Deepwater collecting on Oahu question

[Iwishihadgills]

Im starting off only using conventional scuba at 100' until i get my trimix certification.
So my question is where would i be more likely to find these guys around the island? I understand the chances of seeing half of these is not very likely but one can wish.
-Apolemichthys arcuatus
-Genicanthus personatus
-Pseudanthias hawaiiensis
-Holanthias fuscipinnis
-Liopropoma aurora
-Chaetodon tinkeri
-Cirrhilabrus jordani

Im thinking about starting on the northwestern side of the island beacause i think thats where robert lower was collecting the personatus.

 

[r-balljunkie]

have you collected before? its not easy to do. you are going to have to fudge the 100' mark...dip down to at least 120'-130'.

do you have nets/catch buckets etc?

most nets used are hand crafted, cant really go to academy to pick up a set.....you'll need two nets, 1/4" mesh.

do you know how to decompress a fish at different stages? you'll end up with some dead fish, if you flub it up....swim bladder.

i'd suggest hooking up with some locals that are collecting to get a better idea of 'where'. if you arent in good with these guys, i seriously doubt they'll flat out tell you where the spots are...somewhat guarded info.

there's more info, but dont want to spill too much info on how fish are collected. it takes awhile to get a handle on collecting. it aint easy, and somewhat dangerous if you dont keep an eye on the clock. ive chased and chased to the very edge of my bottom time. probably dumb on my part.

good luck!

C

 

[Iwishihadgills]

have you collected before? its not easy to do. you are going to have to fudge the 100' mark...dip down to at least 120'-130'.

do you have nets/catch buckets etc?

most nets used are hand crafted, cant really go to academy to pick up a set.....you'll need two nets, 1/4" mesh.

do you know how to decompress a fish at different stages? you'll end up with some dead fish, if you flub it up....swim bladder.

i'd suggest hooking up with some locals that are collecting to get a better idea of 'where'. if you arent in good with these guys, i seriously doubt they'll flat out tell you where the spots are...somewhat guarded info.

there's more info, but dont want to spill too much info on how fish are collected. it takes awhile to get a handle on collecting. it aint easy, and somewhat dangerous if you dont keep an eye on the clock. ive chased and chased to the very edge of my bottom time. probably dumb on my part.

good luck!

C

Nope never collected before. Kinda miss having a fish tank with coral. Cant really have that in hawaii so im trying to take up a new hobby. I was planning on making the hand nets and the "drop net" still looking into the regulations too. I know the locals arent gonna help me lol well maybe if i throw a tako their way. Ive been watching some really cool videos of Mike deGruy collecting fish at 100+ meters. Definatly gonna try to do alot of research first so i dont end up killing my catch. I want to stay away from needling if i can so im probably gonna try to bring them up over a couple hour period. Thanks for the questions they have definiatly jogged my brain to think about the big picture.

 

[billsreef]

I'd highly suggest practice collecting in shallow depths that give you some fudge factor on dive times...i.e. the sort of depths where you will run out of air before incurring any deco obligations. Get to the point you can deal with watching your dive profile during the hunt. Last thing you want to do is become yet another collector getting bent due to paying attention to the chase and not the dive profile.

 

[r-balljunkie]

Bill has some good words.

We always have 4 in the water, and everyone is a very experienced diver. we practically dive every weekend.

i would suggest you use the buddy system while you are down at depths. you exert a lot of physical energy keeping up and chasing fishies. my dive computer is set to very conservative parameters.

You definitely dont want to get bent chasing fishes. it happens more often than you think.

you arent going to get away from needling....unless you plan on spending 6 hours in a boat bringing up one fish. you need a hang line down to 120' and lotsa time. best bet is needling, which is the industry norm, just have to know how to do it.

id suggest free lunches and pay for boat gas, going out with some folks more experienced to see if its for you.

c