Randy Fry Memorial Freedive Tourney Oct. 11 Ocean Cove

[thereefgeek]

Alright Aaron, looks like I won't be heading up for the Picasso Open, (check out CowPie Cove for me bro ), but I'm definately up for the Randy Fry!!!

[ApneaAddict]

Well, after years of diving, it looks like my brother (apneanaut) and I are going to be in our first official tournament. I'm excited to meet you all there!


Go Bears.

[Noyo Jim]

Randy's Big X 2008 Competition Rules:
Open to everyone.
Current California Department of Fish and Game laws apply.
All divers and anglers must enter and participate as two-person teams.
All spearfishing from any vessel or from shore to be conducted by freediving.
Tournament registration starts at 7:00 AM.
All contestants must check-in at Ocean Cove Campground group site.
You can start fishing immediately after check-in at any location on the coast.
All teams must check-out at the Tournament Weigh-in (Ocean Cove Campground) by 1 PM.
SAFETY EXEMPTION: Competitors who participate in sea rescue may be granted an exemption on the weigh-in deadline. Subject to decision by weighmaster. Safety first, competition second.

Measurement/Weight:
Use caliper for measuring abalone to closest hundredth of an inch.
Use scale for weighing fish to closest tenth of pound.
Decision of the Weighmaster is Final.

Scoring – Team Points:
FIVE (5) points per fish plus ONE (1) point per pound with a maximum of 15 points per fish.
Up to ten fish submitted by team.
Total points of fish submitted by team ranked towards award.
Abalone measured by length of two longest submitted by team ranked towards award.

Etiquette & Safety:
The Randy Fry Big X Tourney promotes friendly competition and team cooperation. Teams competing in the motorized vessels or kayaks should yield to divers in the water & be ready to assist divers in trouble. Always yield to the least mobile participants.

Divisions/Awards:
All contestants may enter the Abalone Team Division and select one other class.
Team awards commemorating Randy’s Big Ten will be given to each diver in the following divisions:
Open Freedive Spearfish Division 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place
Abalone Team Division 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place

Eligibility:
Paid $35.00 entry fee.
Waiver signed.
California Department of Fish and Game license and abalone punch card checked.

Disqualifications:
California Department of Fish and Game law broken.
Failure to check-out on time.
For More Info: Call 707-357-3422

[thereefgeek]

Alright, I'm registered. Hope the weather holds out and the swells settle down.

[Styric]

I am registered as of last night. I am stoked. I can't wait to meet some of you guys. It will be my first ab dive and my first spearin in Norcal. Thanks to TheReefGeek for being my dive buddy.

See you all there.
Cheers!
Styric (Richard Styrsky)

[ApneaAddict]

Can I pay the application fee when I check in, or does it have to be done via the link ahead of time? Also, is there a window for check-in, or is it just any time between 7 and 1? Cus I might be arriving around 9...

[Noyo Jim]

You can pay at the check in - and you can check in anytime after 7am. Last year's abalone division winner, Bill Bernard, only dove for 2 hours on a late entry.

There will be a potluck Saturday evening, for those who want to spend the night. We have the group campground #2 for both nights. Bring some grub!

The recent storm has knocked down a lot of the kelp. Weather reports notwithstanding, we will take a look at the weather on the day and have the raffle, silent auction and a hot lunch regardless. We've had bad weather reports before and had great conditions on dive day for the Randy Fry.

[Fis_Hunter]

Anyone heading up need a dive partner?

[Tino Bernazzani]

Great big thanks to Jim Martin for putting on another excellent dive event.
The chilly was awesome!
Good to see everyone again.
Wish the conditions were a little better, but it was nice to just get wet.

[dennishaussler]

Tino is being modest,
Him and his partner, (forgot his name), took top dog honors with an impressive catch given the conditions.
Way to go boys, nice work!
Thanks Jim for putting this on, and all the hard work for the RFA!!
It was nice to see eveyrone there, and the conditions weren';t bad given what it was all week.
The hardest part for me was water temp,,,,, it was F#$ckin cold!!!!

