|
|
|
FEATURE by CARRIE WILSON |
|
They are part of a specialized class of passionate and elite trophy divers emerging along the north coast who are slowly gaining notoriety.
Their elusive, highly sought-after bounty is one of California’s most desirable and greatly coveted ocean game animals, and a favorite delicacy served in many of the world’s top seafood restaurants. For these specialized sport divers, nothing smaller than a 10 incher will do; and if today is their lucky day, they will return with the grand prize — the largest red abalone in the world! California’s north coast is the last great stronghold of the red abalone (Haliotis rufescens), the largest species of abalone found in the world. The world record-sized red abalone came from this region in waters reportedly “somewhere in Humboldt County” to the north. No one knows for sure just where, and John Pepper, the holder of the world record abalone, isn’t telling. In 1993, Pepper brought in an enormous (by relative abalone standards) 12.32-inch abalone. According to abalone expert Buzz Owen from Gualala, California, who has been studying and keeping abalone shell records for 55 years, Pepper’s prize still stands as the current “world record.” It is also the only Haliotis shell ever documented to have reached 12 inches. Most sport divers take abalone that measure between seven to nine inches. picture the delectable mollusks. Specimens exceeding 10 inches in length are revered as true “trophies” amongst abalone hunters. Photos by Ken Bailey and Jack Likins Abalone through historyAbalone have a long history in California as a seafood favorite for hundreds of years. They have been taken both for sport and commercial purposes since around the turn of the 20th century. But by the mid-1990s, for a number of both natural and human-related reasons, the abalone populations south of San Francisco nearly crashed. In 1997, all harvest of abalone from San Francisco Bay to the Mexico border closed, and because scientists estimate that recovery of the population will be slow, there are no indications the fishery will open again anytime soon. It’s a different story in the waters north of San Francisco though, and there are several reasons why the red abalone population has remained viable while the other six species native to California have declined. One reason may be that scuba diving equipment has always been prohibited, and a commercial take was only allowed for a three-year period during WW II when additional food resources were needed. Without air assistance diving, the abalone breeding resource is protected in depths beyond what breath-holding divers can reach. Getting startedTrophy divers Jack and Ken have been diving together for many years, and both will tell you soon upon meeting them that some of their best and most memorable times together have been while under water diving for the trophy-sized abalone. Few people share in their unique challenge though because most are happy to settle for just finding a couple of legal-sized 7-inch abalone to bring home for a nice dinner. These two middle-aged friends, however, have their bar set much higher. For them, they love the challenge, they love the diving, and nothing smaller than a 10-inch abalone typically goes home with them. On this day like most others, they are anxious to get started and begin their hunt. They don their specially made 7 mm neoprene wet-suits (complete with hoods, gloves and booties), strap on their 30-lb weight belts, and slip into their extra long power fins. The last necessity before leaving the beach is to spit into their masks to keep them from fogging. Getting to the site As free divers, swimming through the surf with all your gear can be tough. Just getting out to where the trophy abalones live can sometimes be a bigger challenge than the actual act of diving for them. When the surf is pounding, the undertow running, and the divers are dragging their float tubes, ab irons, gauges, and game bags through it all, the venture becomes very exhausting. But once getting through the initial rough portions, calmer waters will lie beyond the surf line. Here they will descend to the bottom, holding their breath for extended periods of time while swimming, and try to see through water that may only have a few feet of visibility. The animals will often be hidden between rocks, wedged deeply into crevices and will often be attached upside-down in caves. Conditions and beginning the dive As the rain continued, the tide receded and the waves grew larger in intensity, this was clearly not going to be the best day to be diving, and Jack and Ken knew this meant they would be diving in deeper water than planned so they could stay outside of the heavy surf line. Once past the surf zone, they looked for kelp to indicate when they were over a mostly rocky bottom since kelp must have rocks to adhere to. With any luck, they might also find some nice crevices and caves holding a few big abs. Trophy-sized abalone can often be found in just five to 10 feet of water on the calmer days, but today it would likely be more like 20 to 25 feet of water. Even while diving at that depth, when a larger wave set rolls by, the surge grabs them and pushes them across the bottom. “The best technique for this kind of diving is to get to the bottom and roll with the waves,” says Likens. “Let them carry you along the bottom and just look for good abalone terrain as you are being swept along. When you see a good spot, drop your abalone iron to mark it. Since the iron is tied  to a float line secured to a surface buoy, just swim up the float line to the surface, grab a good breath of air, and dive back down the line to the same spot you marked. Then, hang onto the kelp stalks while you’re down to keep from getting blown around too much, and just watch for good habitat.”
