A Day of Firsts...

 On Sunday May 30th, the dive conditions were so good that I got my shifts covered at the Lighthouse so I could go freediving with my girlfriend Kristen, some other friends, and coworkers. Kristen had never been more than a 1/2 mile or so offshore. We were heading to a flounder hole that was in around 50' of water about 3.5 miles offshore.

 I decided not to bother bringing a gun in the water and that I would just show Kristen a few things as her freediving course was rapidly approaching. The clarity was not as good as it was on Friday but it was still great.

 There was no structure here, such as a wreck, so it was kind of boring. I was not seeing many fish. Everyone else was on scuba tanks and Kristen and I were breath hold diving. We made several dives here and practiced some skills that I learned in my course. Kristen is a natural, she went as deep as me and I have quite a bit more experience than she does. I did reach a new personal best though of 50'!

 We were picked up by the boat and headed a little bit further out to a sunken barge. Again I opted out of bringing the gun which I would soon regret. This old barge laid in about 45' of water. This was the 1st wreck that Kristen had seen. Although it was a less than stellar wreck, it was still exciting. After doing a couple of dives, we both saw these 2 big Sheepshead on the wreck from 40' above them. I dropped down to around 20' above them and immediately regretted not having the gun with me. After ascending I made a mad dash for the boat to get the gun.

 In position over the wreck and fish again, I desperately tried to calm down and breath up properly, so I could make a good dive, and put a good shot on one of those beasts! I could see the bubbles from the scuba divers getting closer and knew they would scare the fish off or shoot them, either way no good for me! As they approached I was not ready to dive but went anyway. There was no way I was going to lose that fish to the bubble blowers. Descending towards my target I felt as though it was a race. As I was about to pull the trigger, a diver came right below me, I couldn't shoot! I saw the other fish make a break for the wreck so I followed him, he went into a hole and I lost him!

 I literally missed the biggest fish of my life by seconds! I surfaced not knowing if they shot the big one, the divers stayed down for a bit longer, I descended towards them and could see the big Sheepshead on the stringer. At least someone got one I thought, but damn that was mine!

 The divers were doing their safety stop, at a depth of 15' or so. I was still laying on the surface waiting to see that other fish come out of his hole hopefully. Then out of the blue appears a silhouette, ooh! A cobia! No wait it's a shark!

 I could tell the shark was looking for an easy meal, probably better said as the dead fish on the stringer attached to Roy's weight belt. The divers were unaware of the 4ft. Sand Tiger sneaking up on them. I dove down directly at the hungry shark and hit him in the nose with the tip of the gun, which bought me some time to try and alert them. I got their attention and it was time for me to surface. I watched as Roy poked the shark several times with his pole spear before the shark gave up. I stayed in the water and watched while they finished their safety stop. The shark was not to return.

 On the way in we stopped at the Alexander Ramsey, so Kristen and I could do a few drops and maybe get some dinner. On my first drop I swam into the bow of the wreck and found my target. I was on the starboard side of the wreck and the tautog crossed over to the port. I followed and found a vertical column to hide behind. I poked my head around and there he was, I slowly pulled the gun around and put a perfect shot on him. I started to swim out but the shaft got stuck on that same column, I swam back in a bit and it freed up. At the surface I raised my fish so the boat could see and they came and put it on ice.

 We made a handful more dives each before calling the boat over to pick us up. Kristen got to 52' and touched the bottom. When she takes the course and actually learns how to do this she will be much better than me. We motored slowly back to the inlet and enjoyed some cold beers and talked about our shark encounter. The perfect end to a perfect weekend. Man those tautog tacos were good that night!

Thanks for reading! Dive safe and hunt responsibly!

New Depths and Epic Conditions

 2 weeks ago we were blessed with the best inshore dive conditions I have ever seen, which isn't saying much because I have only been diving for a year or so. However many people who have been diving for a very long time said they had never seen it that good.

  It was Friday May 21st, the day after the night dives, my hunting buddy and now roommate headed out to the Alexander Ramsey. It was kind of ironic that the 1st time that we met last year, we "tried" to dive this wreck. Neither of us knew our ass from our elbow as far as freediving was concerned then. This day was to be a much different experience. Alex has reached depths of over 100' and took the Performance Freediving Instructors intermediate course in Ft. Lauderdale last October. In April I took the basic Freediver course offered by Evolve Freediving here in Wilmington NC.

 I have been experiencing some sinus issues that have held me back as far as my depth goals have been concerned. I could not get past 33' during my course, which left me very disappointed, but not discouraged. I can't explain why, but for some reason I feel the need to hold my breath and dive as deep as I can and hunt for my dinner.

 Not having a GPS or a depth finder on the boat makes it difficult to find a shipwreck. Luckily there is a buoy in the vicinity to mark the artificial reef. It still is not easy to find though. I knew that if we could find the buoy I could find the ship, I have done several dives there on SCUBA with friends and on the Aquatic Safaris boats. Still no guarantees though.

 There were 2 boats fishing the area when we arrived, our buddies were on one of the boats and said they were on the wreck. It rests in around 45' of water, the top of the structure lies around 20'-25' from the surface. I looked over the rail of the boat to see a sight that I will never forget!

