Thank you so much for the offer. I really appreciate it, yours and others! I can't even explain the gratitude I have for Scubaboard that I finally get to meet so many wonderful divers and their non diving buddies!
Venice Beach Dive Party!
- Thread starter Wendy
- Start date
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Big Bend Brian
Registered
My family & I would love to come down but we will be down in Marathon for the 2003 opening of Lobster Season. Sounds like you guys are making some excellent plans. I know you will all have a great time. Excellent idea Wendy!
One tip Id like to offer while shark toothing, is to wear one glove and use that glove as a carrier of your shark teeth. The ungloved hand should be your strong hand (has finer dexterity w/o a glove) and when you find a tooth you merely move the tooth from your hand to the wrist (gloved hand) and deposit the tooth into the glove. The glove wont get too bulky and its extremely efficient as there is very little wasted movement. I use those orange $3 rubber ribbed glove you can buy at Wal-Mart, Lowes, or Home Depot. The have a nice elastic band around the wrist and hold the teeth well. 200+ teeth in your glove is not a problem (just dont fall on your exit out of the water).
Another benefit of this is when hunting in cold water. If you make large movements I get cold water shooting through my wetsuit. With this method you are barely moving your arm 10 inches and you wont displace the water already heated in your wetsuit.
Another thing my wife & I do is that we constantly keep in physical contact with our fins. We hunt parallel to each other and are turned such that our fins are always nudging each other. We hunt at the same pace too. When the underwater troughs or ripples in the sand are close together I swivel my body back and forth covering 3 troughs rather than go straight down one trough. I find that maximizes my search area, cuts down on wasted movement (finning) and maximizes my bottom hunting time. Also in warm water we wear a dive skin too as we lay on the bottom and pull our bodies around with our fingers. This cuts down on the stings you can get from cnidarians and such on the bottom. Dont be reluctant to move if you find the area you are working is not abundant with teeth. Youll know when you are in a good area-there will be a number of teeth with not too much searching effort.
Brian
One tip Id like to offer while shark toothing, is to wear one glove and use that glove as a carrier of your shark teeth. The ungloved hand should be your strong hand (has finer dexterity w/o a glove) and when you find a tooth you merely move the tooth from your hand to the wrist (gloved hand) and deposit the tooth into the glove. The glove wont get too bulky and its extremely efficient as there is very little wasted movement. I use those orange $3 rubber ribbed glove you can buy at Wal-Mart, Lowes, or Home Depot. The have a nice elastic band around the wrist and hold the teeth well. 200+ teeth in your glove is not a problem (just dont fall on your exit out of the water).
Another benefit of this is when hunting in cold water. If you make large movements I get cold water shooting through my wetsuit. With this method you are barely moving your arm 10 inches and you wont displace the water already heated in your wetsuit.
Another thing my wife & I do is that we constantly keep in physical contact with our fins. We hunt parallel to each other and are turned such that our fins are always nudging each other. We hunt at the same pace too. When the underwater troughs or ripples in the sand are close together I swivel my body back and forth covering 3 troughs rather than go straight down one trough. I find that maximizes my search area, cuts down on wasted movement (finning) and maximizes my bottom hunting time. Also in warm water we wear a dive skin too as we lay on the bottom and pull our bodies around with our fingers. This cuts down on the stings you can get from cnidarians and such on the bottom. Dont be reluctant to move if you find the area you are working is not abundant with teeth. Youll know when you are in a good area-there will be a number of teeth with not too much searching effort.
Brian
Brian,
I wear one glove too, but anyone doing that should understand they are running a risk of some nasty stings and bites. The Mantis Shrimp isn't called a thumb splitter for nothing and lots of them live in burrows in the sand in this area.
I don't put my teeth in my glove, because there simply isn't room. If you do well at all, you can't fit your booty in a glove that contains your hand.
Relying on fin contact to not loose your buddy is asking for trouble. A buddy line is pretty effective.
While we are not diving on a coral reef, we are diving where creatures live. Plopping our clunky bodies on the bottom is not good for them nor is it good for visibility, which is usually none too good anyway - why make it worse? Neutral buoyancy, perhaps a pound underweighted is perfect for this dive. It keeps your feet up (away from the bottom) and your head down so you can see the fossils better. Crawling on the botton is a very bad habit.
I wear one glove too, but anyone doing that should understand they are running a risk of some nasty stings and bites. The Mantis Shrimp isn't called a thumb splitter for nothing and lots of them live in burrows in the sand in this area.
I don't put my teeth in my glove, because there simply isn't room. If you do well at all, you can't fit your booty in a glove that contains your hand.
Relying on fin contact to not loose your buddy is asking for trouble. A buddy line is pretty effective.
