Octopus hunters in Cove 2 ...

[craigthefish]

This event is really sickening. Taking an octopus at this popular site is akin to killing the school mascot. Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened at Seacrest. Nor will it be the last time, unless Seacrest can get some kind of protected status.
The two individuals involved were never trained at Silent World, but were walk-in customers a few months ago. We in no way condone their actions and will not do business with them in the future.

[sitkadiver]

Hey everyone,

John from Dive News Network here. I feel this is an extremely important issue and topic which all divers should be aware of and discuss openly. For this reason (and, well, because I happen to have a penchant for octopus and sustainable hunting laws), I'd be glad to write a news article on this. Obviously, I won't give out the guys' pictures and names, but I am certainly going to get the word out.

+2 - That would be very helpful, Thank You.

[Joshua Smith]

Wow. This guy has some really good pictures on his Facebook page. Really says a lot bout his true character:

[Jaksonbrown]

The WDFW has been notified and I have a meeting with them this afternoon at 1:30. I am bringing all of the evidenced I have collected. The things this kid is doing besides taking GPO's is highly illegal and should get their attention.

I suggest a flier campaign with his photo on it killing this GPO. Make up a flier that is advocating the saving of GPO's and making Cove 2 a marine sanctuary. Use this guys photo to promote this. Plaster them everywhere around Seattle and Cove 2 as well as around this kids workplace and residence. Plaster his car with them.
Secondly, make a film about GPO's and go film the dying eggs and get the media involved. Call the news. They will have a hayday with this.
Anti hunters have been doing this sort of thing for years. The media will drool all over this. If someone wants to put a flier together, Ill donate my time and $$ to print off a few hundred. Perhaps others will as well.

In the mean time... I would suggest that any reference to the location of GPO's cease immediatly on all public forums. This kid doesent have the skills to find them himslef. He is obviously getting locations from the web. (He has photos of him in the hospital and a deco chamber on his facebook page).

[Grateful Diver]

What did Silent World have to say?

I have a response from Craig to the email I sent him this morning. I've asked him if I could post it here but won't do so without his permission. Suffice it to say, he does NOT endorse this young man's activity.

I've also spoken to a couple other shop owners in the area ... none of whom seem to want this young man in their shop. As one told me "guys like this are nothing but a headache to a dive business."

Seems to me that if we can make it sufficiently difficult for this guy to get air, we might be able to put a stop to this. Dive shop owners DO NOT want to be associated in any way with people like this.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Grateful Diver]

Hey everyone,

John from Dive News Network here. I feel this is an extremely important issue and topic which all divers should be aware of and discuss openly. For this reason (and, well, because I happen to have a penchant for octopus and sustainable hunting laws), I'd be glad to write a news article on this. Obviously, I won't give out the guys' pictures and names, but I am certainly going to get the word out.

Yes ... please do ... and thank you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[northwestdivenews]

The WDFW has been notified and I have a meeting with them this afternoon at 1:30. I am bringing all of the evidenced I have collected. The things this kid is doing besides taking GPO's is highly illegal and should get their attention.

Please let me know how this goes. And, if possible, if you could provide me with some minutes or other information, that would be very helpful. I can be reached at webeditor@divenewsnetwork.com.

[Geek]

What did Silent World have to say?

Seems to me that if we can make it sufficiently difficult for this guy to get air, we might be able to put a stop to this. Dive shop owners DO NOT want to be associated in any way with people like this.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

This is the type of guy that will just fill his own air with the garage compressor, problem solved.

[sitkadiver]

The WDFW has been notified and I have a meeting with them this afternoon at 1:30. I am bringing all of the evidenced I have collected. The things this kid is doing besides taking GPO's is highly illegal and should get their attention.

I suggest a flier campaign with his photo on it killing this GPO. Make up a flier that is advocating the saving of GPO's and making Cove 2 a marine sanctuary. Use this guys photo to promote this. Plaster them everywhere around Seattle and Cove 2 as well as around this kids workplace and residence. Plaster his car with them.
Secondly, make a film about GPO's and go film the dying eggs and get the media involved. Call the news. They will have a hayday with this.
Anti hunters have been doing this sort of thing for years. The media will drool all over this. If someone wants to put a flier together, Ill donate my time and $$ to print off a few hundred. Perhaps others will as well.

In the mean time... I would suggest that any reference to the location of GPO's cease immediatly on all public forums. This kid doesent have the skills to find them himslef. He is obviously getting locations from the web. (He has photos of him in the hospital and a deco chamber on his facebook page).

That is a great idea. The media will do wonders for this issue.

And let me know if I can send a check to help with the fliers.

[John Rawlings]

This event is really sickening. Taking an octopus at this popular site is akin to killing the school mascot. Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened at Seacrest. Nor will it be the last time, unless Seacrest can get some kind of protected status.
The two individuals involved were never trained at Silent World, but were walk-in customers a few months ago. We in no way condone their actions and will not do business with them in the future.

Thanks for this, Craig!

You know, as awful and screwed up as this event is, the response to it is actually doing my heart good. We have divers trained by all agencies, in all of the various techniques and multiple dive clubs responding with collective outrage...new divers, old divers, spearos, tech divers, CCR divers...you name it, we're all enraged. Perhaps it takes a tragedy to bring us all together and remind us of things that are really important.

