Butterfly house

Question at the bottom... experienced divers please read.

So I got off at one today and wanted to spend some time with the dogs and wife at the beach.  What better beach than the one at Butterfly.  Actually she had to do some studying and I wanted to show her some of the spots that I have been diving and she has never been.  I only had an hour to dive so it was a short one today.  I started off of finding a nice grass rock fish and put him on the stringer, but I really only wanted one thing.  A nice fat ling... or two.  After about 15 minutes, while checking a few holes on the bottom a flash of movement caught my eye and as I looked I could see a large orange tail slip into the darkness beneath a ledge.  I dropped the gun and returned to the surface.  After catching my breath I returned to the gun.  With my light shining I could see the head of a nice ling turn and slither deeper into the hole.  I could see light coming in from another angle so that was my next spot to check.  Next dive I was on the opposite side of the rock and got down just in time to see him retreat even deeper into the cave until he was completely out of sight.  I never did get to line up a decent shot but im glad my little buddy didnt have to catch one in the tail for nothing. " Here is my question.  Out of the hour that I was in the water I spent probably 40 minutes trying to fight the kelp.  Is there a smooth or easier way to manage moving/diving/resting in the kelp."  Please keep in mind i am shaped like a polar bear but am not nearly as graceful as one.  any feedback is greatly appreciated.  My wife and I finished the night with the fresh fish and some that we had in the freezer as well.  Tried a new method of cleaning the fish on the beach and just bringing home fillets and I like it much better than having to clean fish and kitchen.

Excellent! Nice fillets.

Fuzz's tip to me ine the kelp was to relax, which i wasnt.  But im sure hell chime in. After all he is the God Father of Diving.

Relax, and if you can't then your body is telling you not to!  Some conditions keep you working just to maintain your position.  Well done on your hunt - that ling will remember you as you remember it.   

Great looking tacos! You're really tearing it up out there!

And gear-wise, you should make sure you're as hydrodynamic as possible. I hear that bullet weights are better than the square ones, and also you should tape the buckles/ankle straps on your fins.

I can't offer much advice, I have never been as big as a polar bear. Lol

But if you need help eating your fish... I am here!! Lol

thanks for all the advice.  It was nothing but work trying to get in a good position in that kelp.  rick good idea on taping the fins cause they were getting hung up like crazy.  Chaeki, there is always room for one more at my table.  anytime brother
-hotplate-

Great work bro....beautiful looking food pics as well!! 

I aint no expert....for me in kelp, like the Porkster and AbKing said, relaxing is the key...and even then I find it to be a PITA when its real thick!! 

I also try to think ahead when moving through it...sometimes it is easier to lift my gun up and over, and I go under or vice versa....then when I surface, I look up and find that one little spot where I want my head to come up and hit it, then stay right there breathing through my snorkel and resting/relaxing.

Like Rick said, the more streamlined you are the better...when I have fish on the stringer that is what gets caught up the most....

Congrats again, thanks for sharing and looking forward to the next time!!
 
Sincerely,

Jim

Dont laugh at me but what I tend to do is let my imagination run wild when im in the water. I tend to act very stealthy when surrfacing the water, poke my head up real slow thru the kelp like A bad ass navy seal! ...The key for me is to relax and come up nice and slow usually aiming for the pockets. Spit your snorkel out of your mouth so it doesnt get caught in the kelp. Also you may want to be careful filleting your catch on the beach. I dont think F&G likes it. I may be wrong but theres some kind of rule like that on A party boats as well. May have to leave the skin partially attached for identification. ...Thanks for the food porn!

Also you may want to be careful filleting your catch on the beach. I dont think F&G likes it. I may be wrong but theres some kind of rule like that on A party boats as well. May have to leave the skin partially attached for identification. ...Thanks for the food porn!

Yes, I think that fillets need to have a 1" square piece of skin attached if cleaned in the field, and there are minimum size restrictions for fillets from fish with size limits, like lings and halibut, greenling, and cabs.

I'm no expert, but the following has worked for me: Relax and be one with the water and kelp. Time your dives with the swell/surge as best you can so you work with it and/or so it helps you get where you want to look/dive. Also, I hang on to kelp to resist moving and let the bigger sets go by instead of getting worked by it and fighting. BTW, thanks for the photos!

John

Fish On a Dish!!      = yum!

Everything said about fighting kelp is pretty accurate...
There are a lot of little things that have been said... all of which add up.

Some examples:
Focus on streamlining yourself and your gear... keep your arms/gun close & if a piece of gear looks like it'll snag kelp (like your fin straps)... it will.
Don't fight surge in shallow, but learn to work with the natural ebb/flow to position yourself for the next dive.
If you're caught in a strong current, don't fight it... but work your way perpendicular to get out of it.
Set your weights correctly... you don't want to be fighting excessively to get down and you sure don't want to be struggling to get back to the surface.

Kelp is a formidable foe, especially during low tide where it stacks up thicker on the surface.  As Jim pointed out, if possible, pick & choose where you surface.  Once there, gently clear the kelp away to free yourself for the next dive.  Remaining calm is the key to relax & have fun.  When traveling on the surface, follow the openings in the kelp (usually parallel with the direction the wind or current is going)... then duck & swim under the surface when encountering thicker kelp patches.


Freediving itself is very unnatural to most (myself included)... it's an awkward proposition to lower your heart rate & relax while encountering a wide array of stimuli (need to breathe, seeing big fish, tangling in kelp, etc).  All this means is we have to focus on becoming part of the ocean instead of fighting it.  Freediving is a very zen experience; a continuous exercise in finding balance.  When you hit the point where you truly feel comfortable... it's like everything clicks & you're a part of the underwater world.  It's a beautiful feeling & why I love diving.   

Even after years of diving... I still feel "off" on certain days or dives.  Trying to just push through it almost always makes things worse and ends in increased frustration.  Taking a few moments to stop, clear your mind, & reset... make a world of difference. 






BTW, nice report - always love seeing food pics!   

Also you may want to be careful filleting your catch on the beach. I dont think F&G likes it. I may be wrong but theres some kind of rule like that on A party boats as well. May have to leave the skin partially attached for identification. ...Thanks for the food porn!

Yes, I think that fillets need to have a 1" square piece of skin attached if cleaned in the field, and there are minimum size restrictions for fillets from fish with size limits, like lings and halibut, greenling, and cabs.

That 1" square rule is if you are filleting onboard a vessel.  On the beach is essentially like at home, you are out of the water; so fillet away!

thanks for the input fellas.  definately all good things and advice.  now if i could just take a pill and do it.  I think i will do some more research on the fillet thing just to be sure but i was under the assumption that out of the water is out of the water.  no sense in getting popped for nothing though.  watching a show on polar bears now to see if i can be more like my cold watered twins.

i was under the assumption that out of the water is out of the water.  no sense in getting popped for nothing though. 

Let me know what you find out...my understanding is once you are back on land you are all good...just like if the rock at the beach where you filet the fish was the filet table/cleaning station at the pier...

Sincerely,

Jim