1/3 - a kinder, gentler fuzz...

Woke up this morning and realized what a wuss I've become.  The temperature had dipped to 68degrees and I found myself putting a jacket on to ward off the cold.   

In any case, after yesterday's killing spree, I figured I should be a good boy and give the fish a bit of rest.  I decided that today, I would be very selective and not shoot anything... unless it was something I really really wanted. 

The day was long - we launched early, paddled about 2.5 miles east against the wind, and took a longer arcing swim the whole way back using our kayaks as floats.  This way we could dive with the current/wind at our backs and cover a lot of ground.  Like most days, there were large stretches of no fish, then little clusters of activity.  I took some enjoyment in diving on these scattered fish piles and specifically practicing different stalking techniques to see which were more effective.  For example, I found when I hide completely in a cave, the fish swarmed around quickly... but spooked much easier when I pop out.  Another detail was - if I find a rock small enough to just hide my mask, I can play peekaboo with fish and they'll come in just as readily, even if my whole body was exposed on flat ground.  Different fish in different areas have different behaviors,... but it was still fun to test.   

In our marathon swim, we did pass some nice fish, but I stuck to my plan.  Holding off on the trigger, I marked a few spots with my GPS for future reference, and took a few pics (literally, 4 pics and a short video).

Here's a random turtle passing by:


Here's a short vid of random fish, a blurry eel, & a turtle I accidentally woke up from a nap(oops):
http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=6jzj0gw&s=1


As I passed by a group of pualu (surgeonfish), I saw a fish in the school that I just had to try for... so I grabbed my speargun and dropped my kayak anchor.  Swimming up-current a bit, I stopped kicking, relaxed, & breathed calmly.  Timing the drop, I landed in a large sand pocket about 30feet short of the fish.  Completely exposed, I flattened myself as much as possible, kept my head down, and gently tickled the sand with my left hand.  Little pufts of sand/dust flicked up with each touch and the pualu warily moved in for a closer look.  In the midst of the school was a nice moana'ukali - a highly prized food fish here.  The pufts drew its curiosity as it paced back and forth at the edge of my range.  Running out of breath, I aimed my speargun in one of it's broadside paths & very smoothly gave myself a little push forward with my free arm.  As soon as it intercepted my target point... THWACK!  Upwards through the gill & stoned!   





I quickly swam over to secure my catch and headed for the surface.  I was happy to have this fish and stoked that the shot kept the presentation perfect.  Kumu and Moana'ukali are 2 of the most desirable and highest prized/priced fish locally.  They're quite beautiful in addition to being excellent table fare.  This tasty one will be steamed up chinese style this weekend... can't wait.   

Snapped a few pics, put the kali on my stringer, then picked up my anchor to check on my dive buddy.  He had a nice kumu of his own on his belt stringer and was searching for another kumu that had evaded him.  Alas, that missing kumu was much better at playing hide-&-go-seek than we were...     We finished off the day with a few octopus in deep water, then headed in.   

Another great day on the water - tomorrow(Friday) will be spent resting in preparation for the weekend diving.   

Great write-up, Harold. To quote a noted bard (Mooch)...I hate you. Beautiful pictures.

BTW, how long can you stay down before returning topside for air?

Howard

Fuzzy Wuzzy getting soft...? Dude, you're nails man... don't let me hear crazy talk like that... 2 more weeks in paradise... must be tough.

Freddie

I thought you said it was a short video?? That would have been the kind of video I would have taken if I was TANK DIVING!!!
You have incredible abilities.
The video and pics are amazing. What kind of camera are you using????

dude.........isnt it about time you got a job.

All I know Harold is that you better bring me a bunch of pics back of fish, so I have something to paint on my spare time.

Hey fuzz check out what you're missing over here (saturday noon california time)

http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pr/wharf/surfcamtides.html

I  take back that last post. can i quit my job and come live in your basement. i'm a good dishwasher.

BTW, how long can you stay down before returning topside for air?

More like how long can he stay out of the water before he has to go back under.

Wow.....

 Thanks for the trip......

  got to get Dive cert this year,  That just looks to fun........... Danglin

I really should be getting some rest for our dive adventure tomorrow... but here I am, posting away...   


In order:

Hojo,
Really don't know my max as I try not to push it too much.  In fact, I forgot my dive watch somewhere in SJ (couldn't find it as I was packing), so not sure how long most of my dives are.  Recorded 5 vids today(posted 2 in the Jan.5 thread) & they all turned out a bit over the 2-minute mark.  I really wouldn't push it past that - want to make sure I have some reserve "just in case".  Normally, most of my dives are around the 1-minute mark.  There are so many other variables that affect your breath-hold on a given day.  In norcal, most of my dives are short, between 30-45sec.  In deeper water, it's between 45-60 seconds.  Since the water is dirtier, more emphasis is placed on recovery and being able to make another dive soon.  The more ground you cover, the more fish you can find. 

Freddie,
You know me better than that. 

Tote,
Thanks, the camera is an older sony p100.  It's okay, but the video keeps going in and out of focus.  Think I'm gonna switch off to something else soon.

Kayakjack,
Yes.  But it's more fun this way. 

Ab10,
Yup, got tons of pics for you!

Blue,
With the daily forecast here reading: "Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the low 70s"... I'm gonna be suffering when I get back to the bay area, no matter what the weather is. 

Danglin,
No scuba, everything is freediving.

Woke up this morning and realized what a wuss I've become.  The temperature had dipped to 68degrees and I found myself putting a jacket on to ward off the cold.   

Better to be warm than tough