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Pacific Northwest Tell us about hunting in the PNW here!

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Old 06-23-2011, 11:31 PM   #31
beaver
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Other things that scare me

RED SEA URCHIN:

chasing a fish in 44 degree water through a canyon at 30 feet, running out of breath...feel "something" on my foot.

post dive removing fins and find the spine of an urchin has pierced my fin pocket, my bootie, and 3 mil. sock. a small puncture wound on the top of my foot.

1 day later mild foot discomfort

2 days later redness and pain

3 days later unable to stand up

3 1/2 later in the hospital.

10 days in hospital on morphine, 3 antibiotic cocktails, toxic shock. staf /strep infection....lots of pain and terrible food.

Lesson learned....careful swimming around red urchin, their bite is worse than their bark.
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Old 06-26-2011, 02:03 AM   #32
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Even though this post is more pertinent to the PNW, I read it all and found alot of great info from far more experienced divers that I can take into the waters of the Atlantic. Thanks to everyone who posted. I think there should be a post like this in every geographic section of the Spearboard.
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Old 06-26-2011, 10:38 PM   #33
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Re: PNW tips thread...

THX Mako

sometimes a tip of the hat can motivate us to dig deep for more tips

2 tips:

1. Avoid these (photo) they are called Lions Mane, despite the cute cuddly name, they feel like a wasp sting but last for about 6 hours. The size of a regulation basketball, red, 6+ ft. of tentacles. I have met many and still have the scars.

2. Wrap bright yellow tape around your muzzle, if you drop your gun its great help finding, and sometimes fish see the yellow and are lured to it.

I will post a photo later when I show some gun porn for PNW.
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Old 06-26-2011, 11:27 PM   #34
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Re: PNW tips thread...

When you anchor your boat out in the ocean ALWAYS make you first dive a dive on the anchor, to be sure it is set properly (so you don't drag and have your boat drift away) and to be sure the anchor rode is not chafing on a sharp rock, barnacles, or a piece of metal. A severed anchor line because of chafe on underwater sharp objects results in saying good by to your boat - often forever.

I have saved a lot of grief on several occasions by doing this. Not to mention that checking the anchor for proper set also gives you an opportunity to insure that it is in a place that you can recover it from when the time comes to pull anchor. I have moved a fouled anchor many times to a recoverable location just a couple of yards away that made all the difference when the time came to pull anchor.

Also, have a spare anchor and rode stored in the boat and ready to deploy at a moments notice. I keep mine in a large plastic container with a lid and with the rope properly flaked into it for tangle free deployment. The reason for this is that if your anchor line breaks, and you cannot get the motor started, that second anchor can save your boat from drifting into the rocks and being destroyed while you are sorting out your motor problems.

A remote possibility, but I know of at least one boat that was lost in just that scenario that could have been saved had they had a second anchor ready to deploy. A $200 anchor setup could have saved a boat worth multiple tens of thousands of dollars. Think about it.

Put as long of a piece of chain between your anchor and rode as your boat length is, to help with anchor set and reduce rode chafe, and use at least a 5-1 scope if you can -i.e., for every foot of water depth you anchor in, put out 5 feet of rode. When in doubt about what size of anchor to buy, buy the next larger size than you think you need. You won't regret it.

The point of all of this is simple: you don't want to have to worry about your boat moving while you are diving. You want it there when you come back.
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Last edited by North Star; 06-26-2011 at 11:44 PM.
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Old 06-27-2011, 12:02 AM   #35
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Re: PNW tips thread...

ECHO anchor redundancy from North.
when I have newbies on the boat, I tell them...if things are going bad, toss the anchor it costs nothing and saves everything.

more chain, or as we call it scope, makes anchors more efficient.

The ONLY thing I could possibly add, a Hail Mary. When anchors fail, use your spring line or bow/stern line and double wrap off on Kelp BEFORE your hit the rocks!.

I have saved a $35,000 boat with a double wrap on kelp (it is anchored to the bottom!)

Again.....think, then act.
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Old 06-28-2011, 12:42 AM   #36
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Brilliant idea to tie to the kelp when you have no anchor!

Here is another idea that Beaver reminded me of: When you leave a wife/friend/non diver etc on the boat while you are diving, they need some guidance as to what to do if there is an emergency. So write up procedures to follow in case of various kinds of emergencies on a sheet of paper, laminate it, and tie it to the dash of the boat with a zip tie. Point it out to those who are on the boat, and briefly go over it with them.

In a panic they can read it and know what to do.

When I flew airplanes we has an emergency check list section to refer to for in flight emergencies - here is what to do if you have engine failure, here is what to do if the landing gear will not extend, etc.

Verbal instructions get forgotten, and post it notes can blow away/fall off/get lost, and in a panic people do not think very well. They need a written checklist to do their thinking for them.

Suggested topics: What to do if

1. Anchor slips or the rope breaks.

2. How to use VHF radio to call for help, and what to say when you do.

3. Procedure for starting and moving boat.

4. How to start/use the bilge pump.

5. What to do if the fog rolls in.

6. How to heap praise on the divers when they return with fish.

You get the idea - YOU as Captain know what to do, but guests don't.
Prepare them to be able to help you, when you cannot be there when bad things happen.
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Old 06-28-2011, 03:10 PM   #37
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Quote:
Originally Posted by North Star View Post
When you anchor your boat out in the ocean ALWAYS make you first dive a dive on the anchor
Not to mention that lings, being the curious creatures they are will often come out of thier holes to investigate noise. You can often find a ling or two in the area immediately around where the anchor hit bottom.

