How I Became A Waterman- Part 1
Sep/090
Lobster Diving
It was like when I learned to surf… I had known about it, I had seen it, and it made perfect sense that I should try it, but it never occurred to me to do so. Once I did try it there was no going back!
I am the kind of person who latches onto something and dives in “full throttle.” It consumes me to the point where I think about it every day. It’s like that song you like then play it over and over again until it just doesn’t sound good anymore. With watersports, there is no way to get tired of being in the water…being one with the water.
I thought it may be a good idea to chronicle my progression into being a waterman only because I put so much time and effort into researching (it is the engineer in me) and buying the right gear. My wife jokes that I make spreadsheets of the pros and cons of gear before purchasing (I only did that a few times). At this point, I’d say I am inthe beginner to intermediate stages of freediving/spearfishing and I will do my best to bring all events current and post them.
Our underwater adventures started about 9 years ago when my wife, Cindy, and I bid on scuba lessons at a silent auction and won. We were certified and entered the underwater world with awe, but it was never something that we were obsessed about like we were with surfing (our above water experience). I think it was because it took so long to get all the gear on for a dive and we always went with a group of people who were as slow as molasses to get dressed (sorry James, but you are really slow- you talk too much). We did buy all the equipment and the expensive extras that looked cool, but we never used all of them(read dive computer!). After a few trips to Catalina and some vacation dives, we were ready to get more hardcore! How about ditching the gear and just holding our breaths and get really close to the fish? How about getting in a tank and have sharks swimming around us? Can you rent a Submarine? Maybe we can freedive off the surfboard? I mean, who needs the boat?
Fast forward to Fall 2008. I am pretty sure we were at the beach and I saw a guy come in from a freedive with a lobster in a bag. “Your kidding me,” I said to myself, “anyone can just swim out and grab some dinner!” So, I rounded up some of the old dive gear…mask, snorkel, booties, fins, mesh bag, and gloves! I soon found out that this gear was obviously not enough to make the experience successful. So after a search on craigslist, I pickup a 4mm surfing wetsuit for $60, a neoprene hood from unrealfind.com for $25, traded a Surf-fur to Amy at the local Oceanside Dive Shop, visited Underwater Schools of America at www.usascuba.com for 2 weight belts with weights and I was ready to go. I also had to get a fishing license with a lobster card… about $40. The trick was in finding the lobster card since most places were sold out already. I ended up in PL by the airport at a local tackle store for that.
I started with a shore dive during the day. Lobster can be an elusive prize if you don’t know where to look. Good thing for me I am persistent. I started finding my groove half way into the season and towards the end I never came back in without, at least, one bagger. The trick with lobstering during the day is getting right down to the bottom. 5-10′ of depth proved to be all I needed. Rocks and reef are where it’s at- those are the key. Lobsters are curious crustations and they like to look at you. If you are patient and slow then they usually let you just grab quickly at their backs. The first few times I would get so excited and spook them back into their holes. Lobsters seem to rarely hole up in a spot where there is only one exit.
Don’t forget the gloves!! One day I left the gloves behind on accident. I got a hold of a good keeper and bagged it but I paid the price with slices all over my hand. I had to exit the water right after that! (I could have used my hand to catch a shark?) Lobstering is like fishing to me. It’s fun to explore new areas and see what you can find. I am constantly trying new spots.
Half way through the season, I pretty much mastered daytime lobster diving. then, I heard the real fun starts after the sun goes down. Those lobsters are out and about by the dozens socializing with their friends, ready to be nabbed by the first hungry diver. So, I buy a dive light. I think it was one of the cheaper models from leisurepro.com. It works great. I haven’t had the time to coordinate and wait for anyone else so all my dives have pretty much been alone. Let me tell you that the first night dive I did was pretty spooky! There is that constant thought of sharks in the back of your mind! Night diving is what they say it is for sure…the bugs come out! On more than 1 occassion I have grabbed 2 lobsters on 1 dive using both hands. The trick is trying to get those suckers into a regular mesh bag with a regular lock (more on that later). All you need to do is shine a light on a moving lobster and they freeze as if to say “pick me!”.
Some things I learned about lobster diving:
1) If it’s big enough to surf then it’s probably too murky to lobster dive.
2) If diving at night then a gage (for measuring the lobster) that attaches to your light is really important!
