OMER Open

[shaneshac]

AWESOME PICS GUYS

Yeah, as memo said, next year....

This year it was either go there or buy a house. I guess my wife has more cojones than me rofl rofl rofl

Juan, have you seen Manny's documentaries. He probably tickled the striper from 45m to the surface and poked it with a toothpick. The polespear is just to help his friend Mark sell more

 

[Memo]

Next year next year who knows maybe a team of 3 from iberia

 

[Amphibious]

if I'm in North America next year.... if.... wow that looked like FUN!

 

[Screen Name]

John, I gotcha eh eh. That's a rocket ship you got there for sure, she's a shweeeet one. I got the impression you were having more fun chasing off sharks than chasing after fish, the sharks are just there to test your nerves...next time I see a flasher swimming around with a shark attached to it I'll think of you. Hey thanks for coming, guys like you with great attitudes made this tournament so much fun.

Ummmm, the shark thing wasn't intentional. Actually........I had my chances........it just was not meant to be this year. :waterwork My 40 lb AJ was not enough to get on the board........still had an awesome adventure, and think of all the fish I saved!

 

[Juan-John]

Juan, have you seen Manny's documentaries. He probably tickled the striper from 45m to the surface and poked it with a toothpick. The polespear is just to help his friend Mark sell more

HA HA Betcher right...

 

[Mark Laboccetta]

Yeah, you guys would have had fun if you came. Try make it next year and you won't regret it. Conditions are really different though and knowledge and experience play just as big of a role as freediving ability. Even a 100' spearfisherman if he's not comfortable diving around sharks and diving in current 30 miles offshore will feel a little out of place.

Juan, thanks for the interest Manny's pole-spear. I'm trying to keep this thread on the Omer Hatteras Open with pictures and for sharing experiences from the meet. Contact me in private if you don't mind. Basically, every time we give Manny a new prototype polespear he keeps sending it back to change something (a year of this), what a pain in the ass! It's like we're building the space shuttle or something. It's a good thing he's so picky. To sum it up it's going to be a two piece, 2 3ft pieces of thick aluminum with a 2.5ft 5/16" spear. A few little novel ideas too but we'll wait until it's ready first.

Earl and John, you guys should tell a few of these guys what some of your better experiences out there in the blue water were like. How about that first day Earl before the meet when I took you guys out to the weedlines and the inshore wreck... John, looking at the names after the top ten places I thing you were in good company with a lot of other experienced divers. Conditions change so much there from day to day it's anyone's meet until the last weigh in.

Mark

 

[shaneshac]

Hey Mark,

Would you really rule out using a reel in haterras?

 

[earl campbell]

It was a blast.

In Bermuda we only use pole spears so it was quite interesting to say the least.

On the Thursday, Mark and Manny took us out to the tower of power. There was no current and lots of cuda (in Bermuda we sometimes see two or maybe 3 15# cuda). My very first shot with a spear gun had me tagging a 50-60# AJ which was a real rush as I am normally 6 feet max from a fish before I shoot. Of course the AJ promply dove to the bottom and got snagged around the tower. I looked like a lost sole to Manny who bailed me out and dove down to get the fish. He was down about 1min 30sec and came up hugging the fish. He had to cut the line and hold the AJ.

On the final day I was at the end of a dive looking around. Out of my right eye I saw movement. When I turned a sand tiger was approximately a foot from my arm. As this was the first trip where I have seen sharks I was to say the least, a bit nervous. The shark went away and I was able to laugh about it (after we had been on the boat a couple of hours!). Luis said he had my back but I am not sure if that meant he would shoot me to put me out of my misery or the shark.

I was extremely lucky as my diving buddies on the boat were Manny, Erick Salado, Odilio, and Luis Perera. I was debating taking my pole spear and after meeting Manny, I wished I had...maybe next year.

earl
ps. Mark, next time you take pictures, make sure the water is off the lens!!!!

 

[Mark Laboccetta]

Did you mean these horrible pictures? Yeah I'm sorry, next time I'll try to do a better job. Tough crowd those Bermuda guys

 

[Mark Laboccetta]

The thursday before the tournament is the one day I get to go diving because the day after the tournament, monday, everyone is usually too tired. So taking you guys out thursday was fun and I enjoyed feeding off Odilio's excitement missing his first wahoo right off the bat in the sargasso weed! I think that was the first ever shot he took with a speargun actually...

They shot 6 small mahi-mah's too.