 Peering down into the ocean was like looking into a fish tank, you could clearly make out the wreck and even see fish swimming, keep in my mind I was still on the boat! Freediving is more or less meditating, as excited as we both were, we knew we had to stay relaxed and keep our hearts from racing. After actually getting into the water, I knew how special this day was going to be! You could see the bottom, 45' below. Offshore visibility like this is common, actually this would be mediocre, but only 3 miles from the inlet this is incredible!

 I dropped down to the wreck to check the anchor and was blown away, it was as if the wreck was alive. Well it is, being covered with corals and plant life, fish were everywhere, though most of them very small. We practiced the one up one down technique and shared a gun. The gun was attached to a float and a 50' line. The visibility was so good that while I was on the surface, I pulled on the line to alert Alex of a decent sized tautog behind him. Thwack! Dinner!


 We were comfortably hunting in the 25' to35' range in and out of the wreck. I swam under a ledge of the midsection of the ship and poked my head around an opening to see another tautog. Could this be my first fish taken from a wreck? Yup! Put a great shot on him and pulled him out of the wreck to the surface. It was not the biggest fish I have ever shot but, it felt great! I finally felt like a real spearfisherman.

 Another really exciting thing happened as I swam the fish back to the boat. I was knifing the fish to "silence" it, and had a feeling. I threw the fish in the boat and climbed in the stern of the 17' Pioneer, just in time to see the 4' Sandbar Shark literally inches from my fins, which were dangling in the water still. Awesome! It was a close call with the tax collector, but my fish came home with me!

 We made a lot more dives that day. I touched the sand at 43', my new personal best. The accessibility of this wreck leaves it extremely over-fished. We did not see too many fish that were worth shooting. What a great day! I  got to practice the skills that I learned in my basic freediver course, saw some beautiful marine life and explored a wreck while holding my breath.

 Alex and I made the full circle from our first trip to the Alexander Ramsey less than a year ago. This trip was different, we knew what we were doing, we dove the wreck, we hunted the wreck, we are Freedivers now, not snorkelers!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for further postings! The rest of the weekend had epic conditions, this was just Friday!

The Night Dive Part 2

 So it was dark now, the wind was subsiding, and we were gearing up for our night dive. The moon was not quite full but it was still bright. Once again I was the first to hit the water, I was very excited to see the underwater world in the dark. For those of you that are unfamiliar with diving, we did have lights, and we also had glow sticks attached to our tank valves so the instructors could keep track of the divers. I knew in seconds that this was not going to be like anything I have done up to this point in my life.

 Descending down the anchor line to the wreck through the army of non-stinging jellyfish, was the most surreal experience of my life. When the jellyfish crossed paths with the light beams it was mesmerizing. The best way I can explain it is that each one had what appeared to be 4 different electrical currents running through it, with each current being a different color. Humans will never be able to come close to recreating the beauty that our oceans do!

 Being the first one on the wreck again, and also knowing that the sharks were there, I was very alert and the jellyfish were not on my mind anymore. I scanned in every direction to make sure that nothing was sneaking up on me. Atlantic Spadefish were covering the Hyde. I had absolutely no idea that this species of fish got so large. They were everywhere, and they were not shy, I guess they knew that we would not eat them but the Sand Tiger Sharks that were hunting certainly would.

 Our group of six divers explored the wreck, this time not going all the way to the bottom, we stayed on the deck of the wreck. To my dismay I only saw one shark on this dive, but they were there! As a group, we covered our lights and let our eyes adjust to the dark. From a depth of around 65 ft. you could make out the moon, which I thought was amazing. Waving your hands around produced the phosphorescence, a very psychedelic effect.

 Heading back towards the anchor line we swam through a school of Spadefish that created a blackout, or I guess a fish out. One of the larger ones swam into my mask and almost knocked it off. The fish were everywhere, I actually felt bad, because we were guests in their house, and shining lights all over the place. Time to ascend now...

 I'll never forget breaking the surface and seeing the moon, stars, black sky and ocean. Truly a special experience! The 18 mile trip back to Wrightsville Beach was perfect, I was hoping that it would never end, but then I ran out of beer! Back at the Bridge Tender Marina we unloaded all of our gear, and beers started flowing again. Almost like an angel appearing from heaven Chris walked down the dock with a Pizza from Slice of Life. I can say with confidence that those 2 slices of pizza were the best I have had since I moved away from New York 8 years ago.

 If swimming with sharks at night sounds fun or just diving in general, please contact Aquatic Safaris & Divers Emporium. You won't regret it!

http://www.aquaticsafaris.com/

                            

The Night Dive Part 1

So last Thursday, May the 20th, I did something I never thought in a million years that I would do. I got on a boat and headed 18 miles offshore to go diving with sharks at night. I went on the Aquatic Safaris 1, a 48' Island Hopper. Leaving the dock at 5:30 pm, I was a bit nervous. This dive was to be part of my Advanced Open Water PADI certification. The plan was to do the first dive before it got dark, which was to be a deep dive. After an hour long surface interval and watching the sunset over the ocean we were to do our night dive.