Where to find the big abalone Rocky substrate formations are the key areas trophy abalone divers look for, and best are those with lots of kelp, eel grass, holes and crevices. Here they will concentrate on searching out the deeper crevices with underwater lights since this is the type of habitat where the bigger abalone are likely to reside. But then again, there are always the exceptions. Just when you think the big ones will only live in the deep crevices, keep your eyes open because there may be a nice one right out in the open but camouflaged by the same algae covering the surrounding rocks. That’s what happened with Jack on this dive. He nearly missed a nice abalone, but once he did see it, he dropped his ab iron to  mark the spot and surfaced for a breath of air. After diving back down for a closer look, he measured it and determined it was over 10 inches, and the biggest one they’d seen all day. He skillfully slipped his iron in between the abalone and rock, and to his surprise, it popped off easily. Jack was thrilled at the size of the animal and amazed that he’d nearly missed him initially. He bagged the nice big mollusk, and they moved on. Bump Diving As they swam along searching the bottom for more good habitat, they practiced another of their techniques that they call “bump diving.” According to Ken, “With bump diving we can work most efficiently to cover a lot of ground without wasting time and energy on areas that do not look appropriate. We dive down only deep enough to see the shape and terrain of the bottom, and then scan for areas that look like they might have good potential for abalone.” Divers have to be a little careful when using this technique though, to not overlook too much because, more often than not, the really big abalone will come from areas where the population density is very low. The next big abalone they found was in about 22 feet of water and wedged between a rock and the sand. Ken went for this one, pushing his iron under the abalone about an inch, but soon realized he could go no farther to get the leverage needed to pry him loose. He made four to five more dives and worked different angles each time while trying to wedge his iron a little farther under the abalone with each attempt. Finally, he got a good handgrip in a rock with his left hand while he pried down with his right hand. Pop! The ab sprung loose. Ken grabbed the abalone and ascended to the surface while Jack marked the spot by dropping his abalone iron to the bottom. With his iron tethered to the float line and surface buoy, the partners were able to easily surface, grab a good breath of air, and then drop right back down to the same spot without fear of losing their orientation and risking not finding the same cave again. After measuring his big ab, Ken slipped it into his mesh game bag and swam back down the float line. To both their amazement, within three feet of the iron they found another enormous abalone sitting back inside a cave with only a small hole for an opening. Working their way around the edge of the reef, they kept searching for a way to get access into the deep cave for a closer look at what was surely at least a 10.5-inch abalone, if not larger. They soon found a small undercut between two rocks that extended up at a 45degree angle into the rocks, and deep into the crevice. Jack wanted a closer look and so dropped his ab iron to mark the spot, surfaced for a deep breath of air, and grabbed his underwater light from his float tube. Once back down, he shined his light up into the hole. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he soon saw what gave him the thrill he’d been hoping for. There was a second abalone to the right of the first perched back under a small ledge. But this one was much larger than the other, and would surely measure well over 10 inches! Both men were excited but could not figure out how to get him out of the hole (bigger abalone are usually males). There were two small entrances to the cave and they examined the situation from several different  angles, over and over again. The entrance on the deep side of the hole was about two feet in diameter and the entrance on the shallow side of the hole was about 15 inches in diameter. There was just enough space to reach in, “pop” the abalone, then reach back in and pull him out. The deep water and surge made the task very tough. It took about 30 minutes before Jack was ready to go for the large abalone by reaching down into the hole and up under the ledge. He would have only one chance to get him. If he missed him or hit the shell with his iron, the abalone would clamp down and he would never get him off the rock. Finally ready, he dove back down, grabbed onto a clump of kelp, and with his iron upside down, placed the front edge against the surface of the rock and slid it down. It felt like the abalone had come off the rock, but it seemed too easy. Jack could not see him now when looking straight down from the top entrance into the hole, so swam around to the deeper side of the hole to have a look. Sure enough, the big ab was gone, but left behind was a very large attachment scar on the rock where the abalone had worn and grazed the rock clean with it’s file-like tongue. After going back and forth a few more times, it was obvious that this monster-sized abalone had washed into the back of the hole where neither could reach or even see him. After that disappointment, the two divers decided they had had enough for the day. This would not be the day they brought home a trophy abalone. Returning to the cave By the next morning, the weather had cleared at beautiful Sea Ranch, the sky was blue and bright, and ocean surf had calmed considerably. Jack and Ken decided to try to return to the same rocky outcropping in hopes of finding the small cave again. In doing so, they discovered that their huge abalone had crawled up from the bottom of the hole out and perched on the back wall of the deep cave still well out of reach. In his new place there was not even a chance to get an iron under him. Unless he decides to come to the front of the hole, no predator will ever get this abalone. Whether or not this quarter century-old granddaddy mollusk might eventually become the new world record is anyone’s guess, but right now they are content to just have this live trophy-sized abalone here, growing bigger every day, to revisit whenever they want, and to be able to show him to new aspiring trophy divers. Could he be the next world record? We’ll probably never know, but Ken and Jack can continue to dream he is. SIDEBAR GETTING STARTED
