Broke one of my own rules - I dived with Hunters....

[Diver Dennis]

I'm not talking a about a big guy. I'm talking about the person that can't yank themselves up the swimstep unless they take off their BC.

I'm not talking about someone with a few extra LBs who may get a bit winded from a long surface swim as a result of a poorly navigated return dive. I'm talking about someone who is completely unable to manage the even most modest surface swim and demands to be picked up by the chase boat.

I'm not talking about the unfit. I'm talking about the person who can't manage their own rig from the bench to the gate, and needs to don it in the water.

A morbidly obese person can't get themselves out of a jam - there is no way they're getting me out of a jam, or towing me back to the boat, etc. You gotta see the differences between a hefty fellow and the morbidly obese.

Diving with this type of diver is simply not an option for me. Been there, done that, no thank you.

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Ken

It's not only the really fat guys to look out for, I dove last week with a "Superdiver" who looked like he was in pretty good shape but not only was he not as experienced as he said he was but sucked his tank down in 23 minutes. I'm always wary of not only "Superdivers" but the guy who might look like he is in shape but my Grandmother could outrun. I also dove with a quite overweight fellow with one arm named Cliff who was a great buddy with terrific air management who I would dive with anytime.

 

[drbill]

I agree with Rule #3. There are only two exceptions... I'll dive with my nephew (David Hunter) and I'll dive with any of my long-established dive buddies (like Andrea) IF they are hunting because they know how to keep out of my frame and how to keep me out of spear range (now if she wants to reachg out and grab me, like a lobster, I can live with that!).

Back in the early 80's I was speared in the thumb by a hunter. He told me my thumb looked like a giant sea bass. I knew things were larger than they appear underwater, but this was a ridiculous exaggeration... at least BEFORE his spear caught my thumb. It did swell up after that!

 

[simbrooks]

Anyone who's been here awhile knows my three basic dive buddy rules:

3) I won't buddy up with a hunter

I wrote rule number 3 for Lobster Hunters... notoriously poor buddies. I've never dived with people with, you know, loaded weapons before. I thought how bad can this be...

Hmmm, well its not the first time you have dove with a hunter IIRC - something about Jenny getting out of air after 100 mins on a 57cuft tank that was only 2/3 full at around 20ft. You seemed to like being a floodlight just like me and Jaye that night

As for Mark diving with you, good guy, great in the water, i know you know each other from way back, but i have been diving with him more recently

I know what you mean though, RB divers, hunters, photographers (if more than snap shots), and i too have had run ins with extremely obese people (myself, my BMI is over 30, clinically obese, but everyone i know just doesnt agree with that rating - hence you calling me stork boy ).

 

[SHARKBAIT94]

We all seem to have the same rules when diving. I tend to agree with diver Dennis, the supper divers make me a tad leery or the real cocky SOB that walk around spouting out all the glorious dive that they’ve had and start acting like they are the gods of scuba, you know who you are, you don't impress anyone but your self and that cronies that’s humping your tank. Rule one we were taught "your only as safe as your buddy" they maybe great divers but are horrible under pressure or a little problem is a huge mountain to them. Then there are these divers that I just want to crush their skulls in with my tank or a spare spade shovel when they sit their and spout out “I’ll never dive with a newbe or a “green fin” and that’s fine, plenty of competent divers who have diving a long time and enjoy helping probes learn the way of the bubble. Some people only have scuba and want to make them self’s feel better by putting down others. What ever helps them lay their head on the pillow at night.

 

[Rick Inman]

The dive was mercifully short because these guys are MOTORING around this reef. I mean, I've never seen anyone dive so fast. KICK KICK KICK KICK and hoovered through most of their gas. Plus there were no fishy targets to skewer. But what an ugly profile - up down up down up down... Yikes.

Really? I'm not a hunter, but the ones I've seen (live and on Memorex) move very slow. They stock their pray, almost seeming to wait until the prey comes to them. They cover very little territory, and appear to move in stealth mode.

Maybe that explains why there were no fishy targets to skewer.

 

[Mo2vation]

Really? I'm not a hunter, but the ones I've seen (live and on Memorex) move very slow. They stock their pray, almost seeming to wait until the prey comes to them. They cover very little territory, and appear to move in stealth mode.

Maybe that explains why there were no fishy targets to skewer.

