Posts by hau

  • new to the forum

    Joe25,
    Welcome!
    There are a lot of very experienced and successful spearos here to learn from.
    I have learned much here.
    I hope you enjoy this forum as much as I do.
    hau

  • outboard inflatable yak

    monster slayer,
    I do not have any trouble getting back onboard, one time I even went up and over back into the drink on the other side.
    I leave my fins on till after I am on. I tie the gun to the other side and duck under to the other side {port{
    I kick hard and turn as I go up so that I land with my butt in the seat. Now I{m sitting sideways on the yak with my fins in the water. If quiting for the day I put everything away and take my fins and mask off last. That way if I drop something into the water or a wave rolls me I still have my fins on to retrieve the item before it is lost. This is just what I do that works great for me.
    Hope this helps.
    hau

  • Bathymetric charts

    spearos.
    I yak freedive/spearfish and would like to find accurate/detailed bathymetric charts for my area of North Miami to Ft. Lauderdale. I have the usual Top Spot map but am looking for more detailed maps to help me find better fish and lobster structure/habitat. Can anyone help?

  • Broward Beach Conditions

    today looks like a very good day:)
    good luck all


    on the beach at 0900
    wind 8 mph from South
    seas 1.5-2 on the way back in at 230pm
    viz was 35ft in 40fsw at 0930
    current starting out was from North, then switched to from the South at aprox 1030 [in 40fsw]
    water temp 75


    yak surfed back to the beach at 2;30pm:D
    only got 1 14in hog and 1 29in cero
    pink jellies but no man o wars

  • Heya all

    Welcome Stevo,
    Lots of good spearos here with lots of skills and experience. I have learned alot from many here. Hope you enjoy the forum as much as I do.
    hau

  • spearfishing day sunday monday

    mca,
    Your question, Is it worth it? will probably be answered differently by each spearo as 'worth it' has different meanings to different spearos.
    IMO, for me personally, 'worth it' is a day of being in/on the water within my abilities. I would prefer to get lots of big fish, but if I don't get lots of big fish just being out there is still worth it to me. There are many days where the weather conditions are beyond my abilities with just my yak and age. Diving at or near ones ability level is important and safest.
    There are a lot of very good spearos here to learn from that have tremenderous knowledge and experiance that are happy to share, but being in the water every chance you can will improve your own skills, knowledge and abilities.
    Miami NOAA says Sunday will be better than Monday.
    I guess I could have just said that for me: Yes, any day diving is worth it.:)
    hau

  • Broward Beach Conditions

    12-5-08, on the beach at 0800
    Wind n-ne at 6
    Current from n at 1.3
    Viz top to bot in 40fsw
    Seas 1f
    Water temp 75


    some small man o wars, biggest at aprox 8in
    1 14in trigger today, thats all
    seems like eveything changes on these beach dives. At the 0800 the conditions were as above, but by the time I get out at 1200, the wind and current has switched and the viz has dropped to 1/2 of what it was at the beginning of the dive. Today is a good example. When I quit today the wind had changed to s-se at maybe 6.5-7 and the current was now s to n at maybe .5.


    Hau

  • hello every one i wanna sparefish

    seahunter49,
    I am speechless:laughing3:


    Your post here could also apply to several other threads
    1. Wish list= perfect mate
    2. New inflatable yak/float=POS or not


    No wonder I dive alone. I've been using the wrong float. This one seems to attract boats, not warn them off.
    Where is the oral inflation valve on your girl float?:D


    Number1stunner,mca00176
    The fastest information about my real set up may be to do a search of the posts by me about yak/shore/beach diving. I have posted numerous time describing my yak use and setup. [I have no camera so pic are rare for me, lo siento].
    You could also post in the gear, or yak section and of course PM me anytime with any direct to me question about my set up. I try to avoid PMs, as others do not get to share the information exchanged and sharing information and learning is what I use these forums for.
    Generally speaking, most of the time no one here will make fun of your gear:D or your questions:)
    hau