Laws:
Wetsuit — A thick 7 mm neoprene suit, including hood, Measuring gauges — trophy divers carry special 10-inch gauges so as not to take anything smaller, but a minimum size seven-inch gauge is also required by law. Abalone iron — To safely pry the abalone from the rock. All edges must be rounded and free of sharp edges. Knives, screwdrivers and sharp instruments are prohibited.Floatation device — Something to help you rest between dives (e.g. kayak, float tube or boogie board). Safety:Dive with a buddy: Always a good safety rule and imperative in this dangerous sport where fatalities occur every year. If one becomes entangled in kelp, caught in an undertow or experiences equipment failures, an extra set of eyes and skilled hands can quickly help with problems that one person alone might struggle with. Know your limits: The most important safety tip is to know your limits, stay relaxed and don’t take unnecessary chances. The ocean can be a harsh and powerful playground and very unforgiving of foolish mistakes.  Expectations: A seven-inch abalone is the minimum size allowed, an eight-inch abalone is considered a good catch, nine-inchers are extremely tough to find, but a 10-inch-plus abalone would truly be a trophy catch.Most importantly, bringing home only the largest abalones is not your only measure of a successful outing. Sharing the experience with good friends and family, enduring the challenges of pursuing these elusive mollusks, and then the great dinner you’ll have to show for your efforts at the end of the day may be what’s most memorable about your abalone diving adventure! FINDING THE BIG ONES
Shallow water — generally less than 15 feet deep. Low abalone density — only one to three animals at each site and generally without sub-adults or small juveniles present nearby. When competition for space and food is diminished by fewer animals being present together, those individuals present are better able to approach their full genetic potential in size. Heavy wave action — areas that may be too difficult for most to dive due to heavy wave action and low visibility and are accessible only except during the calmest surf conditions. Large boulders and/or deep crevices — rocky outcrop-pings that provide the abalone high protection during heavy sea conditions.Absence of many destructive organisms on shell — for shells with few destructive organisms (e.g. boring sponges and clams) covering their surfaces, the abalone are better able to rapidly lay down new shell material rather than utilizing extra energy for shell repair. Upside-down orientation — most were found attached upside down and inside crevices and holes.Good food availability — adequate amounts of food sources to promote optimal growth. Bull kelp and annual brown algae are preferred food. Males — larger and most commonly seen in records of largest shells. Carrie WilsonFIRST TIMERS
Don’t touch the abalone before attempting to remove them from the rock because once touched, the abalone will clamp down tightly on the rock making it nearly impossible to remove. Instead, as slyly as possible, press the tip of the abalone iron at a slight downward angle towards the rock and try to quickly slip it between the abalone and rock, making sure not to pierce the meat. Once the iron is between the rock and ab, just push down or pull up on the handle, and if you have enough leverage and the ab hasn’t clamped down yet, it should pop right off.
It’s important to know that abalone are hemophiliacs and very vulnerable to injury, so it’s best to be sure before even trying to pry it off the rocks that it is of legal size. If it’s not and you allow the abalone iron to accidentally puncture the tissue holding it to the rocks, the animal will bleed to death. Your limit is no more than three abalone per day and 24 per year. You must keep any legal-sized abalone removed from the rocks. No trading up for larger animals after removing three of legal size. Be sure to punch your abalone punch card with all required information immediately once returning to the beach. Most importantly, have fun! WESTERN OUTDOORS_ February 2006
|
n a cold rainy morning along northern California’s Sonoma coast, Jack Likins and Ken Bailey, two veteran free divers, suit up in heavy wetsuits and plan their strategy. They will be diving off the picturesque coastal community of Sea Ranch in a secluded and often treacherous spot that only a handful of other seasoned divers will even attempt; but for Jack and Ken, it’s their favorite. These two close friends have been chasing the same dream for most of their lives, and both know that their dream lives somewhere just beyond the surf zone, or possibly in it. 
ccording to abalone expert Buzz Owen, the habitat and environmental conditions where he has documented the majority of the largest abalone to have been found are: 
Author Carrie Wilson lives in Central California,
and is a marine biologist who often writes about abalone and
the sport of abalone diving.