 The dive site was the Hyde, which was sunk by the NC Division of Marine Fisheries as part of the artificial reef program in 1988. Built in 1945 as an ocean going hopper dredge, the Hyde is 215' long. It's primary purpose was to keep waterway open for naval vessels. Being built during wartime it is one of the few dredges to have armor and gun crews on it. The Hyde saw service in the Atlantic and Pacific. Now she rests in 85 feet of water sitting upright making it one of the most spectacular dive sites in the area.

 Our first dive was planned to go to the sand, which my computer clocked at 82', then swim around the deck of the ship before making our way back to the anchor line and slowly surface. The visibility was in the 60 foot range. Immediately entering the water you could see the top of the structure from the surface 55' below. I was the first to get down the anchor line and get to the wreck. The amount of life was incredible! I was in awe! Waiting for the rest of our group I scanned the area for what I knew was there but no sighting yet. Once the rest of the divers joined up with me, we swam over the edge and dropped down to the sand. Brad showed us how the light does not penetrate enough to make out colors. He shined his light on the side of the wreck which lit up the corals in beautiful colors. 

 Heading for the stern of the ship we were greeted by a massive school of Amberjacks. The fish were all 20 lbs. and up! After letting the school pass we turned the corner and swam behind the stern, immediately I saw a Gag Grouper. Then gazing right I saw my first Sand Tiger Shark. He wasn't too big maybe four feet. He was beautiful, so graceful and calm. Unforgettable!

 Having to get to a shallower depth before we went into decompression time, we went up to the deck of the ship, which was around 60'. More sharks were waiting. Again amazingly graceful and calm, they did not seem to be bothered by us strangers at all. I hovered over the biggest one, which was maybe 6', for what seemed like an eternity. Sharks are the most misunderstood creatures on the planet. The beauty of these animals is incredible. I will never forget looking into the eyes of what used to be my greatest fear, and dare I say enemy...

 Upon surfacing we discussed our experiences, watched the sunset, and got seasick. Night was upon us. Time to go back underwater with the sharks. Stay tuned for The Night Dive Part 2. Thanks for Reading!

Benefits To Living On The Beach #2

 First off I would like to apologize for not having posted anything for some time. I moved out of the dump that I was living in and put most of my belongings in storage. Goodbye and good riddance to that crappy apartment and terrible living situation!!!!! I stayed with my girlfriend for about 2 weeks and then I moved in to a great house on the water. The above picture was taken from my deck.

 I have had an incredibly busy few weeks with working both jobs, and doing some diving. I got to dive the Liberty Ship last Sunday, scuba diving that is. The visibility was great for this wreck. It was 15 to 20 ft. and was the most amazing experience of my life! The last time I dove it you could barely make out anything, it was really easy to make out that it was a ship on the bottom of the ocean. Incredible! I did feel the effects of seasickness though and did get sick a little bit underwater and on the surface! It was good to get that out of the way I guess!

 This past Thursday I decided to take a break from moving my stuff into the new house and did a little spearfishing out at the jetty. I had a blast, only shot one pretty small Sheepshead but I got a chance to practice my breathing up skills. I had several dives that were over 40 seconds with 43 being my best on 3 occasions. Really happy with the bottom time, the current was strong and had to be kicking the whole time. Pretty confident that I'll hit over a minute soon!

Thanks for reading!

Been busy

 Well lots of things have happened to me since my last post, I will try and keep it to Watermen related stuff! Actually that is all that has happened anyway! Where should I begin?

 So on Tuesday, April the 20th, I made my first Scuba dive in the ocean. I went 3 miles offshore with some of my good friends. We dove what is locally known as the liberty ship. This is a link to the shipwreck that I dove! http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/RAMSEY/RAMSEY.HTML Due to the fact that I do not have a waterproof camera, I have no photos, sorry, I am working on that!

 What an incredible experience! I spent 30 minutes underwater at depths between 48 feet and 30 feet. I was a bit uncomfortable at first but once I was underwater and saw the wreck and my buddy, who was great, not to mention a school of Sheepshead, a favorite target of mine as a newbie spear-fisherman, I was more than comfortable! I couldn't help but feel that I have been missing out on this for too many years!

 For those of you that have not dove a shipwreck, you simply have to! This wreck is part of the artificial reef system so it had no "cool" history behind it, other than being over-fished due to its proximity to Masonboro Inlet! None the less it was a great first dive! Needless to say I surfaced super excited!

 On Friday April the 23rd, I started my freediver course. Intense! I am tired and exhausted and full of sushi will write more about this soon, when I am not burnt out! In the mean time I will leave you with a post that I wrote on the Carolina Freedivers, ( a Club of which I am a member), forum on spearfishingplanet.com.

Hi guys and gals,

I spent the last 2 days taking Ren and Ashley's course (Evolve Freediving). For those of you who have not taken a formal freediving course, YOU NEED TO! You owe it to the people that care about you! I can guarantee that you will exceed your expectations. The safety issues that are drilled into your head will save your buddies life and vice a versa!

Personally I was more or less scared, but Ashley and Ren made me feel more than safe, mentally I was ready to go deeper than my ears and sinuses would let me, which was frustrating, but after discussing what I went through, I am ready to keep working towards my goals at my own pace. I have a lot of work to do to reach my goals and feel confident that I can reach them with the help of Ren and Ashley.

