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Please note: The last reply in this thread was more than 20 month(s) ago.
Ok, so the good news about the dive is that the seas were FLAT; the vis was great, about 45'; I saw a small (about 4') reef or black tip shark, (albeit briefly); we were down for 101 minutes; and the water was 73 degrees, so not THAT cold.
The bad news is that all the lobster were too small; ScubaJenny was too light and had to fin around pointing down to try to stay under, as well as trying to pry up a rock to keep her down; my brand new mask, that had fit so well in the shop, was leaking constantly and had to be cleared every two minutes;
and then the piece de resistance....
So we swim out to the second reef, then go north and end up on past the north side of the pier. So now we turn South West from that point and start heading back towards the general direction of Hibiscus. All of the sudden I feel a jerk on the line to my flag float. I look back and realize that my line has been CUT! I swim back up to it (we were only about 9 feet down at that moment), and when I surface I see one of the fishermen at the end of the pier pulling up some kind of cutting hook. They start yelling at me right away.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing this close to the pier you *******?"
So I ask them if they had cut my line, and they answer, "Hell yeah, we cut it. You aren't supposed to be around here you #%$^&*#^!"
At this point I realize that this conversation is going nowhere, so I grab my float, and proceed to start re-tying it to my reel while ignoring the guys yelling at me, and then continue the rest of the dive, heading back to the beach at Hibiscus.
The fact is that you aren't supposed to dive right around the pier, for the sake of the fishing, but we didn't realize where we were when we crossed the end of it.
Apparently we got off lucky. We were talking to a local fishermen when we were back on the beach rinsing off and breaking down the gear, and he told us that when the currents have carried divers too close to the pier, that the fishermen will cast deliberately onto the divers, and try to hook them. At that statement I thought to myself that maybe I should make one of my short "carbine" spearguns with me next time in order to fight back!!:14:
I've been busy moving and such and have not been diving for a while and it's
been ages since I've been on a shore dive at LBTS. Can I assume from your post that
the pier has opened again for fishing ? I'll be over that way in a couple weeks then
heading for the keys and was thinking of a shore dive before heading down, I'll be
sure to stay away from the pier. I suppose a hooked tow flag line is better than
a hook in the leg, glad it turned out without a serious confrontation.
The fact is that you aren't supposed to dive right around the pier, for the sake of the fishing, but we didn't realize where we were when we crossed the end of it.
Apparently we got off lucky. We were talking to a local fishermen when we were back on the beach rinsing off and breaking down the gear, and he told us that when the currents have carried divers too close to the pier, that the fishermen will cast deliberately onto the divers, and try to hook them. At that statement I thought to myself that maybe I should make one of my short "carbine" spearguns with me next time in order to fight back!!:14:
(jk)
.
wow, what fun....fishermen, spearguns, piers....throw in a little alcohol and you've got a party!!!
__________________
Kevin
PADI DiveMaster Candidate
PADI OW/AOW/Rescue/Master Diver
PPB, Dry Suit, Equipment Specialist, EANitrox, Underwater Navigator specialties
"Get busy living, or get busy dying." Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Yeah, I was a little light the whole dive. I usually dive my steel tanks, but since they needed filled I went with my catalina. Yuk. Gimmie steel!
As for the lobsters, I found a lobster condo and was trying to find a legal size one, so my head was in a hole when the shark swam by. Dang, would loved to have seen it!
And I will admit we were at fault for being so close to the pier. I didn't think we were that far north (and a LONG swim back). Regardless of us being too close, what was there to gain from the line being cut? REally, fisherman cuts the line, we lose the flag and now we have no flag, no marker, and this is a heavy boating area. Yes, the boats will get that close to shore and the pier.
I understand more and more every day the division between fishermen and divers. Just look at all the sinkers, line, hooks, knives, garbage by a pier that WE CLEAN UP and yet we are the bad guys. Sheesh. I liked it better when the pier was closed. We divers cleaned up so much in those couple years. Now it is a dump again.
Maybe I'm a bit of a touchy person when it comes to people tossing things that can cause harm at me, might be because thats what kids did when I was a kid and thought it was funny, but I would have really taken it to the source here right out there on the peir.
Hi All;
My wife and I have dove LBTS for 4 years now, We are from Iowa...Boo.... We were lucky enough to have dove the pier right after (or soon after) it closed. Lots of fish and sinkers under the pier, and knifes, tackal boxes, garbage, etc under. We usally come down Jan and June every year. And right! great close reef dive. I have thought if....Wouldn't it be great if they put some stairs on the end with a platform for divers. (When the waves are bad, We would go to the end of the pier). Heck they could even charge $ for it. Then have the north side for the fishermen and then the south for the divers. There are a lot of fishing piers in the area allready. With some of the best and closest reefs to shore in Florida, why have a nother plain old fishing pier?
Would it be the first diving pier? What do all of you think. It could be put in the Sunny.org web site.
Jeff
Great idea, Jeff because there's a lot of good stuff under the pier but, to be honest, don't hold your breath. :shakehead
It's a pity that the division exists between the fishermen & the divers but I don't think it will ever be healed.
__________________
Marvel
There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ. Blaise Pascal- mathematician, physicist, philosopher
Exactly corrext Marvel. You ought to hear the fishermen complain when the piers get closed for 3 hrs one Saturday a year so the DIVERS can do a pier clean up. Last year we cleaned up over 600lbs of junk at Pompano, and the year before at Pompano Pier was over 2 tons! (Cbulla will correct me on that number if I am wrong )
The division is far and wide, and I do not know how to close the gap except for education.
)
