[Dunnellon, FL.–] Mac Stone is kicking across the Rainbow River against the strong current as fast as he can, and even though he is carrying a bulky underwater camera with two protruding …
Big Game Club Sold Out for Labor Day Weekend!
2 Sep 201111:12 PM
With the Labor Day Weekend on hand, the historic Bimini Big Game Club is attracting guests by air, by sea and with a unique tasty menu featuring a Caribbean specialty – Lionfish Nuggets!
General manager Mike Weber said the 51-room resort is completely sold out for the Labor Day Weekend, a good sign for the iconic resort and marina, which returned as a Guy Harvey Outpost last year.
“We are looking good with several bookings for 2012 already in place,” said Weber. “The property is really spectacular and we currently rated very high in customer reviews on TripAdvisor.”
Closed for two years, the BBGC reopened last year following a multi-million-dollar renovation that included all guest rooms, the new Bimini Bar & Grill, the Outfitter Shop and the Gulfstream Conference Center and adjoining Hemingway Rum Bar & Social Lounge.
Located on the main navigation channel in Bimini, the BBGC has again become the epicenter of water-oriented pursuits, including offshore game fishing, backcountry fishing and diving. The resort features a 75-slip marina capable of accommodating boats up to 145 feet in length.
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![](mailto:?subject=Big Game Club Sold Out for Labor Day Weekend!&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/bgclaborday-heli.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-849 " title="Arriving by Air!" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/bgclaborday-heli.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="316" /></a>Guests are arriving by any means necessary for the Bimini Big Game Club's sold-out Labor Day Weekend celebration!
With the Labor Day Weekend on hand, the historic <a title="BBGC web site" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.comn" target="_blank">Bimini Big Game Club</a> is attracting guests by air, by sea and with a unique tasty menu featuring a Caribbean specialty - Lionfish Nuggets!
General manager Mike Weber said the 51-room resort is completely sold out for the Labor Day Weekend, a good sign for the iconic resort and marina, which returned as a <a title="About GHO" href="http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/aboutus.htm" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Outpost</a> last year.
"We are looking good with several bookings for 2012 already in place," said Weber. "The property is really spectacular and we currently rated very high in customer reviews on <a title="BBGC Reviews on TripAdvisor" href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147426-d147623-Reviews-Bimini_Big_Game_Club-Bimini_Out_Islands_Bahamas.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a>."
Closed for two years, the BBGC reopened last year following a multi-million-dollar renovation that included all guest rooms, the new Bimini Bar & Grill, the Outfitter Shop and the Gulfstream Conference Center and adjoining Hemingway Rum Bar & Social Lounge.
Located on the main navigation channel in Bimini, the BBGC has again become the epicenter of water-oriented pursuits, including offshore game fishing, backcountry fishing and diving. The resort features a 75-slip marina capable of accommodating boats up to 145 feet in length. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/big-game-club-sold-out-for-labor-day-weekend/){kind=link}
 Swamps and Springs){kind=link}
 Swamps and Springs&body=[Dunnellon, FL.--] Mac Stone is kicking across the Rainbow River against the strong current as fast as he can, and even though he is carrying a bulky underwater camera with two protruding strobes, it is very difficult to keep up.
Panting through my snorkel, I finally catch up -- just in time to see him dart away again in hot pursuit of a cormorant which itself is in hot pursuit of a sunfish darting through the eelgrass at the bottom of the river. From a distance, I can see the strobe firing over and over and I really hope he's getting the shots he wants.
Later, Stone said he kind of did.
"Today I got a lot of cormorants fishing, but I didn't get the apex moment-- the 1/100th of a second when the fish is in front of its beak and the beak is open," he said. "You try to put yourself in as many situations as possible. Even if you get skunked, you're okay because you're getting closer to your goal."
That attitude is typical of the "high hopes but low expectations" that Stone, 33, brings to his craft as one of the most sought-after professional wildlife photographers in the southeastern U.S. For this Gainesville-raised, former Florida Audubon biologist, shooting fish, birds, landscapes and other natural subjects is NOT about producing pretty pictures. Through his images, he aims to stir the emotions of regular people enough to make them care about the ecosystems where they live and want to conserve them-- especially in Florida.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-0811.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4708" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-0811.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a> <a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1134.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4709" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1134.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a>
"There are things in Florida that don't exist anywhere else in abundance," he said. "Every state has things to marvel at, but Florida just seems Old World....places you can go to and feel like you are the first person who has seen it."
