Toasty dive with some nice prawns & crabs!
Well I love my Swan diving but the cold weather stopped me in winter very quickly. My summer wetty didn't cut it so I had to change that quickly. I went to Perth Scuba in Canningvale and both Lee & Nat were helpful with good advise on stayimg warm. I ended up buying a thermal suit and hoody that i wear under my normal wetsuit!
Went for a dive with Pete D & brad last night, we ended up with a feed but for me the best thing was being very warm in the friggen cold water. Best money i've spent and i'll be doing more winter dives for sure. I ended up with just under a kilo of prawns and i could of got more if i didn't chase some blueys but i had the seafood list required for tonights cookup. I was tempted to do a second dive to catch more, perhaps next time!
Large fish plate with tonights prawn meal!
Large fish plate with tonights blue-manner meal to go with the prawns!
tommo77
Posts: 481
Date Joined: 20/06/08
far out
im definately jumping on the diving craze in the next few months lol!!
look so tasty mate, top catch!!
Matt T
Posts: 73
Date Joined: 19/11/07
Bloody Good Work
Another post to make me jealous!!!! Nah good work Ryan.
tommo77
Posts: 481
Date Joined: 20/06/08
ryan ..
how do you catch the mannas while diving? a scoop net?
Paul G
Posts: 979
Date Joined: 12/12/07
Well done Ryan, a meal fit
Well done Ryan, a meal fit for a king looks great and I bet they taste as good.
shabba
Posts: 156
Date Joined: 26/02/08
nice, top feed ryan,
nice, top feed ryan, enjoy.....................
Colin Hay
Posts: 4578
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Nice catch and nice presentation
Quality work Ryan. The thermal suit certainly sounds like it is worth it.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)
Bodie
Posts: 303
Date Joined: 05/11/07
Were they big Blueys mate?
Were they big Blueys mate?
NoWorries
Posts: 3011
Date Joined: 10/10/07
Hi Ryan
Can you tell us a bit more about this thermal suit. Brand, Price ??
Have a great day.
Lindsay
_________________
Here fishy fishy !!
max199
Posts: 743
Date Joined: 09/05/06
Is it
a dry suit Ryan? Or not as extreme. It sounds like one. I have a Mares 6mm semi dry and that's ample for the Swan I reackon. Is the temp around 16 degrees? Well done on the Blue swimmers, I would go for them more than the cockroaches! Great feed, very, very tastey indeed
.......Maxy.......
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
Maxy if you are chasing
Maxy if you are chasing crabs there is shitloads there!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
max199
Posts: 743
Date Joined: 09/05/06
Yeah Cheers Rutar
but I need a " buddy " that has some balls (temp). Not too game to do it by myself at night. Just incase the inevidible happens. I might put a post up for some bites, see what I catch. After seeing your posts for the last month or two I'm pretty keen to start diving again at night in the Swan.
PM sent rute
.......Maxy.......
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
Mate we go in together but
Mate we go in together but its too hard to stay together and can stuff your dive up!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
tommo77
Posts: 481
Date Joined: 20/06/08
goat
whats the biggest thing you have seen swimming around in there?
NoWorries
Posts: 3011
Date Joined: 10/10/07
LOL
I bet he says "BILL"
Have a great day.
Lindsay
_________________
Here fishy fishy !!
max199
Posts: 743
Date Joined: 09/05/06
So you
get seperated or just go your own way , head down bum up. Do you use a small hand net with a float. That's what I used to use but shit you do very well.
I can appreciate it does get very merky when you net em, alot of silt!
.......Maxy.......
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
We saw a huge seal the other
We saw a huge seal the other night but you are right Lindsay Billy boy was still bigger than it!LOL!Head your own way because of the silt!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
max199
Posts: 743
Date Joined: 09/05/06
Roger Rutar
.......Maxy.......
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
I never rooted Roger! IF
I never rooted Roger!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
Ryan Thipthorp
Posts: 2168
Date Joined: 24/08/05
having that feed right now atm :)
Thanks fellas!
Tommo, i normally use welders gloves if i'm just getting blueys only but this was a bit of both so i used my divers net to pin them and then grab the back of their swimmers!
Bodie, the smallest crab was just over legal and the rest measured well over. Compared to the summer run where they're alot bigger these are welcomed none the less. Plenty of small ones also and a few big females which i left!
Lindsay, the suit is a Scubapro model that sells for $175, Lee & Nat told me it will do the job of the more expensive models available but saving me some $$$
Maxxy, yeh not a dry suit at all but a thin thermal layer of material that sticks to your body and adapts to that temp. When i took the thermal off last night it was very tight/tracky to my skin which explains how it works you could say!
* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference *
Owner/Operator "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682
Bill
Posts: 581
Date Joined: 24/03/07
rutars head
rutars head
Bill
Posts: 581
Date Joined: 24/03/07
out of all the dives we do
out of all the dives we do together up there some weeks every night we never see each other but the last 2 dives we have run into each other bloody scarey seeing him under water his head looks big enough out of the water you should take a look at the magnified version
Ryan Thipthorp
Posts: 2168
Date Joined: 24/08/05
:)
hehehe.....yes trying to stay together never happens and eating mud/silt sucks so yeh....better off going ya own way!
* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference *
Owner/Operator "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682
Kasey L.
Posts: 1104
Date Joined: 02/03/06
swan dive
Max, I'd be keen to have a dive with ya once my leg heals up, which should be in time for it get a bit warmer ;) ;)
Nice catch of males Ryan, I'd certainly prefer them over females as they have bigger nippers which I reckon are the best part. Do you reckon it takes at least double the time though to get a sizeable feed if you go for the males only?
The reason I ask is I find it hard to resist a big female, and especially if its cold, I dont want to stay in too long so don't have the luxury of being selective. I guess you dont have that problem with your new suit!
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
Kasey I have taken females
Kasey I have taken females that have gone 600-650 grams and yet the big blues (180+mm) are only 550-600.!Go figure!IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
max199
Posts: 743
Date Joined: 09/05/06
I would also
as long as they had NO eggs on them and were of sizeable proportions just like those " twins" Rutar posted up before! That sounds wrong doesn't it?? SORRY, me no speakada engish
.......Maxy.......
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
Yeah mate don't go near her
Yeah mate don't go near her when she has eggs!LOL!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
deefa
Posts: 727
Date Joined: 09/09/05
BWAHAHAHAHA PSML Rutar
BWAHAHAHAHA PSML Rutar
Ryan Thipthorp
Posts: 2168
Date Joined: 24/08/05
crabs!
Cheers Kasey, i actually prefer the females for taste but they do pinch alot harder!
Because i saw mainly males i took them but only came over one or two big females so i passed on them! If i'm in a hurry i'll take any crab thats legal (no eggs also) but more boys on this dive!
The feed last night was awesome, the prawns in particular were so tasty......they went very quickly as they do!
* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference *
Owner/Operator "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682
Kasey L.
Posts: 1104
Date Joined: 02/03/06
Thanks ryan. interesting how
Thanks ryan. interesting how the ratios change, as over summer I found something like a ratio of 10 females to 1 male. It could be also where I am.
Pete D
Posts: 430
Date Joined: 07/06/07
Agree with the 10:1 comment
Agree with the 10:1 comment Kasey - and that was the same dive as Ryan. I was out deeper though. I just use both hands and grab a claw with each then shove them in the catch bag. The females seem pretty docile currently - might be the colder water. They are very full and tasty too.
Cheers Pete
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
It was like ice Sat
It was like ice Sat night!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
Pete D
Posts: 430
Date Joined: 07/06/07
I'm out this week - my old
I'm out this week - my old faithful UK1200 torch has given up after 18 years of service (cost me $450) back then. New Cannon in the post. Ready for Friday hopefully.
The missus wants curry crab again for dinner again!
Cheers Pete
GOATRUTAR
Posts: 3864
Date Joined: 12/04/07
The prawns were smaller on
The prawns were smaller on Sat with 70 prawns going 1.2 kg and a week before I got 80 that went 2kg!
I'm not sure if it was much colder or once out the cold kicked in!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!
Pete D
Posts: 430
Date Joined: 07/06/07
16 degrees on the bottom,
16 degrees on the bottom, but keep forgetting to check the surface temp with the puter...sort of forget to do it with that cold fresh water gushing in on the goolies...gotta find that rip in the suit!
Vis should be very good next week, what with single tides. Where is my housing Ryan?
Cheers Pete
max199
Posts: 743
Date Joined: 09/05/06
Cmon Sherbs
come diving with me you big old girl!! I'll throw 20lb's around ya waiste and drag you around!
.......Maxy.......
waterman
Posts: 15
Date Joined: 24/05/08
Dived weekly in the Swan
Dived weekly in the Swan around east Freo from the 80's - early 90's. We made our own prawn scoop nets with a very short handle and a a head about the size of a squash racket. Just place the net over the prawn and knock it into the pocket in the net. Back then the torches were crap so we made our own using gel cell battery bank inside storm water pipe and C clamped to the dive cylinder. We made up the torch head with halogen household lights and by god we lit up the bottom. Crabs were caught with a glove & into a catch bag. We didn't put them in the nets because of tangles. Water doesn't get too cold in the swan, so wetsuits OK. It's more when you get out that it gets cold. That's what the OP Bundy rum is for. By the way at the right time of the year we'd also clean up on scallops. Are they still around?