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!
.thumbnail.jpg "Stellarised on a 7/0 Leadhead")
tommo77
Posts: 461
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: 875
Date Joined: 19/11/07
Bloody Good Work
Another post to make me jealous!!!! Nah good work Ryan.
tommo77
Posts: 461
Date Joined: 20/06/08
ryan ..
how do you catch the mannas while diving? a scoop net?
Paul G
Posts: 5215
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.
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shabba
Posts: 484
Date Joined: 26/02/08
nice, top feed ryan,
nice, top feed ryan, enjoy.....................
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Nice catch and nice presentation
Quality work Ryan. The thermal suit certainly sounds like it is worth it.
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Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
Were they big Blueys mate?
Were they big Blueys mate?
max199
Posts: 812
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.......
max199
Posts: 812
Date Joined: 09/05/06
Cheers
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. I'm pretty keen to start diving again at night in the Swan.
.......Maxy.......
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
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!
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!
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Bill
Posts: 437
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 (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
:)
hehehe.....yes trying to stay together never happens and eating mud/silt sucks so yeh....better off going ya own way!
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Kasey L.
Posts: 1390
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!
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
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"
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Kasey L.
Posts: 1390
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: 1681
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
Pete D
Posts: 1681
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
Pete D
Posts: 1681
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: 812
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: 49
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?