FATHOMIERS NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 FATHOMIERS NEWSLETTER FREEDIVING SPEARFISHING COMPETITION SINCE 1957 REMINDER: No meeting on February only the Banquet. BANQUET STARTS AT 6:00 PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Saturday February 18, Time: 6:00 pm Location: Elks Club Redondo Beach Address: 315 Esplanade, Redondo Beach CA The Elks Lodge is located on the South east corner of Veterans Park and the intersection of Catalina and Torrance Blvd. NO COST TO PARTICIPATE!!!!! This is a POT LUCK event and in the past few years it has been very successful thanks to the participation of our current Fathomier members and their families. If you plan to participate to the dinner please bring one of the following items; H'odouerves, appetisers, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, home made dishes are always welcomed. February, 2006 Inside this issue: Minutes, board contacts 2 currents 2 Competition points Calendar 4& 5 Pic of the month, calendar 6 World Record YFT 7 World record, continued. World record YFT pictures 8 9 PLEASE HELP STOP THE CARNAGE!!! My good friend and teammate from the nationals, John Iwanec has evidently started a commercial fishing operation. As much as I love and admire John, I feel that his abilities as a diver will greatly deplete the target species he is now catching. I have obtained spy photos of John s recent netting operation off the Kaneohe Bay Sand bar. He is my friend, and so I am torn as to wether I should post these pictures to show how much damage he is doing to the local area, which is one of my favorite places since my childhood days. BE FOREWARNED!!!! The pictures are NOT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED, SQUEAMISH, OR FOR CHILDREN!!! I hope you will all join me in requesting that John cease his relentless operation, and leave something to catch for the rest of us. I hope it is not too late. SEE PAGE 6 FOR THE PICS If you can handle it. Special points of interest: My computer still sucks. But I have a patch, so it is better!!! Yes, special to me. Page 6 are you BLIND????

2 The Fathomiers Newsletter is the official monthly publication of the Los Angeles Fathomiers The Fathomiers is a Southern California club dedicated to Freediving and Competitive Spearfishing. Membership is open to the public. To become an Active member, you must fulfill obligations and conditions. You can also become an Associate Member for $20. Contact the Fathomiers for further information. PRESIDENT CONTACT NUMBERS Erik Banados fathomier@socal.rr.com VICE PRESIDENT Randy Weston seaholic@aol.com SECRETARY Stathis Kostopoulos kostop@earthlink.net TREASURER Mike Petrusko mpplumbing@earthlink.net RECORDER Mark Navas mcnavas@msn.com CONSERVATION Skip Hellen NEWSLETTER Paul Romanowski rojodiablo@verizon.net Editor s adress:17212 Ash st. Huntington Bch. Ca Editor s note: Since this position is voluntary, I will edit, and delete crap as I see necessary. Any and all complaints can either be kept to yourself, or you can take the job, freeing up miles of my time for my diving exploits. Please send pics in the form of jpeg, or on disk. All stories are welcome. To the SPONSORS, A Thank You Not wanting to DISS, or MISS anyone, I am posting all our frequent sponsors. Thank you for supporting us, as we in turn support you!!! Sport Chalet M&B wetsuits Riffe Picasso Daryl Wong In Depth Sea D sea Hammerhead Muzzles Long Beach Neptunes Beach Cities Scuba Dive and Surf JMJ Wetsuits Blue water hunter Rabbitek Mori Jan.2006 Minutes Meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by president Erik Banados. Visitors introduced themselves. Officers gave their reports. The club worked on locations for the next few dives, Banquet issues like food and timing, and had a presentation by Skip Hellen on weather and water clarity, supported by several satellite photos. As usual from Skip, an excellent presentation! Stathis showed us exactly why he is THE MAN!!! with a pictorial on his trip to Costa Rica, and his capture of the World Record for Yellowfin Tuna. CURRENTS Not much to report, as there has been little action lately. Oh wait. A guy fell overboard while he was on his way to Catalina, SOLO. His boat crashed into the island, and a friend recognized the boat. A search party went looking for him, and he was found hanging onto a buoy mid channel, approx. 9 miles from L.A. Harbor. For him, it was a life changing experience. For most who this happens to, it is a LIFE ENDING experience. He had bad hypothermia, but that was all. Wether a boat or a kayak, don t let the boat get away! If you are running solo, and you have to pee, or check something mechanical, slow the boat down to a crawl if you leave the helm. It is prudent, and may save your life. Any vessel with no one at the wheel can veer off course, and a cross swell could magnify this situation, and you may well end up overboard. If the boat is on autopilot, it will leave without you, and crash right into its destination, or run until it is out of fuel. And you are swimming. Redondo Beach Where the girls are pretty, but the water is shitty! Sewage spills have closed the beaches from Manhattan Beach through Redondo, and the closure is on/ off again as testing shows high bacteria levels. Bottom line, DO NOT EAT filter feeders from this area for several months to be safe. Lobster, clams, scallops, mussels. And if you dive there, clean your wetsuit and your ears very well. And finally: DO NOT dive with a joke depicting Mohammed on your Kayak. They will riot, and burn your kayak, or throw rocks at your car. This applies especially to all Dutch divers who may read this! Page 2

