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View Full Version : jan 25/26th 2007 report


Seth
01-30-2007, 11:14 AM
this area needs some more trip reports !!!

the sea cleared up to almost summer conditions between 2 north swells, so i took full advantage of it, getting my first ever cubera snapper (8 an 3/4 lbs) on the 25th, which i just cant seem to find the pictures of. that was in about 20 feet, just outside the bay where i live, truly a suprising fish to find there, as i have only ever seen one other cubera, a monster, who didnt let me get within 30 feet of it. this guy was during a 1 min + aspetto.

that night we went for a lobster dive, i got 9 lbs of the spotted spineys, average size half lb - 3/4 lb. saw a lot of small slipper lobster, about 2 - 3 inches long, promising sign for the future.

on the 26th, the inshore diving was crap, so about 4 an a half hours into my dive, i decided to go out to the dropoff (its in a U shape, facing east, about 20 feet on top, 50 feet on the bottom) to see what i could see, didnt bother with the dive flag as there is only 1 boat fishing from the bay right now and it has some electrical problems, no worries of other divers in the water either, just me and my shadow, got a couple small parrotfish (wont bother posting pics, nothing to shout about) then got buzzed by an extremely fast 6 foot long reef shark, first one ive seen on the dropoff, great sign, cuz there is nowhere near enough big fish life out there usually ! about 30 minutes after that, i dropped to the bottom, lined up on a nice parrotfish, looked up, and ahead of me way off in the distance i could see 5 or 6 large african pompano, pushed off the bottom with my fins, and slowly ascended, they came right up to me, went broadside at about 10 feet, and i let fly, nailing one right behind the fin, with the spear just nicking his spine, reason for that shot being i hunt with a 100 cm gun, 6.5 mm spear, and single 16mm bands, and i wasnt sure about penetration in its head. 10 minutes or so of letting itself tire out, and i had it flipped upside down and my hand in its gills, brained it, threw it on the stringer, along with a couple of parrotfish and a cero mackeral, and came to shore :) biggest fish for the year, and a great way to start the years diving off ! the pic is pretty bad quality because by the time i got in, it was dark (i dive late) and the fish reflected the flash pretty badly.

deepdown
01-30-2007, 11:27 AM
Nice fish boss! Congrats. We can't shoot them up here.

Dives safe,

float 'n stalk
01-30-2007, 11:32 AM
Great fish, and way to start the new year. I've always wanted to shoot an AP...

Mattedhead
01-30-2007, 11:36 AM
Hell yeah!! Awesome AP, where in Barbados are you diving out of? I did a fair bit off of Bathsheba. We'd kick out through the channel at the Mushroom rock hunt the point off soup bowls and then kick around outside parlors and back into the small bay around the point from parlors. Usually managed a few lobster, mackerel, got two snapper that week and surprisingly enough a smaller mahi that came in on me out past the point. Never saw a single shark though...did lose a mack to a barracuda though.

Seth
01-30-2007, 11:45 AM
i love that area around bowl for hunting, there and further up the coast.. i dive on the southeast corner (skeetes bay/ragged point) mostly, but apart from that, all over the island.

a mahi? wow.. now thats something id like to line my gun up on in a shore dive ! how deep was it where u saw him?

Mattedhead
01-30-2007, 11:53 AM
pretty shallow...about 60-70' I would guess, seemed lost and looking for cover...unfortunately for him I was the cover.

Flying Bajan
01-30-2007, 03:31 PM
Nice one Seth !

Congrats on the Mahi Matthead.. think you might be the 1st one in Barbados to shoot a Dolphin from a shoredive ! :-)

jimbo
01-30-2007, 08:46 PM
Wow that must've felt great! Great report!

Seth
01-31-2007, 08:13 PM
thanks all, yea it was nice to get one of my biggest fish (we just dont get bigger fish from shore dives here usually) and have it also be one of the first fish for the year, sets the mood off right :)

why is it that some AP's have those long trailing lines on the fins, and others dont? male and female?

El Cid
02-01-2007, 11:45 AM
Dude, sounds like an awesome place to hunt!! Nice fish too, definately a great way to start off the year!

Flying Bajan
02-01-2007, 02:17 PM
I trhink that the older they get, the smaller the trailing rays of the fins are.

mjacobs
02-27-2007, 03:29 PM
Wow, I didn't realize you could get APs on a shore dive in Barbados. I'm going back the last week in April. Seems to me like those guys that keep Pangas off the beach near Sam Lord's Castle might know what they are doing. Any feedback on that? Our rental is right there. I mostly swam out to the first and second break (once) last year. I understand the better spearfishing is out that far again but since I don't know the water that well there plus it's a pretty serious swim I did not try that. The second break was in my comfort range though. Any other tips welcome.
Mark