If you have not taken "the course" as it has become known among freedivers, you have to! If you are one of those "tough guys", such as myself, you will be humbled! What I thought was freediving experience, was really snorkeling. Many of you reading this have much more experience than I do, and for that I commend you, but some of you may be at the same level as me, for the latter you simply have to take this course. If you don't, good luck explaining to your dive buddies family why they are not coming home. Remember what I just wrote! 

You will meet new people who have the same interests as you. After the past 2 days I can guarantee you that I would never dive with anyone who has not been trained by either Evolve Freediving or PFI.

Dive safe friends!

Brian




This oughta keep you amused since I know my writing was less than stellar tonite! This is a video my instructors made. I SUGGEST YOU WATCH IT! http://vimeo.com/9746803
Pay attention to the second song. LISTEN TO THE LYRICS! It really hits home for me! 

New beginnings!

 Well, I got another job, working at Aquatic Safaris. To be totally honest I am scared shitless! It is an incredible opportunity for me. I wanted to learn how to dive, here we go!  I will be put in situations that I am not totally comfortable with, I will have to dive at night, I have to take rescue diver courses. Sharks will soon become an almost daily encounter, but none of this is what scares me! Well maybe a little bit...

 I am soon moving out of the dump that I live in and putting what little I have in storage. I am going to stay with my loving girlfriend in her apartment until I can find a place. I am so lucky to have her in my life, and also very lucky to have the Hardee, Adams, and Taylor families on my side! (and it goes without saying my own family but they are 600 miles away!) So I am going to be sort of homeless, and starting a new job, well more of a new life than just a job. Starting out I will make VERY little money and hopefully move up to making a little money!

 Now we are getting at why I am scared. Everything is very uncertain right now. I have to keep both jobs and spend as much time as possible underwater. I can't survive on just one of the jobs, I need to be able to work both jobs and hope they won't interfere! I have invested WAY too much money on SCUBA and freediving courses, and not to mention gear, of which I need more now, for this to not work for me! It has to work! I have never been a gambling man, but I have been gambling all along trying to make this happen, now it has happened and I am freaking scared that it won't work!

 Sorry nothing exciting like surfing or spearfishing is happening in this post but I felt like writing about whats on my mind, after all it's my blog! Actually I went spearfishing the past 2 days, well we went in the water, visibility was less than poor, there was no spearing of anything. Sometimes going hunting either for waves or fish, ( thats all I hunt) is not about actually getting waves or shooting fish, the best part is the hunt. I met some wonderful people this weekend, and am very happy to have met them! I look forward to the adventures we are going to share together in the future!

Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
Stay tuned for some more interesting posts this week, freediving course starts on Friday! If you are interested in freediving or not really sure what it is check out this website!
http://evolvefreediving.com/Evolve_Freediving/Home.html

The Shoot

 Kind of rushed for time but I wanted to post ASAP! Usually I focus on my writing here, this will be a bit different. Yesterday I had an amazing surf session that was documented by Julian Kehaya, from http://kehayaphoto.com/. I think the photos more or less speak for me better than I can write! Enjoy!

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

                                http://kehayaphoto.com/
The following 6 photos are a sequence of me getting very tubed! It was my last wave because I hit the bottom so hard that I am quite sure that I have a concussion. More than 24 hours later I am still very dazed. But wait till you see the pictures!

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

    http://kehayaphoto.com/

 I think it should be noted that Julian swam for about 2 hours taking photos. He is an amazing photographer and I am SO grateful to have these great photos of myself! You can contact Julian at http://kehayaphoto.com/ and get photos like these too! Come on admit it every surfer wants a sick sequence of them getting tubed and getting a concussion in the process! THANKS JULIAN!!

Searching...FINDING!

 This picture has nothing to do with what I am going to write about, but it's where I live and I took it. I don't have a waterproof camera so I don't have any footage or pictures of what I want to write about. Maybe it's good that I don't have any pictures, maybe I don't want you to see it, maybe I want you to have your own vision, or maybe I can write good enough that you will see what I saw. I hope you have a good Imagination!


 I am going to warn you that this might be a long one. I have great reggae music flowing, great beer as always and I spent a lot of time in the tube this morning! This picture is somebody else's and I have no credit to give and I am sorry for that, but it sets the mood perfectly.

 I would like to start off by saying, ON the record; that I do not believe that there are really buoys that tell you how big the swells are. I think that there are a couple of idiots like you and me sitting in front of a computer typing in numbers. The forecasts change faster than the ticker on CNN for crying out loud. I took off Monday for hopes of a much needed mini surf trip, to Shackelford Banks. Of course the forecasts changed and that trip never happened. 

 After trying to reclaim my shift at work, with no success, Nick and I decided we were determined to find surf somewhere in New Hanover County. Wrightsville had it's all to typical "morning sickness", waves; but it needed more water or less water or less wind or this or that... blah blah blah blah! Everything was wrong for our not so secret spot across the inlet, ( if you don't know what I'm talking about sorry, E-mail me and maybe I will tell you what it's called...MAYBE! ) We were heading to Pleasure Island, FF, KB, had potential but nothing special. Checked several spots in CB and found chest to overhead closeouts in waist deep water due to "beach re-nourishment". DON'T GET ME STARTED! 

