newport beach, ca area

[sciencemike]

Nice job ther Dam! Congrats you are the master of lobsters.

Dam = ...........2 lobsters
Mike = ...........0 lobsters
aesthethic=.....0 lobsters
Andrew= .........0 lobsters
Simon = ..........0 lobsters
Mathew= ........0 lobsters

Hopefully ill be changing all that today!...

Well according to the dive report in laguna, waves 1 foot vis 15 foot and surge is 1 foot. Whoot that means in diving inside the reef and the valleys and canyons at Shaws cove.. Anyone else who reads this come on out ill be there till ~4-4:30. Im leaving in 5 minutes.

 

[sucinimad]

Bah! I read this too late! Plus I had mad chores to do . How was it, Mike?

If conditions are good, will you be ready to go again tomorrow morning? I don't think I'll be free this Tuesday morning. Wed and Fri mornings are still on!

Aesthetic, looking forward to meeting you.

 

[sciencemike]

So are we heading out Wednesday? Friday? and then Sunday all day to catalina? That sounds good to me.

Anyways my dive at Shaws was ok. No lobster and no fish, but i did get to swim with a seal. The tide was too high and the waves just slightly too big to go into the channels. I did find some nice fish but was unable to get a shot off. Anything at shaws is just too damn spooked out.

As for training i have been hitting the pool 4 days a week for my fin work and dynamics. My dolphin kick is really getting smooth.

How did your dive go this morning. Let me guess you got a lobster!:head

Mike

 

[sucinimad]

Alright, busted . I went out this morning. Conditions were great. Vis was probably 10-15ft. I keep running into this one sheephead that wouldn't leave me alone. The guy was huge, too. It's like he's daring me to buy a polespear or something .

The lobsters are starting to give me stress. They've moved from the shallow rocks (10-15ft) to deeper structures. I don't know if it has anything to do with the tide or conditions. Either way, no keepers today. I keep getting 2.75-3 inchers. Water's getting colder.

Wednesday and Friday mornings sound good. You gotta teach me the dolphin kicks, Mike. They look so good in the videos.

 

[sucinimad]

Alright, tomorrow morning, 7:30AM. Who's up for some diving/spearing? Do you have a place in mind, Mike?

 

[sciencemike]

I wouldnt mind hitting that same point again. Maybe this time a sheepshead will be coming home with me.

Is everyone ready for Catalina on sunday. I believe we are taking the ~630 boat to avalon and the ~6:45 boat back. Hope everyone can make it.

I have had a bit of sinus problems diving to 18 feet in my pool sessions, but it seems to be getting better. Hope its ok this tomorrow/friday/sunday.

 

[sucinimad]

Sorry you couldn't make it, Mike. Conditions were nice. Vis was ~15ft. Lots of calicos today. Mostly dinkies, though. I did see a few nice large sand bass that were lying perfectly still on rock/crevices until I was within 2-3 feet. It felt as if I could reach out and pet them.

Has anyone else gone out lately? Reports?

Also, ahem:
Dam = ...........3 lobsters
Mike = ...........0 lobsters
aesthethic=.....0 lobsters
Andrew= .........0 lobsters
Simon = ..........0 lobsters
Mathew= ........0 lobsters

 

[sciencemike]

Darn you DAM! Yeah my nose/sinuses were so bad that i thought i was already underwater.

Congrats on your stupid lobster. Again. Well on Friday im gonna be bringing my scuba gear so i might go scuba diving and then ill get my fill of 7. PM me with some details on the hunt please.

Also are you definate for catalina. If so ill take the ferry from newport otherwise ill go with the rest of the group out of longbeach.
Anyone else for Catalina?

 

[relaxnliv34]

hey everyone, ive been wanting to get on this forum and finally got around to it. anyway, ive been shore diving in the local area and go up to laguna on the weekends. i was just looking to see if anyone could give me any good advice for some new good dives to try south of newport? just got a new gun and cant wait to get it wet, thanks! Bruce

 

[LGHT]

Not sure if anyone night dives for bugs, but me and a couple of other guys will be out tonight in the newport area. If you want to join just shoot me a pm for info. I also may go out spearing in Laguna early Sunday as well.

 

[sucinimad]

Arrgh! Damn it, Mike! %$$s#@ :vangry

Dam = ...........3 lobsters
Mike = ...........4 lobsters
aesthethic=.....0 lobsters
Andrew= .........0 lobsters
Simon = ..........0 lobsters
Mathew= ........0 lobsters

Don't forget to give us the full report.

 

[sciencemike]

Well today was definately one of those days to remember. Let me preface with if i woulda brought my lobster bag i woulda filled it up with my limit. But since i didnt i had to get two, one in each hand and swim them to shore ( i would stick my hand in and grab one then stick the other in and grab another. Its amazing they were holed up in groups of 4-8 lobsters per hole). Its also pretty funny navigating the waves with two kicking lobsters, one spear and fins and crap and not stab yourself or let the lobsters get away. It was madness out there, i had a large lobster in one and and i was calking my polespear in the other to take a shot at a large 2 foot calico sea bass. One of those days i guess..