I was thinking I was in for a long, mellow last dive. Contestent number one came wizzing my me and my shivering buddy on dive 2, and I thought he was just in the mood to race or something. I was pretty surprised to see him going all Breedlove past us. We were over open water, and I figured he was just trying to get someplace.

I figured these guys would approach the reef with great care, silence and stealth, poke around, blast something and we'd finish a dive. They were poking deep into holed with little flash lights and guns extended, rooting around, then leaving to go look under the next ledge, etc.

Maybe I was just with some bad hunters. On dive one, bachelor number one came back wif two small sheephead and some red rockfish.

Whatever. I need to just say no next time.

---
Ken

 

[padiscubapro]

Anyone who's been here awhile knows my three basic dive buddy rules:

1) I won't buddy up with a Rebreather diver

2) I won't buddy up with the mobidly obese

3) I won't buddy up with a hunter


So this weekend I'm diving in the No Channel Islands. And the dive boat I'm on does 4 dives on Sat. I'm in a dry suit, intended buddy is diving wet. After the 3rd dive, buddy announces they're cold and want to sit out number 4.

Fine. I'll insta-buddy myself onto someone else.

So there was this group of really nice guys we were talking with between dives on the trip. Intellegent, fit, funny, engaging, sweet guys. I'm all, "cool. I'll hang with these two on dive 4..." I know they're hunting (spearguns) but I figure its no biggie - I'll just hang out and hover over them out of the way...I mean, I need a back up gas supply, and these guys seem competent and experienced enough. They were cool with it, so there it is.

I wrote rule number 3 for Lobster Hunters... notoriously poor buddies. I've never dived with people with, you know, loaded weapons before. I thought how bad can this be...

I need to stick to my own rules.

The dive was mercifully short because these guys are MOTORING around this reef. I mean, I've never seen anyone dive so fast. KICK KICK KICK KICK and hoovered through most of their gas. Plus there were no fishy targets to skewer. But what an ugly profile - up down up down up down... Yikes.

I was looking at my download today, and noticed I was all saw tooth, up to about the 8 minute mark - then I decided to chill out and hover over them and not follow them around. I kept my HID18 beam within their site, so they always knew where I was - and after a few minutes they got the idea to stop swinging around and look for me (with associated speakgun swinging) and just hunt while I hovered like a helecopter over the next LA high-speed pursuit.

It was OK. It was short. I probably could have selected a buddy who was more into diving and less into scurrying about - but these were good guys and I picked the divers and not the diving, you know. Dive 4 was sort of a wash. It was my own fault. Lesson learned.

I gotta follow my own rules.

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Ken

Doesn't sound like any spearfisherman That I know.. I used to spear fish myself alot..
The best move very slowly, find a good spot where they can ambush their prey... If your arter somethiing that doesn;t move alot you have to cover a bit more ground, but concentrated searches in a small area work the best..


Rule#1 really son't necessary, if you just talk to the diver.. There are really only a few things an OC diver needs to know about RBs in general.. But first you have to split SCRs and CCR.. I would stay away from any RB diver that does not have sufficient bailout that tells me they are risk takers... A RB diver with the proper bailout has lots of gas to donate in an emergency.. I know I HAVE handed off my bailout bottles to OC divers on more than one occasion... Usually its a malfunctioning deco reg, but I have also handed off bottom gas...


I know when I buddy up with an OC diver (Unless they have dove with me before) I go through about a 5 minute "orientation" telling them what to expect, and a few important things like how to operate the mouthpiece in an emergency.. Go over what bailout I carry and what is best for them.. If the diver is not willing to do this, even if they were on OC I doubt they are good buddies.. The same the should be handled by RB divers of different models, they need to know how they have their systems set up.. Equipment matching is an important excercise that should be done whether its OC-OC, OC-RB or RB-RB. You should always know your buddies gear...

 

[Snowbear]

The dive was mercifully short because these guys are MOTORING around this reef. I mean, I've never seen anyone dive so fast. KICK KICK KICK KICK and hoovered through most of their gas. Plus there were no fishy targets to skewer. But what an ugly profile - up down up down up down... Yikes.

LOL - this underwater hunting method is about as effective as the bow hunter after an elk who is charging and crashing through the woods hoping to stumble upon his prey.

Patience and stealth will likely yield more meat on the grill, wether from under or above the wet stuff

 

[eandiver]

I go even slower spearfishing than when I'm taking pictures......I've had people check my carotid for a pulse while looking for a good photo.