South Devon Report 2006

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by portinfer

...He kills a fish then in the excitement forgets about the knife ... he asked me to find the cheapest ones and buy him a job lot
...

Yeah, that's me. I bought a couple of economy spearo knives (which I really like) when I saw them for a good price (about about £7, would have bought 3 but the postage suddenly jumps up). They are quite widely available and work well with the RA limpet sheath. If this becomes a habit I may follow Spearo Dave's suggestion & switch to kitchen knives (Tesco steak knives 5 or 6 for £5 ).

Fortunately, I have several dive knives & always bring a spare along. I am starting to accumulate spares of most items now.

[Jez]

Thanks for the report Mr X, it did cheer me up.

Hoping to go down to the pool tonight and road test my ear at 2meters. The conditions this weekend are just perfect for a session at Budleigh. Lost track of time and it has been six weeks this Sunday since perforating my right ear drum (and may be able to dive according to Doc). Subject to my pool session I may give Budleigh a shot tomorrow if anyone's up for it (I'll let you know if I'm able to go).

[Jez]

Wow, check this fishing report from torbayfishing.com

It has been some time since i was in torquay so did an all dayer at the pier, 10am to 10pm. There were a few mackies around just before i got there and then i only had one garfish until 8:30 pm when the mackerel spontaneously appeared and just as quickly disappeared. OK..thats the boring bit out of the way....at about 6 pm i noticed a large fish, over 1 meter long cruising up and down the pier wall near the bottom, at low tide i say it was about 10 feet down. Everyone on the pier was trying to work out what it was...by its shape it could only be a salmon or sea trout. Anyway...i was trying to lure it with a sandeel when it suddenly accelerated away from the pier wall right in front of me, headed straight for the surface and leapted out of the water. This fish was only ten feet away from me when airborne and the only fish i know that looks like that is a TUNA!!!!! i thought perhaps a spanish mackerel but it looked like the bonito tuna and was at least 15lb in weight if not more. Anyway, vlad, who also posts on here had coming running down the pier because he thought i had hooked it , telling me that he had seen this fish all afternoon and was trying to work out what it was, i felt stoopid to say it was a tuna but before i get the chance vlad says " i think this is bonito like the ones we get in bulgaria" ok....2 guys both think this was a tuna!!!! TUNA AT PRINCESS PIER??!!>>>>WHATEVER NEXT!!!!

That's it, I'm off Tuna hunting today

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Jez

Wow, check this fishing report from torbayfishing.com
... TUNA AT PRINCESS PIER??!!>>>>WHATEVER NEXT!!!![/i]

That's it, I'm off Tuna hunting today

Excellent! Last week I jokenly suggested that Miles should scare a few Tuna our way...mean time Tuna are being spotted in Donegal & Torbay! Precious. I can only begin to imagine what would have passed through my mind if I had encountered Tuna last week!

Weather & winds are looking fantastic this weekend...unfortunately I will probably not be going to the coast (...then again there is tomorrow. Tuna better get the breakaway rig set up! ).

[Jez]

Had a quick dip at Budleigh this morning, saw one spider crab. Bit murky but do-able. The ear seems fine but I've slightly buggered my sinuses again somehow ascending from 6m. I haven't had a cold for weeks, can't understand it Am I doing something wrong on ascention?

Will leave it for another week. Conditions were gorgeous really but had to abort the dive before really twatting myself again.

[Mr. X]

Jez, perhaps you have inflammed sinuses? Mine were inflammed (post-flu) at Easter -- soon realised when ascending (ouch). It cleared up by itself.

Don't know if you get hayfever or allergies but the pollen count was very high last Tuesday (& possibly the rest of the week). It is quite high today too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/pollen/

[Jez]

Dived Budleigh this morning. Nice day out with sun, little wind, decent viz etc.

Managed a few warm up dives to check the sinuses were ok. They were thank goodness (well for an hour anyway) so carried on out to the reef. Its back into life again with small pollack, wrasse etc all coming to say hello. Saw a few shoals of decent sized mullet but none came close enough. Dived right on top of what might have been a large solitary bass but it scooted off before I could id it.

Ah hour in and I had trouble again (!!!) on ascending from about 5-6m. Couldn't reverse equalize and am now in a bit of pain again as all my top left side teeth are aching. Managed to bring the drugs to the beach this time though so got some down me pronto but they're a bit slow kicking in. I'm not sure if its a sign of improvement being able to dive for an hour before rogering my sinuses as compared with 20 mins two weeks ago?? Maybe just lucky (sort of)?

Anyhow, going for a CT scan on my melon at the end of July to check out my 'surfers ear' prior to surgery. Maybe they could see what the f@*! is wrong with my sinuses too.

