SeaWeed, the top of wreck is at about 90 and we used 100' of rope for this test'. Have 170' rope ready to go.


    Black1, that's open for debate. Heavier would get us down faster, especially those who are more floaty. Derek took a long time getting down past the first 20 feet of water with his 5mm two-piece. However, a heavier weight would be harder to lift out of the float. One thing that could be done would be to put a snap shackle on the bottom of the float so a quick pull of the release string sends the diver down.


    Lighter would be easier for those who have a hard time equalizing, or get freaked out by too rapid of a descent. A lighter weight would also allow for better control of where one lands. From the surface with the 25 pounder, I feel I have about a 30' diameter circle that I can decide where to land in. A lighter weight would possibly expand that to a 50+ foot diameter. Ideal for targeting specific holes.


    25# seems to be a happy all-around medium to use as a starting point proved one is not diving overweighted already. Here's a post I just put up regarding diving overweighted:


    http://spearfishing.world/gene…ea-by-paul.html#post35508

  • Too Many of Us Dive With Too Much Weight... A Plea by Paul

    I made this post for the divers at HSD (Hawaii Skin Diver forum) because generally speaking, the HSD group tend to dive shallow, and pile on a lot of weight. I've watched local guys just duck-dive right at the surface and proceed to drop straight to the bottom with no finning. I also put it up on spearboard and was asked to put it up here as well as it may help some of us reconsider our weights for safety reasons and possibly better diving experiences/depths as an end result. Thoughts, experiences and feedback would be appreciated.



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZ7YgCGznA&hd=1


    A few points/things that have been brought up on the other forums where the above was posted is that:
    1) It really does work.
    2) It is best to remove only a little bit of weight at a time and progress gradually to a lighter or no-weight diving approach. Remove too much and it will be too strange and one will most likely hate it, and write it off. Try for 1 pound of weight removed each time until you find the point of diminishing return and then add one back on if you find you still are wearing a weight belt.
    3) If one ends up acheiving zero-weights, consider having a hydrodynamic pocket sewn on your suit where your belt knife typically goes, and put in a flat knife pouch in there so you're not without your "brain" or emergency cutting knife.
    4) It's not just for yourself, but also your dive partner's sake.


    -Paul

  • Aloha

    Quote from Dan


    Now if you please lets devirginize the Hawaii section with a report :) and if you have a nice ulua pic that I could use to represent the section I'd appreciate it.


    Forum still won't let me PM. How do I get a photo to you for the Hawaii board?


    -Paul

  • The Diver's Platform and a 25# Kettlebell for Freediving/Spearing?

    Yesterday's adventure/experiment with a group of Hawaii Skin Diver forum guys that I rounded up:


    Video edited/ put together by my dive partner Derek... http://www.vimeo.com/13609237


    A single plain self-clip by myself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kznqBQ3Ket4&hd=1


    We learned a few things very quickly. By watching Tom's wreck head-butt we learned that we should always be watching where we're going. Derek quickly swam over in case Tom passed out. He hit pretty hard, but made it back up fine and was in good spirits about the whole thing. He just left my home a few minutes ago and doesn't seem to be any worse off. TCK learned that he has to stay on top of his ear clearing process since the sink phase is quite fast. The strangest incident actually involved Derek and how long it took him to sink through the first 20 feet. I thought he was never going to come down. 5mm two piece wetsuit will do that apparently. :shock:


    Here's how this came to be:


    Kurt Chambers (PFI and FII instructor and occasional dive partner), Derek and myself started talking about the possibility of using variable weights for spearfishing in excess of 150' about a month ago. Our biggest issue was how we would carry around a heavy piece of weight and line up our drops correctly from the surface. A boat would be too difficult and time-consuming to maneuver especially in any wind or current. A kayak would work, but could be a bit unstable, especially when loading and unloading the weight. None of our floats could carry the necessary weight.


    I then noticed that kettlebells were on sale at Sporting Authority for 20 percent off and since it was the day after a payday, I was able to convince the wife to let me pick up a 25 pounder. I figured we'd come up with a weight transporting solution eventually.


    At about the same time, HaoleHawaiiaz on HSD from Kauai contacted me through HSD PMs and hooked me up with a float that was developed by Metal Fabricator/Dive Master Harry Wood. Let me quote what Mr. Wood wrote me in an e-mail when I contacted him for further information on his product.


    Quote

    I was working on becoming a PADI instructor about seven years ago, however while on my way to working on my diving skills I took a rescue class, during the body recovery portion of the class where you recover a body at a depth of say 45 feet you bring the victim to the surface, begin CPR in the water and strip off all equipment of his and yours. We were using one of the typical dive floats which consisted of a nylon cover over an inner tube with a zipper in the top, we would unzip the zipper and put the victims and my weight pouches in it before we remove the BC for tow to shore. In the process after putting about 60 lbs of weight into the nylon covered inner tube the bottom seam split and out pouches went to the bottom. We all laughed about it in fact gave us another excuse to dive after the skill was completed. It was at that time I told my dive buddies I was going to build a platform that could hold the weight and give us a good hand grip for classes. I came into the shop and in one Saturday I built the first prototype, my dive buddies could not believe I could even weld let alone build something...