Totally on for everything else said. Nothing worse or more dangerous than having to make a bounce dive to free a stuck anchor. Or losing/destroying your boat...
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Old 06-30-2011, 10:28 PM   #38
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Re: PNW tips thread...

When your on scuba, and caught in current, no one in boat. Easiest to have a d ring on weight belt, hook W/B to BCD and inflate SMB, let it go, and when you get to boat, go pick up gear. Also leave a trailing line with bumber or small bouy, so you have a loner target, and some times tie gear to.

Theas are pretaining to in more open water applications. When dive boat is anchored and in current, its extremely hard to get in when current is pulling you in your gear.

1< when coming up anchor line clip off BCD to anchor line, when few feet from surface wrap weight belt around line a few times, or clip off to BCD, get out of bcd and get in boat.

2< My most used way, is bring anchor up and tie up on safety stop in 15', this way the boat moves with you and you have plenty of time to get in boat. (be sure to have alpha flag up when doing this) I fly both flags all the time.

And one of the most Important Items to have is a bottle of single malt scotch, It could take hours before someone can tow you to shore, while in distress.
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Old 07-03-2011, 01:09 AM   #39
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Re: PNW tips thread...

If you have a favorite spot and you want to free dive, clean it regularly on scuba.

Hit one of my favorites today on scuba to reef clean, got hung up in 200 lb wire line for 5 minutes and had to use saw blade knife. A few minutes later got stuck longer in what seemed like more than a 100 feet of mono.

Had I been free diving straight off, I would not be here posting. Always clean your spots before you free dive.

scary day if I think about it too much.

p.s. got a nice 15# ling with my new Omer airbalete, free dive.
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Old 07-03-2011, 03:36 AM   #40
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Nice Ling, and on your new gun to boot, all while freediving! Good deal!

Pretty sobering experience you had. More than one has died that way. Thank God you were on scuba.

Here is another idea. When diving from a boat where there is current, tie a 300 foot bright colored floating line (like poly) to a boat fender and feed it overboard, letting it stream out in the current until it is all the way out, and then tie the end off to the boat. Use a fender, because it is easy to see (white) and lies low in the water, so it is not affected by the wind.

This trailing line keeps you from having to swim against the current back to the boat, (sometimes impossible to do if the current is strong enough) because you can swim to the line and pull yourself up the line hand over hand back to the boat. Just be sure you don't let yourself get farther than 300 feet from the boat.

A friend of mine couldn't get back to his boat - he wound up drifting in the open ocean until another boat spotted him and came over to pick him up. He would have had to swim perpendicular to the current a mile to shore otherwise.

An additional advantage is other boats stay away from you - they don't want to get their props tangled in the line. Some boats don't respect your dive flag, but they do respect floating line in the water.
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Old 07-03-2011, 03:34 PM   #41
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Wow North:

Laminated a procedure card.

Today my wife and son were on the boat and I was diving, the overheat alarm went off as my wife used the prop as a kelp chopping tool .

The cooling intakes were blocked. My laminated cards solution...hit hard reverse kick the kelp out. She did that and still the alarm went off....card said: engine off, raise leg do visual, and hand clean cooling intake.

She did, dropped the main back in and it did not start.

She started Aux a 9.9 horse kicker and was there when I came up with a fish and she had a big calm cool collected smile..."See I did good !!!"

p.s. my battery on the main was dead from long time neglect and an electrical gremlin to my GPS. Got a new battery and its sunshine and lollipops with unicorns! and a little loving on the side for boosting her self confidence... again a nod to your warm women at home tip

best tip of the day...follow the other guys tips
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Old 07-03-2011, 10:08 PM   #42
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Cool! Sounds like you have a first class wife!
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Old 07-08-2011, 01:27 PM   #43
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Re: PNW tips thread...

When returning from a dive, be really careful approaching the swimstep when the boat is pitching up and down in short and sharp waves, or any waves for that matter. If the swimstep hits you on it's way up or down, it can knock you out, break a shoulder, or do other serious damage to your body.

Approach it with your hand extended from your body, get hold of it with your hand to get your body in sync with it, and then climb onto it.

Getting clobbered by a swim step or ladder is no fun, and it can be fatal. A wave can wash you right into it before you know it, and POW! Keep your distance until ready to board, and focus on nothing else when you do.
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Last edited by North Star; 07-20-2011 at 04:32 PM.
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Old 07-19-2011, 04:51 PM   #44
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Re: PNW tips thread...

Diving for my first time on thursday..... Great information.... wish me luck im going to need it... haha good luck to all of you.

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Old 07-26-2011, 04:40 PM   #45
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Re: PNW tips thread...

After getting hung up in wire down rigger line again on scuba (non hunting dive with wife)...her comment why not just wear wire snips instead of 2 knives.

Hung up yesterday and out in 10 seconds....wire cutters a divers best friend.

Talked to a few commercial buddies they swear they are essential equipment, how did I miss this for so long?

Sorry to be so absent for so long health is coming at me in waves, lots of great PNW new threads lately.
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