As for sealife, we saw a leopard shark that was 5+ feet. I was scared at first as i thought it was a juvenile tiger shark. still not sure that it wasnt. We also got to play around with a horned shark. Docile little buggers.
But now onto the goodies, the catch.....
-4 lobsters
-1 spider crab (not even sure when the season is) but it was >4lbs,
-14 inch Sargo
-nice medium sized rubberlips.
-Shot a 2.5 foot bull sheepshead but it was a bellyshot so when it was fighting me it left its intestines behind, alas i never found the fish:head. Oh and my dive buddy knifed a halibut also. All in all it was incredible. Once the clouds burned off all the lobsters and fish came out to play. Next time 7lobsters for sure.:friday

 

[sucinimad]

I should've called in sick

Congrats, Mike. When are we heading back?

 

[sucinimad]

Anyone up for some freediving/bug-catching tomorrow morning at ~9-10AM, Laguna?

 

[sciencemike]

I should've called in sick

Congrats, Mike. When are we heading back?

Yeah when you left is when things really started going crazy. The sun came out and then we found all the bugs and fish. The earlier session was pretty good with you also. It was really amazing how fast conditions changed for the better out there. Btw Andrew took pics of the spoils on his cell phone. As soon as i can get them ill post it.

Anyone up for some freediving/bug-catching tomorrow morning at ~9-10AM, Laguna?

Its raining down here at the beach so i wont be going out for at least 5 days. I dont want id rather not get Hepatitis. But im still on for Catalina tomorrow, even if it rains.

 

[aesthetic]

Sorry you couldn't make it, Mike. Conditions were nice. Vis was ~15ft. Lots of calicos today. Mostly dinkies, though. I did see a few nice large sand bass that were lying perfectly still on rock/crevices until I was within 2-3 feet. It felt as if I could reach out and pet them.

Has anyone else gone out lately? Reports?

Also, ahem:
Dam = ...........3 lobsters
Mike = ...........0 lobsters
aesthethic=.....0 lobsters
Andrew= .........0 lobsters
Simon = ..........0 lobsters
Mathew= ........0 lobsters

dont forget about alvin.. i think they came home with 6-8 lobsters a few weeks ago, including that monster 7lb lobster

 

[aesthetic]

Well today was definately one of those days to remember. Let me preface with if i woulda brought my lobster bag i woulda filled it up with my limit. But since i didnt i had to get two, one in each hand and swim them to shore ( i would stick my hand in and grab one then stick the other in and grab another. Its amazing they were holed up in groups of 4-8 lobsters per hole). Its also pretty funny navigating the waves with two kicking lobsters, one spear and fins and crap and not stab yourself or let the lobsters get away. It was madness out there, i had a large lobster in one and and i was calking my polespear in the other to take a shot at a large 2 foot calico sea bass. One of those days i guess..

As for sealife, we saw a leopard shark that was 5+ feet. I was scared at first as i thought it was a juvenile tiger shark. still not sure that it wasnt. We also got to play around with a horned shark. Docile little buggers.
But now onto the goodies, the catch.....
-4 lobsters
-1 spider crab (not even sure when the season is) but it was >4lbs,
-14 inch Sargo
-nice medium sized rubberlips.
-Shot a 2.5 foot bull sheepshead but it was a bellyshot so when it was fighting me it left its intestines behind, alas i never found the fish:head. Oh and my dive buddy knifed a halibut also. All in all it was incredible. Once the clouds burned off all the lobsters and fish came out to play. Next time 7lobsters for sure.:friday

was this in catalina?

 

[sciencemike]

was this in catalina?

No, lol that was at laguna.

That was truely an amazing day. But today we went to Catalina. Vis was freggin awesome, 60-80 foot. Freediving the dive park was awesome. You could see the bottom 60 feet below you and then drop down to it. Outside the divepark we hunted and it was just as good as within the park. We found a very large schools of opaleye, bonito and large sheepheads. Well i polespeared me this guy. Found him at about 50 feet. No lobsters but friday we will get our fills.

BTW i used my JBL twin flopper tricut breakaway tip and it worked awesome out there.

Dam you missed a great day.
Aesthetic you gonna make friday?
Anyone else for diving this week? By friday the water will be clean enough.

 

[Doug Gausepohl]

Great report Mike. You guys were killing everything! I might be able to make it out on friday with my cousin. What time are you thinking about going and are you guys snorkeling?

 

[sciencemike]

Friday @Laguna@7:30 am
Mike- (Freediving, Scuba; polespear) I will be there unless it rains again- for sure
Dam -(Freediving) Pretty sure he will make it. He is very consistant and trustworthy(And a damn good Lobster hunter).
Andrew (Scuba, polespear) - After the last two trips out i have taken him on he will surely be there.
Matthew(Scuba, Riffe 2 band gun) - Pretty solid that he will be there as well.

Possible others - Other matthew (Scuba) Simon (Scuba) and Doug and his cousin. Everyone is welcome to come. We are mostly beginner/intermediates. PM me and ill tell you where to meet.

We will have 1 or two dive floats and we will be diving in approximately 15-25 foot deep water with ~15 foot of vis (assuming conditions hold). It will be a shore dive and about 75-150 yards from shore.

The shootable fish at this location
Spotfin croaker schools -sometimes
Sheepsheads
medium calico's
Sargo's
Rubberlips (Large and in decent schools)
Perch- all types
Halibut
Lobster
and the rare spider crab (Anyone know if there is a season for those, I sure hope we didnt poach it last time)