April, 2007

It was 5 AM and as we headed out of Panama to the interior for another dive trip, we had a new danger to worry about - Urban Mines---. With the price of scrap metal zooming on Chinese demand, the crooks and crack heads are working nights here in Panama stealing the heavy metal man hole covers from the middle of the streets. Hitting such a bottomless hole in the road at 40 or 50 mph would end our dive expedition before it ever got off the ground. Near my house there is one coverless manhole that has been there for weeks. But we made it past the tank traps without incident and out of the city into the more tranquil interior of Panama.

Our visitors, dive buddies, Sue and Dan Magone were following in their rental car, and initially I was concerned that maybe they would be uncomfortable with the less than luxury conditions on our type of dive trip. I quickly learned however that as owners of a diving salvage company, for 25 years, in the freezing Aleutian Islands, any discomforts or inconvenience we might encounter on this trip would be a total cake walk for them. The most extreme conditions we might encounter would be a breeze compared to the relentless cold and ice they were used to.

Thank heaven, because after 8 hours of driving, our new luxury accommodations turned out to be the cement floor of a concrete block house with an outhouse and an outdoor sink with running water that drained directly onto your feet. However, the life savers, were electricity for the two fans we brought, and the running water we could rig into a shower using the ropes and tarp we brought with us. Another handy item was the ear muffs we always carry for the two stroke outboards, which were great to subdue the blasting music from the bar a block away. Dan even got to do a little special survival training, sleeping directly on the cement, as his air mattress leaked. Not the best for a good nights sleep before diving. Our boat driver-- host and his wife, our cook, lived next door in a thatched two bedroom shack with five children, and they warned us about the hornet’s nests and walking at night without a light because of the snakes. Life is very basic for them but we had a great time harvesting coconuts and sharing stories and meals with the turned on kids. When visitors come we always like to take them to these classy five star hotels.

The next morning’s dive trip started with the usual surprises. This time there was no 6 gal. gas tank for the motor. After I drove a few miles and rented a tank we were finally operational and ready to leave the river mouth and head for our dive spots. Anchored in the river was an abandoned power boat being slowly dismantled by the local fishermen. Dirty cold water greeted us instead on the clear warm water of two weeks before. There were fish because we could occasionally see the shadows or hear the boom of their tails, but they saw us before we could see them. I was really disappointed that these beautiful places were hidden from our enjoyment but we dove hard, saw and learned new things and had a great day.

The second day, early morning the conditions had somewhat improved and we managed to shoot a few fish. Dan saw pez gallo, barracuda, and pargo and I managed to stick a wahoo that was a great surprise to me as it was still dry season. It was a deadeye shot as the wahoo disappeared into the murk and I was amazed but happy that I connected. We then went five more miles outside to a deep spot that is usually clear but we got only 15 to 20 feet of dark vis and raging current. Dan was down, riding the current toward the high spot and watching some bonita as they zipped past him in a hurry.  Alerted, he was excited when some small yellow fin tuna, the first he had ever seen,
materialized in the dark waters. The first few veered off to the right but the last one came straight on at Dan for too long before he made the fatal mistake of turning broadside--- BAM---. Dead Eye Dan got a great shot on the first yellow fin he had ever seen. His shooting practice in the 40 degree Aleutian waters had paid off. The compact power of the tuna was amazing and Dan was really stoked that the fish had showed up on the last pass of the day before we had to leave. We both felt fortunate to have scored on two dead eye shots under the most adverse dive conditions and that we did not get skunked in the dark murky waters. We were happy leaving with great fish in the cooler and more adventures to come. Back on shore, we found a nearby river that we could drive the truck into for a quick fresh water rinse of all our dive gear before we headed back to the big city.

A few days of recovery and gear repair and we were ready for the next trip. We decided to try something new, a four by four trip in my panga. That would be four of us living in the panga for four days. We usually do three in the limited space but with hard core Dan and Susan, two couples sleeping in the confined space might work. We had heard that there were fish in the Perlas and that the water was dirty but we decided to go anyway and try our luck.

With the 70 mile run, while one person drove, the rest could take turns getting a little catch up sleep after the 4:30 AM wake up call. I slept great on the floor of the boat with calm water, warm air, a purring four stroke, my ear muffs, and a black tee shirt over my face to block out the light. It was super to have Dan or Susan at the wheel with all their years of boating experience. The first day of diving the conditions looked pretty grim as the vis was about to the end of your gun and the cold water had gone, along with much of the bait.

