Has Anyone dove Osborne Bank?

[Bob Ballew]

Am planning to free dive Osborne this summer, as the top is supposed to be 90' from the surface...Does anyone have any info on it?

[Bill McIntyre]

I've always thought it would be a neat place to try, being out there so far in the open, but I've never been there.

One thing that has always stuck in my mind is from back in my marlin fishing days over 20 years ago. Marlin fisherman slow-trolling mackerel over the bank were catching rock cod.

[Steve-o]

Of course I have never dove there, but from metering over it it has been my impression that very little of the bank is less than 25 fathoms, with most of it 30-40 fm it memory serves me correctly. I think the shallowest spot I've metered was about 18-19 fm but that doesn't mean there isn't a pinnacle that comes up higher. Without a sonar or diligently looking, I can't say for sure. A while back a friend wanted to try to pick up a lingcod on a breezy day, and since we were passing the bank we stopped, but I had a heck of a time finding and pulling drifts over something less than 20 fm.

I know guys that have scored some big makos there, and that's where I've baited most of my swords. I was with a old long range skipper buddy a few years ago and we found one that he swore was a grander....hard for me to judge but it sure was big. I bet you might see some big bluefin there, but I'm sure you already knew that.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Bill McIntyre

One thing that has always stuck in my mind is from back in my marlin fishing days over 20 years ago. Marlin fisherman slow-trolling mackerel over the bank were catching rock cod.

Funny you should mention that Bill. Same friend I mentioned baiting swords with said he once caught a big cowcod on a surface iron, and I think it was at the bank. Of course they are extinct now.

[Bob Ballew]

Hmmm, a federal and state spearfishing record for cowcod......

[rojodiablo]

Originally Posted by santiago

Funny you should mention that Bill. Same friend I mentioned baiting swords with said he once caught a big cowcod on a surface iron, and I think it was at the bank. Of course they are extinct now.

The 2 swordies I have steaked out for customers both had small rockfish in their stomachs......I was quite surprised. Bob, I have fished the bank, and dove a kelp pddy right on it one day with Steve Castro and Mitch Walker. We were shooting yt, and the bigger ones tried to run DOWN, not into the kelp!! They knew the bank was down there.

[Kingspear]

Here is a great article on it Bob. http://www.decompression.org/maiken/...rbara_Alps.htm

[Mark302]

A buddy and I jumped in on Osborne a few years back. We found quite a bit of bait, but no Yellows for the 20-30 minutes that we dove it. The current was pretty strong that day if I remember correctly. Kind of reminded me of the conditions at Tanner.

[Pither]

Originally Posted by Kingspear

Here is a great article on it Bob. http://www.decompression.org/maiken/...rbara_Alps.htm

Wow, great link! Do you have any links to the other offshore pinnacles?

[Bob Ballew]

Wow...Kingspear put me onto another spot I would like to try...can just see me sitting on top of the Matterhorn, speargun ready, peering down into the depths, as King of the Mountain....Now, does anyone have gps coordinates for the Matterhorn?

[Nate Baker]

Originally Posted by Kingspear

Here is a great article on it Bob. http://www.decompression.org/maiken/...rbara_Alps.htm

Is the Matterhorn the same as Hidden Reef? It used to be a fairly well known rock cod spot. I've always wanted to dive there, but it's so far from anywhere, if conditions suck, what's your plan b?

For the record, here are the numbers for Hidden Reef. I got them from Ray Klefstad's web page.

33° 43.60'

119° 09.69'

Edit: Here's a chart of the area. It looks like what they're talking about, but it's hard to tell for sure.

[C monster]

Never dove it. Fished it with varying degrees of success, however and have seen a lot of swordies out there as well. Speaking of swordfish, has anyone on this board ever shot one?

SC

[Stinkey Fish]

Hidden Reef area looked good to me also, I asked the same question a while back and someone said thats where alot of mako's live. Not sure if this was BS, need to check it out. Anyone been to Hidden Reef ???

Originally Posted by tomol

Is the Matterhorn the same as Hidden Reef? It used to be a fairly well known rock cod spot. I've always wanted to dive there, but it's so far from anywhere, if conditions suck, what's your plan b?

For the record, here are the numbers for Hidden Reef. I got them from Ray Klefstad's web page.

33° 43.60'

119° 09.69'

Edit: Here's a chart of the area. It looks like what they're talking about, but it's hard to tell for sure.

[FishNFool]

Whats the deepth run on hidden reef?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Bob Ballew

Wow...Kingspear put me onto another spot I would like to try...can just see me sitting on top of the Matterhorn, speargun ready, peering down into the depths, as King of the Mountain....Now, does anyone have gps coordinates for the Matterhorn?

The guy I got my boat from was a recreational scuba diver who'd hurt his neck and was unable to continue tech diving, and this one spot he liked to dive. I remember him saying anchoring up on the spot was tricky, and that they "saw great whites there" more than once, but you've seen them too I was more interested in the wrecks he drew on the SMI chart he gave me....we'll see if I ever get there.