SB Freedivers scramble challenge

[Adam Sachs]

Hey guys!

Sorry I'm sending this thing out kinda late I hope this is far enough in advance that everyone gets a chance to read this and give some feed back about this whole scramble meet thing.

So, here is what I am thinking. This Sunday we all meet up pretty early at a coffee shop/breakfast spot(to be determined) somewhere in Goleta or SB. We all get some grinds then head out to whatever spot(s) we want to dive, get our fish, and meet up somewhere at a specific time, say 4pm, (again TBD) for a weigh in and BBQ. Pretty simple.

Before this happens we need to agree on some basics "rules" for the meet. Things like who do we want to be a part of this meet? Do we want this to be only for members of the SB freedivers or should it be open to any diver from SB?

Other considerations include what species of fish are acceptable for the weigh in, how many fish one can enter, a points system to determine a winner, etc. I'm not too familiar with tournaments but something along the lines of Andy's Bluewater Hunter meet would probably suffice. We also need to find a reasonable scale. I don't think it necessarily has to be "certified" since this is kind of an informal meet but we're gonna need something to weigh fish.

For the BBQ we would need to decide where we want to have it and who's gonna bring what for food/drink. Iaon mentioned to me that his buddy is having a party at Leadbetter that same Sunday so maybe we could have it there or maybe just at the house of a gracious host, who knows.

Lets hear some feedback guys!

~AS

[fin]

The Minnow Cafe (its cheap:thumps:)for breakfast aka Minnow muffins aka Mcmuffins then Leadbetter for BBQ and weigh in. There are BBQ pits and its centrally located with parking. Also my friend is having his bday party there and it might be fun to have a bunch of hot euro chicks waiting on the beach for all you single guys when you show up with your trophy size fish you just killed (it might impress them). I think it should be either open to anyone or just active members . My 2cents has been spent.:D

[Moonshine]

As I mentioned during the last SB Freediver’s meeting, I am heading out of town this morning and returning late Sunday night. That said I am stoked that you guys are pulling this together and bummed that I have a schedule conflict. I mean Minow Cafe breakfast burritos! A cool dive then Hot Euro chicks! Man I am gonna miss all the fun.

Sorry I will miss it. Good luck and good hunting. I look forward to hearing how it goes and getting in on the next meet.

Justin

[Adam Sachs]

New question: What kinds of fish should be eligible for weigh in?

I would limit it to calicos, wsb, rockfish/lingcod, and halibut. Here is why...

I don't think it would look good to have leopard sharks/angel sharks/shovelnoses at a public beach like Leadbetter. Besides, this is an informal meet anyways with nothing but maybe some minor bragging rights. The main purpose of this thing is to have fun and promote better bonding and cohesion within the SB Freedivers. There's no reason for people to shoot and weigh in fish just to "win". Anyone can shoot anything they want within DFG regs, but I don't think it should be weighed in.

My $.02

[fin]

That seems like a reasonable list of fish, lets stick with it.

[Superfrog]

Sounds great.

What about having it an "open" meet with a sponsor kind of deal- You can compete, but you have to be sponsored by a member (even if we just meet you for the first time at the Minnow;)).

Eytan was talking about some monster Perch he wanted to tag:D

I think the above posted fish species criteria is good.

Having the BBQ at Bedwetter is good too- it prevents any complications (legal etc.) that might arise from the BBQ being at somebody's residence.

[fin]

Sounds great.

What about having it an "open" meet with a sponsor kind of deal- You can compete, but you have to be sponsored by a member (even if we just meet you for the first time at the Minnow;)).

Eytan was talking about some monster Perch he wanted to tag:D

I think the above posted fish species criteria is good.

Having the BBQ at Bedwetter is good too- it prevents any complications (legal etc.) that might arise from the BBQ being at somebody's residence.

I like the idea of "open with sponsorship."

[Adam Sachs]

I like the idea of "open with sponsorship."

So then does this mean that each member can "sponsor" one other diver, as many as he/she wants, or maybe cap it at say 3 "sponsored" divers per member?

[Adam Sachs]

New Question: What does everyone want to bring to the BBQ?

And not everyone 21+ can claim "beer"...

[Blake Schaff]

As far a fish, I vote game fish only. That means so sheepshead, rockfish (cabezon and lingcod are OK), perch, opaleye, sharks, rays, etc.

Rules: Three fish point system. 3 points per fish, 1 point per pound.

I can bring some elk burgers.

Edit- I'm not stating the rules, just offering my suggestions.

[Adam Sachs]

As far a fish, I vote game fish only. That means so sheepshead, rockfish (cabezon and lingcod are OK), perch, opaleye, sharks, rays, etc.

