abalone diving in month of june

[queenlives]

I would definitely go for some bugs! If you ever get the itch to do some buggin or spearin, I'll volunteer to drive next time! -Josh

our son lives in LA... i'll see what he has to say about his availability and local dive spots... he may know someone / have a good place where they won't shoot visitors like us

as for spearing, we can always take scuba on a future cove trip, do our abs, then tank up and amble back out to look around... though that'll make for a very full single day trip... that's a good area for good ling and cabezon, both good-eating fish.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Am I going to have to quit my new job to go diving with you guys? :frown:

 

[Joshs]

our son lives in LA... i'll see what he has to say about his availability and local dive spots... he may know someone / have a good place where they won't shoot visitors like us

as for spearing, we can always take scuba on a future cove trip, do our abs, then tank up and amble back out to look around... though that'll make for a very full single day trip... that's a good area for good ling and cabezon, both good-eating fish.

Very impressive fish Hal! Sounds like you found one of those magic moments in space/time that I keep reading about.

The times I've gone diving with you, we're only in the water for an hour or so right? Last time I went we spent more time looking around, close to 2 hours.. If we limit out on abs quickly (~45 min), I bet we wouldn't be in the water all that long on a single tank, probably another hour? Another option is to skip breakfast in gville - I'm happy with some granola, yogurt, fruit etc, eat in the car or upon arrival... Also, I'm beginning to suspect that it might actually be faster to drive up the coast via bodega bay - that's the way google-maps suggests.. I dunno, just throwing stuff out there!

I was thinking about trying to grab some urchins next time too, seems like they can be pretty good eats. I'll have to doublecheck but someone said the limit on those was 35!

Can you get lobsters up north or do you really have to head down to So. Cal for them? I'd be up for a trip though! I lived in So. Cal for ~20 years so I consider myself a local there anyways

Do you have any extra spearguns? Can you suggest a good starting point for me purchasing one?

Am I going to have to quit my new job to go diving with you guys? :frown:

Well I'm not sure how much more time I can take off work for these trips, so I may have to stick to mostly weekends. I will make it work though - I'll take unpaid leave if I have to! My mind keeps telling me to quit and find some work that allows me more time for recreation... Maybe some day.

-Josh

 

[queenlives]

josh,

yep, right place, right time. i've had many other halibut days like that, but because it was always mainly my other buddy and i - always w/out a camera - we rarely took pics. (speaking of my other buddy, one time i watched him floating along in <2' of water along the shoreline where kids were walking / floating... suddenly i saw his speargun / arm raise up out of the water while he shot something - and he crawled to his knees / stood up w/a 20lb+ halibut on his spear.)

as for north coast diving, yep, i think we're typically ~1 hr shore-dive-shore; i would add another 1-2 hrs for a tank dive, including rest / tag post-ab, then tank, head back out. my best experience tank diving in that cove is out on the outer edges / entrances, so add to that surface paddling out (vs scuba out). good weather / relatively flat conditions, we could be out ~1-2 hrs.

re route: i can't imagine taking the coast all the way up there - there are so many variables that mapping software can't accurately factor in - landslides, wet, curvy roads from fog / drizzle, livestock crossing / blocking, roadwork - i've made that drive several times and while it's fun w/sports car / motorcycle, it's not w/a loaded suv (for me, anyway).

i'm okeydokey w/eating a lighter b'fast and beginning earlier - no biggee.

as for spearguns, 25+ years ago i converted from banded guns to pneumatic, though i believe most serious blue water hunters use long, banded guns; i found the powerful pneumatics (shorter than a similar impact 2-banded gun) had greater maneuverability in the close-in quarters of ledge / reef hunting for cabs / lings; were i to get in to more open ocean hunting, i'd probably opt for the longer, banded guns.

thinking through this a bit, i think i'd cruise the hunting forums for education and advice on what's available now... i'm sure it's changed in the 15 years since i've been a serious hunter / diver.

 

[Joshs]

josh,

yep, right place, right time. i've had many other halibut days like that, but because it was always mainly my other buddy and i - always w/out a camera - we rarely took pics. (speaking of my other buddy, one time i watched him floating along in <2' of water along the shoreline where kids were walking / floating... suddenly i saw his speargun / arm raise up out of the water while he shot something - and he crawled to his knees / stood up w/a 20lb+ halibut on his spear.)

as for north coast diving, yep, i think we're typically ~1 hr shore-dive-shore; i would add another 1-2 hrs for a tank dive, including rest / tag post-ab, then tank, head back out. my best experience tank diving in that cove is out on the outer edges / entrances, so add to that surface paddling out (vs scuba out). good weather / relatively flat conditions, we could be out ~1-2 hrs.