Stone first became interested in photography in high school, but got away from it for several years while studying international politics, environmental science, Spanish and biology as a student at Virginia Tech. Following graduation, he took a job teaching photography to youngsters in Honduras. Later, as a biologist conducting research on fish and birds in the Everglades, Stone began to realize "the power of photography to compel people to see their natural habitat in a different way. After a year working there, I started making all these photos. No one, in a compelling way, had told the story of the wildlife and the way it relates to the flow of water," he said.
The Everglades was and is in peril because of the lack of freshwater creeping south across the Florida peninsula to replenish it-- the result of manmade re-plumbing over the past century for development and farming. In 2014, Stone published "Everglades: America's Wetland" to convey to readers through breathtaking images the absolute dependence that species like the roseate spoonbill, Everglades snail kite, alligators and others have on the correct amount, timing and quality of water delivered. The book is now in its second printing and Stone has made wildlife photography a full-time career.
Lately, his attentions have turned to Florida's imperiled springs and that's why he was chasing cormorants fishing in the Rainbow River. The Rainbow, located in west-central Florida, is fed by a second-magnitude spring that pumps more than 450 million gallons per day of fresh, 71-degree water. While strikingly clear compared to Florida's mostly tannin-stained water courses, the Rainbow still suffers from degradation from manmade sources.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1500.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4711" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1500.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a> <a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1176.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4710" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MacStone-1176.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933" /></a>
Stone's photos undoubtedly will drive home the importance of saving this and other springs.
"Springs are so unique," he said. "They're accessible, but not celebrated like other habitats are. We don't realize that when we fertilize our lawns and run our sprinklers year round, that could have a negative impact on the aquifer."
So he and I spent nearly four hours snorkeling and drifting in the Rainbow, with me carrying the dive flag and he wielding his camera to capture the images that would seize potential conservationists by the heart. He didn't feel like he got them that morning.
"I just keep coming back and chasing the shiny red ball like a Labrador retriever," he said, and headed back to the Rainbow that afternoon.
To learn more about Mac and his book, "Everglades: America's Wetland", please visit <a href="http://www.macstonephoto.com/">http://www.macstonephoto.com</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/shooting-and-saving-swamps-and-springs/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Cuba Un-canned: See It With the Locals&body=Here are some of the locals you will meet during <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/">Guy Harvey Outpost's</a> guided people-to-people expedition to Cuba December 13-18:
--The son of Fidel Castro's official photographer;
--the director of the Cuba's Masonic museum;
--a rural tobacco farmer;
--a mixologist who will teach you how to make the perfect Mojito.
And the locales you will visit will combine mainstream stops (Floridita --creator of the daiquiri-- and Museo de la Revolucion, stone walls with 1950s bullet holes) with way un-trodden destinations (Cueva El Palmarito --the largest cave system in Latin America, and a fishing cooperative in Cojimar, where Ernest Hemingway's captain spent most of his life).
Your hosts will be Justin White-- operator of <a href="https://www.docfordscubaexpeditions.com/">Doc Ford's Cuba Expeditions</a> and nephew of best-selling novelist Randy Wayne White--and Sports Illustrated photographer Ron Modra.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MG_1480.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4874" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MG_1480.jpg" alt="" width="2100" height="1400" /></a>
"The people we are going to meet are incredible-- interesting, intelligent, diverse age groups," White said. "You'll see the monumental places but the targeted people and events introduce you to real people living their daily lives. The most valuable experience you can have is to be with the people and ask them questions. There are no airs put on."
With new U.S.-to-Cuba travel restrictions set to take effect in mid-September, White is taking special care to stay on the right side of the law: staying only in private lodgings, taking meals in private restaurants; interacting one-on-one with Cuban people; and travelling in a 12-member group.
"We will abide by all the policies and restrictions put in place," White said. "We focus on people-to-people exchanges."
The six-day, five-night itinerary is packed with authentic experiences: poring over photo albums with Raul Corrales, whose father shot reams of images of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and his friend author Ernest Hemingway; walking the docks at Cojimar, the small fishing village where Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea" was set and where the author's captain Gregorio Fuentes lived to be 104; visiting Finca Vijia where Hemingway's boat, Pilar, still sits; touring a tobacco farm and coffee plantation; and hiking to a huge cave in the countryside. It also hits some of the typical tourist spots such as the Tropicana nightclub and Old Havana. And there will be multiple opportunities to ogle (and photograph) all the old cars, with Modra coaching on the finer points of capturing images.
