When was the last time you practiced sharing air with your buddy? Even for avid divers, the answer to this question is usually, “when I learned to dive”. The next Gulf Coast Diving Society event is scheduled for sat., March 17th at Gulf Coast Divers. We are donating the facility, pool, and divemasters to this annual event. It is an opportunity to come jump in the pool, wash the dust off your gear, and practice all your skills. Our divemasters and instructors are volunteering their time to insure your safety and rescue skills are top notch. We are waiving the pool fee for all certified divers, so take advantage of this FREE event.
The Gulf Coast Diving Society is a group of divers dedicated to promoting local diving and providing a great way to meet other divers. The GCDS will be grilling hot dogs on the deck and are excited about meeting new divers. The event will be from 10am-4pm, with some folks hanging out all day and others coming and going. Please rsvp to (251) 342-2970 or lewis@gulf-coast-divers.com. The Gulf Coast Dive Society is free to all and is always looking for divers and snorkelers to help coordinate events and have fun.
April is traditionally the month that cobia start migrating thru the gulf coast on their westward journey. The time of year and the speed of the migration has everything to do with water temperature. The magic temperature seems to be 68 degrees. The first cobia to show will arrive almost simultaneously with the gulf temperature warming to 68 degrees.
Early season cobia hunters usually sight-fish for the distinctive brown shapes, while cruising within 1/2 mile of the beach. Once spotted the boats move ahead of the pod and try to intercept the fish and cast lures, silver eels, and jigs. The key to sighting the fish is to get as high above the water as possible to increase the downward line of sight.
A new trend the last few years is for spearfisherman to follow this same sight-hunting tactic, but with a twist. We troll the beach looking for the pods, then when sighted, we run the boat ahead of the fish and put a couple free-divers in the water. Armed with mask, snorkel, fins and speargun, we rely on the natural curiosity of ling to swim close enough to check us out. It usually takes many drops before we luck into a curious fish.
Any spearo that has had the luck of spearing a cobia knows that they can be a handful. Cobia are very strong fish that will sometimes lie motionless after being shot, fooling the diver into thinking they stoned it with a great shot. But boy can they come back to life. Any angler that has gaffed a “green” cobia can attest to their surprising strength. I’ve heard stories of sprained arms and shoulders, broken gaffs and many, many lost fish.
Known locally as “ling” or “lemonfish”, cobia are the main focus of anglers and spearfisherman looking for an adventure in late March and April. For information on spearfishing call Gulf Coast Divers at (251) 342-2970.
Give the gift of adventure with a Gulf Coast Divers Cash Card!
Load it with any amount and give it as a Gift Card or use it yourself as your scuba shopping card. Our Adventure Gift cards were a popular stocking stuffer at Christmas, but y’all came up with another use that we didn’t anticipate. Divers are buying Adventure Cards and reloading them each payday as a way to save towards a new piece of equipment. “If I keep the cash, I’ll spend it and regret it. If I put my extra dollars on my gift card, then it is like I am saving towards my scuba system,” explained Mike. Great idea, dude.
What a great Valentine’s gift idea! It can be used to purchase new gear, training, a dive trip, anything…it is like cash. We know how hard it is to buy for a diver, why not make it easy and let them choose what they want? Or encourage friends and family to come and contribute to your Adventure Card rather than buy you a pair of socks that you are going to return to Target anyway.
Christmas, birthdays, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Arbor Day, Just Because Day…any event is a good time to ask for dive gear.