WarrenZ
The Ultimate Bad Example
Hi from New Mexico. San Carlos is fun never been to rocky point but softened lots of time in San Carlos.
New guy from New Mexico
- Thread starter CycleCat
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WarrenZ
The Ultimate Bad Example
Not lately lake is very low and bad vis. Lea lake and blue hole/perch are better. Maybe heron lake in the north.
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@CycleCat
A Texican moving to San Carlos....
I cant recall the last time I read or responded to a new diver post
Something - some unknown force drew me here.
1) My great greats departed Tennessee with Davey Crockett for Texas. One killed at Alamo one became a state senator under Sam Houston . While on a cattle drive to Missouri a son meets and marries my great grand mother, first son was Sam In honor of Sam Houston,,, that began the Sams in our family with a certain amount of Texican heritage
2) In 1955 Ernesto Zarazota organized and promotes the first (and only) Mexican- American Spearfishing meet at San Carlos -- The Americans won all the trophies, The meet was won by the team of the late greats Howard Patton and John Gaffney the future founder of NASDS.
3) In 1955 I was a young USAF officer stationed at Luke AFB in Phoenix and a was a fish out of water. The word of the meet reached several of us who identified as "divers" via an article in Skin Diver Magazine (SDM).
We decided to make CO2 powered spear guns ala the one created by the great Bill Barada (LA CO UW Instructor) in 1936.and head for this place called San Carlos
With completed but never tested spear guns in hand we zoomed down to Bahia De San Carlos. After considerable searching we located the entrance:. a business card size sign stating BSC and with an arrow pointing towards the Playa (Spanish = beach.) With out meeting a soul on the road we drove down a dusty rutted road to the Bay .and set up camp.
Two wonderful days of spearing in the pristine clear waters of San Carlos- but all good things come to an end and it was back to Luke AFB amd our USAF duties . As a group we never returned to San Carlos.
3) In 1957 I was separated from the service and returned to my beloved OC in SoCal and resumed my hobby of recreational diving. By then the wet suit had been developed and diving was emerging. I immediately entered into instruction and was aciive in free diving spearfishing
I began returning to San Carlos on a regular basis several years later to rid the bay of as many fish as possible. Every year there was an ever increasing amount of civilization creeping into the bay: first a few trailers, then permanent structures and finally around the mid 1960s the bay became crowded with boats and a "Yacht Club" was in place and operational.
'
A then and us attitude prevailed - the campers were all camping on a small hill and the trailer & permanent residents in their small community and never the twain shall meet or mingle.
I recall my last trip to the Bay as if it was yesterday....I camped next to a group of Texans who were pole fisherman and had never seen a spearfisherman. It is no secret that a pole fisherman can catch any and all fish fish day and night as opposed to a Spearfisherman who is limited by water conditions and is a selective fisherman.
I was determined to demonstrate what Spearfisherman could do so early one morning I set off with trusty Bottom Scratcher Spear gun in hand and trailing my float I dove deep (free diving) and I dove often. I returned with a float full of big fish -- that even impressed the Texican pole fishermen
The biggest was a relatively large 38 pound Red Snapper. Pictures were snapped. the fish was cleaned, bar b qued to be shared and enjoyed by all the campers as my appreciation for a week well spent with new pole fishing friends.
The next day prior to departing I stopped by the "San Carlos Yacht Club" and discovered they were sponsoring a fishing tournament and my fish was the largest by far that had been reported -- but my fish did not qualify since it had not been weighed on the clubs scale.
4) Almost 65 years later I still have the CO2 gas gun and the huge Bottom Scratcher spear gun hanging in my dive locker, I haven't used then for many years but I guess i keep them as a silent tribute to events of long ago which will never ever be experienced again on this earth.
5) About thirty years ago I published an article about making the gas gun and our dive at San Carlos in my dedicated column in "The way it was" in the now defunct Dive Training Magazine titled "The magnificent Gas Gun" ( i have a copy-- some where??? )
6) And that the way it was a long time ago in San Carlos....
Enjoy it as much as I did..
Samuel Miller, III
.
A Texican moving to San Carlos....