If you <a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/expeditions/cuba/">book your expedition</a> by Aug. 31, you'll receive free airfare from Fort Lauderdale to Havana. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">www.guyharveyoutpost.com</a> or call the Outpost Travel Desk at 800-513-5257. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/cuba-un-canned-see-it-with-the-locals/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Back to School at the International Game Fish Association&body=With the start of Autumn the<a href="http://igfa.org/Educate/School-of-Sportfishing.aspx"> IGFA School of Sportfishing </a>starts back up just in time for the "Happy Bait" migration. The Fundamentals of Sportfishing starts the seminar series Tuesday, October 7, 2014 7p-10p.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/class-pic_tony_funds2.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2259 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/class-pic_tony_funds2.jpg" alt="Class-pic_tony_funds(2)" width="500" height="237" /></a>Capt. Tony Digulian
Noted Captain Tony DiGulian will cover a lot of ground, from: knots and terminal tackle to bait rigging and presentation. He takes a scientific approach to fishing and engages the audience as they learn. Tony has fished from the US to the Caribbean to the Middle East. This seminar will be hands on; so students will learn by doing. Billfish Conservation is an integral part of Tony's fishing efforts.
Check out the IGFA's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC3j3Heacws">circle hook ballyhoo video</a> with Captain DiGulian.
Classes will run every other Tuesday night until mid-December. For more information on the <a href="http://igfa.org/Educate/School-of-Sportfishing.aspx">IGFA School of Sportfishing</a>.
More Information on Guy Harvey Outpost & their great resorts: <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/">http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/</a>
For the Guy Harvey Outpost Blog <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com/">www.guyharveyoutpostnews.com</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost">https://www.facebook.com/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/GHOutpost">https://twitter.com/GHOutpost</a>
For Guy Harvey Outpost on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost">http://www.youtube.com/user/GuyHarveyOutpost</a>
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/back-to-school-at-the-international-game-fish-association/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Diving South Florida’s Best New Underwater Attraction: Lady Luck&body=By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
Pulling myself hand over hand down a descent line to the shipwreck Lady Luck against a stiff current took a couple minutes. But when I finally reached the main deck of the 324-foot-long former sludge tanker, I was glad to see it sits perfectly upright in the sand. Sunk on July 23 about 130 feet deep off Pompano Beach, Florida, the region's newest shipwreck is attracting hundreds of eager divers-- and also some fish.
Exploring the Lady Luck is an exciting and challenging experience; there's really nothing like it underwater anywhere. Longer than a football field with its main deck sitting about 100 feet beneath the ocean's surface, the former Newtown Creek that for decades performed the mundane task of transporting New York City's sewage sludge is now decked out as a mock casino. And divers are taking full advantage of the opportunities for underwater selfies.
Our group -- consisting mostly of members of the South Florida Divers Scuba Club -- arrived at the stern of the ship and worked our way slowly forward, using its giant stacks and bulkheads to shield us from the current. No marine growth coats the wreck, but that's understandable given how recently it went down. We swam into the wheelhouse to find some navigation equipment still intact, then discovered some unexpected decorations outside on top: sculptures of shells and starfish created by Pompano Beach artist Dennis MacDonald.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Julie-dealing-to-Jeanne-Kossey.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4169" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Julie-dealing-to-Jeanne-Kossey-1024x576.jpg" alt="Julie dealing to Jeanne Kossey" width="1024" height="576" /></a>
Continuing forward, we found giant dice; a poker table surrounded by sculptures of card sharks and a mermaid cocktail waitress; an octopus shooting craps; and a couple slot machines. Ironically, a school of real Atlantic spadefish hovered around the poker table!
Because of Lady Luck's length and depth, it's tough to cover in a single dive. Divers will want to return again and again to visit parts of the ship that they didn't have time to see the first time around. And it won't be too long before sponges and soft corals begin to attach to its decks and bulkheads and extensive network of piping, creating habitat for fish both large and small.
The Lady Luck is expected to be the centerpiece of Shipwreck Park, surrounded by 16 other sunken vessels. Its deployment was the work of a non-profit formed by the city of Pompano Beach, the Isle Casino and several local businesses that raised more than $300,000 to purchase, clean and sink it. Captain Jeff Torode, operator of South Florida Diving Headquarters, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter in Pompano Beach, was a key player in the project.
To book a dive trip to the Lady Luck, call 800-771-DIVE (3483) or visit the <a href="http://www.southfloridadiving.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SFDH web site</a>.
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Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling, camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit.
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Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/diving-south-floridas-best-new-underwater-attraction-lady-luck/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=World’s Largest Spear Fishing Tournament to be Held in St. Petersburg&body=By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
As many as 400 spear fishers from throughout Florida and the U.S. will gather in St. Petersburg Aug. 19-21 for the St. Pete Open-- the world's largest underwater hunting contest and one of the beach's biggest parties of the year.
