Sharks vs Squid...

[AaronR103]

Now, where do I find some squid body armor? Why is this not being issued to our navy divers??? Must be another Republican conspiracy...

A

 

[Misplaced Priority]

I'd take my chances with a shark. They have yet to acquire a taste for me. Squid? Yuck!

 

[gonetobaja]

Now, where do I find some squid body armor? Why is this not being issued to our navy divers??? Must be another Republican conspiracy...

A

Aaron,

All of our Squid Body Armor is custom manufactured by us. We used the molds from Lucas Films from Star wars. They sent us the molds to use and we sent them back. We have 3 sets of panel armor. Thats why the questions. Chainmail armor is available but has a cost attached. The neptunic suits are getting lower priced now but are still pretty expensive. They will protect you against bites though.

From my experience the body armor we use on dives would be of no use for missions where armed conflict is a relative risk. Stealth and concealment is the best armor for those types of dive operations. A wetsuit with a kevlar layer laminated to it could be helpfull, but only out of the water. If you are spoted out of the water you usualy have some related issues.

I have been searching for a place that could manufacture panel armor to our specs but have not found one yet.

"Yes, uh,...Im looking for someone to build me some armor to dive with giant Humbold Squid........no, Im not crazy........hello?...."

Arch, Im gonna check out some more info on a Acrylic Box to dive in. The answer is "yes". The squid come all the way up to the surface. The reason that we suspend at 40feet is because you get more interaction as far as animals swimming by you and such. They come all the way up to the surface though, just not as much.

When we find the squid we find them....they still have a big population where we go. We can also bring the squid right up to the side of the plexi by having the occupants throw sardines over the edge of the cage. The squid will eat them in front of you.

I never have had the stones yet to hand feed one. Im looking for some better hand protection first.

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[Courtneyf82]

Wow, yea.....hmmmmm, I'd go shark cage, Squid that large are not OK with me. I like them diced up, deep fried, not trying to pull my arm off. thanks.

 

[H2Andy]

not trying to pull my arm off. thanks.

this is an understandable prejudice... no matter how cute or interesting,
i draw the line at wildlife tearing my arms off as well

i save that for my wife

:14:

(honey, i'm kidding!)

 

[pablovi]

Please try to limit postings to those relevant to the original questions. Gonetobaja has some very specific queries, which deal with marketing and equipment.

I won't post in this thread again, but I find it very disturbing that some macho, ex-marines or whatever feel more secure of whatever having this kind of interaction with a wild species! Speacially in My country!

 

[H2Andy]

pablovi, would you feel better if it were some affeminate, currently-enlisted
marines doing the trips?

i'm sure that happens, you know

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

Aside from the beak issue, does anyone know how much pressure one of these squid can exert when grabbing an animal? A lot of good some chain mail would do if these things can wring your neck.

I'm not saying that a squid could do this. I just wonder if it is a possibility.

 

[adstaa]

i think squid dives are a great idea. providing they are done in the correct way and the animals are the one's initiating any contact, not the divers. if you can find body armour that will protect the diver's then that's even better than a cage.

as for experience i guess that really comes down to the individual. i know instructors with almost 200 dives under their belt that are obviously experienced divers but are by no means good divers. on the other hand there are divers with as little as 20 dives who are very competent. i think as a general guide, you can become a PADI divemaster with 60 dives, so why not work around that mark. obviously you would probably want an AOW cert minimum as well as some very detailed briefing. i'd like to think that most people who are not comfortable with coming face-to-face with a creature like this would not take on the experience.....but then again people aren't always intelligent

as long as you guys are doing the right thing and there is a demand for it, then go for it and good luck.

 

[gonetobaja]

I won't post in this thread again, but I find it very disturbing that some macho, ex-marines or whatever feel more secure of whatever having this kind of interaction with a wild species! Speacially in My country!

Maybe the alternative type of interaction that is provided by the Panga fishing fleet is more acceptable to you.

For the record, members of Sea Wolves Unlimited are from various branches of military service, from many countries. Some are current operators. One happens to be an ex-marine special forces member from "Your country". For various reasons, not all members of the team are listed on the "world wide web". I do feel that bashing someone for their previous military affiliation Is neither relevant nor........well I wont get started about that. I would also like to disagree about the "Macho" stereotype. All members of our team are highly trained and confident and have no need to "act" a certain way to gain attention. In our world actions speak louder than words.

For many years people have sat by and watched as productive fisheries that could have lasted forever were over exploited and finaly closed down. This has happend to the shark fishery in particular in this region of Baja.

As far as the interaction with the animals thing......it is my firm belief that all humans on the world can be blamed for its destruction. If you want to break it down, even walkin down a dirt trail can result in the death of several species of insects or plants that may have been at a critcal growth stage. The minute we wear our SCUBA gear and fall in the water we are initiating contact with the animals of the ocean. The key is to protect and learn with as little damage to the area and its animals as possible.

Adstaa,

I like your comparison of 60 dives with the DM program. There will need to be some type of a dive number that is reachable by the rec. diver. those are the types of opinions that I really need.

Spaceman,

In my experience so far the tentacles have been used to grab on and hold. I dont think that a squid could strangle a person especialy one thats struggling. Its the bite you need to worry about if they hang on for too long. Most squid encounters are like what is seen on the video clip. A squid comes in full speed, tentacles first. They flair the arms and hit full speed and grab on and "taste" you with the suction cups. If you dont taste like something good and move at the same time they usualy let you go with nothing but the marks from the teeth on the suckers. Sometimes they hang on and try to take a bite, thats what the armor is for...."just in case"

Pablovi,

When you drive out of the harbor in Santa Rosalia you can see the bottom. Its covered with thousands of cartilage peices left over from the harvest every night of thousands of these animals. The people who fish the squid must work all night in a Panga in the sea, a very dangerous job. They are paid very little for the kilos of squid they pull in. The fishery resource is then sent all over the world where people pay top dollar for Calimari Fillet. One day the resouce will be fished out or depleted so low that they wont make any money. Then the families of the area will be even more poor. Problems that are not confronted are never solved.

Where is the outrage for that?:06:

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com