GPS Numbers.....

[Capt Scotty]

There is a thread going wild on the board, and there is no way that Im going to post anything on it in public. But I am interested in other Captains thought about this subject. When i came to south Florida, a captains "Numbers" where the holy grail. But with al the tech out today....has this changed?




http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ad...gps-coordinates-site-captains-permission.html

 

[kapoc]

I run deep drop trips here in va it is 60 plus miles one way so the research takes a while to find the colonys and keep up with them as well as all the fuel so I guard mine pretty close. on normal trips the mate will say if you have a gps go put it back in the car if it is found then we will "disable it"s you are percieved as stealing from me. Now the exception os research trips where i have to give them scientific data for their purposes. Now i have had people ask and sometimes if it is a well known area sure here you go bud. Or the better one was a guy that asked then handed me his hand held and said if you feel like sharing then cool turn it on and save if not i understand..... That being said there will always be somone trying to get somthing for nothing. Oh by the way water resistant and water proof ware wayyyyyyy diffrent when it comes to modern marine electronics.

 

[Wookie]

As I recently said in the other thread, a Captains numbers are his work product, and the courts have upheld this over and over again. I have a number of sites out at Tortugas that have large numbers of Black grouper on it. I don't share the numbers because I like to go see the grouper, and if I let them out, they are legal to spear on.

 

[Capt Scotty]

If I go out to dinner and pay for a really nice meal, I don't have the right to the recipe. Why should paying for a ride to a dive site give you the right to the numbers.......

 

[Tortuga James]

When we are wreck diving the standard wrecks, I could care less if they bring their little handheld. It seems like a lot of my customers enjoy playing with them underway, and I have no problem with that. I got all those numbers off of charts a long time ago, and the only thing I have done is refine my numbers for my favorite tie in spots.

Now if we are going spearfishing on ledges, or tooth hunting that is a totally different story and I make that clear at the dock. I worked really hard to get a nice inventory of spearing #'s and consider them a vested business asset. My tooth #'s came from another Captain and I protect those with even more diligence, because I know he gave me an asset of value.

I know one thing.... That Dr. Lecter character in that other thread would probably only dive once on Tortuga. Running a charter has refined my arsehole identification skills. Most times I know at the dock in the morning if it is going to be their only dive with me.

 

[Mike Campbell]

Well spoken Ken.....
Mike

 

[Akyla]

It really is almost impossible to keep a GPS device off the boat, iPads, phones, all the small handhelds, many cameras and even the diver lifeline radios are capable of recording a position. If you have a real secret spot you can expect that it won't stay that way for long anymore.

Early on it bothered me a lot back when many of the sites I hit were exclusive and hard won. But then there were not many handheld units out there and I could just guard my loran when on the final hunt. Now that most all the sites we hit are fairly well known I just don't care. However, they won't be going to the few sites I have left that are not really public. If I told a group not to GPS and found out they did it would be their last ride with me.

Years ago I had boats following me over half the ocean hoping I would lead them to the 701. We had a game of cat and mouse many times over that and someone even tried to use my nav unit to get numbers. Today they could just follow along on the AIS but I have an off switch for that if needed...

 

[Reef Pirate]

The sad thing is with radar, AIS, VMS (as secret as it is supposed to be) and all the other advances out there it is truly hard to hide. Unless you sit on your "Special' spot all day everyday chances are someone else has found it. Hell with all the side scan stuff out now I am amazed that recreational guys don't have better spots then I do!

 

[rjack321]

I know one thing.... That Dr. Lecter character in that other thread would probably only dive once on Tortuga. Running a charter has refined my arsehole identification skills. Most times I know at the dock in the morning if it is going to be their only dive with me.

Hey between Dr Lector and Reck Diver that thread is pretty hilarious! I don't actually run a charter but I would hope none of you would take arseholes or even random shmos to your bestest spots on the first trip out with you. If they have never dove with you before there's really no trust built up, so why share your best stuff with them? Take them to a normal good spot. Save the pristine, less travelled, unknown spots for your trusted repeat customers.

 

[Ryan Y]

I realized a few years ago someone taking pictures of a fish they speared were oddly being taken at the helm. I reaalized after a show or two they had zoomed in on the GPS. I was pissed! Now, I keep two units. My handheld holds numbers I guard close and the main unit is switched to another sounder since it sits so that people can see it as well. When spearing or tooth hunting, Ill use my handheld to dial them in.