3 January 2006 Competitive Results Al Shuck points.brandon,3. Fil2 Paul,1. Rich2 Zoilo1 Fil comes up with a nice 13lb sheephead to start the year off in fantastic fashion for him. Al Shuck trophy is now wide open, as anyone who knows, getting that 4th point is very difficult. If Richard and Fil stick to the club dives, Brandon will truly have to earn his first trophy. This may well be a very exciting year of competition diving. The meet was held at Lunada Bay, and though weather was good, as was vis, there were just not many big fish around. Fil showed up late, but he didn t need much time to get the job done!! Clint was 2nd, Richard was 3rd. Diver Jan Feb March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct Nov. Dec Totals Stand ing Fil Labastida Clint Koberstein Richard Balta Mark Navas Petros Y(t) Ryan Moore Carlos Serret Mike Thomas John Hanson Zoilo Velasquez Ernie Shultz Craig D. (t) Randy Weston Vol.?? No. 9 Page 3

4 Los Angeles Fathomiers 2006 Club Schedule January 01/12 Thursday Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 01/29 Sunday Club Dive / Lunada Bay, Palos Verdes / 8:00 am/ 3 fish meet. February 02/18 Saturday Fathomiers Awards Banquet 6:00 pm Elks Lodge 315 Esplanade ave. Redondo Beach CA /26 Sunday Club Dive / Reef Point, Laguna Beach / 8:00am/ 10 fish meet. March 03/09 Thursday Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 03/12 Sunday Club Dive Palos Verdes Scramble, Staging and Weigh at Malaga Cove. 8:00am/1:00pm 03/15 Wednesday WSB One per day limit 03/22 Thursday Lobster Season Closes April 04/09 Sunday Club Dive / Location (TBA) 04/13 Thursday Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza May 05/07 Sunday Club Dive / Location (TBA) 05/11 Thursday Club Meeting / 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza Annual Club Auction! 05/14 Mother s Day 05/29 Memorial day June 06/04 Sunday Club Dive / (TBA) 06/08 Thursday Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 06/10 Saturday NEPTUNES Blue Water Meet. Catalina Island 06/15 WSB one sea bass limit ends 06/18 Father s day July 07/04 Independence Day 07/09 Sunday Club Dive / Location (TBA) 07/12 PEACE Boat / Freediving trip to Santa Cruz/Rosa Call DIVE Departs 2 am 07/13 Thursday Club meeting/ Assign Scramble meet duties / 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 07/19 Wednesday NATIONALS in Fort Lauderdale Florida 07/22 Saturday Tri-Club Beach Dive Meet / Dana Point/SaltCreek/Orange County/ San Diego Freedivers/ Neptunes/ Fathomiers August 08/10 Thursday Club meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 08/21-23 PEACE Boat / Freediving trip to Cortez Bank Call DIVE Departs 9pm/20 th 08/12 Saturday Club Dive / Scramble Meet Page 4