3) A good lobster bag is important! I have done plenty of research and spearboard.com was instrumental in helping me pick out a new bag. I just bought one that I am really looking forward to using. It has nylon sides mostly throughout with a mesh bottom to allow the water to drain. It has a little plastic clasp that you can open one-handed and put the lobster in with the other hand. I really wanted to get the Trident one-handed spring-loaded bag but it was a little more expensive and had a few poor reviews. Whatever you choose, the regular mesh bag with the steel clasp is not good because you need 2 hands to open -which is a challenge with a lobster in 1 hand!
So there is lobstering in a nutshell. I love to do it and can’t wait for this season to start.
Here is a shot from a fruitful dive last season…
Broad Ocean Conservation Goals Pose Significant New Challenges
Sep/090
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Ironically, areas that have the least amount of human impact are now becoming more accessible to humans due to climate change. A new management plan proposed by the Obama administration is aiming to make some big changes in federal ocean management. The plan sets a national goal of ocean resource protection and creates an ocean council to guide a new ecosystem- based approach. It addresses many areas of ocean policy including offshore energy exploration, agricultural runoff, general conservation, fisheries management and recreation of beachgoers like you! At its core, the new plan aims to set up a new National Ocean Council of top-level officials, who will then guide the new “ecosystem based” approach to ocean management. for the full story in the NY times, visit |
Don’t Eat Sharks And They Won’t Eat You
Sep/090
That is our motto over here at the lab. Since we spend so much time in the water, we want to make sure that Karma is on our side. We don’t eat sharks, period. We started to surf the web to see what is new and interesting in the area of saving sharks. Here is some awesome information that is just the tip of the shark fin… 
Despite the common myth that sharks are mindless “eating machines”, only a few shark species are dangerous to humans. Out of the hundreds of species, only 3 have been involved in a significant number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger and bull sharks. In 2006, according to the International Shark Attack File, there were a total of 62 unprovoked attacks recorded worldwide, of which four were fatal. Considering the millions of beach-goers and recreational ocean users, this is an incredibly small number. In fact, you are more likely to be killed by a vending machine than by a shark.Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems but their stocks are in serious trouble. More than one hundred million sharks are killed by fisheries every year. They are intentionally harvested for their fins, meat or liver oil, and they are incidentally caught as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species.
Sharks are highly migratory and regularly cross national boundaries. However, outside of Antarctica, there are no international limits on shark harvest. With increasing demand for shark fin soup, and little protection, sharks worldwide are at great risk.
Sharks generally rely on their superior sense of smell to find prey, but they also have the ability to sense movement and electrical fields created by prey. Their place in the marine food web is essential for a healthy ocean ecosystem.
The view of the shark as a solitary hunter, roaming the oceans in search of food is only true for a few species with most living far more sedentary lives on the ocean floor. Some sharks are highly social, remaining in large schools. Even solitary sharks meet to breed or on rich hunting grounds, which may lead them to cover thousands of miles in a year. Migration patterns in sharks may be even more complex than in birds, with many sharks covering entire ocean basins.
Several organizations are working in waters all over the world to protect and restore shark populations. Through their policy, science, legal and communications work, they are pushing for true international finning bans, species specific shark management and reduced shark bycatch, as well as decreasing the demand for shark products such as shark fin soup and cosmetic products containing squalene. The loss of sharks, many of which are top predators, will have devastating and unpredictable consequences for ocean ecosystems. Immediate action is needed to protect sharks.
“If the currect trajectory of destruction to the world’s oceans continues unabated, by the year 2048, we can all look forward to a lifeless, putrid body of water lapping at what will be our scum-ridden, trash-covered seashores,”according to Keith Addis, Oceana board member who has been working to save our oceans for 20 years. However, he is optimistic about reversing the damage that has been done. “The most important issues to monitor are over-fishing, bottom trawling and climate change.Currently, we are removing half a billion pounds of protein a day form the oceans, two and a half times more than scientists say the oceans can sustain. To reverse the damage from what is essentially the industrial strip mining of the bottom of the ocean, essentially for a few shrimp, would take 125,000 years. And climate change, among other things, is increasingly acidifying the oceans to levels that are severly disrupting the aquatic food chain.”
What can you do? Eat only sustainably caught fish, check out some of the organizations below and donate to one or two in your name or give as Christmas presents, and or get involved.
