SpearoPaul

Decided to go diving after work today. Some guy named Baker from HSD has PM'ed me about going out with me, especially to the Corsair and said that he's taken the PFI course so I know he'll be just fine. Texted him to confirm he still wanted to go, emailed some general rules/guidelines, and it was a go.

We head out to the Corsair so that he can pop his Corsair cherry. I check for Kahalas and try to get a passing ono to come close enough for some steel but neither is met with success. Baker goes down and I follow, stopping at 33 feet (camera limits) to take this photo:



Happy Baker:


Quickly, we pack up and I look around to decide on where to go next. The seas are getting rough, time's running out and I've got a passenger so I decide not to go east like I had hoped to. We head to the artifical reefs and wrecks off of Hawaii kai.

My first drop rewards me with a school of small/medium uluas swimming right into me. I search through the school for a big one but they're all the same size, so I shoot the nearest one, hoping to stone it so I can get it with minimal fuss/damage and then pick up another one. The last one bent my shaft, and broke my trigger housing. This one bends my shaft causes all the others to scatter and then wraps up.

Baker puts a back-up shot that stones it, but I'm excited, there are sharks circling my fish and I'm a bit ticked off about my shaft so my heart rate's pumping at a hundred beats a minute. No good for getting this mess sorted out in a timely fashion. Baker and I end up having to go down several times to get the mess up and off of the reef.

I dump the ulua on Baker for him to deal with while I try to salvage my shaft so that our dive isn't over. After about 30 knee-bends, I get it to fit back on the gun with some effort. 2nd drop, omilu. 3rd drop, omilu. That's with a crooked shaft.



Nice sunset.



Eric, who needs fish for a camping event for the disabled (40 campers at Bellows) next week is waiting at the ramp with ice when we get back. Ulua doesn't fit in his cooler, but SpearFactor being the smart lad he is, has a large bag full of ice ready for the ulua he knew I was gonna be bringing in. Bye bye fishies. I look forward to tasting some of 'em next week when I go to help out at his camping event.



-Paul

NIZ

Damn Paul!

I got to figure out how I can shift my schedule so I can attend those pool classes! I haven't gotten me an ulua yet!

SpearoPaul

Don't sweat it. Many local divers go for years without getting one. I just have it down to almost a science now. Study, think, figure out your prey, think like your prey...

Basically...
If you want to shoot one, you want to dive in a strong current so they're more likely to be holed up to conserve strength. Although I got my biggest one when it was free-swimming though.

Think like one. What kind of hole would you pick? One with a dead end? One without views all around and above? Nope, and nope. Look for those kind of holes.

Depths - Where do most divers max out? 40-50 ft is the answer. Look for holes at 60-120 feet..

Small ones are more hyper, and therefore hungrier - they will attack a flasher if thrown at them. They are chickens though - they run at the first sign of trouble if they're not too busy trying to eat.

Big ones typically won't fall for the flasher trick. But they are fearless because their mouths are big enough to fit your head in them Possibly more than just your head. They will also be puzzled to see a spearo at the depths that they hang out at. They probably won't run right away. Sometimes they will swim right up to you to see if you're edible. I do hear that they do BITE. If you've ever seen a big ulua's teeth before... Yikes! I've been lucky so far. I had one try to nibble on my fins once after I shot it in the head (shaft bounced right off, barely made a scratch).

-Paul