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Thanks Jack. Your corner makes all the difference. There is a lot of info I would like to add but I'm afraid I would be hung from the yardarm for giving out too much information...What do you suggest?
Mike, try to find some video on spearing with sharks in the water and I will do the same…we can request questions and stories from the audience. Tell them to bring their shark bites and stories to the meeting. I can tell the story about Guy Cisneros Perez, Cuban diver, who was bitten by a barracuda in the 59 nationals, on Fowey Rocks reef, that first tried to bite me after I knocked some scales off of him. Guy then tried to shoot him and it bit him between the legs, badly, multiple times.
That's a sad story. There is a lot of talk about an upcoming Sling Contest. I understand you’re involved.
I <have offered to> write the rules and requirements for the contest. They will be comparable to the UnderWater Society of America rules that I know by heart. I will figure out the dates for the end of the month.
Hopefully, no big storms. If we have one, we will have an alternate date.
It will be three man teams, an observer, and a boat operator. The observer cannot run the boat, he or she is there to observe that the rules and regs are followed. In a pinch, one of the divers can be the driver and alternate with one of the other divers, if so desired.
The tourney boundaries are Fowey to the left and the Whistle Buoy to the right. Spearguns must be muscle loaded, lines and floats are optional. Each person can weigh in five fish in each category. (to be determined as soon as I find out which fish are legally eligible to be speared and the minimum sizes.)
There is no chumming the day of the tourney. However, flashers are always allowed during competition. Gaff hooks, rope hooks and crowbars are also allowed. We will discuss the use of GPS and Lorans as location aids at a competition meeting prior to the tourney. Remember no explosives. I will provide a typical release form for each diver that must be included with the entry and information forms provided to the respective teams. These forms must be turned in one hour prior to the start of the competition. All forms, with all info shall be completed and mailed out to the members by the fifteenth of September.
Go Team Triton!!! Let's do this. The contest is on! What are the hot spots in Miami?
There is absolutely no fish off Miami. You have to go south of Pacific Light or past the park to Pickles or down to Gator and Grassy Key........
Jack, Didn’t you tell me there is a reef named after you? Where is it?
The Reef is located just North of Conch Reef and Kearns Wreck is located inside in 25ft of water. Kearns Rock is located near the buoy off Grassy Key. The other Kearns Rock is located between Pacific and the Whistle. Check out the book by Martin Meylach, "Diving To A Flash of Gold".
How did they get named after you?
From books, news stories, being a famous asshole and winning tourneys in these areas. Especially since certain ones are hard to find.
When was this and who named the spots after you?
P.S. Can we divulge GPS locations to club members?
There are no gps coordinates for these spots. This was long before GPS was in existence. You can find Kearns Wreck and Kearns Reef in Diving to a Touch of Gold. I will give you these coord's - 305deg to south end of Tavernier key-laying in sand pocket amongst rock area in 20's of water. I find all my sites by reading the bottom and land markers. That's how they did it in galleon days. It's easy once you have 10,000 hrs of experience.
I give out no coordinates to anyone. Divers have to earn it by lots of dragging or being my dive partner.......... There are many other sites like Shinn Shoals, or DelMonico's Patch or Pinders whatever... They all spent thousands of hours locating these places..................Usually people would follow us to find these locations ...... We would just go fool around in 100' of water until they gave up and moved off. Then we would go to our spots, we were warmed up.
What time of year and what is your best catch there?
Best time of year to shoot fish is, early spring, winter, late fall. I won the Cuban International Tournament in 87 in 120 ft of water, south of Pacfic Light. It was late fall but the fish were all very deep. I had the six largest fish in the tourney...........
When the waters hot, the fish go deeeeeeeeeeeeeep..........
What was your best catch?
Best catch for a single day was a little over 1200lbs for 2 divers in the keys, 1962. Best catch in islands was 2750lbs for myself and a spear carrier with a small boat transporting fish to a big boat.
This was at Great Isaac Light in 1957. A single day 8am to 3pm. Spawn everywhere, sharks everywhere...........Just luck, right day, right place, right time.
You used to do a lot of deep diving. Tell me about the time you fell asleep and woke up on the bottom.
I was on the Elbow in 80' of water. All alone. Really relaxed, just diving, not spearfishing. I had been slow breathing for four minutes, I took off for the bottom, kicked for the first 20' , shut my eyes and tried to completely relax. Fell sound asleep and woke up with a terrific headache when I hit the bottom. I had water in my mask. I blew it
out and started for the surface. I realized that this was my last dive alone deep,
for time down. I was trying for four to five minutes, or, whatever was comfortable. I continued to spear alone because I was always awake. I think............
This took place in the late 60's..............................
The Elbow is where I have requested they spread my ashes...............
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