 We settled on a spot that we saw some maybe make-able BIG tubes.(see above pic) AKA...good way to break a board! Our goal was to each get one good one and then continue on to look for waves, somewhere. The kids with black wax on their boards, yes black, told us it was hard to catch and un-make able. I should add that all 4 of them still had their leashes on walking through the street. ( If you don't think that is funny then you are NOT a surfer and should never call yourself a surfer! )

 My 1st wave sucked, but the 2nd which is really the 1st, because who counts the shitty ones, was more or less epic...for here. No stalling, straight up behind the peak stand up barrel! Reminded me of LINY!! Dirty brown water tubes! Nick got a good one and we both continued to catch closeouts for about an hour before we continued the search. 

 

 Again this picture has nothing to do with the story but, I just took this the other night and I think it's sick! I got a good dog! She sat like that for at least 5 minutes waiting for the sun to be perfect!! SNOH I love you!

 So the search led us to putting the Jet Ski in at Wrightsville and heading to you know where...Sorry. It was awful! The waves were terrible, way too low tide and the ocean was very unsettled. We left, the search continued. We pulled the ski out and checked the piers, and ended up chilling at the brown house. The jetty sucked, the middle sucked everywhere sucked. Monday was not a good surfing day...except for the literally one Insane tube at CB. We spent all day searching and literally caught one good wave! What a good day! 

 So after a GREAT dinner with my absolutely amazing girlfriend thanks to BRIXX Pizza. Tuesday was soon to come. Will the buoys and wind predictions be right, finally? Could tomorrow be the day? 

 We put the ski in just after sunset and headed to the spot. I run fairly often and my longest run has been 16 miles. No matter how much I run; that 200 yard jog over the dunes seems to make me feel out of shape. Maybe I am running super fast or maybe it's just being in a wetsuit, I don't know, but I couldn't get to the edge of the dunes fast enough! What will ocean give us today?

 YUP! Tubes by the dozen! Not crowded! Offshore winds! Water in the mid 50's! No Hood! Undeveloped Island! GREAT PEOPLE IN THE WATER!!!! One of the best mornings of surf I have had since the north inlet day during TS Danny! Many good surfers got tubed, nobody was trying to do turns, It was surfing the way it should be! Fast and hollow! If you make it you make it , if not at least you got the view and maybe the breath!

 For those of you who do not understand the life altering experience of being inside the ocean, study the picture above. STUDY IT HARD! Imagine breathing inside of it. Imagine controlling your speed enough to stay in it, but not too deep. Seconds last forever! Time stands still! All problems go away! You are truly living in the moment.

  The breath I take inside the tube is what keeps me alive! If I don't get that breath every so often things seem to get really confusing, harder than they should be, I get aggravated easily, I lose the confidence that I NEED so badly! Surfing makes me feel alive! The harder you search for it , the better the it feels when you find it!!!

 Once you know what it is like in there, your life is different. Those who know...KNOW! 

 I really appreciate you taking the time to read this! 

The Cove

 For those of you that have not seen the Oscar award winning documentary, The Cove, you really should see it. It will not make you laugh, it will make you cry. It will not make you feel happy, it will make you sad. You won't feel good, you will feel angered! However if you live your life in the sea as I do, you owe it to the ocean to watch this and to do your best to try and protect it!  

http://www.thecovemovie.com/the_cove/synopsis.htm
Academy Award® Winner for Best Documentary of 2009, THE COVE follows an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers as they embark on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, shining a light on a dark and deadly secret. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery, adding up to an unforgettable story that has inspired audiences worldwide to action.
THE COVE is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPré Pesmen and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann.

 The movie is guaranteed to open your eyes to several issues that you probably never even thought of. I know that I was blown away. I don't want to reveal too much about the movie because I want you to see it for yourself. I will warn you that there is some disturbingly graphic scenes. I almost felt as if I was watching my beloved dog Snoh, being murdered. What is happening over there is an atrocity! Stand up tell the world this is not OK! We as human beings have to be better than this!! 

Thank you to everyone who risked so much to make this documentary!! I would like everyone who reads this to watch the movie and write back to me and discuss how it made you feel. I got the movie from Netflix, I am sure you can find it in any video store or Redbox. Please watch this video and tell the world what you think! THIS IS IMPORTANT, WATCH THE MOVIE AND YOU WILL SEE WHY!!!

Here is the link to watch a trailer on YouTube. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bE3KAuWaz8#watch-main-area

Solo

 Started my day off with about 45 minutes of surfing alone in some fun waist to chest high surf. As each person paddled out it got worse. Today was my day! While everyone else slept or debated whether or not to go surfing I got the biggest and best of the waves for the day! Sometimes it is just better to be alone! Sharing waves with friends is great, but sometimes it is just better to experience what the ocean has to offer by yourself! I have had some of the most unforgettable waves when there is nobody else around! No it is not the safest thing to do, but I can assure you that more people were injured or killed driving to work this morning than were hurt surfing! I feel more alive when I am sitting alone in the ocean than any where else. Maybe it makes me a loner, maybe it makes me an asshole for wanting to be alone, or maybe it just makes me; me!

                                          Photo courtesy of Tony Butler            wblivesurf.com  

 This photo was taken this morning after one of my longer waves, there was a lot of current, and I decided to walk back up the beach instead of fighting the current again. Not long after other people started showing up...