Rules: Three fish point system. 3 points per fish, 1 point per pound.

I can bring some elk burgers.

Edit- I'm not stating the rules, just offering my suggestions.

Thanks for chiming in, Blake!

I agree with your suggestion of a point system. Seems very simple and practical.

How good are the grills down at Ledbetter? Anyone good at cooking over charcoal? Andrew, Iaon, Smidge??....

[Smidge]

I just put in to get work off so hopefully i'm in. Ledbetter works best for me. As far as the scoring whatever you guys think. Like you said it's just an excuse to dive and hang out with some like minded bros. I got some skills on the Q, but I got a buddy who's a chef that lives four blocks from Led's. Ill give him a call and see if he would be down. He likes beer and sunsets so I would say yes.

:toast:

[fin]

Ill bring spanish rice, corn tortillas and tapitio, beer should be byob. The point system sounds good.

[Eytan]

Hey this sounds awesome and ill definitely be there.

Andrew sorry i don't shoot perch unlike some of the other guys on the board:rolleyes:

[Adam Sachs]

i don't shoot perch unlike some of the other guys on the board:rolleyes:

Or any other fish for that matter! :lol: jk dude:D

[Eytan]

what time does this start at tomorrow?

Is it happening?

[Kristof]

any resolution on who can compete? I think it should be open to guests of members. I personally have 3 friends who would like to compete plus it sounds like a great way to boost membership.

[J-Rat]

I don't think that I will make the morning meeting, but I hope to dive and be at the BBQ for sure.

My 2 cents is that the bbq should be at around 6. Still plenty of sun left and it allows for more time to dive throughout the day...

[fin]

If you dont sign in in the morning your a pita. BBq at 4:00 is better, its Sunday everything starts earlier. Ill see you all in the morning at the minnow seven am sharp. I need a dive buddy for the day so someone better show up.
:cool:

[Eytan]

Sounds fun, Blake and I will bee seeing you guys down at the minow at 7

Who else is going to show up this sounds really fun

[bak3r]

Did you guys do the scramble? Post some pics if you have them. I'm interested to know how it went.

[Adam Sachs]

Did you guys do the scramble? Post some pics if you have them. I'm interested to know how it went.

Yup! It worked out great and everybody had a good time. I will post a full report and some pics when a get a chance...

[Adam Sachs]

Here's the report from the 1st Santa Barbara Freedivers Scramble Challenge held on Sunday 8/24/08:

At 7am on Sunday under foggy skies and a light morning breeze the early birds(Iaon, Andrew, Blake, Eytan, and myself) arrived for breakfast at the Minnow Cafe next to Bluewater Hunter. After a thousand calorie meal consisting essentially of a future coronary condition sandwiched inside an English muffin Eytan hopped in Blake's truck while Iaon rode with me. Andrew's usual dive buddy committed to family in town so he was flying solo.

Iaon and I went North to our go to secret spot:rolleyes:, *cough*..uh, Refugio..*cough, cough* to check the conditions. We found what looked to be decent water and decided to jump in. On the way back to the truck we came upon a couple of barneys, *cough,..Eytan...*cough*, Blake...who thought they could sneak out into the kelp without us noticing. We quickly put them in their place and staked our claim on the premium part of the kelp...which turned out to make no difference whatsoever.

The conditions far exceeded our initial expectations as we found 15+ft viz. Unfortunately nary a fish was to be found. We dove for almost 5 hours and couldn't find a single decent gamefish to shoot and we swam over every inch of sand and through every kelp stalk at that spot. Neither of us seemed to care much. Iaon was enjoying swimming with his new mojostick while I scouted for new lobster spots. Eventually we got hungry and headed back to Ledbetter for the BBQ.

Tensions were running high as everyone showed up and nervously read the faces of the other divers to look for clues as to who landed the monster and who came back empty handed. However, we all quickly realized that everyone had the same sheepish look of "I ain't got no fish". Everyone except Kristof...

He stood quietly with a little smirk on his face as we all joked about getting skunked. Finally he comes out with it, "I got a ling. You guys want to see it?" And that's how it came to pass. With the only fish of the event Kristof Hovaten won the Scramble Challenge!:yippee::allhail:



As the Tecates began to flow the grill dished out seared dorado and fresh lingcod, not to mention mouthwatering elk burgers and thick tasty steaks, courtesy of Blake and Andrew:thumps: We hung out for a few hours drinking cold ones and talkin' story. What an awesome day.

A big "Thanks" from me goes out to everyone who participated! Sorry to everybody that wished they could have been there. I'll do a much better job of promoting the next one farther in advance. Hopefully we can do another one for lobsters during the upcoming season.

Cheers:beer:

~AS