    .... we spent 18 months built about 36 platforms each with slight modifications that made sense, what you are holding is a collaborative effort of dive masters, instructors, and dive buddies that gave input in the development process. We have been selling them now for a little over four years with about 500 world wide.


    http://www.thediversplatform.com/index.htm


    My take on this float: It's big, it floats a lot of gear and it doesn't flip at all. Is it going to replace my primary spearfishing Fox float? No - it has too much drag and is on the bulky side. Since I run a float line attached to my gun at all times, I need something that I can easily pull behind me without noticing it. The Divers Platform is ideal for spearos who like to anchor in one spot and spearfish around the area. You could pile up a fair amount of fish or even opihi in there and not worry much about a shark taking away your catch. Also good for chumming in blue-water. Just keep the chum in the float. Also can clip multiple guns/back up guns or polespears to the railings. For the opihi guys swimming along the cliffs in the ocean, the metal ring around the float will protect the air tube


    What it really is PERFECT for would be free-diving specific events. Multiple divers can hold on to it, it can be anchored tightly for pull-downs and it can carry drinks/snacks for long training sessions. Finally there's the safety factor - I was able to lay across it to pull up the 25 pound kettlebell up a couple of times. Since us freedivers are pushing our limits, blackouts are part of the game. This will easily support a body should further revival work be required on somebody other than the simple "pat and blow" technique.


    Great float, concept/idea, I love it. I'd post my own photos if I could, but I've exceeded my monthly bandwith on photobucket so here are a couple taken from their website.





    -Paul

  • Paul's PWC Float Set-Up for Spearfishing

    Quote from Pucho

    How does that fox float works for you? they look nice.


    Best damn float ever. I've owned several - Mako, Riffe, the typical hawaiian lifeguard can, homemade floats, walmart specials...


    It rules. Mine was a prototype and the only thing I don't like about it was that I was dumb enough to install the flag mount near the front on the top of the float. When the float is released, if it's rough and windy enough, the wind will blow the front of the float downwind quickly, and then as soon as a little chop lifts the back, it tips the float right over. I should have had the flag installed in the middle of the float.


    Other than that, it rules.


    There is one other float that I also really like and only started playing with yesterday. It's a completely different animal and not something I would want to use as my primary float though. I'll start a thread about it... I probably should put it on the main forum here...


    Here we go. http://spearfishing.world/gene…-freediving-spearing.html


    -Paul

  • Paul's PWC Float Set-Up for Spearfishing

    Quote from griswold

    Not trying to be a jerk, check the crimp job on the shooting line at the front of the gun. It doesn't look like it was properly crimped with a good quality crimper - could be a weak link in your setup. I suggest unclipping the float from the waverunner when you start diving. Otherwise you will probably find yourself wanting to go a little farther only to hit the end of the line. Also, if you happen to run into a great fish when you don't expect it, you'll want him to be able to run if necessary.


    I will take another look at the crimping job - I'm self-taught and I've never had any of my crimps fail me, either with mono or SS cable. I do use a crimping tool that my LDS said was the best for the job. Do you have a website reference for showing ideal/proper crimping that you can share?


    I used to keep the float on the water when I dove down, but this causes a few problems.
    1) We have stiff trades nearly every day. 20+ knots. My float gets blown downwind pretty quickly, and as I dive down, I find that I'm fighting resistance from the float and float line once I get past 30-40 feet. When the float is kept overhead, then there is no resistance when I go down and back up.
    2) It creates a temptation to stray from my PWC if I see a hole or structure that I want to take a closer look at. The places that I typically dive at are rather dangerous and if I were to not be able to make it back to my PWC, I would most certainly die. I made a personal rule to always stick very close to the PWC. Remaining attached to it via my gun works very well.
    3) Many times I will drop down to 100+ and by the time i make it back up, my PWC is already over 100' away and pulling due tot he wind/swell action. I don't want to build up CO2 chasing it down. By having my floatline attached to float at the PWC, I can simply pull myself back to the pwc using my hands. This also slows down, and sometimes even halts my pwc.
    4) I can also "steer" it to a degree via pulling on my float line from the back by changing the pwc angle in the wind to follow a ledge or ridge.
    5) By keeping my float attached to the PWC and forcing my "guests" (I get a lot of guys flying to Hawaii for vacation and wanting to dive with me) to run a float line to my PWC, I can better supervise them and make sure they're not wandering off or getting too far downwind of the PWC like they would otherwise do.
    6) Regarding a "great fish", by having the float right at the rescue sled enables me to quickly get to work on deploying the rescue sled as a secondary float once I get the Fox Float off since I'll be right there and I know I have 300' of stretch to play with. Should I manage to plug a 1,000+ pound billfish, I can quickly unclip the secondary from the rescue sled and directly to the front of the PWC and use the entire PWC as my secondary float.


    I thought about it long and hard, spent over a year trying out both methods and determined that this is what works the best for me in these waters. Keep the feedback coming. :cool2:


    -Paul

  • Aloha

    I dive alone probably 20-30% of the time and try not to. However, my regular partner is moving back to the mainland next week. My other partner can't dive past 40' which isn't even the minimum depths I dive at these days. I'm screwed. :(


    I do have a long list of people here who want to become my next dive partner, but so far none of them have worked out as well as I would like. Schedules, ability, willingness to shoulder half of the cleaning up/gas bill, safety minded, not a blab-mouth, etc.


    The search continues...


    -Paul

  • Aloha

    Thank you for the welcomes.


    Quote from black1

    Paul what is the brand sled you use for your ski? any photo's of your setup, looks nice.


    I use HSA's biggest sled. Have photos uploaded, but they won't be visible until my bandwidth limit gets reset next month. For now, you can kind of see the sled in one of the videos I posted above. I probably should put together a video showing how I am set up to hunt large fish with a detachable float. Since I can't put up any of my ulua pictures, I suppose I could devirginize the hawaii subforum with a video of that instead.


    -Paul