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Old 08-16-2005, 08:18 AM   #1
hogsniper
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Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Team Double Cheese and 3 friends headed to the Grounds Sunday on a comfortable 40' Jersey with a fresh Yanmar repower. A 2 day SPO scouting trip, 3 shooters onboard, blue skies, flat calm seas. We had a pretty good day and filled 2 coolers on 2 dives. Pizzaman bagged a beautiful hog(his biggest ever). We shot some very nice red grouper and gags, the largest at 22#. No tournament winners in site though. It was decided to do one last dive and head for home instead of overnighting. As I descended on our last dive of the day, I hit the deck at 120' with 40' vis and no fish or other divers in site. A quick look around and I could only see one reef shark cruising the top of the ridgeline. I proceeded over the ridge and finally spotted a couple of 3-4 pound hogs in a sandy horseshoe area about 25' across. I quickly shot and strung a smaller one, then spotted a beauty. I would say in the 30" range, probably 10-12 pounds. Lined up on him and let him have it behind the eye, he went ballistic and shot into a hole. I shot him a second time in order to have a handle to pull him out of the hole with. The vis quickly dropped to zero at the hole as the hog was bleeding out. Just then, another 5-6 pound hog swam right up to see what the commotion was all about, he caught my third shaft behind the eye and was on my stringer in a few seconds. I reloaded and made the 20' swim back to my prize hog in the hole. As I approched I had my stringer in my left hand and started to lay it down beside the hole when I caught a grey flash out of the corner of my eye. I turned to face a 6-7' reef shark just as he attacked the stringer of hogs in my hand. I held on for about 3 seconds until the first good head shake pulled it from me. He then swam about 20' and began to rip the hog to pieces. I picked up my gun, loaded the PH from my bc pocket, hovered over his back and let him have it from 4' above just to the left of his dorsal fin(his head was thrashing side to side). Crack...The PH and freeshaft stuck in his back as he tried to rocket away, but I think I got his spine, his front end was working fine, but everything aft of his dorsal was paralyzed. He sunk to the bottom thrashing and spit out my stringer. I swam down and pulled my shaft and powerhead out of his back, unscrewed the PH and used the barb of the shaft to retrieve my stringer from in front of the bastards mouth. Already down to 500psi, I made my way back to the hogfish hole, 2 hands on the second shaft only pulled it through the meat as kept swimming harder against my attempts to extract him. I give up and turn from the hole to ascend only to have a second grey suit charge within 5' of me for a quick sniff of the struggling hog, one glance at me trying to swing my gun around on him and he was gone in a flash. My first shark encounter, well my first and second. As JBY heard the story yesterday, he smiled and said "Welcome to the Middle Grounds-the sharkiest place you'll ever dive". Below is what was salvaged, I think we still got about a pound of meat out of it.
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Old 08-16-2005, 08:28 AM   #2
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Way to go Howie, You handled yourself very well

btw nice fish
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Last edited by seaweed27; 08-16-2005 at 09:56 AM.
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Old 08-16-2005, 08:45 AM   #3
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

That looks like a cuda bite Howie!! Cool write up and glad you handled it well, see ya tonight bizitch!

Congrats to Pizzafag for taggin his personal best hog!
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Old 08-16-2005, 08:50 AM   #4
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Great story I am sure you will remember it for a long time keeping a cool head and not losing the stringer or the fish head that is a classic.
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Old 08-16-2005, 09:33 AM   #5
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

nice reaction!!

Hurray for PPD's!!
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Old 08-16-2005, 09:54 AM   #6
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Great story Howie! Way to keep your head. Literally.
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Old 08-16-2005, 12:36 PM   #7
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

good job howie. i am sure we will here the real story tonight of how you had to clean out your wettie. haha

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Old 08-16-2005, 06:05 PM   #8
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Hey Hogsniper, what cal. was your powerhead? Did the shark hyperinflate? Looks like you nailed him pretty good, and he still lived for a good time, sounds like you kept your cool pretty good, what kind of speargun where you using? Thanks zeN
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Old 08-16-2005, 06:21 PM   #9
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Nice catch congrats!!
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Old 08-16-2005, 09:15 PM   #10
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Good job keeping your cool and taking one out that didn't need to be in the gene pool.
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Old 08-16-2005, 09:55 PM   #11
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Well done brutha.Keep it up!
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Old 08-16-2005, 10:21 PM   #12
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Zen, Pizzaman and I shoot identical guns, 52" SS Rhino with a .223 powerhead(Wolf ammo). My screw-on powerhead is slower to install, but has never, not once, failed to detonate. One line shaft with a new quick connect coil line system, and 2 freeshafts. I am not sure what hyperinflate is, but this one seemed to be trying to swim from his dorsal fin forward, but everything aft of his fin was paralyzed after the PH hit. He was still thrashing side to side, but was descending to the rocks. I would guess that I messed his spine up pretty bad. I looked back as I was moving away and he was just laying still in the sand, I don't think that he recovered.
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Last edited by hogsniper; 08-16-2005 at 10:30 PM.
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Old 08-17-2005, 07:27 AM   #13
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

I have a question. I've never had to use my PPD and I was wondering what the proper technique was. I hope I handle myself as well as hogsniper did. Do you poke the ppd at the target or do you actually shoot the spear with the ppd attached? It seems that if you poke it at him you stand less of a chance of losing your shaft, having it to use if still needed. Although I don't think I would be worried about losing a shaft in those circumstances I've always thought that you didn't throw away your primary weapon in a fight. I don't know if this will turn into a heated discussion like the thread awhile ago about stringers and how to hold them.
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Old 08-17-2005, 09:37 AM   #14
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Babcockp,
There are several types of PPD's out there. The most popular caliber is the .223 round. Each round is to be sealed with fingernail polish prior to diving. My PPD screws onto the tip of my shafts, some just slip on, others have a screw that tightens them onto the end of the shaft. Slipons are cheaper, but tend to misfire or get lost with the fish. Powerheads are designed to be shot at the target. Bangsticks are poked into the target. I have never used a bangstick. Once you shoot, it will take some time to retrieve your shaft and PPD, reload and reshoot, not practical for multiple shots in an emergency. I recommend trying to lineshaft your PPD when possible. Either way, don't worry about losing a shaft, we can get more, arms and legs are much harder to find. My PPD has a tendency to stick in the fish on a direct hit, I have to chase them down to get it back if freeshafting. Otherwise, shoot the PPD, then just reload your gun, a shaft is still the second best personal defense weapon you have. I carry two spares on my gun. Some guys mount a kill spike on the front of their gun that can be used if out of shafts. Don't forget how important it is to establish dominance when you are down there.
1. Never back off
2. Always look directly at other predators
3. Move towards them when possible
4. Keep your stringer out of their line of site when possible

We are the apex predator down there, let them know it.
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Old 08-17-2005, 11:44 AM   #15
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Re: Middle Grounds Double Shark Brawl

Quote:
Originally Posted by sneakyslayer
Hogsniper,

When the shark took your fish, you had time to screw the powerhead on your shaft and then take the shot. I would have done the same thing, however imho you didn't protect yourself, you just killed a shark.

Your comment is off based. The shark was aggressive and could've easily have come back to the diver for more after getting the taste in his mouth and associating it with the diver. Those kind of sharks that aren't afraid of divers need to be taken out of the gene pool. The shark isn't going to be missed by anyone.
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