Here are some great links;
*Flordia Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department: shark attack files by region, ways to avoid a shark attack, stats, trends and analysis of shark attacks.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm
*Predators As Prey: Why Healthy Oceans Need Sharks. A current report from Oceana on the health of shark populations and why we need them in our oceans.
http://oceana.org/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/Sharks/Predators_as_Prey_FINAL_FINAL.pdf
* Top 10 most shark infested beaches in the world…according to Forbes.
www.forbestraveler.com/islands-beaches/shark-infested-beaches-story.html and click on the “slideshow” to view the
The best Shark movie ever written and directed by Rob Stewart, Biologist.
www.sharkwater.com to download movie.
www.SeaShepherd.org- one of our favorite organizations.
Reef Quest Center for Shark Research www.elasmo-research.org
Gearing Up For Watersports
Sep/090
Before going into the water, there are a few things to think about; Sun saftey, what to wear, and water saftey.
Sun Safety; make sure you are wearing sunscreen at all times. The best thing to do would be to put it on without your suit on. This does not mean to strip down to your birthday suit on the beach. This means put it on before you put your suit on (at home) and wait for it to dry before putting your bikini or board shorts back on.
Now that you are a waterman, you want to use a product that is safe for the ocean ( see June post “Dude, Only Wear Biodegradable Sunscreen in the Ocean”). Some of the most harmful ingredients that many sunscreens contain PABA, octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, oils, chemicals or the preservative butylparaben. If your sunscreen has any of these ingredients, it is not safe for use in coral reefs. We found a really great one at L’Occatane- Sunscreen lotion high protection SPF30. It is a little more expensive ($26 for 5.1oz.), but it is not greesy and stays on like a champ. It also smells pretty good.
What to wear: A wetsuit keeps you warm by allowing a thin layer of water to form between you and the wetsuit, which your body heat quickly warms. They come in several different thicknesses. The first number represents the torso thickness, and the second number represents the thickness for the arms and legs. The most common one is the 3/2 (say “three two”) that can be worn all year long. The 4/3 is the next thickness that is used in Winter. The wetsuit should fit you snug while still allowing you to move freely. It should not be baggy or loose or it will fill up with water and….well…that wouldn’t be good. When putting it on, the zipper or opening goes in the BACK.
If it is warm enough to skin it (no wetsuit), make sure your board shorts and bathing suit tops are tied tight so they don’t fly off. If you are wearing a bathing suit, make sure you get one that is a little tight. You may want to even go down a size from your normal suit size. Waves and salt water tend to pull and stretch your suit out.
A rash guard (a nylon and lycra fitted shirt found in surf shops) is a good option for surfers to keep wax off your suit and chest hairs in tact. They are used to prevent chafing under a wetsuit and so your stomach won’t get irritated from the sand and wax combination on your board. For free divers and scubadivers, the rash guard prevents chafing around the neck when you are below the water looking around at all the beauty of the ocean world.
Water Safety; The most important thing before paddling or swimming out is to know how to swim. The second is to be respectful in the water. For surfers, make sure you practice paddling, turtle rolls, duck dives, and catching whitewater where there are no other surfers. Don’t go to the most popular spot where the waves are perfect and get in everyone’s way. When practicing, don’t let go of your board! Make sure the board is never parallel to the beach. Aim the nose toward the line-up or toward the beach. If a wave is ready to smash you, grab the part of the leash that attaches to the surfboard and push the tail of the board down below the water and hold your breath.
These are just the basics to get you ready to practice your skills.
Have fun!
Types of Waves
Sep/090
There are several types of waves. Surfers talk about them. Kiteboarders talk about them. Now you can talk about them.
Beach break
This is the best types of break for learning to surf. Waves break over a sandy bottom. The sand can move and shift throughout the year. At some point, rocks can even come in and go again.
Reef break
The wave is formed over a reef or rock structure under water. These are the most consistent breaks and. Most consistent take-off places for surfers.
These can be the most competitive places to surf as well. When paddling out in a reef, paddle out diagonally and scan the top of the water for boils. This is where the rocks are. Be careful when surfing over the shallow rocks. Try to fall shallow.
Point break
Long, unvarying waves that break along a point that extends from the coastline.
Ground swells
Waves formed over vast distances, well-formed and powerful.
River mouth breaks
Wave forms on the sediments deposited at the river mouth. These are similar to beach breaks, but more susceptible to change. Cardiff reef has a great river mouth.
Wind swells
Waves formed by wind. They tend to be sloppy and unorganized. (Wind slop)
Check the weather forcast, tide times, and wind speed before you go out in the water. Always take time to study the waves and paddle or swim out inbetween sets.