FATHOMIERS NEWSLETTER
FREEDIVING – SPEARFISHING – COMPETITION
SINCE 1957
Twinge of sadness (?) as spearfisherman kills record marlin
13.04.2004
By ANNE BESTON
A two-hour battle between a spearfisherman
and a marlin ended with a world record and a
vow never to kill another of the giant gamefish. David Mullins of Auckland expects to
hold the striped marlin free-diving spearfishing world record after his ordeal landing a
156.6kg giant, 22kg heavier than the previous record a New Zealander set in 1997.
Mr Mullins' adventure began during a dive for
snapper on Good Friday at South East Bay
on the remote Three Kings Islands, 64km
northwest of Cape Reinga.
diving spearfisher, a sport growing in popularity where divers in only a wetsuit and fins
use a manual speargun to hunt gamefish
such as marlin, tuna and swordfish.
To qualify for a world record they have to
subdue the fish alone and underwater. They
can't hold on to a boat but can hold on to a
float attached to the line.
"I dived down for kingfish and this thing [the
marlin] must have cruised up behind me. He
was all lit up. He was an impressive sight,"
Mr Mullins said.
"I took a small dive over the top of him, lined
The 2m-tall 23-year-old is a "bluewater" free-
(Continued on page 4)
Current World-record yellowfin tuna for women—157 pounds
Flamingo Beach, Costa Rica, Nov 2, 2003 by Sheri Daye
My Mom has the most perplexed look every time she
looks in my Jeep and sees all the spearguns in the
back. I know she’s trying to figure out how I went
from a girl who was doing so well in ballet to a woman
who collects weapons of mass destruction. I blame
Terry Maas. I saw his picture and was filled with
lust…over the tuna, that is. I soon found out that
holding your breath is not easy, bluewater guns are
not cheap, and tunas are not found in my backyard of
South Florida. Furthermore, where there’s big tuna,
there are big sharks, but my desire remained strong
and undeterred.
I made two disappointing trips to “the Lump” off
Louisiana. Swimming around in chum-laden, cold,
green water, I saw nothing resembling a tuna. However, I knew that one must make many trips, sometimes over a period of years, just for the chance of
landing one. On a positive note, I met G.R. Tarr there
who invited me to Costa Rica, to join a group of hardcore hunters who shared the same affliction. After a
short visit with my relatives down there, I met my new
APRIL 2004
Inside this issue:
Secretary’s
Report
2
CURRENTS–
UW Hockey
3
WSB Recipe
5
Competitive 6
Standings
2003
Equipment
Shelf
6
Fathomier’s 8
2004
Calendar
Proposed Scramble Meet T-Shirt
Design – Thanks Willlie!
The Fathomiers Newsletter is the
official monthly publication of the
Los Angeles Fathomiers
The Fathomiers is a Southern California club dedicated
to Freediving and Competitive Spearfishing.
Membership is open to the public. To become an Active member, you
must fulfill obligations and conditions. You can also become an
Associate Member for $20. Contact the Fathomiers for further
information.
CONTACT NUMBERS
PRESIDENT
Clint Koberstein
(805) 985-4122
Email: [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Eric Banados
(714) 377-1849
Email: [email protected]
SECRETARY
Stathis Kostopoulos
(626) 286-8645
Email: [email protected]
Dan Carlberg
(310) 376-0860
Email: [email protected]
Tim Driskell
(714) 698-9298
Email: [email protected]
TREASURER
RECORDER
CONSERVATION
NEWSLETTER
Gary Thompson
(909) 674-4918
Tyler Dubberly
(310) 335-0136
Email: [email protected]
Editor’s address: Tyler Dubberly
119 Loma Vista Street #1
El Segundo, CA 90245
The editor reserves the right to make spelling and grammatical corrections to
submissions, and may rewrite sections for purposes of clarity and/or space
considerations. The intent and meaning of submissions shall be maintained as closely
as possible. Anyone who has submitted an article may request a preview of their
article as it will appear in the publication. At that time the submitter may request
changes or withdrawal of the article. The editor and the club officers will determine
which submissions to include and which to exclude. While reasonable effort is
expended to ensure accuracy of the information in this newsletter, we do not
guarantee it. The editor, and the Fathomiers and it’s officers, shall not be held liable
for errors in this newsletter. The Fathomiers do not accept paid advertisements.