 I know that I caught the best of this couple hour long swell at Wrightsville. Where were you? No offense but I don't care! I am a surfer, hence I go surfing! Get up off your ass and go surf! (JUST NOT NEAR ME!)

Thanks for Reading!

The Dolphins

 An afternoon session at Masonboro yesterday turned into an experience most people will never be able to relate to, for a lucky few. Nick and I took the jet ski over, walking over the dunes we saw 4 waves lined up all in the chest to shoulder high range. Something was weird though, there was only 5 guys out! Generally you are surfing with at least 200 of your "closest" friends when it looks this good. Clean A-frames were littering the sandbars, the way the rest of the world was littering bar floors with empty beers! Ahhhh St. Patty's Day!

 We paddled out on the peak to the North of the 5 guys already in the water, kind of the unwritten rule, in my world anyway! After stumbling on the first few waves, I blame the sick new booties I just purchased, I finally got things going. I haven't had new booties in years, these things were awesome, I could actually feel the board. I had several fun waves in a row and was super stoked to not be wearing a 5/3 anymore! ( that would change about 2 hrs later though!)

 We saw another set peaking on the shoals of the inlet and scratched for the outside, at the same time we saw the first couple of Atlantic Bottle-nose Dolphins. We actually started splashing a little bit, the pod headed directly at us. More were visible now, There must have been 30 dolphins around us. One swam right between us and we were about 20 feet apart. I love the sound they make as they exhale when they surface!

 There were 2 separate pods of them, they swam down to the jetty and made their way back towards us. The most perfect wave I have seen in a long time was standing up in its classic Masonboro way. I was paddling out and north trying to cross paths with it, nobody was around, it was all me! I was about to get really tubed, then about 8 dolphins appeared in front of me. I just paused and watched them gracefully glide through this perfect head high peak...

 Other waves will come I thought to myself, let's just enjoy the view. I never saw another wave that good, it started closing out and about 30 people showed up. Maybe I should have took off on that wave with the dolphins? Maybe not? I have had way too many dolphin encounters to remember over the years. I have never seen this many together and definitely never saw that many on one wave, they were only about 10' away from me. I will never forget this encounter, it was a special one!

 Stories like this is what surfing is all about to me. It doesn't matter how many turns you did, or how deep that tube was, and it most certainly doesn't matter what sticker or how many you have on your board. What matters is the bond we have with ocean!

Keep Our Beaches Clean!

Thanks For Reading!!

The Club

 I am very excited about the club that has started here to bring freedivers and other spearfishing enthusiasts together. A name has yet to be decided, but don't worry it will be very cool, I promise! I missed the first meeting but will never miss another one. I attended the second meeting this past Friday. It was really nice meeting other freedivers. Actually I am an aspiring freediver, not quite a freediver yet!

 At the meeting on Friday night Ashley and Ren, instructors from Evolve Freediving, and co founders of the club, led everyone in the group through a proper breathing up technique. I held my breath for 2:15. Many others did much better than I, including my super athlete girlfriend. Needless to say everyone shattered their own expectations. I have never been so excited in my life, next month I am going to take their course, and hopefully become a certified freediver.

 Freediving is the purest way to explore the last great frontier, the ocean. Pushing the limits of what humans think they can do, is very intriguing. Most people, including myself, until recently, never even dreamed of staying underwater on a breath hold for 2 or 3 minutes and well beyond that. With proper training I hope to achieve the goal of a 3 minute dive in the next year. I feel like it is achievable; we will see! For those of you that have never seen any freediving check out the inseatv video player right here on this blog. I can promise you it is going to blow your mind! Ryan is also one of the co-founders of the club.

 Our area is becoming quite the hot bed for freedive spearfishing. I feel extremely fortunate to have met the people I have met when I met them! Ren, Ashley and Ryan have been true ambassadors to the sport that they love. It is so refreshing to know that there are people like them in this world, when it is full of the million dollar athletes who could care less about the sport that has provided them with everything! They have been more than helpful and informative as I get ready to pursue freediving. The sport truly is better off for having them involved!

 Thanks for reading!

"Waves"...Emphasizing the Quotations

 Another "swell" has come and gone in Wrongsville Beach. Friday was stormy and in the waist to head high range. Very typically it was better when I couldn't surf due to work than when I did get to surf. Everybody can relate to the frustration of this scenario; unless you are one of the fortunate few who actually earns money by surfing. Nothing in the world is more frustrating than surfing all morning and seeing the wind turn offshore as you walk in the door to work. Well, OK, I guess there are things that are more frustrating than that. And yes I am super lucky to have gotten in the water with my friends and have fun. Going surfing in the worst waves in the world is still better than just about anything else! Hands down better!

 A friend of mine recently purchased a jet ski, and yes, I felt like a meat-head on it! But it was fun going out Masonboro Inlet in some relatively rough seas. The goal is to practice towing each other in, hopefully surfing some big waves on the shoals, if we ever get any "real" waves! I was always very against jet skis, but at this point I am willing to try anything that just keeps me in the water! I guess we will have to wait and see where this new adventure takes us! Hopefully it will take us places that normal people would never dream of going...

