Thread: Action in Cuba
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Old 02-15-2010, 06:12 AM   #53
virgili
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Re: Action in Cuba

Back to The South West coast of the island in the Archipelago de los Canarreos (Cuba is not an island but an archipelago made of sevral thousands islands and most of them are uninhabited. By boating you can find there several amazing desert keys...
Took as usualy only 2 guns 120cm (Picasso/ Omer) and 4 R.Allen 7mm shafts.
I have been using to hunt there along the coral reef boundary where it drops to 70 / 100 feet depth or more. During my stay the visi was excellent but the weather all the time instable/ windy because of a cold front . A too rough sea to head on to the offshore but the tuna season will begin on April .
Guided by Pablo a well experienced Cpt we explored our secret spots. Unfortunaly my best colleague and friend "El Chino" arrived the last day from La Habana. So I did solo hunting 6 to 8h per day.

(Atlantic) Cubera/ cuban snapper is a mythical fish there. One of the most clever/ distrussfull Atlantic fish. A strong fighter you have better to release if you'r not certain to secure the capture. No detachable spearhead on the shafts made the challenge exciting. Cubera is a wellknown rare/ deep hunting capture. (This rare fish is sold about 25$ per lb on the Habana black market = 1 month minimum wage!!)
The problem with clear water is that this fish spots you first and sometimes before you dive. So you have to be pretty discret while swimming down very slowly to the depth and while lying in ambush (espera). Sometimes you can feel instinctively a presence in your back: the cubera coming from nowhere is observing you and probably estimating what kind of fish is visiting its territory. Trying to follow this fish is a time/ energy wasted and stress the fish. While stayng still on the bottom the cubera come sometimes by chance closer to you: a pretty short encounter ("solamente uno secundo" use to say my cuban colleagues) then it takes off: the only and last opportunity to shoot the prey.
In my modest opininion you have better to avoid shooting a cubera hidden in a small cave, unless you stun/ kill the fish. If you take a chance the best way is in by hitting about 2 to 3cm under the first caudalfin of the fish, so that the shaft breakes the spine: the fish get paralysed and KO.
I remembered the long and exhausting fight made by R Yazbeck with a nice pacific cubera:
http://www.spearfishingmotion.com/vi...current_page=1
I caught on the same day dive day 4 cubera from 10 to 55lb...
Did a double by landing the greatest cubera and a shark sucker sticked to its body... I released.
Lindo dias!
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