Submissions are needed. Articles or information may be mailed, emailed, or
communicated over the phone. Photographs submitted will be returned to the owner
after publication. Please take the initiative to contact me or to send me materials. If
you have information for the newsletter, do not depend on “word of mouth” to get it to
COMPUTER VIRUS SEIGE
Yes, it is a bit off topic, but computer viruses seem to be running rampant lately. My system has been trashed for the past
couple weeks due to some kind of worm virus. Yeah, I had
virus protection but the definitions were not up to date.
You may want to double check your virus software to see if
you can update the definitions online. You are particularly
vulnerable if you use Kazaa or a peer to peer file transfer system. Believe me, reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling all of your programs is not fun! - da editor
Page 2 - FATHOMIERS
March 2004 Minutes
Meeting was called to order at 7:45 pm by president Clint
Koberstein.
Visitors introduced themselves.
Club members voted on five Constitution changes as they
presented in the February 2004 newsletter. All passed unanimously.
New waivers were distributed to members; members should
fill out, sign and give to the president or the secretary.
Grant Graves, President of the USAA (U.S. Apnea Association) had a presentation about freediving safety. He explained the basic contents of a course for freedivers, aiming
to improve safety and performance.
Larry Carter asked members who took photos at the recent
banquet, to provide photos or digital files for next year’s
Banquet presentation.
The next meeting will take place at the Stick & Stein in El
Segundo, on 707 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
Erik told members about the Underwater Hockey opportunities at the Lynwood Natatorium on Tuesdays.
We watched an interesting video about Korean women Ama
divers.
Paul had an interesting fish story about pesky PV
sheepheads.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:45pm.
April 2004 Minutes
Meeting was called to order at 7:45 pm by vice-president
Erik Banados.
Visitors introduced themselves. Club officers gave their reports.
Club members reviewed several potential designs for the
Scramble Meet t-shirts. Members agreed to defer the design
selection to next month.
Club Auction is May 13th. Members were encouraged to
bring old gear they don’t use for the auction.
The US Nationals take place on July 24th. Two Fathomier
teams will be participating. One with Rene Rojas, Brandon
Wahlers, and Mike Pinder. And one with Paul Romanowski,
John Iwaniec, and Kalani.
Bob Sellers had an interesting presentation about the Charlie
Sturgill Meet, the Trophy, and the past champions. In order
to increase participation to the Sturgill Meet a Septrember
date was suggested by Terry, and also the possibility of a
Jackpot.
Erik mentioned the U/W Hockey opportunities at the
Lynwood Natatorium.
Doug Van Mullem presented Paul Romanowski with a Sport
Chalet Gift Certificate for his athlete of the year award.
Al Schneppershoff will celebrate his birthday with a BBQ on
May 2nd.
We heard exciting fish stories from Erik, Richard, and Brandon, and we watched an exciting BWH video from Australia.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:45pm.
Apr– 04
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04:032 March 23, 2004
Recreational Lingcod Regulations to Change April 1
The California Fish and Game Commission voted to take emergency action
to change California state regulations governing the recreational
harvest of lingcod in order to conform to new federal regulations going
into effect on April 1. The new regulations will increase the lingcod
minimum size limit to 30 inches, reduce the daily bag limit to one
fish,
and prohibit take during November and December.
The need for additional measures was determined by the Pacific Fisheries
Management Council (PFMC), and recommended to the National Marine
Fisheries Service, in part from new information on fishing success
during the last part of 2003, which was not available to fishery
managers when the current regulations were established.