While we are not diving on a coral reef, we are diving where creatures live. Plopping our clunky bodies on the bottom is not good for them nor is it good for visibility, which is usually none too good anyway - why make it worse? Neutral buoyancy, perhaps a pound underweighted is perfect for this dive. It keeps your feet up (away from the bottom) and your head down so you can see the fossils better. Crawling on the botton is a very bad habit.
kjunheart
Contributor
Wendy, this looks like it is going to be a blast!
I am not sure if my "Brain" will be coming...seems all of my brain cells are going to the baby! LOL But Brian might come with
ut: He liked the idea but I cannot commit him until probably the Thursday before - he is not much of a planner.Hey, Don! Can't wait to see you either!
Walter and other experts...
How "deep" do you dig down into the soil looking for the teeth?
When Cindy and I were there the other day, we had a couple of collanders that we used from time to time, but we mainly just sifted through the top layer with our gloved fingers, or picked up the ones that were lying out in the open.
Do you find that digging deeper gets bigger teeth?
How "deep" do you dig down into the soil looking for the teeth?
When Cindy and I were there the other day, we had a couple of collanders that we used from time to time, but we mainly just sifted through the top layer with our gloved fingers, or picked up the ones that were lying out in the open.
Do you find that digging deeper gets bigger teeth?
Big Bend Brian
Registered
Not to get off subject about this great idea Wendy has, but I do think its important to keep this thread also going with Tips & Suggestions on what works for toothing. In light of that Id like to make a few more points and even some clarifications on what works for me. This is no endorsement for everyone to try these things. My intention was to merely pass along to others what works well for me. It may not work well for another diver. I hope I dont cause others to develop bad habits. Certainly my goal is to help everyone out there have an excellent dive. Im still learning
..
To that end, Walter:
Thanks for making that point about using one glove. Good point.
Concerning gloves not holding enough teeth, Im merely a recreational shark toother, but Ive always had enough room in my gloves for the teeth and other fossils that I find. As Ive mentioned putting 200+ teeth in my glove is not a problem. Maybe Im just finding small teeth LOL. At least with the orange elastic gloves I use, I could stick 2 tennis balls in my gloves (including my hand) and be comfortable while shark toothing. I would state that if you do find something large that would make your gloved hand uncomfortable just put it in your BC pocket. Ive certainly carried around some nice bone fragments in my BC with no problem. A glove, a bag, it accomplishes the same purpose. Im just trying to minimize unnecessary movement, wasted time (repeated movements), and eliminate another piece of gear I dont have to carry.
You are right that using a buddy line can be an excellent tool. The last time I used one was when I was undergoing SCUBA training with the US Navy training in a Chesapeake Bay with zero vis (Im really USAF though). No doubt a buddy line is a good idea. I imagine it just depends on your experience level and how comfortable you are with your dive skills. Your suggestion is a good one for those wanting to stay positively connected.
Concerning your comment about Crawling on the bottom and Crawling on the bottom is a very bad habit, I beg to differ. At least concerning this dive. Where Im tooth hunting in Venice the bottom is entirely composed of sand. I dont really see a problem with someone pulling themselves along with their fingers and their fins lying on the sandy bottom. For sure thats a No-No on a coral reef. As a diver you should be flexible with different diving locations/environments and adapt your strategy to each dive. This is just my opinion, but as a Scientific Diver and Marine Ecologist I dont think the impact of pulling myself along the sandy bottom on this dive devastates the benthic (bottom) community to any detectable degree. Heck, just walking on the beach down to the waters edge impacts a very interesting community of living organisms. At some point you have to consider when caution should be exercised or not.
Concerning the lack of vis and why make it worse? (while being on the bottom), I should have stated I work up current so any silt disturbed works away from where Im working. I can also look at my fin marks on the bottom and see where Ive already searched if the tooth hunting becomes poor and I double back to a starting point a little further to the left or right.
I would also note that for a novice diver, being under weighted while diving an aluminum tank may prematurely end their dive as we all know that the aluminum tank gets lighter as the air is consumed. When that happens your expending energy to maintain your position in relation to the bottom. Thatll wear you out. Quite the contrary, I would recommend being over weighted by a small amount. Specifically for the Venice beach dive. You can always add air in a BC to get a position that is comfortable and effective for hunting. You do have a good point however, that it keeps you head down. Good points. It obviously works well for you as youve noted some good shark teeth finds in past posts (thanks for posting about your trips too as I enjoyed reading them when I did a search on the forum).
For sure there are many, many ways to fossil and shark tooth hunt. Im looking forward to hearing other peoples suggestions and what works well for them. Ive got a lot to learn!
Brian
To that end, Walter:
Thanks for making that point about using one glove. Good point.