re route: i can't imagine taking the coast all the way up there - there are so many variables that mapping software can't accurately factor in - landslides, wet, curvy roads from fog / drizzle, livestock crossing / blocking, roadwork - i've made that drive several times and while it's fun w/sports car / motorcycle, it's not w/a loaded suv (for me, anyway).

i'm okeydokey w/eating a lighter b'fast and beginning earlier - no biggee.

as for spearguns, 25+ years ago i converted from banded guns to pneumatic, though i believe most serious blue water hunters use long, banded guns; i found the powerful pneumatics (shorter than a similar impact 2-banded gun) had greater maneuverability in the close-in quarters of ledge / reef hunting for cabs / lings; were i to get in to more open ocean hunting, i'd probably opt for the longer, banded guns.

thinking through this a bit, i think i'd cruise the hunting forums for education and advice on what's available now... i'm sure it's changed in the 15 years since i've been a serious hunter / diver.

Points taken..

I've been trolling the spearing boards a bit, so I'll keep watching those with regards to which gun to go for.

Also - what about doing a tank dive in santa cruz? No abalone of course, but I think there's plenty of fish to be had off shore? Much closer for us too... I have fantasies about moving to the Los Gatos mountains with the coast just 20 minutes away! Heck it's not much more than that right now where we live...

-Josh

 

[queenlives]

Am I going to have to quit my new job to go diving with you guys? :frown:

dang, that'd be ugly! (pls note that josh is doing a sat dive in sept)

 

[queenlives]

Also - what about doing a tank dive in santa cruz? No abalone of course, but I think there's plenty of fish to be had off shore? -Josh

yep, there are plenty of fish in the santa cruz / capitola / aptos area. my take is the water is pretty silty there, so viz is very, very limited... it seems that it would be less so around some of the larger kelp beds, but that's just a guess. also keep in mind that in the areas we'd be diving for fish, boats will likely be overhead *fishing*... in the sandy / halibut areas, i would expect them to be trolling.

urf, that wouldn't be fun.

perhaps you can learn more about this on the local boards....

 

[Joshs]

Doh, I was all excited to try getting some sea urchins next weekend, but it looks like Ocean Cove is now part of the Salt Point State Marine Conservation Area. Bummer.

You can still take abalone and finfish though.

As for spearing in monterey/carmel, looks like its a pretty popular place, and I don't think vis is as bad as you'd think. Especially when you get down towards big sur where there are no real rivers to make the water murky.. Santa Cruz i'm not sure sure about though. I've picked up some books that discuss the various sites and they sound pretty tempting!

-josh

 

[queenlives]

Doh, I was all excited to try getting some sea urchins next weekend, but it looks like Ocean Cove is now part of the Salt Point State Marine Conservation Area. Bummer.

You can still take abalone and finfish though.

As for spearing in monterey/carmel, looks like its a pretty popular place, and I don't think vis is as bad as you'd think. Especially when you get down towards big sur where there are no real rivers to make the water murky.. Santa Cruz i'm not sure sure about though. I've picked up some books that discuss the various sites and they sound pretty tempting!

-josh

re ocean cove, good for the resource to have a break.

i have made **several thousand** spearfishing tank dives in monterey / carmel, etc - that whole peninsula is wonderful, though it has its moments. iirc, i responded to your ? re diving santa cruz / capitola... i've never dove those areas, but my sense is they're more churned than clear on an average day.

 

[Joshs]

re ocean cove, good for the resource to have a break.

i have made **several thousand** spearfishing tank dives in monterey / carmel, etc - that whole peninsula is wonderful, though it has its moments. iirc, i responded to your ? re diving santa cruz / capitola... i've never dove those areas, but my sense is they're more churned than clear on an average day.

Right - you never said Monterey/etc had poor vis, my bad!

Regarding the closure - I agree it's good for the resource to have a break if it needs it. I'm not educated enough about the situation to know whether it does or not, but the consensus on the spearing boards seems to be that it's based on 'bad science'.. The cynic would assume that the hunting boards would always say no to closures, but I don't necessarily think that's the case. Oh well!

-Josh

 

[queenlives]

Regarding the closure - I agree it's good for the resource to have a break if it needs it. I'm not educated enough about the situation to know whether it does or not, but the consensus on the spearing boards seems to be that it's based on 'bad science'.. The cynic would assume that the hunting boards would always say no to closures, but I don't necessarily think that's the case. Oh well!

-Josh

likewise, i'm not educated on the subject. i'm not an urchin eater, so have no dog in the fight, as they say.

did you see this about the guy being brushed by a white? holy moly, indeed!

i've dove stillwater many times... we've always thought that area had its fair share of whites.

you know, bee keeping is really much, much tamer by comparison!