The PFMC and the DFG anticipate that by increasing the minimum size
limit, reducing the allowable daily bag limit to one lingcod per
person,
and shortening the season, California's lingcod catches will be held to
the allotted amount for the recreational fishery. Current regulations
allow two fish per person at a minimum size of 24 inches.
"These conformance actions by the Commission ensure that state and
federal rules for these species are consistent and enforceable," said
DFG Marine Regional Manager Patty Wolf. "Most importantly, the federal
regulations to which the state conforms are enacted in order to ensure
resource protection and sustainability, which is in the interest not
just of the federal fisheries agencies, but the states as well."
Under existing law, the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council
manages and regulates 82 species of groundfish including rockfish,
lingcod, California scorpionfish, some flatfish, and some sharks in
waters off the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Under
California law, the Commission regulates sport fishing in California
waters (three miles off the coast) for all species, including those
managed under federally adopted fisheries management plans and those
which are not.
CURRENTS
Safety Tip / Reminder of the Month
In Memory of Steve Seo and Steve Redding
Underwater hockey player dies 12mar04
A TEENAGE underwater hockey player has died in
hospital after seeing how long he could hold his
breath underwater.
Shaun Jones, 18, was flown to Royal Perth Hospital
after getting into difficulties in the shallow end of the
pool at the Karratha Aquatic Centre on Tuesday.
The teenager was practicing swimming underwater
with a friend after his underwater hockey game was
cancelled, when the incident occurred.
A report to police said Mr Jones was seeing how long
he could hold his breath, and had been underwater
for at least four minutes.
When a friend went to check on his condition, there
was no response and he was dragged to the surface.
A Royal Perth Hospital spokeswoman said the boy,
whose family had flown from Karratha to be by his
bedside, died overnight.
The regulation changes are necessary to ensure that catches of lingcod
in California remain at or within the coastwide acceptable harvest
levels. The lingcod stock off the coast of California, Oregon and
Washington has been formally classified as overfished by the PFMC, and
is currently managed under a rebuilding plan to achieve recovery of the
stock. A key element of
the rebuilding plan is to constrain catches to levels that allow the
stock to increase to a healthy level within a specified period of time.
In 2002 and 2003, coastwide lingcod catches exceeded allowable levels
needed to achieve rebuilding of the stock.
Apr– 04
Page 3 - FATHOMIERS
NEWSLETTER
Boo-Hoo
Sheri Daye
(Continued from page 1)
(Continued from page 1)
him up and shot him. I tried to kill him outright because I
thought I'd lose my gear."
friends for a van ride to the Pacific coast.
He shot the marlin near the shoulder and it rose to the surface.
"I was just going to grab him and get the knife into him but I
thought maybe he was just changing gear, so I backed off."
Mr Mullins swam back to the float and held on while the marlin plunged to the bottom, using all 30m of line and pulling the
diver 3m under.
"I tried really hard to stay near the surface. Any further and I
would have had to let go."
The fish towed the diver for two arm-wrenching hours at up to
9km/h.
"At times it was a bit frightening. When the line went slack
and you could see it curving off I was sort of wondering if he
was coming back around, but there was no serious danger.
It's all in your head."
Crew aboard the launch following the pair eventually threw Mr
Mullins a bigger speargun, allowed under the sport's international rules.
This time he hit the marlin through the head and then dived
15m to retrieve it.
Official weighing at Houhora in the Far North confirmed the
world-beating weight. "It's bloody great. I still can't quite believe it," Mr Mullins said.
But along with the elation there was also a twinge of sadness. "I'll never shoot another marlin. They're a really impressive fish. You don't want to go killing another one. One's
StathisDid you feel a
“twinge of
sadness” when
you shot your
marlin?
Boo-hoo
There were eight of us. G.R., from Florida, organized the trip. Sasa
Bratic, originally from Bosnia, is a big guy who must have been the
class clown. He is personable, likable, and makes everybody laugh.