I cant recall the last time I read or responded to a new diver post
Something - some unknown force drew me here.
1) My great greats departed Tennessee with Davey Crockett for Texas. One killed at Alamo one became a state senator under Sam Houston . While on a cattle drive to Missouri a son meets and marries my great grand mother, first son was Sam In honor of Sam Houston,,, that began the Sams in our family with a certain amount of Texican heritage
2) In 1955 Ernesto Zarazota organized and promotes the first (and only) Mexican- American Spearfishing meet at San Carlos -- The Americans won all the trophies, The meet was won by the team of the late greats Howard Patton and John Gaffney the future founder of NASDS.
3) In 1955 I was a young USAF officer stationed at Luke AFB in Phoenix and a was a fish out of water. The word of the meet reached several of us who identified as "divers" via an article in Skin Diver Magazine (SDM).
We decided to make CO2 powered spear guns ala the one created by the great Bill Barada (LA CO UW Instructor) in 1936.and head for this place called San Carlos
With completed but never tested spear guns in hand we zoomed down to Bahia De San Carlos. After considerable searching we located the entrance:. a business card size sign stating BSC and with an arrow pointing towards the Playa (Spanish = beach.) With out meeting a soul on the road we drove down a dusty rutted road to the Bay .and set up camp.
Two wonderful days of spearing in the pristine clear waters of San Carlos- but all good things come to an end and it was back to Luke AFB amd our USAF duties . As a group we never returned to San Carlos.
3) In 1957 I was separated from the service and returned to my beloved OC in SoCal and resumed my hobby of recreational diving. By then the wet suit had been developed and diving was emerging. I immediately entered into instruction and was aciive in free diving spearfishing
I began returning to San Carlos on a regular basis several years later to rid the bay of as many fish as possible. Every year there was an ever increasing amount of civilization creeping into the bay: first a few trailers, then permanent structures and finally around the mid 1960s the bay became crowded with boats and a "Yacht Club" was in place and operational.
'
A then and us attitude prevailed - the campers were all camping on a small hill and the trailer & permanent residents in their small community and never the twain shall meet or mingle.
I recall my last trip to the Bay as if it was yesterday....I camped next to a group of Texans who were pole fisherman and had never seen a spearfisherman. It is no secret that a pole fisherman can catch any and all fish fish day and night as opposed to a Spearfisherman who is limited by water conditions and is a selective fisherman.
I was determined to demonstrate what Spearfisherman could do so early one morning I set off with trusty Bottom Scratcher Spear gun in hand and trailing my float I dove deep (free diving) and I dove often. I returned with a float full of big fish -- that even impressed the Texican pole fishermen
The biggest was a relatively large 38 pound Red Snapper. Pictures were snapped. the fish was cleaned, bar b qued to be shared and enjoyed by all the campers as my appreciation for a week well spent with new pole fishing friends.
The next day prior to departing I stopped by the "San Carlos Yacht Club" and discovered they were sponsoring a fishing tournament and my fish was the largest by far that had been reported -- but my fish did not qualify since it had not been weighed on the clubs scale.
4) Almost 65 years later I still have the CO2 gas gun and the huge Bottom Scratcher spear gun hanging in my dive locker, I haven't used then for many years but I guess i keep them as a silent tribute to events of long ago which will never ever be experienced again on this earth.
5) About thirty years ago I published an article about making the gas gun and our dive at San Carlos in my dedicated column in "The way it was" in the now defunct Dive Training Magazine titled "The magnificent Gas Gun" ( i have a copy-- some where??? )
6) And that the way it was a long time ago in San Carlos....
Enjoy it as much as I did..
Samuel Miller, III
.
sidray
Registered
OP
CycleCat
Contributor
My wife and I got a call on Wed. that Blue Hole was open and a class was going to certify on Sat/Sun and had room for us. We scrambled to line up a pet sitter and headed down to ABQ to get our rental gear from the shop on Friday then head over to Santa Rosa. Showed up Saturday morning at Blue Hole and found out that we were a group of 5 and the only group there. We had a great weekend with our own private swimming hole and everyone passed!
That NEVER happens, the whole place to yourself, what a treat!
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