GoodToGo

Finally a break in the wind, so Mike and I made a dive trip. We left the dock about 7:30 as the cool of the morning was burning off. We made a straight shot to Stage I on a 1-2' chop so it didn't take too long. The water looked pretty good after we crossed the tide line about 5mi out. I let Mike jig for a jack a couple of passes while I figured the drift, no luck so we anchored to see what lay below. The vis was very good, 40-50' slight current, still a lot of http://www.siphonophores.org/. I re-learned last trip to watch out for the stringey stingey critters after getting my lips lit up with their pepper. Mike and I did the usual split in opposite directions to survey the massive site of pipes and cables. Even though the vis was good there wasn't much to see in the way of big fish. I had covered about half the site without seeing any legal grouper or AJs so I dropped down on what looked to be a nice anchor someone had left for me on the bottom. On the way down I spotted another anchor. My commotion of collecting up the first anchor and rhode and hauling it to the top of the pipes attracted the attention of a curious grouper that must have been earlier hiding. It acted pretty nervous when I started to drift down to its level but it wasnt't nervous enough and I got in range, made the shot, and took it up to my anchor pile at the top. As I strung it up I considered sending it up with the anchors on the lift bag but thought better of that. We haven't seen many sharks lately but a nice fresh grouper just might have been the needed attractant.


Mike and my Anchors














Next dive on T-7 was the beginning of my equipment malfunctions. Shortly after arriving at the top of the bridge I saw a nice grouper cautiosly coming out to investigate my presence. I was able to get close enough for a good shot but I wasn't able to keep the fish away from the bridge. When it went under the bridge it wrapped on a piece of steel and broke free. Loading my gun I discovered it hadn't just pulled loose, it had broken the cable. Now with no speartip I returned to the surface for some repairs. I took a spinner tip out of the gunbox and screwed it on and went back down to see if I could find the wounded fish. I searched and saw some fleeting shadows under the bridge, but nothing I could identify as my fish. Heading back to the top of the bridge a nice AJ passed under me so I shot it. I hit it pretty well, in the top and out the gill plate, but didn't connect with anything vital. It was pulling hard to wrap on the bridge but I was able to guide it up and get myself on the anchor line. I started pulling the fish to me and it came loose and swam away. When I was reloading I discovered the problem, the shaft had pulled out of the spinner tip. I haven't had a spearpoint failure in more than a year and now I have had two on consecutive dives.

My next rig was a slip tip. I didn't like it very much but it was what I had at the time. I dove the F106s and found some nice grouper on the sand. They immediately headed for the airplane and went under the wings. It wasn't long before one got curious and came out to see me. I shot it, it ran, the tip came out. Damn. I reloaded and didn't have to wait long until a really nice black snapper came out for a look.. I shot it, it ran, the tip came out. Actually more happened than the tip coming out. The tip cable had looped around one of the arms of my muzzle, so when I shot the cable broke but not before ripping off the arm of the muzzle. I'm glad my bad luck in three's was just spear tips. I took myself to the surface and went home to do some equipment repair. I'm going back tomorrow for a rematch.