Guy Nesbitt from Texas, originally from South Africa, is a high-energy,
intellectual, and introspective individual. Ritchie Zacker, the youngest
at 26, is bullishly strong, full of spunk and bravado -- typical of a guy
his age.
Ralph Tieman, from California, was the oldest but can kick everybody’s butt. He’s been Spearfishing Athlete of the Year and has been
competing for many years. Similar to his sparing use of words, the
only time he took shots at tunas, they hit the mark...no wasted energy
there. Roberto Reyes from Puerto Rico, originally from Cuba, is often
described as a gentleman, and he was one of the most experienced
bluewater hunters. In fact, he was the only one that had successfully
landed a tuna previous to this trip, though many of us had tried before.
Bruce Dutton is an adventurous soul who went on to try his hand at
surfing despite stories of 14-foot crocodiles.
Add me, a Eurasian who was born in Nebraska and grew up in Honduras, and you have quite a melting pot. Despite the diversity in age,
nationality, and occupations, we had a common passion, and it was
enough to create an instant bond. During the long van ride across
mountainous terrain, we told endless stories of fish, while Sasa had us
laughing with stories of Bosnian chickens.
It is “Day One”, and we are splitting up into two boats in the
morning. As we load gear, Roberto comes to the dock holding his
stomach saying, “Oooh…I feel sick. I just talked to a fisherman.”
I ask, “What’s wrong?” I figure he is about to say that we had
wasted our time coming here...that there are no fish. He continues, “They caught a 200-pound tuna yesterday. I am so excited;
I'm going to throw up!”
As we motor away from the coast, the captain looks through binoculars for the boiling mass of birds and bait, locally known as “carnada”.
The seas are relatively calm, with an occasional sailfish splashing
across the surface. After a couple hours, we are in 500 fathoms of
water, in the middle of a feeding frenzy. We jump in with birds swirling
all around us, and we kick down into the bottomless abyss. There is no
more lonely, exhilarating, or vulnerable feeling than floating around,
suspended in deep blue, while waiting for something big to appear out
of nowhere.
I am mesmerized by the school of bait, silver slivers turning and
flashing in unison. Sailfish start breezing by, dorsal fin erect, causing
momentary panic among the baitfish. Some of the sailfish cruise closer
still, casting an inquisitive eye and asking me to please get away from
their bait ball.
Later, the captain locates spinner dolphins, hundreds of them, jump(Continued on page 7)
Page 4 - FATHOMIERS
Apr– 04
SCUBA Show 2004
The largest dive expo in the Western U.S., SCUBA
Show 2004, will take
place
May 22-23 at the Long Beach Convention Center -- and you are invited!
You are cordially invited to participate in:
-- 76,000 sq. ft. of exhibits of new gear, experts
and a demo tank.
-- Bring your bathing suit for in water gear demos
and free scuba
intro.
-- Continuous Underwater Film Festival with premier films.
-- Full schedule of seminars and exhibitor presentations.
-- Door Prizes.
-- Saturday Night Casino Party benefit -- and
much, much more!
PREREGISTER ONLINE FOR SAVINGS of time and
money. For full info and
advanced
registration go to HTTP://WWW.
SAINTBRENDAN.COM.
Sea Bass with Provencal Sauce
COMMENTS:
Good with any white fleshed fish
RECIPE:
16 oz. sea bass fillets, skinned and boned
1 sprig fennel
1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 medium onion
1 clove garlic
Finely chop tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, onion and
garlic. Mix all these ingredients with the herbs and
saute gently in the oil As mixture begins to bubble add
the white wine. Simmer until the sauce reduces by 1/3.
Bake the sea bass at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or
until done. (Or brush with olive oil and barbecue.)
Pour sauce over sea bass and serve.
Recipe Donated by Bill McIntyre / FDL
HALL OF FAME
CALIFORNIA GAMEFISH AWARD
Steve Redding Trophy
The Steve Redding Trophy is a lifetime trophy awarded to honor the memory of Steve Redding. The fish chosen are all gamefish which can be caught off the beach. It was thought that the eligible fish should be readily
accessible off the beach or by kayak because Steve was primarily a beach diver. The qualifying fish are as follows:
Each diver must get, while an active member or tentative, one each of the following: Yellowtail (at least 35
lbs.), White Seabass (at least 50lbs.), and either a Calico Bass (at least 10lbs.) or Halibut (at least 25lbs.)