Concerning gloves not holding enough teeth, Im merely a recreational shark toother, but Ive always had enough room in my gloves for the teeth and other fossils that I find. As Ive mentioned putting 200+ teeth in my glove is not a problem. Maybe Im just finding small teeth LOL. At least with the orange elastic gloves I use, I could stick 2 tennis balls in my gloves (including my hand) and be comfortable while shark toothing. I would state that if you do find something large that would make your gloved hand uncomfortable just put it in your BC pocket. Ive certainly carried around some nice bone fragments in my BC with no problem. A glove, a bag, it accomplishes the same purpose. Im just trying to minimize unnecessary movement, wasted time (repeated movements), and eliminate another piece of gear I dont have to carry.
You are right that using a buddy line can be an excellent tool. The last time I used one was when I was undergoing SCUBA training with the US Navy training in a Chesapeake Bay with zero vis (Im really USAF though). No doubt a buddy line is a good idea. I imagine it just depends on your experience level and how comfortable you are with your dive skills. Your suggestion is a good one for those wanting to stay positively connected.
Concerning your comment about Crawling on the bottom and Crawling on the bottom is a very bad habit, I beg to differ. At least concerning this dive. Where Im tooth hunting in Venice the bottom is entirely composed of sand. I dont really see a problem with someone pulling themselves along with their fingers and their fins lying on the sandy bottom. For sure thats a No-No on a coral reef. As a diver you should be flexible with different diving locations/environments and adapt your strategy to each dive. This is just my opinion, but as a Scientific Diver and Marine Ecologist I dont think the impact of pulling myself along the sandy bottom on this dive devastates the benthic (bottom) community to any detectable degree. Heck, just walking on the beach down to the waters edge impacts a very interesting community of living organisms. At some point you have to consider when caution should be exercised or not.
Concerning the lack of vis and why make it worse? (while being on the bottom), I should have stated I work up current so any silt disturbed works away from where Im working. I can also look at my fin marks on the bottom and see where Ive already searched if the tooth hunting becomes poor and I double back to a starting point a little further to the left or right.
I would also note that for a novice diver, being under weighted while diving an aluminum tank may prematurely end their dive as we all know that the aluminum tank gets lighter as the air is consumed. When that happens your expending energy to maintain your position in relation to the bottom. Thatll wear you out. Quite the contrary, I would recommend being over weighted by a small amount. Specifically for the Venice beach dive. You can always add air in a BC to get a position that is comfortable and effective for hunting. You do have a good point however, that it keeps you head down. Good points. It obviously works well for you as youve noted some good shark teeth finds in past posts (thanks for posting about your trips too as I enjoyed reading them when I did a search on the forum).
For sure there are many, many ways to fossil and shark tooth hunt. Im looking forward to hearing other peoples suggestions and what works well for them. Ive got a lot to learn!
Brian
I'm going to have to agree with Walter on this one. I don't think that being on the bottom is good no matter what sort of dive or dive site you are at, even if it is just a sand bottom. Just because the vis isn't getting messed up for yourself by your movements doesn't mean you aren't messing it up for the next diver behind you. I always like to use good trim and bouyancy in all my dives, even for the shallow fun fossil hunting dives.
Oh and I can't take all the credit for puttnig this together. It was Kurt's idea, so we should really be thanking him.
Oh and I can't take all the credit for puttnig this together. It was Kurt's idea, so we should really be thanking him.
Dr. Jay
Contributor
Well...unless you are "rototilling" :tease:
Uh-oh....can I use that word?
seaangel
Guest
This dive party is sounding like so much fun. I am getting jealous. The truth is I have to be in WPB by about 8pm on the 9th. Was planning to drive down during that day, but now I am looking at ways to get to FL earlier like the 8th and then drive over to WPB later on in the evening. If I can find a way to get out of work on the 8th I can do it, but and that is a big but, I am not sure.
If not able to I will be thinking about what I am missing out on while driving down on the 9th!
If not able to I will be thinking about what I am missing out on while driving down on the 9th!
_Kurt_
Contributor
All I did was ask if you guys would be interested. You and Walter have done the planning. I am really enjoying all the excitement this plan is generating! I would like to know what to bring for the dive- a collander? What about my daughter & S/O on shore? What do they need? Also, I am used to diving solo for scallops- do I really need a buddy line? I've never used one before. I'm not sure if I like the idea of being tethered to another diver.
Harley-
You're gonna have to grind up a side of beef for this outing!!!!:wacko:
I enjoyed the exchange of ideas on being on the sand vs. above the sand- it impressed me that no one got a sh***y attitude that "my way is better than your way". I am happy to be associated with you guys.
Harley-
You're gonna have to grind up a side of beef for this outing!!!!:wacko:
I enjoyed the exchange of ideas on being on the sand vs. above the sand- it impressed me that no one got a sh***y attitude that "my way is better than your way". I am happy to be associated with you guys.
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