With the start of Autumn the IGFA School of Sportfishing starts back up just in time for the “Happy Bait” migration. The Fundamentals of Sportfishing starts the seminar series Tuesday, October …
Get Your AARGH on with Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter Full Moon Treasure Dives
10 Feb 20162:44 AM
The treasure won’t consist of authentic pieces of eight, nor will it be buried. But divers will still get to hunt for some special hidden coins at two popular South Florida dive sites under the full moon Feb. 22 and then redeem them for Guy Harvey swag and other prizes, including scuba trips and gear.
This month’s Guy Harvey Outpost Full Moon Treasure Dive is the first of a series of monthly night dives being conducted by Outpost Outfitters South Florida Diving Headquarters in Pompano Beach and Capt. Slate’s Scuba Adventures in Tavernier, Florida Keys. Enough coins will be sprinkled around the dive sites so that everyone has a shot at taking home a prize. A grand prize of a three-night lodging package at Hotel Playa Media Luna, a Guy Harvey Outpost expedition property in Isla Mujeres, Mexico will be awarded at season’s end.
Captain Jeff Torode of South Florida Diving Headquarters plans to host a one-tank dive departing from his new dock at Sands Harbor Resort at 6 p.m. to the wreck of the Ancient Mariner, 70 feet deep off Pompano Beach. Upon returning to the dock, divers will exchange their coins for prizes and enjoy a waterside after-party at the tiki bar.
Captain Spencer Slate will conduct a one-tank dive departing at 6 p.m. from his Tavernier headquarters to the popular Davis Reef, about 30 feet deep off Islamorada. In addition to hunting for hidden treasure coins, divers may enjoy a visit with Wasabi– a large, friendly green moray eel who frequents the reef. (Don’t worry; Wasabi isn’t interested in grabbing a share of the treasure.) An after-party and prize-giving will be held at Slate’s dock, followed by an optional after-after party at the nearby Morada Bay Resort in Islamorada.
For reservations or more information, call 1-800-513-5257.
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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.
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![](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=Guy Harvey Outpost Team Joins Blue Water Babes to Fish for a Cure&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/10686775_932857686730957_3348169204012687339_n.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2931 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/10686775_932857686730957_3348169204012687339_n.jpg?w=300" alt="10686775_932857686730957_3348169204012687339_n" width="300" height="256" /></a>By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
Catch fish, eat great food, sip cocktails and maybe win prizes for a worthy cause in the Bluewater Babes Fish for a Cure Tournament Oct. 2-3 out of Sailfish Marina on Singer Island in Palm Beach County.
The tournament awards prizes for weighing the heaviest pelagics (kingfish, dolphin and wahoo); heaviest single meat fish (snapper, grouper, cobia or blackfin tuna); and releasing billfish (blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish).
Only women may be anglers, but male captains and crew are allowed.
Fish for a Cure, founded in 2009, is Palm Beach County's first all-female contest dedicated to raising money for local breast and ovarian cancer patients who are in financial need. Besides fishing, the event includes cocktail and costume contests and a boat-decorating contest. A captains' meeting and kickoff party will be held Oct. 2, followed by fishing and the final awards ceremony Oct. 3.
Guy Harvey Outpost's captain Cliff Jensen and his team are sponsoring a Loggerhead Marina boat for the tournament. Guy Harvey Outpost has also donated a prize of a three-night stay at Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbor on West End, Grand Bahama Island, along with dockage.
For more information, go to <a href="http://fishforacure.com/">http://fishforacure.com</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 outdoor 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. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-outpost-team-joins-blue-water-babes-to-fish-for-a-cure/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Go RV-ing on the Lake O&body=<img class=" size-medium wp-image-3241 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/lakeo3.jpg?w=300" alt="LakeO3" width="300" height="225" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
[Okeechobee, FL.--] About 9 million people in the U.S. own recreational vehicles-- motorhomes, travel trailers, truck campers, 'toy haulers', and others. And a lot of them make their way to Florida's Heartland -- Lake Okeechobee.
You can hardly skip a pebble on the lake's north end without hitting an RV park. They start filling up around Christmas time and stay pretty full through the end of March. That's because the appeal of the Big O region is many-faceted, extending way beyond the pleasant winter weather, according to RVers.