The second day our luck changed. I jumped in, with no gun, to check one high spot I know in deep water, and I was surrounded by shadows of big bohala at about twenty feet. This news and a nearby school of 20 or 30 big pargo saguaro feeding on the surface, reenergized us and we swung into action getting ready. We threw the marking buoy, checked the current and Dan jumped in followed by Michelle and me. A few dives later, I was down with Michelle as we hung at about 20 feet staring into the dark waters with only 6 or 8 feet of vis. Suddenly several big bohala appeared in the murk, crossing in front of us, going different directions, close, but passing in and out of view. I was out of air and started to raise my hand to signal Michelle not to fire when---BAM-she fired. With her young eyes Michelle had seen that special moment and had fired without hesitation. I never saw a good shot, but thank heaven, she sees better under water than I do and she made a perfect head shot. She grabbed the short bungee, and headed for the surface, out of breath but fining with full power to try to keep the big fish out of the rocks. She made the surface, got a breath and was immediately pulled back under. After a couple of runs the fight was over and Michelle landed a nice fish of 46 lbs with deadeye shooting in dark, murky water.

Dan had been trying to get a shot at the large pargo saguero and could approach the school on the surface as close as ten feet and still not see them. He decided to try from underneath the fish where the water was a bit clearer. The strategy worked and one of the fish in the school passed close, barely within view, and Dan fired from the hip and made a perfect head shot. He called for Sue in the boat and when they got the fish to the surface he could still feel a pull on the line. Totally surprised, Dan continued pulling, and up came another pargo saguero, also shot through the head. At this close range the spear had passed completely through the first fish and had nailed another of the closely packed school in almost exactly the same place. One shot, two big fish, both head shots, in dark murky water--- It could not be anything but pure skill on the part of Dead Eye Dan.

A little bit later Dan got to feel for the first time the raw power of a big bohala. Another deadeye shot in the murk but the fish went down towing Dan and was too big to be stopped. He wrapped in the rocks at 70 feet and with the raging current and dirty water we could not even get close to freeing the shaft. It was time to head back and re-rig for another try tomorrow morning.

The next day we went to the village of Esmeralda in hopes of buying some gas because it has a large fishing operation of about 40 or 50 pangas. They sent out their sturdy supply vessel to take us to the beach. It was the perfect boat to take any fat Gringo tourist, with a new $500 camera around his neck, to the beach, when the village needed some entertainment. Dan tried it out and even he got dumped, only to find out they had mixed gas only, at four dollars a gallon. We started to try the boat but noticed it did not have the required PFD s and fire extinguisher, so we passed.

Back to the same place and the fish were still there and so was the dirty water. However Deadeyes Dan and Michelle managed to shoot the shadows. Dan landed the first Bohala of his life, a beauty at 55 lbs. and Michelle shot one more over 40 lbs. The ice box was full so we had to pass by a fisherman and present him with a nice 40 lb. fish that he could sell in Esmeralda and that we did not have to clean.

We started north and found some shallower and cleaner water and Sue decided she wanted to try shooting her first fish. She was no stranger to land hunting and already had shot both bear and caribou in the Aleutians. With Coach Michelle at her side, Sue started making drops, both girls switched on in hunter mode. After a couple of missed shots, thinking she had a rifle, Sue got the feel of the gun and felt comfortable shooting. A few dives later a small but beautiful Bohala appeared as they were down and when Michelle pointed, Sue extended her arm and fired --=BAM--. Great shot—and magic happens. Surface bound tourist disappears and in her place an underwater hunter materializes. A new spearfisherwoman is inducted into the elite ranks of those who have discovered the joy and thrill of the underwater hunt. As we look at the glow and smile on Sue’s face we all knew what was coming next---- “I want my own gun”. We all remember that feeling. Great!

The run back to Panama was fantastic, blessed with smooth water and perfect temperature. The trip could have been a disaster with the currents and unusually murky water but the fish were there waiting to test our persistence and ability. The fish felt safe in the dark waters but they did not expect the “Deadeyes” that arrived that had lady luck on their side and that could shoot shadows. We were all grateful for our success in shooting the phantoms and the unique hunting we had experienced. As we waited in line at the boat ramp to put the boat on the trailer, I was especially grateful for one special blessing-----That I was not the guy responsible for loading, on the trailer, the blue boat that was behind us in the line. Thank You!

Dix Roper and Michelle
    April 20, 2007
    dixroper@earthlink.net