Diver
TODD BERGENBRING ‘01
Richard Balta ‘02
Skip Hellen ‘03
Daniel Carlberg ‘03
Apr-04
White Sea Bass
Yellowtail
Halibut
Calico Bass
Page 5 - FATHOMIERS
Fathomiers 2004 Competitive Results
NAME
JAN FEB MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT NOV DEC
Anthony Funachello
X
X
66.45
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Bob Coyle
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Brandon Wahlers 63.3 79.3
100
87.8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Brian Dierling
X 32.7
X
43.4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Carlos Serret
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Cisco Serret
X
X
69.58
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Clint Koberstien
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Danny Piper
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Dave Galich
X
X
37.18 18.24
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Eddie Ota
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Erez Abayov
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Erik Banados
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ernie Schultz
X
42
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Fil Labatista
87 80.8
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Gary Thompson
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Mark Navas
100 64.7 50.83 75.1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Mike Pinder
X
33
67.18
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Paul Romanoski
X 67.8
X
100
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Rene Rojas
X
100 71.45
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Richard Balta
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ritchie Ota
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Stathis Kostopolis
X
X
30.83
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tim Driskell
X
X
48.85 42.99
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tom Fogerty
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Zoilo Velazquez
X
X
X
X
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOTAL
66.45
0
330.4
76.07
0
69.58
0
0
55.42
0
0
0
42.03
167.8
0
290.61
100.2
167.84
171.45
0
0
30.83
91.84
0
0
EQUIPMENT SHELF - Cressi Sub Focus Titanium
Okay...I finally got out diving after a long hiatus and was stoked about using my new mask for the
first time. You know the feeling. I did have some apprehensions about it fogging up, the drips, comfort, ability to clear...all that stuff you take for granted when you have had a good mask for a years.
Without digressing too much, I have recently been through two frame-less masks one of which I sat
on and broke, and the other which never fit quite right and was always fogging up. Yeah toothpaste,
big lugies, baby shampoo / alcohol– god help me I tried it all.
The Cressi Sub Focus Titanium was a revalation and epiphany and a catharsis all in one $43 mask
from Sports Chalet. This semi-low volume mask has good size lenses and very comfortable skirt that
fits my big head very well. In fact so well, there was no extraneous drip and it was just snug enough
so that I could clear without pinching my nose. Yes that is right! Sometimes you can tighten a small
mask just enough so that you can blow without pinching or using the “frenzel what ever it is” technique.
Even better yet is the fact that I saw, but was not so lucky to get a shot on a very large WSB. So yes,
it has now become my Lucky Mask. I don’t know what the “titanium” means. Maybe it keeps your
face warmer. And I don’t know what the “focus” is supposed to mean. Maybe the lenses take less
time to focus underwater. One thing I do know is that this is the mask that was meant for me and I
am going to get a lot of fish this year! Oh wait I better go check and make sure my weight belt is not
sitting on it. - Tyler Dubberly
Page 6 - FATHOMIERS
Apr– 04
Sheri Daye
(Continued from page 4)
ing and spinning and making their way to somewhere. Their jumps and
spins are so spectacular that I can watch for hours, but we are here for another purpose. We are instructed to drop in beneath the dolphins; this is
where the tunas might be found. The captain runs the boat into position,
and two at a time, we slip down to about 40 feet and watch dozens of porpoises swimming by at a fairly fast clip. These playful undulating guys turn
and look, squeal and chatter, sometimes coming in for a closer look, and
sometimes “hitting” me with their sonar – a very strange sensation.