  • outboard inflatable yak

    Rolo- with all due respect.:) Another major disadvantage of an inflatable is the windage. Windage is a sailboat term that measures the amount of hull above water that the wind can exert force onto. Inflatables have much more windage or surface area that the wind can exert force onto. Good if you have a tail wind, bad if you're trying to go up or cross wind. Windage is why I do not just measure current speed by laying the GPS on the yak. Many times water current speed/direction is not the same as surface wind speed/direction. Just my opinion though.:)


    seahunter49--I agree about the heavy part. Without my highfloat beach sand yak cart I could never manage to even get to the beach. Rolling the yak up hill through the sand is the hardest part of my dive. I wish I had been on this forum before you sold your yak, I could have built you a beach sand yak cart like mine. I have a friend that uses the same launch/beach site. He begs/pays a beachgoer to help carry his yak to and from his truck. And he has all that scuba gear to carry.:(

  • Broward Beach Conditions

    seahunter49,
    I know what you mean about not being able to get back to the boat against current. That is exactly what happened to my 84yr old freediver friend. Fighting current claimed a lady wreck diver this year in the Keys. As Rolo has said, just a 3knot current is like swimming in place. I learned years ago doing wreck diving on scuba to use a "current line". Some wreck diving is done with the dive boat anchored, as in the Keys. A good example is the Duane which has 3 anchor bouys. 1 at each end and 1 in the middle. The dive boats race to the wrecks in hopes of getting the most up current bouy for several reasons. The biggest advantage to getting the most up current bouy is that they do not have to pick up other boats divers that get blown down current. The most down current dive boat has the unstated responsibility of watching for all divers down current, not just their own divers.
    If there is any current when I dive, I do 1 of 2 or both. For lighter current days I just throw a 200ft poly line off the back of the yak. Of course poly because it floats. On days with more current I use the current line and a swing line. A swing line is a poly line attached to the anchor. This swing line is a common system used by search and rescue, research and very poor viz divers. It is called a swing line because the diver [mostly scuba divers] can desend and hold the swing line and swing a circle around the anchor until they come 360 deg back to the start point. Let out line then swing 360 deg again. I have a knot tied every 10ft on my swing line for a distance reference.

    Hope this helps
    hau

  • outboard inflatable yak

    seahunter49- I agree, I have been on/seen most that were POS. I am excited because hopefully this one is not a POS like almost all the others have been. I have spent hours/days/weeks working on inflatables/RIBs and those inflatable problems is the reason that I use a SOT plastic yak now.:)


    PS. For those of you so inclined, girls prefer inflatables. They also prefer nonRIB. Been there, done that ;)many times. Caution, make sure that the suntan lotion that you apply to the little lady is not to hard to scrub off the boat later.:D
    hau

  • Broward Beach Conditions

    Rolo,- I'm just a spearo trying to be helpful. I do not have any oceanology equipment so to try to get an accurate current speed I use my handheld GPS in its drypk. It takes 4oz [I think] of lead on the drypk string to get it below the surface. I turn it on, drop it in the water and drift beside it without touching it until it gives a pretty consistant speed number. I doubt that it is 100% accurate, but it is the best information I can provide with what I have to work with. I am open to any suggestions.:)


    seahunter49- Yes, 11am seems to be about the time that the current slackens and perhaps changes direction. Maybe like a coastal tide/current change?
    We as freedivers are very lucky regarding swimming in current. To appreciate this go freedive with scuba divers in current. With all that scuba gear on it is very tough to swim against any current. We used to arm ourselves with 2 big dive knives to do scuba river dives in the St. Laurance river. You would FLY along the bottom until you saw something interesting, stab 1 knife into the bottom and the current would spin you around face up current then stab the other knife into the bottom and hang on.:D


    TurboRon-Gracias.
    Good idea about also using NOAA and others. Those sites are good, but seldom gave me direct information about my exact area. Viz and current seem to vary considerabaly within a short distance. What I was trying to do was 'provide on the ground recon'. I also use live beach cams like the one seahunter49 posted, before I even decide to go to the water. If I remember correctly, somewhere here there is beach cam sites listed. If you cannot locate them let me know and I'll post them [even the ones I view in Puerto Rico].
    hau

  • Spearfishing wish list

    Marco- you are correct. So far that person doesn't exist.:(


    seahunter49-
    1.If she had all the other attributes then either darkness or plastics could solve the beauty issue. :)
    2. A spearo friend of mine wants me to come down to his country. He says that 40.usd a day will buy me all living expences AND a young native girl to push my yak out through the surf every morning AND whatever else I needed from her when I got back from spearin.:D


    monster slayer- lo siento for derailing your thread.