[fulldraw]

Congrats Tino, you guys did great! Nice cooler! Conditions could of been better, but you guys came through. Good seeing visiting with you guys. Also A huge thanks to Jim Martin! You did a wonderful job!
Todd Wagner

[offduty]

Tino and I had a great time despite the cold. At one point, we both got out to warm up and waited until we could feel our feet again before we returned to the water. We had a good 10' of vis...don't laugh, that is pretty good. As always, the chili rocked! Sooo good after a cold dive.
Some great prizes were given out and some real steals at the silent auction. It was a pleasure to meet some of the guys from Sac and a couple Socal transplants. A great event for a great cause...your right to fish.
Thanks to Jim and all involved.

[el_pedorro]

Originally Posted by Noyo Jim

...and you can check in anytime after 7am. Last year's abalone division winner, Bill Bernard, only dove for 2 hours on a late entry.

Having watched the awful conditions all week I thought I'd skip it this year and sleep late. But I never sleep late, so I settled for a late start, instead. By the time I rolled into Ocean Cove (10am) it was pretty much deserted so I figured that since I didn't have a partner, I'd just hang out for the weigh-in.

But Jim found another dawdler for my partner, Richard Sears. And we quickly hit the water, got our abs, and hurried back to just barely make the 1:00 weigh-in. We were lucky...our 2nd-place finish in that division was only .040" off the winners'.

[apneanaut]

Did anyone snap a picture of the winners' cooler? It was a pretty impressive haul. It was great meeting some of you and learning a few tricks of the trade around the campfire. Next time we won't leave it up to luck!

This made me realize I need the smallest gun I can find for up here. I missed opportunities to get a couple greenling and rockfish because I couldn't swing my gun and get lined up in the poor visibility. I also learned it is smarter to avoid the thick kelp than to pretend it isn't a pain (as I alligator crawled across the surface trying to make the weigh-in).

Thanks for a fun meet!

[Noyo Jim]

Thanks to everyone who came out for "the Randy" this year.

Given the weather reports, the turnout was awesome.

To the NorCal Skindivers Club, for the donation of the food, and to Dave "Dancin' Bear" Whittington for cooking up the chile - muchos gracias.

Major sponsors of the event this year include Hammerhead Spearguns - thanks, Kevin Sakuda for the Adaptation wetsuit and all the dive gear.

Dennis Haussler from 20 Fathoms put an awesome speargun into the raffle.

Todd Wagner from Bucksport Sporting Goods in Eureka donated a mask, snorkel and a cool camo float that Brandi Easter won in the raffle.

Please support RFA sponsors whenever you can: Telstar Charter and the Beach House Inn in Fort Bragg, Simms Fishing Products, Johnson Hicks Marine Electronics in Sausalito, and Amadeo Bachar Illustration.

Applause for all the volunteers and competitors who make this event a great one: Tino Bernazzani for the silent auction help, Brian Ishida for performing the weighmaster duties flawlessly, Richard Sears from Dolphin Dive Club in Sacramento for helping with the sign-ins and throughout the event. Thanks to Brandi for picking up the trophies, Milo Vukovich and the Sonoma County Abalone Network for the booth, and congratulations to the winners: Tino Bernazzani and Eric Sabbe took first place in the spearfishing division; the Smith brothers (?) took first place in the Abalone division.

Brian Ishida - do you have the scoreboard? I didn't write down all the names and scores.

LOST AND FOUND:

Dennis H - I found your duck sausage and ate it. Dam that was good. Where can I get more?

Tom Krebs - I have your folding table.

Bill and Jerry - left my portable grill in your camp.

I have somebody's folding chair, with "Thank You Randy Fry" written on the back.

We raised over $2500 with virtually no expenses - 100% of this money goes to work keeping you on the water. Thanks for supporting the Recreational Fishing Alliance!