The photos of his sheephead are nice, this one Odilio shot was over 12lbs on the boat scale. The wreck where they shot these is a beautiful 300' wreck in 35ft of water that comes up to 5ft from the surface at the boiler, has an intact deck at 20' and goes down under the washouts to 55'. Just beautiful and rarely do we ever see it this clear there

 

[sickbugs]

wish i could be there, sounds like you guys had a great time (any chance of holding a tournament in barbados sometime? hint hint)

 

[blueh2oboy]

Rock

Thanks for a good tournament Marka nd to everyone else that came. I had an absolute blast and it was a good feeling to compete with some of the top bluewater hunters from around the world. Next year will prove to be just as good or better i am sure.
These are the pics that led Manny and Mark to almost die getting their Striped Bass. I don't care how experienced you are, 5 kts of current will kick anyones ass. This is Blake Gaylord and Trevor Smith with Bass from the day before that were 18-32 lbs.
We do appreciate Manny checking the channel out for us on his way to Bermuda though. He still retains his hardcore status for not letting go of his fish all the while getting swept to sea.

 

[Juan-John]

Thanks, Mark. Sorry.

Back to the Open, for those of us envious armchair spearos, what were the water temps over the weekend?

Juan-John

 

[TheRookie]

Hi to everyone, im a new guy on this sport but hope to be ready for the next year and go with my teacher and friend Roberto Reyes

Freddie "The Rookie"

 

[Screen Name]

Hi to everyone, im a new guy on this sport but hope to be ready for the next year and go with my teacher and friend Roberto Reyes

Freddie "The Rookie"

You are a very lucky person to have Roberto as a friend. He is an incredibly nice guy and a great diver. :wave

 

[Mark Laboccetta]

Here are some more pictures, as people send them I'll upload them.

I took these of blueh20boy since he's such a good poser...dude you should have gone to NY for runway modeling. Blueh20boy's one of the best blue water hunters in the world at the moment and he was leading until day three when his 2nd boat gave him some trouble.

Gary Sanchez, another top contender from Florida that comes every year.

Bob Finley, this guy is 6'8" 260lbs and when he swims over the wreck he looks like an Omer ad at the Macy's Day Parade.

 

[Mark Laboccetta]

A few more of some great catches, hey John I missed your AJ somehow, post your picture so you can show off that nice fish you speared. There were only 6 Aj's weighed in the three days that went 40+.

Mark

 

[Mark Laboccetta]

1.Pat Johnson - jouvenile Amberjack
2.That's a spicy snowcone by Captain Woody who put the diver on the biggest fish.
3.Terry Maas, Manny Puig, Sheri Deye, Chris Gardinal, Matt Turner at the awards banquet
4.Rene Rojas (CA), Luis Perera (Miami FL), Earl Cambell (Bermuda).
5. Deemed some of the most influential blue water hunters and freedivers of the century: Terry Maas(CA), Larry Shuldt(CA),Bill Ernst(CA), Rene Rojas (CA),Ralph Tiemann(CA),Luis Perera(FL), Bernie Finnerty(NY). Remember blue water hunting was pioneered by the Californians. The Pinder brothers from Florida were also a huge awakening in the sport when Art Pinder made the cover of Sports Illustrated with a sailfish. Only time a spearfisherman ever made the pages of SI.

ps-Shane, I missed yoru q. The reason floats are the rule is for safety so the captain and mates knows where all his divers are at all times. Plus reels are dangerous in 100-300ft.

 

[shaneshac]

Thanks a lot for the information Mark.

You forgot to say that you are the far right in pic number 5

 

[pjohnson1967]

Those peanut AJs look bigger w/ overcast skies and dirty water...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

1.Pat Johnson - jouvenile Amberjack
2.That's a spicy snowcone by Captain Woody who put the diver on the biggest fish.
3.Terry Maas, Manny Puig, Sheri Deye, Chris Gardinal, Matt Turner at the awards banquet
4.Rene Rojas (CA), Luis Perera (Miami FL), Earl Cambell (Bermuda).
5. Deemed some of the most influential blue water hunters and freedivers of the century: Terry Maas(CA), Larry Shuldt(CA),Bill Ernst(CA), Rene Rojas (CA),Ralph Tiemann(CA),Luis Perera(FL), Bernie Finnerty(NY). Remember blue water hunting was pioneered by the Californians. The Pinder brothers from Florida were also a huge awakening in the sport when Art Pinder made the cover of Sports Illustrated with a sailfish. Only time a spearfisherman ever made the pages of SI.

ps-Shane, I missed yoru q. The reason floats are the rule is for safety so the captain and mates knows where all his divers are at all times. Plus reels are dangerous in 100-300ft.