 

[Joshs]

likewise, i'm not educated on the subject. i'm not an urchin eater, so have no dog in the fight, as they say.

did you see this about the guy being brushed by a white? holy moly, indeed!

i've dove stillwater many times... we've always thought that area had its fair share of whites.

you know, bee keeping is really much, much tamer by comparison!

Oh geez. I hadn't seen that yet. That's less than 1 mile from where we go diving. I was just checking out Stillwater as an alternative site for urchins, as it's the next cove south Ocean Cove but out of the MPA. Yikes!!

-Josh

 

[Joshs]

I'm getting pretty pumped about the trip on Saturday!

We had one person drop out, so there's space for another if you're up for it! We'll be dropping by Bodega Bay Pro Dive enroute to pickup rental gear, so if Ken decided to join, he could get his wetsuit there if necessary.

We plan on cooking an ab on the spot after the dive, one of the guys is bringing a stove.

I've been reading a lot of threads on spearing, picked up some fish-ID books, and started reading 'Manual of Freediving: Underwater on a Single Breath'. Been dreaming about diving stuff every night for the last 2 weeks!

I also bought a basic pole-spear, so I may try that out as well. I'm not exactly sure whether I'll try to get abs and fish simultaneously, or if I should get my abs then switch to the spear. I need to re-read the regs on size limits for cabezon and ling cod, although I don't really have high hopes on getting one on my first time out with no experienced guide. Any other specific species I should keep an eye out for? I picked up some poly-pro rope to tie to the spear and maybe the ab iron, so I can easily drop one if necessary and retrieve it. I'm thinking I'll use around 30 feet... I'm a bit worried about entanglement in the kelp though..

I suggest you read this thread on some recent developments in the world of abalone and ling cod regulation. I just joined SCAN last night to support them: http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=111527

-Josh

 

[queenlives]

I'm getting pretty pumped about the trip on Saturday!
-Josh

have a great time, josh joanne made plans for us so i'm home-bound this weekend. thx for the point to scan - i read the thread and will join this weekend.

have a great time, josh - looks like the weather / water will be great!

hal

 

[Joshs]

Looks like it'll be a busy day at Ocean Cove tomorrow - the NorCal Underwater Hunters group are doing a 'Family Day' event there. So there should be plenty of divers in the water and experienced people to meet. Also doing a dinner (and overnite) but I'm not sure if we'll stay for that.

http://norcalunderwaterhunters.com/forum/index.php?topic=1981.0

-josh

 

[ChopsJazz]

Sorry guys, I'm so busy with school that I can't break away. And Saturday mornings I rehearse my Scout Band. Have fun and be safe!

 

[Joshs]

We had a great time yesterday!

Conditions were epic - it was like Lake Pacific with hardly any swells. The weather was beautiful with a clear sky. The campsite had a TON of people and campers, but despite being so busy there were not that many divers in the water - maybe a half dozen or so that I saw other than us 3. It didn't feel crowded at all. There were quite (maybe 12?) a few boats which were launched before we arrived and came in while we were out, but they must have gone up or down the coast because they didn't hang out near the cove.

I had no problem getting my limit of some decent sized abs in the 8" range. Unfortunately my 2 companions were unable to get any, as their diving skills were not up to par. One guy had several good chances and managed to get one but it was just a hair too small and had to be put back. He's pretty pumped though and wants to try again. He started getting the hang of it but towards the end he was pretty tired and eventually he decided to 'call' it. I could have stayed out all day though! The other guy couldn't seem to get down more than a few feet, and just isn't a strong enough swimmer to hunt abs. He spent pretty much the entire time on the float

They were persistent though, so I'll give them credit for that! We all stayed in the water for 3 full hours. In that time we went around the entire cove, even over by the rocky pinnacles where I'd never been before. The guy at Bodega Pro Dive suggested we check that area out, as he thinks that area is less fished-out. That area actually had some really great spots, and I feel like I did see generally larger abs over there compared to the other side of the cove we usually dive. Interestingly there were no urchins at all over there, while there were still urchins in our usual dive area. Abs were pretty plentiful, I could have gotten dozens if it were legal to do so.

For the last hour of diving I pulled out the polespear and went looking for some fish. I found a ling cod which which I could have easily gotten - he stayed so still I was able to measure him against my spear, and I determined that he was only about 20", so unfortunately (for me) he was a little too short. It was fun though - it's a very different mindset hunting for fish compared to abs.