[Mr. X]

Sorry to hear that Jez. Probably coincidence but pollen has been very high this week. Good luck with the CT scan. (Good to hear that fish are about).

[spearheads]

Originally Posted by Jez

Wow, check this fishing report from torbayfishing.com

It has been some time since i was in torquay so did an all dayer at the pier, 10am to 10pm. There were a few mackies around just before i got there and then i only had one garfish until 8:30 pm when the mackerel spontaneously appeared and just as quickly disappeared. OK..thats the boring bit out of the way....at about 6 pm i noticed a large fish, over 1 meter long cruising up and down the pier wall near the bottom, at low tide i say it was about 10 feet down. Everyone on the pier was trying to work out what it was...by its shape it could only be a salmon or sea trout. Anyway...i was trying to lure it with a sandeel when it suddenly accelerated away from the pier wall right in front of me, headed straight for the surface and leapted out of the water. This fish was only ten feet away from me when airborne and the only fish i know that looks like that is a TUNA!!!!! i thought perhaps a spanish mackerel but it looked like the bonito tuna and was at least 15lb in weight if not more. Anyway, vlad, who also posts on here had coming running down the pier because he thought i had hooked it , telling me that he had seen this fish all afternoon and was trying to work out what it was, i felt stoopid to say it was a tuna but before i get the chance vlad says " i think this is bonito like the ones we get in bulgaria" ok....2 guys both think this was a tuna!!!! TUNA AT PRINCESS PIER??!!>>>>WHATEVER NEXT!!!!

That's it, I'm off Tuna hunting today

princess pier is just down the road to me i might give it a go .Aslo jez have dived torquay again yet because hopes nose is doing great loads of scollaps right in close to the shore and shoals of bass and mullet up to 8 pounds but watch out the seal steals you fish of your stringer.

[Doc]

Intrigued by your sinus problem ascending. I suspect its the mucous membrane in the sinus slightly swollen and occluding the exit hole into the nose. It act like a one way valve then lets air in but not out. OUCH!!!!
Describe it to your gp, but first try some simple non drowsy hayfever tabs or spray such as beconase. may just reduce the swelling enough.DONT use sudafed or sinutabs they dry up the mucous making it thick and sticky.Ever tried sucking honey though a straw??thats the effect.

[Jez]

Thanks for the tip Doc. I've never been one who suffers hay fever, but I guess that can change with age. I guess that even a small reaction to pollen could affect one's diving ability even if the normal hayfever symptons don't show?? Funnily enough I did have a snort of Beconase before my last dive and so was able to do an hour at least before disaster struck!. Thanks for the tip about sudafed, I was planning on munching a few before the weekend and then diving. Good job I thought wiser of it and went mountain biking instead.

Spearheads, I haven't dived Torquay for a while, any sign of that basking shark or tuna?

[Andy Davies]

Originally Posted by Doc

Intrigued by your sinus problem ascending. I suspect its the mucous membrane in the sinus slightly swollen and occluding the exit hole into the nose. It act like a one way valve then lets air in but not out. OUCH!!!!
Describe it to your gp, but first try some simple non drowsy hayfever tabs or spray such as beconase. may just reduce the swelling enough.DONT use sudafed or sinutabs they dry up the mucous making it thick and sticky.Ever tried sucking honey though a straw??thats the effect.

Hi Doc

I have trouble with a sticky eustachian tube and sometimes take Sudafed before spearing. Is this the best thing to take, does it make things worse or would I be better off with something else?

[Doc]

As I mentioned on the forum sudafed acts by drying the mucous making it paradoxically more difficult to clear your ears. try sucking a McD's thick shake thro a straw as a demo!!
If you have a sticky tube the causes are many.
1 overweight- fat pushes externally just as men with a collar size> 16 tend to snore
2 relative dehydration - sticky mucous
3 inflammation from allergy ie hay fever
infection usually viral
dental probs esp wisdom teeth
I'd suggest fluids 2-3L daily not all beer!
Steam inhalation wich albus oil or menthol etc
Gargling also may help
If at all hayfever or rhinitis related then loratidine tabs or beconase nasal spray is worth a try but best see your GP to check for polyps etc if no joy
KEep working the tubes as if you can learn to control the muscles itll make life easier.
I suffer from one sticky tube and a sticky sinus occasionally
cheers

[Mr. X]

Just heard a surfer friend is heading down to Woolacombe tonight -- any spearing to be had around there? (I seem to recall there is sea cliff climbing at Baggy Point).

[Jez]

Ask Pav, I think he's from up that way. There's a 2-3ft swell running though today and prob tomorrow so the viz might be caput. Good job he's a surfer too though!