Another drop…my eye focuses on one of the many large gray objects
speeding by, and it is a Galapagos shark. Sure enough, it peels off and
makes a beeline at me. I point my gun while trying to see whether there are
more of these mixed in with the porpoises. It turns off and swims over to
greet Ritchie who just descended near me. Ritchie does the same -- faces
off and points his gun. After a few seconds, the curious shark rejoins the
procession, and I throw the theory about “no sharks around dolphins” out
the window. Many drops later, we all reunite for dinner and agree that we
had seen many beautiful sights, tunas or not.
The next morning, the fishermen tell me about “tigres grandes”.
When asked to translate, I answer, “Never mind.” We are repeating
our drops when I notice the frontal view of a large object coming at me
with startling speed. My mind automatically assumes it is a shark. I
start heading up while keeping an eye on the approaching object. As it
passes just beneath my feet, I see a row of vibrant yellow triangles....
tuna finlets! Before I can make a move, the fish is gone. I shout back
to the boat, “Atun, atun!” The captain is happy to hear of a confirmed
tuna sighting, and I wonder whether I missed my one and only window
of opportunity by being a wimp. I can’t believe -- I actually ran away
from a tuna!
I drop in again and see five nearby! It’s such an exciting sight, that I
shoot prematurely. Damn…I completely miss the tunas! Worse than that, I
forgot to back up my gun with my other hand. My four-banded Wong Ono
gun recoils against my snorkel. I feel a dull pain and fear that I have broken
my front teeth. I climb back on the boat, and I’m worried sick. I’m too embarrassed to tell them, and I’m scared to look. I finally find my reflection on
some stainless steel and am relieved to see only a small chip, and it’s not a
front tooth…thank God.
A little shaken, I reload my gun and jump back in. Again, I see tunas
speeding by…all sizes. I hang there, I calm my heartbeat, I let a few pass,
waiting patiently for just the right one. I spot a monster coming through -the biggest one I’ve seen yet! I back up my gun and shoot. Yes! It looks
like a well-placed shot on a huge tuna! I did it…I am ecstatic! It immediately sounds, taking the slack out of my breakaway line. I feel the line
whizzing across my shoulder and burning the skin on my cheek. I do not
want to die from chasing tunas, so I back away from the line fast. Within a
split second, the two floats go speeding past my head, straight for the bottom.
For the first time, I can “feel” the explosive power of these tunas. I’ve not
even started heading for the surface yet, and I can already see that the
disappearing floats have compressed into pancakes. My heart sinks, as I
know they aren’t coming back up. Although I appear calm on the surface, I
feel like a basket case of emotions. I swim back to the boat with my
gun, minus my terminal gear, minus my first tuna. I have never felt
such extreme happiness and such profound disappointment, all within
a split second.
In the meanwhile, Ritchie and G.R. have jumped in and both managed to shoot tunas. We can tell when there is a “hit” by watching the
buoys…they suddenly skid across the water. I watch from the tower
as we follow Ritchie who is fighting the line and being dragged around.
Toward the end, he comes on the boat, all pumped up and looking for
a second gun. He laughs at himself, noticing how much his hands are
shaking from the adrenaline. G.R. jumps in to help. After fighting
awhile longer and putting a second shot, Ritchie gets his magnificent
tuna onboard -- the first one landed!
We drive over to G.R.’s floats, which have been dragged quite far.
We go through the same procedure. Eventually, G.R. brings the tuna
up and makes a second shot. I am happy for them, and I marvel at
their fights and their fish, but after losing my fish, my floats, and part
of my tooth, I am downright depressed.
The mate notices and comes over. In Spanish, he says, “Don't you
worry now. The tunas are still there. You are going to pull yourself
back together, get in there, and get yourself a tuna.” Ritchie says,
“Hey, I'm done, take my floats and go get one, girl!” I look over, and
G.R. has already started re-rigging my gun. Sasa further encourages,
“Let's go!”
