Evan Gatehouse wrote:
[snip]
We've used the following:

- spearfishing in Mexico and the Caribbean
- dragging a "meat line" - 200# test monofilament with a wire leader +
tuna feather when offshore
- crabbing in B.C.
- lots of donations from commercial fisherman
- trading/buying from local fisherman
- harvesting mussels/oysters in B.C.

- going for prawns in BC is a bit more work because they like waters
400' deep

We eat well

Evan Gatehouse

thanks everyone for the book and magazine suggestions, i'll check into
it.

evan, how successful are you when you drag the line, i'm curious about
it. i mean, do you get a fish a week doing that, one a day, one an
hour, how does it work out most of the time ? can you dependably catch
something to eat ? what size/type of a fish do you typically catch on
a drag line like this ?

i'd like to try spearfishing. i have some material i read about it but
i've never done it. i have all the gear though, except for the actual
speargun. i am not a very good free diver because i haven't really
worked out the whole ear equalization thing yet, but i've gone to the
pool a few times with my mask and snorkle and things and tried to get
past it. i recently got a weight belt too and have been learning to
use it. i only recently learned to "pre-equalize" by pushing air into
my ears before i dive and that has helped me a lot. i don't know why i
have so much trouble with it, but i do, it's embarrassing really! i
have trouble getting past about 10 feet, but even 10 foot depths are
better than before. before i learned what little equalization i can do
now i couldn't get past about 6 feet without my eardrums feeling like
they were going to explode. anyway, my little equalization trouble
aside, once i get past that i'd really like to do some freediving and
spearfishing. i understand that some people even do this in the deep
blue water fishing for things like yellowfin tuna, giant monster sized
fishes, but even if i was able i don't know that i'd ever try that ..
it's the monster sized white sharks that go along with them that worry
me! but i'd definitely spearfish along a reef.

i've never harvested oysters/mussels before. it sounds like you just
wait until low tide, walk out to where they are, and pry them off the
rocks. is that how you do it, or do you have some other method for
collecting them ? are they hard to find ?

purple_stars wrote:

i'd like to try spearfishing. i have some material i read about it but
i've never done it. i have all the gear though, except for the actual
speargun. i am not a very good free diver because i haven't really
worked out the whole ear equalization thing yet, but i've gone to the
pool a few times with my mask and snorkle and things and tried to get
past it. i recently got a weight belt too and have been learning to
use it. i only recently learned to "pre-equalize" by pushing air into
my ears before i dive and that has helped me a lot. i don't know why i
have so much trouble with it, but i do, it's embarrassing really! i
have trouble getting past about 10 feet, but even 10 foot depths are
better than before. before i learned what little equalization i can do
now i couldn't get past about 6 feet without my eardrums feeling like
they were going to explode.

Be very careful about equalization. If your ears hurt do _not_ force
it by going lower... or higher ... until you can equalize the pressure.

Google "barotrauma" and learn about how you can damage your ears with
overpressure.

As I write this I can hear the constant squeal of tinnitus which never
goes away. It is due to an aborted scuba dive in about 12' of water--
and I was lucky. AT least I can still hear.

Don W.

evan, how successful are you when you drag the line, i'm curious about
it. i mean, do you get a fish a week doing that, one a day, one an
hour, how does it work out most of the time ? can you dependably catch
something to eat ? what size/type of a fish do you typically catch on
a drag line like this ?

I'd say 1-2 fish a week is pretty typical. Varies tremendously with
the area we were in. Fish size is proportional to lure size. If you
drag a 12" lure, you're going for something too big! Something about
4" long worked well, catching say 10 lb fish like Dorado, tuna, etc.

i'd like to try spearfishing. i have some material i read about it but
i've never done it. i have all the gear though, except for the actual
speargun. i am not a very good free diver because i haven't really
worked out the whole ear equalization thing yet, but i've gone to the
pool a few times with my mask and snorkle and things and tried to get
past it.

(a) lots of practice during cruising makes perfect. I got so that I
could go down to 30' and just slowly cruise around for about a minute.
45' was the most I went down. Good long fins help enormously. THey
rocket you downward.

(b) equalize lots as you decend. If you wait too long, it gets
hard/impossible. Equalize more in the first 15' or so. (like 2-3 times)

aside, once i get past that i'd really like to do some freediving and
spearfishing. i understand that some people even do this in the deep
blue water fishing for things like yellowfin tuna, giant monster sized
fishes, but even if i was able i don't know that i'd ever try that ..

Yeah, I don't get that. I spearfish for food so a typical little 2-3
lb reef fish for supper is perfect for me.

i've never harvested oysters/mussels before. it sounds like you just
wait until low tide, walk out to where they are, and pry them off the
rocks. is that how you do it, or do you have some other method for
collecting them ? are they hard to find ?

Yes, in short. Mussels like vertical pilings too but I wouldn't pick
them in a harbour. These are cold water creatures so you won't find
them in the tropics.

Evan Gatehouse

Equalization is keeping the air in your middle ear at about the
same pressure/volume as the other air inside you and the water
around you.

As you go deeper, you will need to 'pump' minimal amounts of
air into your middle ear by the process you describe as pre-equalizing.

Keep doing it while going down as soon as your ears tell you to.
Pre-equalizing all at once for a deeper skin dive would hurt quite a
bit.

On the way up, the extra air expands and needs to get out of your
middle ear. It usually goes all by itself, you just feel a slight
pressure
and kear a slight clicking noise.

If you feel pain on the way up, try going back down a bit or to at
least
stay level, and swallow several times, yawn, or wiggle your jaw to help

the air out.

If you still experience problems after a bit of practice, you can try
hot Thai food, decongestants, or an ENT specialist. Don't force it,
a small congestion in the Eustachian tube can easily be stronger
than an eardrum.