wentobaja

[Oldsarge]

Well, I finally got heartily tired of hearing about everybody else's fish so I decided to go shoot some of my own. Accompanied by the redoubtable El Tiburon, I motored down to San Diego, CA. We hopped into the F350 that gonetobaja uses for his operation and rumbled south. Never in my extended experience have so many little dumb things managed to go wrong, but using my life philosophy "All that being hard to please gets you is less pleasure" we laughed off everything from gouging hoteliers, to chubasco (read mistral, if you're from the Med) to diesel trucks being refueled with gasoline (no, it wasn't me but don't ask, just don't ask!) and still had a great time. In spite of our best efforts, Sven, there are still some fish down there for you next month. I'm the one with the shades, El Tiburon is the guy even bigger than me, Dale (gonetobaja) is holding up a 30+ lb white seabass and the profile shot is the amazing Scott Cassel: Green Beret, trapeze artist, operative for "certain governmental agencies", marine biologist, underwater photographer extraordinary and all-round great guy. Sorry, girls, he's taken.

 

[foxfish]

That's fantastic Sarge, what are those fish you are holding & did you use the new gun

 

[Oldsarge]

That poseidonsub gun is aquatic death! Love it, love it, love it! Next year, I'll have Steve build me a cave hunter's special, maybe even a roller gun for working around and between the lava blocks. That's a triggerfish (shot 3 minutes after hitting the water) two yellow snapper (YUM! YUM,YUM!! YUM, YUM, YUM!!!) and an inadvertant opaleye that ended up sacrificed to science . . . being as it wasn't any good to eat anyway!

 

[icarus pacific]

Sounds like an epic adventure, Sarge. It's these experiences early on that make it even better waaay down the road. Congrats too on holding up a bigger stringer than last time. See?, something you're doing is working! :king Glad the gun worked out, and even gladder that there are some fish left down there.

Did you clow, er guys, run into any grouper or did you stick inshore with the shallow stuff? Yo quero Pargo?

All the "little" things that can go wrong... see, er, si, even Senor Murphy hablas the espanol. I hope Dale has enough time and the wherewithall to get them corrected pre my entre'. I'm bringing all my major player stuff... you know the addage about packing a knife to a bazooka fight. :blackeye

Also, if/when you get ready to go for a rock gun, call me and I'll put together a JBL Custom for you. Bugger that other crap.

 

[land shark]

Makes ya wish you could do it everyday dont it.

neet trip Sarge I'm green

 

[Oldsarge]

But shallow water was where the grouper are! No, really! Charles saw one he swore was 40+ lbs in three feet of water but the hole he would have had to shoot through was smaller than the fish. Yellow snapper, barred snapper (I missed a shot over one's head. Getting excited and shouldering a speargun is a really good way to miss. Yeah, you read that right. I honestly tried to shoulder the speargun. Buck fever hits us all at one time or another. ) It's plain crazy down there. Just if you see a truly huge white sea bass with a funny tail, hold your fire. It's a totuaba and they're seriously protected.

 

[takeshi]

nice catches, sounds like a nice trip. Crazy problems make for nice stories, right? I understand white seabass is really hard to catch.

 

[gonetobaja]

Hello Deeperblue Divers!!!!!

I had a great time with Sarge and Tiburon. Conditions were perfect for the two days in the water. Flat seas and very low current. The first day we stopped at our usual starting point. A protected area on the northern part of the island. Tiburon hopped in the water quickly and he and my parner Naty started heading to the point. Sarge and I concentrated on the rock cliffs that dropped into the the cove. They where crawling with Snapper and grouper. There was some difficulty in the grouper hunting. There where large saragasumm plants growing thick on the bottom. It was hard to get your gun to swing around. Sarge and I where in about 15 feet of water going from Cave to cave. We teamed up and got some nice ones. I must have spooked 6 or 7 30+lb grouper that where at the bottom of the rocks and hiding in the weeds. You can feel the "wump" on your chest when the spook out of sight.

On day two we went to a different spot. We had got some nice grouper there on the trip with Mulungu. Tiburon and Naty had gone off to deeper water. Sarge and I where criscrossing back and forth over a seamount area.

I had dove down to about 20 feet and was holding on to a rock. My body was partialy coverd with weeds and I had spit out my snorkel at the surface to avoid any noise. To my left came in a huge triggerfish. I started to feel like I was on a good dive. As he swam to my right a huge parrot fish came into range. I held my fire, the fish where comming in bigger and bigger! As I scanned back left my heart almost stopped. In came a huge head of a fish. My mind started to race, what was it? Yellowtail? No, it was different. Then I thought maybe it could be an endangered totuaba. I held my fire for what seemed like a long time as the huge fish glided out of the weeds in front of me, Im sure it was really no longer than 3 or 4 seconds. I held perfectly still with my gun layed sideways in the rocks. Then I saw its tail. Beautifull yellow points on the top and botton. It was a WSB! I rolled my Riffe MT3 up out of the rocks smoothly but quickly and fired. It was a great shot. The fish bolted and started to take up the line. I shot for the surface as I was needing some air. I had no bouy or drag line and just as I got to the surface I yelled "I got a big!.............." and the line went tight and pulled me under. I swam after the fish under water to create some room in the line to get back up to the surface. I got to the top and got a quick breath and then it was back down again. I knew I could not continue this Yo-Yo game so I started to kick hard for the surface. Thats when the fish turned a little and I was able to stay at the surface and fight. The big fish was swimming in high speed circles at the end of my line spinning me around and around. After a couple of high energy minutes the fish started to tire and I began to pull it towards me. Soon I had my hand in its gills and it was mine.