5 08/20 GLACD Meet/ Location (TBA)** 08/26 Saturday San Diego Freedivers Blue Water Meet September 09/04 Labor day 09/05-06 PEACE Boat / Freediving trip to Cortez Bank Call DIVE Departs 9pm/4 th 09/09 Saturday Randy Fry Memorial Spearfishing Tournament Fundraiser 09/14 Thursday Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 09/16 Saturday Tri-Club Beach Dive Meet / Leo Carrillo State Beach Malibu/ San Diego Freedivers/ Neptunes/ Fathomiers 09/17 Sunday GLACD dive meet and Fathomier Club Dive/ Location (TBA)** 09/23 Saturday Pacific Coast Championships Cambria California October 10/07 Lobster Season Opens 10/08 SUNDAY Club Dive / Charlie Stugill Memorial Pole Spear Meet * 10/12 Thursday Club Meeting 7:30 pm Round Table Pizza 10/15 GLACD Meet/ Location (TBA)** World Spearfishing Championships in Porturgal 10/31 Halloween November 11/09 Thursday Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 11/12 Sunday GLACD dive meet and Fathomier Club Dive/ Location (TBA)** 11/11 Veterans day 11/24 Thanksgiving day December 12/08 Club Meeting 7:00 pm Round Table Pizza 12/10 Sunday Larry Staat Memorial Pole Spear Meet* location (TBA) 12/25 Christmas Day * Pole Spear Only ** GLACD Meets Vol.?? No. 9 Page 5

6 Next Club Meetings February...Banquet. Sat, Feb. 18. Thurs, March 9. Round Table pizza. Club Dives: Feb. 26 Reef Point, Laguna. 10 fish meet. March 12, PV meet. Open PV location format, weigh in at Malaga cove. 3 fish meet. The pic of the month!! STATHIS WHO??? Go John Iwanec!!! Catch me one while you are at it!!!!

7 Yellowfin Tuna lbs By Stathis Kostopoulos December 2005 After a year of rough, unproductive, and skunked tuna trips, my stubborn Balkan determination finally paid dividends in a big way. I guess it is retribution for the efforts, the research, the endless hours making gear, the endless hours in the water, and all the hassles. Tuna trips are expensive, unpredictable, hard to plan, plagued with organizational problems, cancellations, changes, etc. Tuna hunting requires time, money, physique, top gear, and of course luck. But most importantly, it requires strength. Because it is strength that makes all other values possible; nothing survives without it. Strength gets you to maintain your focus when faced with adverse or impossible conditions. I still remember my first tuna trip for the giant bluefins of the Aegean. When I saw these beasts breaching, my heart was pounding so hard that the loading pad almost came off my suit. Many years have passed since then. I have learned many valuable lessons, some of them the hard way. Last month we returned to Costa Rica. Despite the first day being blown out with 30 knots wind, 6-foot wind waves, murky waters, and limited fish action, on day two I had a peaceful easy feeling. We were diving 50 miles from shore. We had located a large school of spotted dolphins traveling with schools of yellowfin tuna below. Visibility was about 50 feet, a bit darker and somewhat hazy at 45 feet. Current was weak. Swell was small. It was sunny, with little wind from the north. Water temp 81F. I was using my Kitto tuna gun, 65, 17 lbs without the shaft, front and back wings, four bands 5/8, a 3/8 shaft, 7x7 coated cable, Alexander slip-tip 5 tricut. I had a 75 bungee, homemade with Mullins materials, and 2x1 stretch. At the end of my bungee I had 2 Rob Allen hard buoys 11 L each, and lastly one Riffe torpedo buoy, all daisy-chained. I was in top shape as I had been diving every week in California for the last couple of months. We attempted the first dive on the school. Me and Greg were the first to dive. While waiting on the boat I was breathing rhythmically, slowly exhaling with pressure in order to condition my lungs before the jump. As soon Page 7