 Saturday brought cleaner surf, this time we took the ski out Masons Inlet, I learned very quickly that standing up on a surfboard while getting pulled behind a jet ski is not easy! I did manage to paddle into a few fun waves, however I never succeeded in getting up while being towed. I will have to practice a lot!! All in all it was a fun day. Its always good to be in the water, no matter how poor the waves are.

 The weather is getting nicer, the water is getting warmer, and the beach crowds are returning. For those of us who enjoy the beach and water all year long, we have a responsibility to protect our beaches from the ignorant people who think that being at the beach is a license to act like a moron and throw garbage around! Every time you see trash on the ground pick it up! Pick up your dog waste! We are lucky to live in such a great place, it is up to us to keep it great!

The Waiting Game...

 Bad weather is upon us; which means only one thing to a surfer; WAVES!! Buoyweather.com is forecasting 13 ft. seas for our area tomorrow.  Usually I don't get too excited by what the so-called experts are forecasting, but I have a good feeling about this one! Could this be the first real test of our newly refurbished beaches and sandbars? I guess we will have to wait and see... in the meantime though lets reminisce about a day this summer that swell, wind, tide, and pretty much everything else joined forces creating the best couple of hours of surf I had seen in years; quite possibly ever!

The town was buzzing; everyone had the feeling that this was going to be the one! Unfortunately I was nursing a shoulder/chest overuse injury. Hurricane Bill visited the previous week, proving to be the usual; long lines of white water closing out the beach strand; which did not help in healing! 

 Tropical Storm Danny was passing the Cape Fear coast as the sun rose. I got the text message the night before; " 7am at the dock if your interested", what kind of dumb question is that; of course I am! Being in the frame of mind of letting my shoulder rest; I actually showed up at the dock thinking that we were going to shoot fish! I was trying to pretend that there were no waves, fortunately nobody else was. I rode the bike back to Harbor Island not knowing what to do; my shoulder hurt pretty bad and I knew that I needed to let it rest or I would miss more than just one swell!

 As I crossed over the banks channel bridge the decision was made; I'll go on the boat and just take pictures. I wouldn't even bring my board, I'll wear my fins and use Alex's water camera; it was a good idea in theory. There was just one problem; my 5'11" was staring at me the way a dog does when you are leaving without them. Next thing I know I'm running to the dock with my board!

 After a stop to put oil in the boat, we arrived at the spot. Those who were there know, as for the rest of you, use your imagination! At first it did not look all that good, it was breaking really far out and I really could not tell how big it was. My first wave was nothing special; I decided to make a game plan, I was not going to take off on any small waves and just sit deep and wait for the best waves, no sense in paddling more than I had to.

 The second wave I caught was a little bit overhead and perfect, really though I mean perfect! I pulled in and came out about 4 seconds later, it was not over yet either! Several turns and another barrel section that was longer than the first followed. The rest of the morning pretty much went the same way...seriously!

 I saw more guys get tubed that morning than I have seen in 8 years of living in Wrightsville Beach. It was the kind of day that if you couldn't get tubed and make it out, you should just quit surfing; it will never be easier than that! I didn't surf for 2 months after that day, my shoulder was in bad shape. I was OK though; enough time in the tube was logged to make the next 2 months bearable.

 What will tomorrow bring? I'm not sure; nobody is. It's all part of the waiting game...
Thanks for Reading!

Open Water Certification

Fantasy Lake, Rolesville, North Carolina...Let me get this straight we live in Wrightsville Beach, but we are going to drive 3 hours inland to do our Open Water Certification dives? Now, I am not the smartest guy in the world and God knows I have made my fair share of poor decisions over the years, but leaving the ocean to go diving made no sense to me, what a waste of time! Call me close minded if you want, I do not care about inland, I am a beach person, an ocean person, always have and always will be.

 Leaving the beach that morning I couldn't help but remember the 1st and last trip to this strange land they call Raleigh, our States Capital. I missed great waves that day and vowed to never come back. Raleigh reminds me a lot of Long Island, New York; minus the ocean and sound! Lets not forget that I moved for a reason.

 I was very excited to get in the water and dive, but in the ocean; not some lake in the middle of nowhere! My first image of the lake was breathtaking! I admit that I was wrong; this place was amazing! The water looked crystal clear, I have never seen visibility like this.

  The "lake" was a rock quarry beginning in the 1800s, and remained so until the 1950's. Then workers struck a natural spring which rapidly filled in the quarry, the rock crusher still remains at the bottom. Boats, planes, cars and even a school bus are submerged here making for great diving.

 The water was a balmy 46 degrees, dry suits were necessary in these conditions. I have surfed in water much colder than this and felt well prepared for the shock of water this cold...once again I was wrong. I could not catch my breath to perform the required skills at first. I give all of the other divers in the group a ton of credit for doing this! Many, if not all of them, had never been in water this cold. Great job everyone! Much respect!

 Once we got out of the shallows and got underwater I actually felt more comfortable. My head acclimated to the cold also making it a bit more comfortable. It is a challenge controlling your buoyancy in a dry suit, and I found it easier in deeper water. After my first 20 minute dive I was very disappointed with my performance. I couldn't wait to get back in the water!

