Done! Although, I might have been off on the length of the Tuna.

Man... We had a great day diving off the yaks down in Big Sur on Saturday.

Got some decent footage (editing this week), although I tried my gopro under my hood for the first time - usually it's on my wrist- (Thanks Big Jim for the recommendation) but had the angle a little bit off. Live and learn. Still got a few photos/vid. Hardest part was knowing when it was recording or not.

I got a decent stringer of fish and my 2 lings BUT what I'm really KICKING MYSELF in the butt the most for is not taking that big Pacific Octopus. At the time of seeing it, I was very ignorant about regulations, how to kill it, how to clean it, how to cook it, etc. 2 days later I'm really wishing I had. It was BIG (pics below). I saw it from 25ish feet up (1st pic), dove down (2nd pic), touched it (turned white to blend it), hung with it for a bit and then left it be. Didn't want to kill it and ruin the meat then just have killed an awesome animal for no reason. Not sure how to measure one of these, but it was about 6ft from head to toe (if hung by hood).

For future reference, any "HOW TO" spearfish for octopus advice would be great (i.e. where to shoot? When/How to clean? How to store on stringer/bag? How to cook? etc)

Also, what kind of fish is the big one at the bottom? Gopher?

6) Any pointers on locations to dive down in Big Sur? Tomorrow is my first time going that far south.

Yeah, prepared to have people trash talk you if you post any pictures.

So long as I'm not giving away the "location" specifics, why is it a bad thing to post photos?

Hello Dive Buds!

STOKED for the amazing conditions for diving this week. Headed to N. Big Sur tomorrow morning (if anyone wants to join us) for spear fishing (no tanks) - bringing the yaks to get us out there to talk to them (might go toward Lobos Rocks)!

BELOW ARE MY QUESTIONS (sorry ahead of time for all of them!):
I'd like your advice/opinions on dialing in my current gear and technique better.

I am 6'3", 199 lbs, 17% body fat (I am in the gym often and in pretty good, solid shape - muscularly speaking - this is FYI for buoyancy and breath hold advice). I dive with a 5mil open cell farmer john suit w 3mil gloves and socks, Omer Cayman 75 single band, 19lbs on belt (3-3s and 2-2s).

1) I float with water midline on my mask at the top, but I still feel pretty boyant in the water in about 30ft of water (i understand deeper=sink faster) - Should I add more weight - safely?
2) I only dive about 2-3x/mo, so my breath hold is weak (maybe 45 sec on the bottom in 20-30 ft). Any thoughts on how to increase this? Any web links to static exercises? I'm super comfortable in the water and very conscious of my rest periods. I practice the 3-4 seconds breath in with 6-8 seconds breath out at 80% lung capacity for ~1.5min then breathe in chest first then stomach at 100% before diving down).
3) Does black out have any indicators before it happens? I typically dive with someone but that someone is usually 20-40 ft from me.. which is like diving alone, i suppose.
4) Should I add a 2nd band to my gun? I've never shot the nice guns before, so I don't have a reference for how my gun performs, although the forums say its a good one for around here). My PR for ling is 37" so I know it can penetrate but I feel like I've been missing easy shots lately. Maybe I need to stiffen my arm and grip before pulling trigger (not something I was consciously focusing on before)
5) My kayak is finally super dialed in for free diving off of, but I feel like it's only useful to get out of the mouth of still water cove (to avoid swimming it). Any other places it really helps - it adds a whole separate level of effort to bring it on a dive trip.
6) Any pointers on locations to dive down in Big Sur? Tomorrow is my first time going that far south.
7) Are there any free diving courses in Monterey area?

Thanks for letting me be a pest and ask a ton of lame questions. I'd be all kinds of down for a few experienced divers to let me tag along with them. If you have any questions or need clarifications, please let me know.

Nice monkey!!

Wolf eels have big sharp teeth and larger heads and different colorations...

Have attached a few pics...the UW pics are of the same crack that I have been visiting since 2014...have seen the wolves (sometimes solo and sometimes paired up) multiple times. 

Any monkeys over 28/29 inches are really solid specimens.

They make bomb ceviche...

http://spearingforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2565

Congrats again!
Sincerely,

Jim

Thanks for the info Jim! And for the kind words. I wish I would have measured it now! I'll have to try the ceviche recipe.

Here's my space saving anchor setup for when the kelp clip isn't usable. It works well if you're a diver because you're gonna have to dive down and retrieve it a lot of the time. I haven't installed the anchor trolley that I purchased because I feel like it's just one more thing to snag my wetsuit on.

This is awesome. What a great idea! Do you have a picture of where you clip the reel to? I understand your anchor system, but not how you mount it to your kayak so that the line goes out the back, and how you reel it in when you're finished diving.

Not sure that kayak needs 15lbs of weight for an anchor.  I use a 10 lb kettle ball from Walmart and 100’ of anchor line on a wrap also from Walmart.  Pretty cheap way to go and I have not had to dive down to get the anchor unstuck like I had to do many times with the fold out anchors.  I put loops in the line at 10’ increments and clip it to my bungee making sure to let out extra line.  Some will put a small float inline so you can grab the line with your paddle.  I usually just wrap up the line before jumping back in the kayak otherwise I have to deal with tangles.  Longer bungees are probably better but only once did I go out in conditions that were to rough for the 6’ bungee in the picture.  Didn’t stay long anyways. 

You will learn more of what works after each trip.  Tie down or store everything is the best option.  You will flip it or roll it on entry/exit so keep gear loss to a minimum. 

As for fish I hate MFE, greenling and perch.  But there are plenty who like them.  Just not me so can’t help with that as I don’t target them unless it’s a competition requirement and then I give them away. 

My kayak is to heavy to carry so I just use wheels. 

As for making the wife happy.  Post up for dive buddies and try to go out with one.  Otherwise make sure someone knows your dive plan and anticipated time of return. 

I was bringing a gps spot connect with me for emergencies but need to update to a newer version.  You can send messages in remote locations or just hit the emergency button and a rescue party will be given your location.  There is a monthly subscription but it’s worth every penny if you ever needed it or just to make the wife more happy.  Mine bought me a shark shield and apparently it makes her feel better.

This is great info! I too was thinking 15lbs was a bit heavy. I wonder if I could just tie my extra weight belt weights to some webbing and then that might work. My only concern is storage. My yak (Cobra Navigator) only has the rear cargo (1/2 of which is taken by a 5 gal bucket) and then my fins go on the front. I suppose I could start using the area between my feet. The bungee is a great idea too. I'll pick one of those up! Thank you for the info. Any other mods to add?