- John

[cofford]

Wow. This guy has some really good pictures on his Facebook page. Really says a lot bout his true character:

I like this one myself.

[Jeff Pack]

Darwin was wrong, stupid people multiply...

[LCF]

Read the novelette, "The Marching Morons," by C.M. Kornbluth.

[frankolivier]

According to http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Publicatio ... veRule.htm some Alki city parks are marine reserves where "taking of shellfish, capturing of any wildlife species and otherwise damaging or destroying submerged or intertidal lands within our parks" is prohibited.

Cove 2 is in Seacrest Park; I emailed the Seattle Parks and Recreation communications manager and asked if it is a marine reserve:

The answer: "Seacrest Park is not among the Marine Reserve sites; they are Golden Gardens Park, Carkeek Park, South Alki/Charles Richey Sr. Viewpoint, Lincoln Park, Schmitz Preserve Park/Me Kwa Mooks Park, and Discovery Park. Seacrest did not lend itself to the program because of all the activity that takes place there, including SCUBA diving, kayaking and the West Seattle Water Taxi."

I think that adding Seacrest Park / Cove 2 to the list of marine reserves would be useful especially because of the all the diving that is being done there.

[dewmercer]

What did Silent World have to say?

I have a response from Craig to the email I sent him this morning. I've asked him if I could post it here but won't do so without his permission. Suffice it to say, he does NOT endorse this young man's activity.

I've also spoken to a couple other shop owners in the area ... none of whom seem to want this young man in their shop. As one told me "guys like this are nothing but a headache to a dive business."

Seems to me that if we can make it sufficiently difficult for this guy to get air, we might be able to put a stop to this. Dive shop owners DO NOT want to be associated in any way with people like this.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Craig and I exchanged email this AM. Repeating this with his permission: He said that his only involvement with this guy was in doing a VIP a few months back and that he is now banned from the store for life.

[Diver_C]

Well, I just sent an email (with pictures) to something like a dozen people, such as all local news outlets, Seattle Aquarium, DFW, and some local radio show hosts, trying to get the word out on these idiots, and their outrageous behavior. I am so sad and angry. Those pictures are really disturbing. it's hard to think about much of anything else other than what that poor mother octo went through.

[Jeff Pack]

someone should ping scubanewb, he's a radio guy as I recall.

[John Rawlings]

What did Silent World have to say?

I have a response from Craig to the email I sent him this morning. I've asked him if I could post it here but won't do so without his permission. Suffice it to say, he does NOT endorse this young man's activity.

I've also spoken to a couple other shop owners in the area ... none of whom seem to want this young man in their shop. As one told me "guys like this are nothing but a headache to a dive business."

Seems to me that if we can make it sufficiently difficult for this guy to get air, we might be able to put a stop to this. Dive shop owners DO NOT want to be associated in any way with people like this.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Craig and I exchanged email this AM. Repeating this with his permission: He said that his only involvement with this guy was in doing a VIP a few months back and that he is now banned from the store for life.

Craig actually responded himself a little while ago under the name "craigthefish". Scroll up to the top of this page. So, this means that two dive shops have now banned these guys : TLSea and Silent World. Hopefully, more will follow.

[Grateful Diver]

So, this means that two dive shops have now banned these guys : TLSea and Silent World. Hopefully, more will follow.

Three ... I was in Tacoma Scuba this morning.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[ktb]

To those who have contacted authorities and news agencies -- THANK YOU!! Please let me know what I can do to help at this point as I have a somewhat flexible work schedule.

[doubtingGunnel]

Post Edited. Other efforts underway. No need for this.

[Tangfish]

I can't get those awful photos outta my head.

But the response here on NWDC is truly inspiring to say the least. I'm glad that everyone is pulling together and it looks like we will actually get some positive changes out of this, whether it's having dive shops not fill the guy's tanks (I suppose he can still send his friends in, but making it harder for him is a good thing) or getting Seacrest Coves on that list of marine reserves.

Also, though I've been conflicted about it in the past, but I completely agree now: we should not talk about the location of GPOs or other large animals that people want to hunt on the board. I don't mind telling some other divers in the parking lot, where I can look them in the eye and tell if they're up to no good, but posting publicly here is doing a disservice to the animals.

Following up on the matter of reporting the kid to the proper authorities, don't we have him on the record as citing EUP as one of the places he's been hunting?

By the way, please - no one direct the punk to this thread. He'll probably pull down all of those photos and posts or make them unavailable publicly. We need to be able to think this whole thing through and come up with a concerted effort to stop this guy and others like him through legal means, and the longer he's unaware of it the better.

To all of you who are pulling together in this shared interest, this little guy thanks you.

[enchantmentdivi]

So, this means that two dive shops have now banned these guys : TLSea and Silent World. Hopefully, more will follow.

Three ... I was in Tacoma Scuba this morning.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Four....Scubaset.

[Joshua Smith]

So, this means that two dive shops have now banned these guys : TLSea and Silent World. Hopefully, more will follow.

Three ... I was in Tacoma Scuba this morning.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Excellent. It's stunning, how many enemies these guys have made in such a short period of time.

[Tangfish]

Anyone have a good rapport with UWS? It would be good to get all of their locations onboard with us in protecting the GPOs in the area.