"A lot of activities at most of the campgrounds," said Michel Goulet of Quebec, Canada who plays guitar and accordion and bicycles with wife Martine.
The couple towed their 39-foot "5th wheel" RV with a pickup for three days from Canada to Okeechobee in mid December, planning to stay for several months. They could afford a hotel or a rental house, but prefer the RV lifestyle.
"It's like being at home," Michel said. "You have a little space."
Likewise for fellow Canadians John Duchesne and wife Mitch from Ontario. The couple--now retired-- began tent camping together nearly 40 years ago, then bought pop-up camper trailers and now have a 33-foot 5th wheel. They've been traveling to Okeechobee every winter for six years.
"We RV'd on both sides of Florida -- the east coast and the west coast. We found all of it was way too busy for us-- expensive, crazy," John Duchesne said. "If you look around here, it has a small town atmosphere. People are friendly, traffic is low and it's cowboys. I don't have a country-western bone in my body, but this has character. We feel secure here."
The Duchesnes plan to stay for 4 1/2 months, attending potluck dinners with their campground neighbors, hitting golf balls and riding motorcycles. John enjoys bass fishing on the big lake, but doesn't have a boat. He hopes to meet some fellow anglers to wet a line this winter.
Another Ontario resident who we'll call "Joel", 82, is spending his second winter season in Okeechobee with his wife in their 38-foot Winnebago motorhome-- the couple's sixth RV. When they play golf or go shopping, they use the mid-size sedan they towed here.
"Basically the freedom, " the retired auto dealer said of his preference for the RV lifestyle. "Parking where you like. Having your own rig, your own bed every night is pretty nice."
Tommy Miller from North Carolina and his wife drove their 45-foot motorhome to Okeechobee to help set up his mother-in-law in her winter residence. They planned to spend a week, then head home and return in February. But Miller said he'd like to become a permanent RVer.
"I'm tired of owning real estate and mowing my lawn," he said.
RVers and other visitors will have another destination soon on Lake Okeechobee. Guy Harvey Outpost RV Resort and Marina is slated to open in spring 2017 at the site of the Okee-Tantie Campground and Marina. The project-- to be developed in conjunction with Elite Resorts-- calls for 125 RV pads, 70 rental cabins, a waterfront lodge, expanded marina, boat barn, swimming pool, restaurant, tiki bar, and tackle shop.
It will provide a dizzying array of activities-- or not. As one Michigan couple, who've been spending winters at the lake for years, put it: "We come down here for the sunshine and warm weather. We used to own a boat and fish in the lake. Now we just like to relax."
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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/go-rv-ing-on-the-big-o/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Smithsonian Comes to Lake Okeechobee&body=The city of Okeechobee will celebrate its centennial on Jan. 21 but it got things started early with the Dec. 17 opening of an exhibit driving home the vital importance of its namesake lake.
The Smithsonian Museum Waterways Exhibit --featuring poster panels, interactive touch screens, a freshwater aquarium, and artwork by Dr. Guy Harvey--explores the inseverable connection between humankind and access to clean, fresh water. And as the liquid heart of South Florida, there's no place better to explore that connection than Lake Okeechobee.
The Big O supplies water for millions of people and acres of agricultural lands, and provides habitat for many species of game and food fish and both resident and migratory birds. It connects the Kissimmee River ecosystem with the vast marshes and woodlands of Everglades National Park, including the estuary of Florida Bay. That's likely why the city named for the "Big Water" is one of only 36 communities throughout the U.S.--including six in Florida-- to be selected to host the Smithsonian exhibit.
Open daily to the public through Jan. 28 at the historic Okeechobee courthouse, it was coordinated through the Florida Humanities Council, Okeechobee Public Library, Okeechobee Main Street (a downtown booster group), and the Okeechobee Tourist Development Council. The Smithsonian designed and built the display, and Dr. Harvey's works--including paintings of blue marlin, snook, redfish, largemouth bass, manatees and other aquatic creatures--decorate the walls surrounding it.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5737.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4495" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5737.jpg" alt="img_5737" width="3264" height="2448" /></a>
One display panel reads: "No new water is being created--we have to protect the water we have. Use it wisely. While some water challenges are seemingly insurmountable, people are great problem solvers."
