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This is the Coldest I have seen it this early since the early 80's. It did warm up about 3 degrees on the surface the past week.

I just ordered a bunch of 7 mil full suits and hoods as rental gear for our Dive Charter Business in Clearwater, Florida

Welcome to Tanks-A-Lot Dive Charters - Scuba Diving Clearwater, St.Petersburg, and Tampa Florida - Dive Trip Charter Boat

The local people do not like to dive once the water drops below 80 here. Too bad because as we all know there is always better Vis now and the bigger fish come in shallow then.

You are posting in the hunting section of SB, when Capt. Bob was running Tanks-A-Lot there was no spearing allowed. Has this changed?
 
You are posting in the hunting section of SB, when Capt. Bob was running Tanks-A-Lot there was no spearing allowed. Has this changed?

NO, Because it is the ONLY Coast Guard Certified Dive boat in the Tampa Bay area no spearfishing is allowed on a Charter trip. I am the ONLY boat that can take more then 6 divers which is why Clubs and Dive shops like me.

They just busted two boats in the pan handle for doing this.. Spearfishging on a Document vessel like mine.

ONE got a $ 19,000.00 FINE!!

I can when not on a charter and I have Other boats I own that I can spear off of also.

No spearfishing men I know would spear of a charter boat where they drop everyone in the water at once. When we did charter a boat for 3-4 days to take to the Grounds we would limit it to only 2 divers in the water at once. We had 6 on board so we would have 3 teams of 2 divers each. WE would do 3 dives a day each so we would dive at least 9 different ledges a day.

I have over 5,000 dives in the Gulf spearfishing and over a hundred large trophies I have won over the years doing it. Had a Commercial lic because I could get the Rec limit in a 5 mintue dive and we normally hit about 20-30 ledges in a single day with each of use diving about 10-15 dives each. My Worst day was when the engine was over heating and a front came thru a day early and we only got 49 pounds of grouper. (there was 3 of them) We averaged about 150 pounds of grouper a day plus hogs and mango's. Jacks we could get as many as we want. I won the St. Pete open as diver of the day when I shot close to 400 pounds myself. Between the three of diving we shot and turned into the St. Pete open a thousand pounds (gutted weight) of Jacks we shot in less then 4 hours on one spot I had. A secret wreck in 120 feet of water.

I would NEVER put more then one diver on a ledge who was shooting. You would scare all the BIG fish away.

I would also never put NON spearfishing Divers on a boat with divers who were spearfishing. It would NOT be fair to either of them.

With the New rules in effect as of Jan. 1st with out a Commercial lic why waste the time to go out just spearfishing? YOU can ONLY shoot two grouper! That will take me two minutes on the first dive.

Grouper are thick right now off of Pinellas County.

I went off of Clw before the end of the year in just 30 feet and shot my 10 grouper in just two short dives in JUST 30 feet of water. I had a buddy on the boat. Shot some nice Hogs and mango's also.

Since Most divers in Flordia do NOT dive this time of year I was asking what he was diving in (suit) and where.

I just purchased a lot of 7 mil suits for my charter business and you can look as the pictures that we just started to post on the web of the divers in the new suits.

I spent a week diving on Catalina Island this August and the water was way colder then the 64 we have now once you dropped below 30 feet. And they dive all year there!!!

So I asked myself? can we NOT teach the divers in Florida that you can dive in the Gulf in Florida in the Winter time? Since about 90 % of them do not unless they are spearfishing?

IF this year is good to me I might buy a six pack boat to charter out and if I do can take spearfishing people out.

IF you want to spearfish and YOU do NOT have your own boat I suggest you join a dive club that does spearfishing and ride along with them..

YOU will learn a LOT faster that way.

GOOD HUNTING!
 
Wilmington,NC....
Strike Zone
 

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