With this show of support, I am re-energized, and Sasa and I jump in
together. I float down and find tuna-highway again. I wait, I watch…
here comes a close one now, I pull the trigger! I hear Sasa shoot one
at the same time. My tuna drives straight down again, but this time,
only two of three floats are submerged. The third remained at the
surface at all times, though sometimes in a vertical position. I wasn’t
exactly sure what to do at that point. I’d looked at the pictures in
Terry’s book, but I had not actually read the text. I figured it must be
like fishing. You reel it up, it goes back down, you reel it up, it goes
back down, and eventually somebody gets tired and gives up…
hopefully him.
I had previously asked the guys not to help me or touch my line,
unless I was drowning, in case the fish qualified for a women's world
record. According to the rules, I also could not get out of the water or
hand the fish to the boat until it was subdued, though I was allowed to
receive a second unloaded gun. After an hour of playing tug-of-war
and being dunked repeatedly, I start to worry. The guys have been
helping each other, and perhaps this is a nearly impossible task to do
alone. Perhaps I am creating a hazardous situation by taking so long
to get it out. I notice that Sasa has landed his tuna on the boat, and I
am sure they all want to go home by now, and I really don’t want to be
in the water at dusk.
Suddenly, my tuna takes off with a great burst of energy, and I hold
on creating a wake. G.R. has been videotaping beside me. When I ski
past him, we give each other the same wide-eyed look of concern. We
can read each other’s mind, and we are certain that a 20-foot tiger is
munching on my beloved fish. I gingerly bring the line back in, and
(Continued on page 9)
Apr– 04
Page 7 - FATHOMIERS
Fathomier’s 2004 Club Calendar
5/1
5/9
5/13
5/23
5/31
May
Douglas Dive Club / 2:00 am Depart / Santa Barbara Island “Arch”
Mother’s Day
Club Meeting / Club Auction !
Malibu Colony / Club dive / 8:00 am
Memorial Day
6/5
6/10
6/12
6/20
6/26
6/27
June
Douglas Dive Club / 11:00pm Depart / San Nicolas Island “Beg Rock”
Club Meeting
(Sat) Blue Water Meet, Catalina Island
Father’s Day
Douglas Dive Club / 2:00am Depart (Sat) / Santa Barbara Island (Breath Hold Only)
PV / Club Dive / Palos Verdes
July
7/4
Independence Day
7/7
Annual La Paz Club Spearfishing Tournament Depart
7/8
Club Meeting / Assign Scramble Meet Duties
7/10
Douglas Dive Club / 1:00am Depart (Sat) / San Clemente Island (East End)
7/12 Club members return from La Paz
7/24- National Spearfishing Tournament / Oahu, Hawaii
25
7/25
La Jolla / Club Dive / 8:00am
8/4
8/7
8/7
8/12
8/2021
8/21
9/4
9/9
9/18
9/25
9/26
August
Neptune’s Bill Kroll Meet
(Sat) Douglas Dive Club / 11:00pm Depart (Fri) / “ Beg Rock” San Nicolas Island
Club Dive / Scramble Meet
Club Meeting
(Fri / Sat) Douglas Dive Club (Depart 10:00pm Thurs) Cortez Barks / San Clemente / 2 Day Trip
GLACD Meet
September
Douglas Dive Club / 2:00 am Depart (Sat) /S.B. Island
Club Meeting
GLACD Meet
(Sat) Douglas Dive Club / 1:00am Depart (Sat) / San Clemente Island (Breath Hold Only)
County Line / Club Dive / 8:00am
October
10/3
Douglas Dive Club / (Sun) 11:00pm Depart / (Sat) San Nicholas Island
10/9
PCC (Pacific Coast Championship)
Neptune’s Fall Classic Meet
10/10
10/14
Club Meeting
10/16
Douglas Dive Club (Sat) 2:00am Depart for Friday S.B. Island
10/16
GLACD Meet
10/30- (Sat/Sun) 10:00pm Depart Friday/ San Nicholas / S.B. Island
31
10/31
Halloween
???
Club Dive (To be Announced) Charlie Sturgil Meet
November
11/3
11/11
11/20
11/25
???
