Crusty Old Diver - Schools Are Back In Session

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Schools Are Back In Session

By: John Tolmie Underwater Photos: Peter Correale

Freediving the briny waters off the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island during the month of May is a challenging endeavor. The ocean is still cold and it’s a shocker when you jump in. Unlike my warm blooded body, the fish we are off to hunt are adapted to the cool salty water and are in a frenzied state ready to feed on the bountiful bait found in our nutrient rich waters. Massive schools of striped bass have traveled hundreds of miles and when they arrive they congregate along our reefs. Today these fat sleek scaly submarines would be our quarry.

On a bright cold and crisp morning in late May we head south to the belly of Block Island in hopes of landing on a school of plump stripers. Three other divers and I have secured a trip with the New England’s premier captain aboard Spear-It Charters. Captain Dave Hochman has been freediving and spearfishing

the waters off the coasts of Connecticut and Rhode Island for over 35 years. There isn’t a reef, a wreck or a rock that Dave hasn’t touched in his years exploring the underwater world. This is the reason I charter with Dave. He’s also become a great friend and mentor over the years. He’s always training me at how I can better rig my gear and contributing pointers on how to better hunt each specific species of fish in his gruff yet jovial manner.

“OK boys Get ready… yesterday there were huge schools of big scup on this reef.” Captain Dave shouts over the drone of the

motor, “And keep a lookout for schools of thirty pound bass. They were buzzing us yesterday in pods of three to four fish.” Dave is great at painting a picture of what to expect when we drop to the seaweed covered bottom. Right underneath us at fifty feet of water sits a rocky reef and the fish finder tells us that there are big fish circling its precipice. The tide is moving causing a substantial current coming from the east. The Captain cruises into the current to get us ahead of the reef. We will need time to get in the water, recheck our guns and do a breatheup. If timed just right we can dive down and land on the structure,

using the current to guide us in. The Captain cuts the engine and yells, “OK boys… go get ‘em!” The four of us stagger our entrees into the water giving us enough distance between for safety. Unlike diving in the southern clear and blue waters, here in New England the visibility is often less than 10 feet underwater. Having some space between each other is very important. We are here to spear some fish, not each other!

As I roll over the side, the familiar chill of early season water seeps into my wetsuit and I do my best to ignore this uncomfortable part of the sport. I take a few deep breaths and let them out slowly. I do this to lower

my heart rate and build life giving oxygen into my system. I’ll be diving 50 feet and I’ll need to conserve as much energy as possible in order to stay down for a 90 second dive. Once I’m done with the slow breathe-up, I take five quick deep breaths in succession and hold my breath on the last inhalation. In one fluid motion, I spit out my snorkel and start to descend. I slowly and lazily kick down with my long fins while relieving the pressure in my ears. The light fades and the water gets colder as I pass through a thermocline. The bottom is still several feet below me and the visibility is only about 12 feet. Just before I see the bottom, I hear several “booms” around me. Striped bass slap their tails in a furious motion when disturbed and the sound they make is like an erratic drum solo. Hearing this for the first time in over fives month only builds the excitement. I cruise to the bottom and coast over to a giant boulder for cover. The curious bass know something landed on the bottom and they start to move in to investigate. These fish are perfect for harvesting, not too small and not the big breeders. They are nice 30 to 35 pounders! If I could land one, it would feed my family for weeks to come.

The visibility is hampering my decisions on which fish to harvest. I see flashes of fish tails and fins and eyes looking at me as they cruise through the green sea. I collect myself and tell

myself I only have a few more seconds before I’ll have to leave bottom. My speargun lies on the boulder in front of me and I look slowly to my right. The fish are moving very fast and with four divers within a small confine of space, they are spooked. This is less than perfect conditions for hunting bass. But I’ve been diving these waters for over 25 years and I know I can harvest one if I calm down and just focus.

A nice fat hydrodynamic mass moves in with its fins laid down. Too late for a head shot, I train my gun at the spine of the fish and lead it slightly. I time the shot perfectly and stone the fish as the spear passes through. Stoked, I swim over and grab the fish by its gills and start my ascent. I make six hard kicks to breech through the current holding me on the bottom. My lungs are burning and my throat spasms instinctively in search of sweet air. As I fin my way up, rays of sunlight flow over me once again. I pop through the surface and I gulp in a precious lung full of cool air. I hold the fish up and bark to the Captain to come pick me up. The boat floats over; Dave reaches over the side, smiles and gives me an atta boy as he pulls the beast over the gunnel.

I decided at that moment I would make a Gyotaku print of my first striped bass harvest of the season. I would immortalize this beautiful

fish with ink and paper before preparing it for the grill. It’s these experiences that keep me coming back time and again to the wonder of the underwater world.

For New England and New York Spearfishing Club information go to the Tristate Skindivers Facebook page, for spearfishing charters at all levels of experience please visit Spearfishcharters.com, for local spearfishing gear check out NewEnglandFreedive.com, for local custom made spearguns visit aoshunspearfishing.com and to see some more underwater photos of striped bass and other indigenous species check out @petercorreale on Instagram.