I gave each of my companions an ab so no one went home empty handed. Gifting abs is totally legal, as long as you follow the regulations. I was the one who detached them from the rock, and I tagged them immediately upon exiting the water using my own tags, and followed the letter of the law. For more info on gifting abalone, check out this article: http://www.noozhawk.com/carrie_wilson/article/062809_outdoors_qa_how_to_properly_gift_abalone

The abalone laws are not a joke and I take them very seriously.

I had a chance to try out my new dive computer in freedive mode - here are a few stats:

93 dives over 3 hours : 11:24a - 2:29p

Longest: 1 min 10 sec., most dives in the 30-40 sec range, and most surface intervals between 40-60s.

Temp Range : High 56, Low : 52

Deepest: 26 feet

-Josh

 

[queenlives]

We had a great time yesterday!-Josh

that's a nice cove, isn't it, josh? sounds like you had great conditions... the kind that keep you in the water all day and when you're out of the water it's "kick-back city" on the rocks with the air in your hair. glad you got your abs and let the little ling live for another season - @ that point, they're all skin and bones (and guts

good for you, i'm really pleased you're enjoying diving so much and you had a great day!


hal

 

[Joshs]

Here are some pics from our excursion:

BTW those last 2 pics are of others cutting up their catch - those weren't my abs or fish being cleaned..

-Josh

 

[ChopsJazz]

Looks like a great day Josh. I'm jealous.

 

[Joshs]

Next trip is going to be Oct. 2 or Oct. 16 (both dates are Saturdays). I'm going to call it my Birthday Party I'm no longer concerned about going on a weekend, as I didn't feel the waters were too crowded last Saturday.

We'll probably stay overnight on Saturday, and head home Sunday after a second day of diving, but you guys are of course welcome to come just for the day if you're up for it! Hopefully I'll have my scuba gear all squared away by then so I may try for a tank dive.

We'll likely be camping. Although there are some rentals available right on the cove, most require a 2 night stay. I haven't looked at the hotel/motels however, perhaps those do single nights. Camping offers more flexibility on additional people coming without having to commit early enough to book.

I'll let you know which weekend it ends up being. I might even go both weekends if I can get it past the wifey, but only 1 weekend would be an overnighter.

http://www.vrbo.com/221799

http://www.vrbo.com/147928

http://www.vrbo.com/92924 (this 3-unit place is actually for sale too at $599k http://www.redfin.com/CA/Jenner/23308-Highway-1-95450/home/2480138 )

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california/north-coast/timber-cove


-Josh

 

[ChopsJazz]

I have a gig on Oct. 2 but I may be able to swing the 16th.

 

[Joshs]

I have a gig on Oct. 2 but I may be able to swing the 16th.

Great, I'll keep you posted as it develops!


-Josh

 

[Joshs]

Hit up Ocean Cove last Saturday, and boy what a difference!

8 foot swells, waves crashing along the rocks on the north side and in the cove, plus horrible vis! I guess I've been lucky every other time out there.

After we swam out, I did a couple test dives and visibility was near zero once you dove down towards the bottom. I was worried we would need to call it - it was impossible to see anything there.

On the surface you could barely see your fins. The water looked like egg-drop soup.

Eventually we found a spot on the edge of a clearing inside the kelp, where we could dive down, eventually run into the bottom around 22 feet, and still be able to see a couple feet around. It was dark but there was enough light so you could scan the rocks. The swells made for a fair amount of current, so it was a bit of a fight to stay in place during the rock examination.

It's a very different experience not being able to see the bottom until you hit it with your hand. And you really lose sense of how deep you are, cause you can't tell how fast you're descending.

We moved around a bit to the other side of the clearing, but in that area, when you got towards the bottom, there was so much dark detritus in the water that there was no way to see anything whatsoever. We went back to our spot on the good side of the clearing and finished up there.

I was able to get my limit (plus 1 short I put back) in 13 dives, and my buddy (who went last time and only got 1 short and no keepers) got his limit too. Unlike the other trips, I didn't have the desire to stay out longer, so I didn't even bother with the polespear.

I'm still going camping in 2 weeks - trying to find a rigid inflatable / dinghy type boat for that trip for the non-divers to go fishing.. I can't seem to find anywhere that rents them, but used ones go for only 1-2k, so I may end up buying one...

-Josh

 

[FogCityNSX]

likewise, i'm not educated on the subject. i'm not an urchin eater, so have no dog in the fight, as they say.

did you see this about the guy being brushed by a white? holy moly, indeed!

i've dove stillwater many times... we've always thought that area had its fair share of whites.

you know, bee keeping is really much, much tamer by comparison!

Isn't it White mating/feeding season right now?

I was looking at doing a cage dive at Farallon.