I have to say that I really enjoyed diving with Tiburon and Sarge. We had a great time. We ate some of the White Sea Bass that night in a special dish prepared by the chef of the resturant.

On the way home from the islands we hit a mild Chubasco, a wind storm that comes from nowhere and turns the flat sea into what looks like river rapids. We got beat up for about 45 minutes and soaked from waves comming over the front. It makes you really appreciate it when the sea is flat.


Icarus,

tick tock.:friday




GTB
www.gonetobaja.com
www.spearfishingvideos.com
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[icarus pacific]

Waitingforbaja

No kidding, tick tock! I've had my gear out and ready to bag for two weeks! :martial

 

[Mlungu]

Sarge,

Glad to hear you enjoyed your Baja trip as I did.....just wondered if you guy's stayed at at Alfoncina's again and if they charged for filletting the fish,:rcard Dale knows what Iam talking about! That WSB that Dale shot looks impressive; I bet he would have sh*tted himself if it was a Totuava rofl nice fish though, seems there's still plenty of snapper there.

Cheers

Justin

 

[Oldsarge]

Let's put it this way. In a couple of months, Dale's house in Puertocitos will be complete. After that, Alfonsina's will have a reduced customer base! "Nuff said.

 

[Fondueset]

Wow!

GTB - how is the nasal accomodation on the Riffe Mantis? I've yet to find a perfect fit mask-wise - but they think freediving is a form of bungee jumping around here and have no idea what any sort of riffe is.

 

[gonetobaja]

I love my Riffe Mantis. By looking at it I would have never bought it. When I was making our last video I was in the Riffe shop and Julie gave it to me. I told her that I probably wouldnt use it because I thought that the style of it and the yellow lenses where just to sell divers and didnt really matter. She told me that I was wrong:naughty and I needed to try it.

I used it for the first time on the video shoots. At first it felt too big, and the yellow seemed too bright. But after a few hours in the water I liked having the bigger lenses to see. I noticed the difference when we where approached by the manager of the Gypsum mine on the island we landed the plane on. He wistled to us to come out of the water. When I pulled my mask off of my face all of the color faded. Now I use that mask every time I dive. ITs all scratched up now from getting sand in it. I still use it all the time though.

Looks like Im gonna have to buy one soon..

By the way I just looked at your pics! Great ones! Look like greate vis where you dive at. What lake is that called? Do people think you are Loco for diving in the lakes like a seal?rofl


Icarus, Im gonna go down and get me a file....tips arent sharp enough....:martial

And a bigger chip for my camera.....:t

GTB

 

[icarus pacific]

dakine masks!!

I have three Mantis masks, pre Riffe and their price gouge and they do everything I ask of them, namely not take too much air to equalize, don't leak and let me see. I am blessed with a high-bridged beak and they do me right. You can get them through HanaPa'a and tell Kimmy Sven sent you.

Christ, it's only Tuesday...

 

[gonetobaja]

Oh yea, as far as nose room goes it seems to be good. For me its no problem because I have the nose of a small rodent. But for my friend who has had trouble in the past with nose room, He uses his mantis and has no problems.

There is a little more volume in the mask than my sporasubs. It dosent effect my long duration 45sec dives.rofl

 

[gonetobaja]

Good to see Im not the only one starring at the calendar. I already flipped the page over to May.

:friday

 

[icarus pacific]

Hey while you're off to find a file, pick up a bucket of viz while you're at it.

 

[Fondueset]

Thanks - I'll have to try one. I have to get scrip lenses in mine so i'll risk the shipping and get one to try and see. Right now I have an Alien and a Cressi matrix - I like both alot but neither is a perfect fit. The omer scrunches my nasareum and the Cressi leaks when I smile at the fish.

Sorry about your nose - mine divides the universe.

Thanks for the picture comments. I just got started with that last june.

Most of the pics are from West Grand Traverse Bay - some are Lake Michigan. The Grand Traverse Bays are off lake michigan and define the 'little finger'. If you look at the mitten shape of lower mich - on the northwest side you'll see a pair of long bays divided by a long peninsula - to the left of them is Leelanau county - which is the little finger part. Easter - the day I met the easter walleye - the visibility was amazing in places. I was able to see the old power plant cooling pipes from the west side of the iron breakwall I dive from alot. A distance around 100 feet/ Out deeper where I took the walley pic it was probably down to 50-70 right on the bottom - twice that from mid to surface. Water is still around 40f.
You can see the vis is down to 35-50 in the summer - depending.

I've noticed people don't talk to me much when I'm gearing up - particularly in the winter...
I do seem to be the only one doing it - my daughter joins me in warmer weather though.

 

[icarus pacific]

Eyeglass-in-the-mask-wise, send the mask to Prescription Dive Mask in San Diego, CA They do all my masks and my hemet plates and they're perfect.

 

[Fondueset]

Righto - I'm onto them - they've done a couple for me allready. First rate.