Breakwater fishermen, love em or hate em?

[jchaplain]

I dive and fish..although lately dive a lot more than fish....but anyway, Breakwater is a big place. If you stay away from the wall when there are fishermen there then there won't be any problem. I've dove at Breakwater several times and that works for me.

I take the danger of getting hooked very seriously. Getting hooked really sucks because at best you may well have to go to the emergency room to get that hook out because of the barb, and forget the damage to a suit because at worst you could get it in the eye.
You should see the size of some of the treble hooks available!!!! Would scare the heck out of you. Really, be smart, stay out of range. You can't win the battle about who should be there or who was there first. Personally if I was fishing I would NO WAY fish were people were diving and I don't think they should be able to either, but there isn't any law so we have to deal with the reality of the danger at hand.

Up here where I live and normally dive in New England we have the same problem at some dive sites. They usually can't cast out very far and I dive outside of that range.
It's too darn dangerous! And here it's the lobstermen you have to worry about too.

But...when the fishermen are gone I've been able to pick up some lures that they lost due to snags...etc..!

John C.

Just wanted to see where you guys/gals stood on fisherman dangling their lines off of the Breakwater wall while there are tons of divers in the water.

Big swells caused us to ditch our Monastery dive plan yesterday and head over to Breakwater. Of course there were a million divers there as usual, which is why I won't normally go there. Of my 100 + dives in Monterey, I only have about 6 at Breakwater from shore. Anyways, there were quite a few fishermen casting their lines along the wall. I noticed a few lines and avoided them like the plague, I really wanted to pull out my shears and take care of that problem, but I resisted. With crappy vis like we had yesterday, I didn't see every fishing line that I passed. Just frustrates me a bit knowing that a hook could come and puncture my $2000- drysuit.

Disclaimer-I don't dislike fishermen or hunters, I just have a problem with them fishing when tons of divers are around.

Mel

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

The roots and power structure of the City of Monterey are
in fishing. It's highly unlikely they would ban fishing from
the BW.

 

[Brian Gilpin]

Maybe we should all carry surgical shears for when we see a possible entanglement hazard.

 

[jumsted65]

Maybe we should all carry surgical shears for when we see a possible entanglement hazard.

Good point, which prompts me to share a bit more of my experience getting hooked. The fisherman who caught my thumb obviously thought I was a fish, set the hook and started reeling me in. This was my first dive with a new gear configuration, and I was solo, a practice which I've abandoned lately for several reasons. Reached for my knife which was too fouled up with my weightbelt, bagged that idea, then just broke the light line with my hand. I wished for shears after finding the barbed hook caught in my glove. I was finally able to wiggle it out without mangling the new glove and continued the dive, which was excellent from that point forward.

I like to avoid breakwater anymore for a number of reasons other than fishing, but it's a great place to test new gear and work on skills like getting used to new doubles

The metridium field is cool and off the beaten path for newbies, so I'll be there Friday for my third doubles dive, and hopefully a night dive along the wall. After swimming to Granite Pt. Wall yesterday and going just beyond my comfort zone, 81ft/68 mins. (with a trusted Big Dog diver) Breakwater should be a welcome, mellow experience. Hope the swell dies down a bit...

Ain't SCUBA fun?

Josh

 

[Rick Inman]

Maybe we should all carry surgical shears for when we see a possible entanglement hazard.

I got hooked in the leg on a night dive at Breakwater. My fault. I got too close (shallow) to the area where I saw them fishing before the dive. The hook went into my neoprene dry suit and I could feel the tip poking my leg, but it never went all the way in. My wife was walking along the breakwater when it happened, following my dive light. She said that the fisherman was very distraught at hooking me, very apologetic and polite to my wife, and he cut his own line before I could get my knife out. I guess when he saw my light approaching the spot he was fishing, he started reeling in and that's when he hooked me.

 

[archman]

Also keep im mind that Breakwater is part of the Ed Rickets(sp?) marine reserve which is a no take zone for divers, basically look but dont touch which I have no problem with. Yet people are alllowed to fish there.

Is this true? I've never heard of a "no-take" MPA that permitted fishing. 'Course hardly anything in marine policy surprises me anymore.

 

[Dryglove]

Is this true? I've never heard of a "no-take" MPA that permitted fishing. 'Course hardly anything in marine policy surprises me anymore.

I was told by a game warden that there is a city ordinance that does not allow speafishing within that zone. Now here is the kicker. I was told that it is enforced by the city and not so much by DFG. DFG enforces that the catch is legal. But i am sure they would be happy to turn you over to the local authorities though.

There were also some threads posted on this a while back somewhere. I'll see if i can dig them up. Its kinda like the weird set up at lovers point that only allows diving during certain on hours on certain days on half the beach.

 

[Dryglove]

More info on the Ed ricketts reserve "no take zone"

http://www.rickettsreserve.org/ricketts/index.html

 

[fishnchips]

I really enjoy diving at Breakwater and do not want to see what happen to Lover's cove happen to Breakwater as well. I do not understand why anyone in their right mind would suggest cutting fisherman's line. Is it possible to learn to co-exist? What is going on here? Cutting lines and declaring war?? Keep in mind the fisherman has as much right as scuba divers to use the facility and the ocean. If you drive your car into someone's car, what would you do? If you scuba dive and swum into someones line, is it the fisherman's fault or yours. Yes I was hooked before but i never blame the fisherman. I tried to untangle myself without cutting his line, but he was kind enough to cut the line himself. I felt sorry that he lost his takle and weight so I picked up some lead weights that stuck to the rocks and gave to the fisherman during my Surface interval. Whether you have a Shear or a knife, please use it only when you have to free yourself. I don't see any necessity in going about and cut the fishermans' line for the sake of it. It is a big ocean, please learn to share it with others.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

That ricketsreserve.org site is what the site builders would LIKE the Ed Ricketts Park to
be. In reality, the only thing that is forbidden is spearfishing from the beach. It's a city
park, and the city lacks the legal authority to regulate take offshore. It can say no
spearguns on the beach. This was tested in a court case shortly after the park was
established.