Cayman Islands, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling

It Doesn't Get Any Better!

I have had the pleasure of spending time in the Cayman Islands and diving in the crystal clear, jade-green waters teeming with undersea life of all types. From coral to beautiful new saltwater species of fish - it was a thrilling time for a kid who never put a toe in the ocean.

I always snorkeled, as I prefer the basic concept and appreciate the limitations placed on depth. Deep, dark water makes me a bit uneasy. You won't notice this while snorkeling along at a nice easy pace and not worried about getting extreme and looking for deep holes (drop-offs) to go and explore. That isn't for the faint of heart.

I enjoy using my camera in a waterproof camera case, since it shoots ten minutes of video - just in case a pod of whales decides to cruise by. If you haven't dived the Cayman Islands, put it on you "things to do list". You won't regret it!

Happy Holidays!

It's Turkey Day Again!

We at Watersports Reports, would like to wish each and every one of our readers a safe and blessed Thanksgiving! God bless our troops in Iraq and return them to us safely!

Lake Erie Fishing Reports

The Lake Erie Western Basin - Is There Anywhere Else to Fish?

Walleye fishing has been good in the western basin recently. The best walleye fishing has been from North Bass Island and Niagara Reef to “F” can on the Canadian border, and on Lucy's Point of Middle Bass Island. Fish have been caught by casting worm harnesses or weight forward spinners like Big John's or Erie Dearies. Trollers who can afford the gas prices, have had success with spoons on jet divers or dipsys. You might as well stop at the fish company and save yourself from the elements - trolling is the lazy man's way to fish IMO.Great yellow perch fishing has been reported around "A, B, and C cans" off of the Camp Perry range, off of Kelley's Island shoal, between West Reef and Rattlesnake Island, north of the Marblehead lighthouse and due north of Cedar Point. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish that have averaged around eight inches with several catches averaging in the nine to 10-inch range. This real perch fishing guys (big perch) - take advantage if you can. Also, North of the Toledo water intake, at the Toledo Harbor Light, near the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel is reportedly turning in some heavy stringers.

Be careful of shipping lanes my friends, the last time I fished the outside of the Sandusky Bay shipping lanes, I almost got crushed into matchsticks by a large freighter that was hugging my side of the lane. After becoming certain that I was in the right place (legally), I had to reel in my rods, haul the anchor and bury the throttle lever, as I screamed out of the wake of the freighter that almost killed me. His wake alone, almost capsized my little 19ft. I/O, and I sat there trembling from the near mishap while screaming expletives at the freighter passing my fishing spot. I'm quite sure they fell on deaf ears. Don't trust these large vessels just because we are led to believe that expert pilots are at the bridge and aware of everything around their ships. I assure you they are NOT touted highly enough for me to ever trust the close passage of one again in the future. Don't forget to bring home some pictures of your haul - I use my Canon PowerShot S45 in a waterproof digital camera case. They take great shots - I'm not a scuba diver or snorkeler but it keeps my little digicam high and dry for fishing trips!

Free Diving Anyone?

Tanya Streeter - Free Diving's Top Female

Now please feel free to correct my tagline, since I believe that Tanya's Free Diving World Records are "absolute" and regardless of sex - M/F. In any case, this lady has more records than you can list! No one could get me to try this rather X-treme water sport. For instance, Tanya, on August 17th 2002 - set an Absolute World Record (with No Limits) to 525ft / 160m in 3 mins 26 seconds! That's really deep and really fast. Tanya may have a little bit of Mermaid in her family tree - I kid her of course. She is a finely tuned athlete and trains extremely hard to maintain her cardio, strength and other disciplines we don't give a thought to.

As I perused her records, it seems like there are many types of conditional events, such as with or w/o fins. Using various amount of weight to assist in descent, also fresh and salt water events are included. It appears that there are male and female events, Team events and I'm just guessing that when it says "absolute world record" it means just that - all comers - male or female. It was a pleasure to go though her website and find out about this unique and talented woman.

There are also links to other great sections and out to other freediving sites as well. Just see how close you can come to this woman's record time (posted above). Get you stopwatch or timer out - 3 minutes and 26 seconds - and you don't even have to swim either! If anyone tops that mark, please post a comment and we'll post your time - fair enough? I've got $100 that I don't see any comments. In the meantime check out this X-treme diving sport and check out Tanya Streeter's website!

Hawaii's Gnarliest Surf Spots

Only For The Experienced - Rookies Stay Out of The Water

In Hawaii, one of the defining local institutions is the neighborhood surf shop. There you'll find not just boards, but something far more valuable: solid advice.

Befriend the informal surf ambassadors who run the local shops, and they will impart wisdom not easily found in a surf map or guidebook, including personal insights into Hawaii's gnarliest breaks—places with evocative names like Point Panic, Suicides and Avalanche.

"As we know, Pipeline is the best surf spot in the world. It's the standard against which others are measured," says James Cuizon, owner of Crank and Carve, a surf, bodyboard and skate shop in the North Shore town of Haleiwa.

A good day at Pipeline means an encounter with fellow surfers who can be as friendly as pitbulls with migraines, and waves that can shatter boards into kindling. And then there's the reef. At Pipeline there can be 10 foot waves blasting over just three feet of water, so if you fall on the reef or get caught inside the break, you're lucky if you come out merely sliced up. In 2005 alone, Pipeline claimed the lives of two expert watermen, Tahitian surfer Malik Joyeux and photographer Jon Mozo. Follow for Full Coverage...