Neptune’s Meeting Manufacturer’s Night / Board Meeting
Club Meeting Veterans Day
GLACD Meet
Thanksgiving
Club Dive (To be Announced)
12/9
???
Club Meeting
Club Dive (To be Announced)
December
Page 8 - FATHOMIERS
Apr– 04
March 2004 Fathomiers Competitive Results
Anthony Funicello’s Ling
Cod taken during the
March meet at Palos
Verdes
Al Schuck
Memorial Trophy
Brandon Wahlers
Paul Romaowski
Fil Labastuda
Mark Navas
Sheri Daye
(Continued from page 7)
there is no shark attached...what a relief!
The tuna has tired himself out with this last run, so I ask for my second
gun. I load it, swim down, and easily deliver the kill shot. Surprisingly, this
fish turns into dead weight – literally. It’s negatively buoyant and starts to
sink! I kick furiously just to bring it up and swim it to the boat. I feel like a
Labrador Retriever…huffing and puffing my way back, proudly delivering my
catch to the waiting mate through the tuna door. I look up at him, half expecting a pat on the head. Without words, he grabs hold of the fish, and we
give each other a knowing smile.
1
1
1
1
For some balance here is
Food for Thought...
"I never shoot undersized fish or take the life of anything I would not eat unless it is to defend my catch or
myself.
I have a general limit of one fish per species, may take
a second if it is larger then the first and rarely
(usually less than once a year), take a third.
I try to take only what can be eaten fresh within the
week plus two meals for four people, to be frozen.
We soon learned that the other boat with Roberto, Ralph, Guy, and Bruce
had succeeded in getting a tuna for each person also, which made us even
happier. It was not by chance, for we had learned to act as a team, and we
celebrated each other’s successes.
In the case of a large fish where the excess may spoil
or in hard times, I may give away or sell a portion of
my take but never exceed the maximum limit.
That night, we dined on fresh sashimi and tuna cooked three ways. We
celebrated Sasa's birthday, life, the ocean, friendship, and tunas. We couldn’t have imagined a better outcome, and we were thankful for the bounty of
the ocean and the safe return of our team. Ralph commented, “What a
miracle that the whole team succeeded in landing a tuna. I can tell you from
many years of experience that this is an extremely rare occurrence – practically unheard of. This was a very special trip.”
Always respect the fish for giving its life with pure
memories of its strength and beauty.
It all started to make sense. I took ballet so that I would develop strong
legs, the better to kick those long fins. I got into spearfishing so I could
appreciate Mother Nature and acquire a profound respect for life. More
importantly, I’ve made special friends and had the pleasure of sharing what
Apr-04
Respect the meat by caring for it, cleaning it properly
and making sure it will be put to good use.
While eating, try to remember the fish or the day it
was caught with pure thoughts or words."
Garet Kopeschny
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Page 9 - FATHOMIERS
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
TYLER DUBBERLY
119 LOMA VISTA #1
EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245
NEW LA FATHOMIER'S
MEETING LOCATION
Starting with the April Fathomier's monthly
meeting, our club meetings will be held at
Stick & Stein at 707 North Sepulveda Boulevard, El Segundo CA
90245. This location is 1&1/2 miles west
of 405 and 1/2 mile south of Imperial and
105 highways, just south of LAX on the
West side of Sepulveda. The new location
was chosen primarily for it's central LA location and easy access to highways. Additional considerations were the meeting
room accommodations (just inside the front
door on the left), quality of the food & drink
and fair/reasonable prices. Stick & Stein is
not charging us a monthly fee for using
their room so let's show our thanks by buying our dinner meal there or at least snacks
and drinks. Our first Stick & Stein meeting
will be held on
Next meeting May 13 (second Thursday
of the month) starting at 7:30 PM
FATHOMIER’S ANNUAL
AUCTION
MAY 13 MEETING
Time to clear out the garage
and get your stuff
to the annual Fathomiers
Auction