Spearos will compete on scuba gear or simply dive down holding their breath using pole spear, Hawaiian sling, or spear gun to try to bag the biggest fish in each of seven categories. At stake are some $50,000 worth of prizes and trophies to be awarded at a huge public weigh-in party at the Magnuson Marina Cove Hotel & Resort.
"It's one day of intensive, bust-your-bottom spear fishing. Dive, dive, dive!" said Charlie Barnes, president of the St. Petersburg Underwater Club, which is putting on the contest for the 51st year. "We love the competition. We love the camaraderie and it's the biggest party in town."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/22449399003_8ec1ba2817_b-e1471009118288.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4188" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/22449399003_8ec1ba2817_b-e1471009118288.jpg" alt="22449399003_8ec1ba2817_b" width="599" height="400" /></a>
Divers will fan out in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean hunting for mongo specimens in the categories of grouper; snapper; pelagic; hogfish; cobia/barracuda; lobster (hand-caught only; no spears); and sheepshead. New this year is a prize sub-category for lionfish. The tournament has no boundaries; however competitors must be in the weigh-in line by 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 20. Late comers will be disqualified.
Barnes, a veteran spear fisher himself, said the best strategy is to shoot fish in each of the categories, since only one fish per category can be entered. He said it's common for contestants to run 50 miles offshore to their hot spots, diving as deep as 200 feet in the hunt for big fish. Competitors must abide by all state and local fisheries laws, such as bag and size limits and closed seasons.
Entry fee is $100 per diver. Less than 300 slots remain open, so go <a href="http://www.StPeteUnderwaterClub.com" target="_blank">HERE</a> to register now!
For great deals from Guy Harvey Outpost, including the 'Suite Summer Saver Deal' at Guy Harvey Outpost in St. Pete Beach, visit our <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/specials/" target="_blank">SPECIALS PAGE</a> now!
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Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling, camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit.
**********
Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/worlds-largest-spear-fishing-tournament-to-be-held-on-st-pete-beach/){kind=link}
 Endless Fish on Endless Summer){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject="A Celebration of Life" Memorial for Jose Wejebe Planned for April 15th at IGFA&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jose.jpg"><img title="Jose Wejebe" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jose.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" /></a>
The following information was excerpted from <a href="http://www.spanishflytv.com/">www.spanishflytv.com</a>:
The fishing community has lost a great angler, icon, and friend. We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of <a title="Jose Wejebe's Facebook Page" href="http://www.facebook.com/JoseWejebe" target="_blank">Jose Wejebe</a>, host of the immensely popular saltwater fishing and fly fishing television show <a title=""Spanish Fly" web site" href="http://www.spanishflytv.com" target="_blank">Spanish Fly</a> on the <a title="Outdoor Channel" href="http://outdoorchannel.com/" target="_blank">Outdoor Channel</a>. Through his show and his adventures he shared a passion for fishing that touched and inspired anglers around the world.
We would like to invite all family and friends to a Celebration of Life in honor of Jose Wejebe, Sunday April 15, 2012 at 1:30 PM at the<a title="IGFA web site" href="http://www.igfa.org" target="_blank"> IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum</a> in Dania Beach, Florida. All those who were touched by Jose are welcome to attend.
Sunday, April 15th
1:30pm - 4:30pm
IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum
300 Gulf Stream Way
Dania Beach, FL 33004
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=300+Gulf+Stream+Way,+Dania+Beach,+Broward,+Florida+33004&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&ss" target="_blank">Map</a>
Important Information:
Upon arrival you will be directed to designated areas for family and personal friends of Jose and for fans. Please respect the family's wishes and proceed to the appropriate areas.
Flowers can be sent to the IGFA address above or those who wish to honor the memory of Jose can follow in his footsteps by giving of themselves to those in need, and donate to the Jose Wejebe Memorial Foundation that will carry on his charitable spirit.
The Outdoor Channel will be airing a special episode of Spanish Fly : A Tribute to Jose Wejebe this weekend. You don't want to miss this powerful and moving tribute to Jose's life and legend. The show will also be available to view here on SpanishFlyTV.com on Monday, April 16th.
Airtimes on The Outdoor Channel :
Friday: April 13 – 12:30pm and 8:30pm
Saturday: April 14 – 11:00am
Sunday: April 15 – 10:00am https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/a-celebration-of-life-memorial-for-jose-wejebe-planned-for-april-15th-at-igfa/){kind=link}
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