8 as the boat stopped I jumped in the water. Took one breath and I was on my way down. I was descending at an angle so that I can see more on the way down. At 20 feet I saw a group of spotted dolphins go by. At 30 feet I saw two tuna, probably around 100 lbs coming from my left. I let these go by and I continued my descent. Then I saw this much larger tuna at 45 feet down also coming from my left! I swam towards it and took aim. At this point the fish veered a bit towards me. I shot it aiming behind the right eye. The spear hit it besides the first dorsal fin and penetrated about 2 feet at a 45-degree angle. The tuna took off at a steady speed and I could see that my spear had entered right by the dorsal fin and toggled somewhere inside the fish. I went for the surface and grabbed the buoys. The tuna kept swimming at a steady 1 to 2 knots speed. It took down the first RA float and the second one for some time. It never pulled down the Riffe float. The crew saw me skiing and followed me from a safe distance. The captain asked if I wanted to drop off my gun, but I said no; it is good practice, and a good defense if a shark shows up. Half way through the hunt the tuna picked up speed, up to 4 knots. I was leaving a wake behind me. Still only the first two RA floats were pulled down. After about half an hour into the fight the fish stopped. The first buoy was still pulled down, and the second RA partially pulled. I could not see the fish as the bungee was stretched to almost 150 feet. I started pulling the bungee and clipping it with the tuna clip. When I got to the cable, I could see the tuna was not moving. I then realized that this is a very big tuna! I asked the crew for the second gun. I loaded the Wong 120cm eurostyle gun with one band, 7mm shaft and a small slip-tip, and went down. I shot the fish on the spine and the blood poured out; the fish was dead. I then went up and started pulling the float line of the second gun. It was hard work as the tuna had a net buoyancy of -35 or -40 lbs. My Matrix fins were working overtime, very successfully indeed. When the tuna hit the surface I grabbed it by both pectoral fins and rode it back to the boat. The crew gaffed it through the mouth and pulled it on board. (this part is caught on video). We then measured the fish. It was 79 long and girth 58. We removed the first spear, somewhat easily. The killgun s slip tip though, was firmly embedded in the spine of the fish. Since this was the only kill gun for my friends, we tried to get the kill-gun shaft out. We cut a 12 gash in order to remove the kill-gun s slip-tip. But it was impossible; the slip-tip had gone through the spine very tightly. So we cut the slip tip cable, and we would use my tuna gun as a kill gun in case. Captain Richard did some calculations and said that the weight of the fish would be at least 311 lbs, in which case this would be a new world record! We put a wet towel onto the fish trying to keep it wet until the weigh in. But the fish lost a lot of blood and juices from the oversize cut. Using Terry s formula the weight would be 58x58x79/800 = 332 lbs. The weigh-in The weigh-in proved to be quite an adventure. Since there are no marinas with scales, we went to the beach. We tied 2 buoys on the tuna s head and 1 at the tail. We then dragged the fish onto shore with a dingy. At the beach we used two posts and four of us carried it on our backs. It was real heavy! A local man used his truck to load the fish and move it to the weighing tree. We did another measurement on the truck. It was 79 inches long and girth 58 inches. We found a big tree, and threw a rope and pulley with hooks. We then hooked up our certified scale. A four-foot black rope ½ which would be tied to the tail of the fish was used the zero out the scale. Then the giant tuna was hoisted up and the scale showed lbs, exactly as captain Richard estimated! Using the formula as a benchmark, we conclude that the fish potentially lost as much as 20 lbs of blood and juices within the 7 hours until the weigh in. The scale has been certified on Jan There were at least four witnesses to the catch and at least 10 witnesses of the weigh-in. We then cut the fish and fed the whole village. One of my most memorable days in the ocean. Vol.?? No. 9 Page 8

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