 After about an hour and a half out of the water it was my turn again to get wet. Our fearless leader told us that we were going to dive around the school bus! Now we're talking, something cool; FINALLY! Breathing underwater while swimming around a school bus, 25 feet below the surface was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life! Now I don't feel so bad about spending what little money I had saved on this course! Who needs to eat anyway!

 It was getting close to sunset as we surfaced from the bus. On the ascent from the bottom I thought about the fact that I was watching the sunset underwater. It was at this moment I knew that I would be doing this for the rest of my life!

 Two more dives the following day and I would be a certified diver with a specialty as a dry suit diver. After Fantasy Lake the next dive site was way more than a disappointment. Lake Leamon; what a S*#thole. It's more of a mud puddle than a lake. Less than 5 feet of visibility at best! I did the 2 "dives" and we left...thankfully! I do not recommend going to Lake Leamon...ever!

 I am a certified open water diver now. I look forward to using the skills that I have learned...but I am more excited about taking the Basic Freediver Course next month! See you in the water somewhere...

Benefits to living on the beach #1

 This may be the 1st in a series entitled "Benefits to living on the beach"

  I looked at the waves several times yesterday and it looked; not so good. Late in the afternoon; about an hour before I had  to leave for my dry suit diver pool session; the guy upstairs told me that he just got the longest tube he ever had on Wrightsville Beach. Blasphemy! I didn't believe it...I suited up and jogged down to the beach though. Sure enough there were some fun waves coming through. It was better near the pier but I didn't have the time to run that extra mile. I surfed for about 45 minutes and got some good waves and fell on most of them. Not one of my better surf sessions. Sure didn't get the longest tube of my life and I blew such a perfect right that it made me nauseous! However it was still a great session and I got out of the water feeling better than when I went in...Isn't that what it's all about! My buddy Julian was taking photos and got a decent shot of me.

                                         Photo by Julian Kehaya                   Kehayaphoto.com

 I didn't make it out but I had the view that has been missing from my life recently!

Had I not lived on the beach I would probably have missed this quick surf session that my mind, body and soul desperately needed! Thanks to Kevin for the tip and thanks to Julian for the photo! And most of all thanks for reading!

Confession

 A waterman, what exactly is a waterman? Wiktionary has a great definition.

water + man

[edit]Noun

waterman (plural watermen)

1. A man who lives or works mainly in or near water.
2. A boatman or an oarsman who has attained a high level of knowledge or skill.
3. (surfing) A man skilled in multiple aquatic sports disciplines, such as surfing, bodysurfing, undersea diving, canoe paddling, fishing, etc.

[edit]Usage notes

• Describing someone as a waterman is the highest honour in the surfing community, reserved for those with long-standing and indisputably significant all-round achievements.
• http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/waterman

Wikipedia has a better one...

Webster defines waterman as "a man who makes his living from the water (as by fishing)".

The term has evolved to mean one who takes part in activities which involve water, including wave riding, wind or motor assisted sports, diving and fishing. A waterman is also skilled in interpreting weather and tide information to decide the best water activity for the conditions. They also work to improve water resources, reduce water pollution and protect water species from overexploitation.

Wave riding sports include surfing, kayaking, and bodysurfing.

Fishing includes both common above water pole fishing and underwater spearfishing, both with a simple spear or a spear gun. Freediving skills are aften used when fishing underwater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterman_(sports)

 I will be the first to admit that a lot of work must be done before I can call myself a waterman! Roughly 71% of the earths surface is covered by water. That being said, I have never been more than 3 miles offshore. I know very little about the ocean beyond the lineup when it really comes down to it! However I have spent the last 20 years building a wealth of knowledge and experience in the surf zone. 

 I am ashamed to admit that from the years 2007 through early 2009 because of a terrible job I rarely surfed! I worked crazy hours and was on call for weeks on end which meant no surfing. I gained 35 lbs of flabby fat! PlayStation 3 was getting more of my attention than my surfboards. Pathetic...I know! One year ago tomorrow I took the last drag of a cigarette I'll ever take! I stopped drinking coffee, (although I have had some cups recently), started eating better and began to run. I lost the 35 lbs., started surfing much more! I never could have done it without the help of a great; then friend;now girlfriend! Thanks Hun!

  Being away from surfing and the ocean for those awful years made me love it so much more when I returned! I remember one of the 1st good days of surf that we had after I lost the weight and was feeling fit again. I could still surf!! I did turns and got tubed a lot! Life was not over...it was just beginning again! I do not mind saying that I had tears in my eyes after what was the best wave I had in years! I was back! Then I hurt my chest and shoulder and had to take a break form surfing...NO NOT AGAIN!!! 

 Going spearfishing thankfully did not hurt...I spent a lot of days hunting the jetty. After being away from the ocean and finding it again I was happy that even if I couldn't surf I could still enjoy the ocean. At first I was very uncomfortable in the ocean without my trusty 5'11" round tail. I became more comfortable underwater and knew that I wanted to become a freediver. I wanted to explore the oceans beneath the waves now! I wanted to become a true waterman!

 I had always considered myself a waterman...but I was just a surfer. For most of my life I just wanted to be known as a surfer, possibly even a good surfer. Being able to surf well was the only characteristic of a waterman in my mind. I was wrong!  I realize now that my life has been an Evolution of a Waterman...

Thanks for Reading!