And problem solvers Floridians will have to be to ensure the right amount of fresh water flows into the Big O and out of it to the places where it's needed most at the right quality and the right times of year-- the essence of habitat restoration.
City Councilman Gary Ritter told the gathering at the exhibit's opening that access to clean drinking water is going to become more important in the decades ahead as Florida's resident and visiting population swells by millions.
"We're gonna have to be smarter in the way we use and manage the water," Ritter said. "We need to do our part to preserve what we have."
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A very special thank-you to Dr. Paul Gray of Florida Audubon for guiding GHO president Mark Ellert, GHO managing director-lodging operations Chris Pollock, City Councilman Gary Ritter and me on an exciting and informative airboat tour of the Big O just before the Smithsonian exhibit opening. It's the best way to explore and understand one of south-central Florida's greatest natural resources. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/smithsonian-comes-to-lake-okeechobee/){kind=link}
; 20 makos (yellow); seven oceanic whitetips (pink); and one dusky, four hammerheads and a sixgill (white and barely visible off Boca Grande, FL and Bermuda).
“Pretty impressive. A huge part of the ocean,” noted Wetherbee of the sharks’ movements.
Satellite tags, which cost upwards of $4,000 apiece, are technology’s most precise method of monitoring the animals’ movements minute to minute. Funded by the non-profit Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the transmitters are affixed to the sharks’ dorsal fin, sending their locations to a satellite that beams the information to the researchers’ computers. Wetherbee then plots that information on Google Maps.
What this worldwide splash of color represents is a blueprint for protecting sharks from habitat loss and overfishing. And the tracking data has turned a few shark theories on their heads.
According to Wetherbee, tiger sharks– previously believed to be a coastal species– are nothing of the kind. The data shows they spend half their time in the open ocean thousands of miles from shore, but in winter show a snowbird-like affinity for coral reefs in the Caribbean and Bahamas. One tiger nicknamed Harry Lindo covered 27,000 miles– the longest distance ever tracked for the species.
Mako sharks seem to stick to the open ocean– cruising the edge of the Continental Shelf off the U.S. east coast then making long trips north to New England and Canada.
The oceanic whitetips tend to wander around aimlessly, though whatever they’re doing isn’t aimless to them– sort of like a bee flying over fields and alighting on several flowers in one field but totally ignoring those in another.
The makos and whitetips were named competitors in the Great Shark Race of 2015 created by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Research Institute to encourage businesses and individuals to sponsor satellite tags. The shark covering the greatest distance in six months– a shortfin mako named Ebenezer that swam 7,387 miles–was declared the winner. Ebenezer– named by Ebenezer Thomas Primary School in Tortola, British Virgin Islands– was sponsored by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin United. It was tagged off Ocean City, Md. on May 27, made it to Newfoundland in the allotted time, and is still transmitting.
<img class="blog-pic" title="" src="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com/wp-content/themes/guyharvey/assets/images/new-images/post-feb-19-01.jpg" alt="" />
Unlike those free-swimming makos and whitetips, Wetherbee noted that hammerheads tend to stick to coastlines in the U.S. and avoid long-distance travel. Sixgills, he said, stay in deep water and don’t go very far while duskys seem attached to certain sites, but still may travel a few hundred miles.
“There are sharks without a country, moving through 10 to 15 different countries,” Wetherbee said. “They are all over the place.”
The research has important implications for shark management: knowing what countries’ waters the sharks use suggests who is responsible for managing that population and where the animals are most likely to be harvested by fishers.
“Shark populations have been overfished quite a bit. Managing these populations is going to take international cooperation,” Wetherbee said.
Mako sharks, while not classified as overfished, could still be in trouble as they are heavily targeted by commercial longliners and recreational anglers in the U.S. and elsewhere.
“Makos are in a lot of areas with tuna and swordfish,” Wetherbee said. “Everybody is after these makos because they are good to eat.”
Indeed, 13 of the 49 makos tagged by the GHRI scientists over the past four years have been caught and killed by commercial fishers. The tiger sharks, fortunately, escaped those gauntlets.
Wetherbee, Harvey and Shivji plan more shark-tagging expeditions in 2016, hoping to fit another 40 to 50 animals with satellite transmitters.
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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/big-tracks-surprising-findings-from-2015-shark-tracking-project/){kind=link}
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