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After many, many trips to the north coast of Mendocino CA in preparation for the
upcoming national tournament, it was now time to pull the trigger as they say.
Conditions were perfect, flat seas, no wind, and 20’ + vis. The local divers
were praying for rough conditions, as this would benefit them, and tax the out
of town divers, but it was not to be.
Jump back 5 months:
Paul and I had been scouting to the north end of the area, and I found a large
ling lying on the bottom under a school of blues. She was huge.
I tried to feed her, but she was not interested, and instead I wound up lying on
the bottom, 6 inches from her face, watching the sea lice crawl around her head.
I tried to chase her to her hole, but she eluded me.
I returned to the rock she had been on to find her on station again, just
patiently lying there.
Over the next 4 months, I would see her 3 other times, and I was never able to
locate her in a hole. She was always out swimming, but seemed very friendly, and
on one occasion even swam right up to me as if to say hello.
She had a large scar over her eye, so I named the fish scarface.
One week before the meet, I was scouting the area, and ran into Mike Pender and
his team in the same area. I knew if the fish was around that there was a very
good chance that Mike would find it.
The day of the meet, scarface was to be my start spot.
The gun went off, and the race was on. Marshall Tulang and I raced to the north,
with him stopping short by several hundred yards to work another area. As I
pulled into the rock for scarface, I realized Mike was behind me by 50 yds or
so. He graciously said I could have the first dive on the area, so I made a
drop, but no fish. I spent about 30 minutes looking for her, and then made the
decision to move on, leaving Mike still combing the area for her.
I moved inshore, took my 4 blacks in 4 dives, then outside a bit to a wash rock
for another ling.
Jumped up to the northern boundary for reds and a cab that wasn’t home, then
offshore for a pinnacle that Paul and I had found while setting boundary
markers. Took another red off that, and a couple of olives, then raced back in
for another look for the big cab.
No go, so headed south again to check on scarface.
Now this is where the tables could have turned with just one word.
I ran into Conrad and asked it Mike had got scarface. He said no.
If he had said yes, I would not have stopped, but gone on to my next stop
instead.
I pulled back into the rock, dropped down with a 75cm rake, and looked into a
good hole in 35ft of water. There she was.
Unfortunately, she was laying sideways to the entrance, with only her back half
showing. I was not going to take a shot on that big a fish from that angle with
only a rake.
So I swam back to the kayak, and retrieved my only strait point gun left, a
100cm esclapez concept.
Returning to the hole, I looked in with the light, and she was gone! My heart
stopped.
Then, backing off and looking to the left, I see her in another hole, facing
out. I put the light on her, line up the shot between her eyes, and pull the
trigger.
She never moved except to open her mouth for the last time.
I pulled the fish toward the hole entrance, and had to tug to get her head thru,
then her belly hung up, and tug some more,,,,, pop.
Out she came, with a belly that looked like a 9-month pregnant woman!
I could not believe how big it was!!!
Surfacing, I yelled in joy, and quickly swam back to the kayak. Climbing on top,
I looked around to see Jani and Maryann, yelling to them I held the fish up, but
I don’t think they knew what they were looking at, as neither made much fuss.
I was ecstatic!
Picked up a couple more rockfish, and headed down to meet Paul and Alan at the
arranged location.
We picked up a couple more fish, and hit the beach with about 1 minute to spare.
When I pulled scarface out of the hatch, the people on the beach couldn’t
believe it! The belly was huge, and the mouth looked like you could put a
garbage can in it!
The rest is history, 1st place individual, 1st place team, and big fish! I won
every award possible for me that day! Top of the world Ma!!!
Scarface set a new 21st century IUSA record at 35.6 lbs, and had 10lbs of
octopus in her belly. I kept the beak out of the octopus as a memento of the
day.
"
Dennis Haussler with his 35.60 pound Lingcod
It had a 10 pound octopus in its stomach
Photo courtesy of Craig
Manicki
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MEN’S TEAMS
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Names
|
Fish
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Wt
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Pts
|
Ind
|
|
|
|
|
|
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1
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Cen Cal PCC Champs
|
|
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217.84
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|
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Dennis Haussler
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17
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73.36
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90.36
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1
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Paul Verveniotis
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13
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47.14
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60.14
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|
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Allan Spehar
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18
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49.34
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67.34
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11
|
|
|
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2
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Cen Cal Team #1
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|
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203.20
|
|
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Bob Humphrey
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13
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77.08
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90.08
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2
|
|
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Carl Krupansky
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11
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38.44
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49.44
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Mike Dodson
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13
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50.68
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63.68
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3
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Hawaii #3
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201.80
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Ken Lee
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12
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68.34
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80.34
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3
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Hanalei Adric
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9
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45.36
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54.36
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Steve Lee
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10
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57.10
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67.10
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12
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|
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4
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GLACD #1
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199.90
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Bill Ernst
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10
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39.84
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49.84
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Gerald Lim
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16
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60.64
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76.64
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5
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Rene Rojas
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16
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57.42
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73.42
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7
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5
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Cen Cal #2
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193.40
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Conrad Lauer
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16
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53.08
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69.08
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9
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Mike Pender
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18
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50.22
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68.22
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10
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Derek Stavenger
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15
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41.10
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56.10
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6
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Hawaii #1
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|
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189.70
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Dayne Fujiwara
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16
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39.34
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55.34
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Jason Hijirida
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14
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50.44
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64.44
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Marshall Tulang
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18
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51.92
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69.92
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8
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7
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Hawaii Defending Champions
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174.04
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Gene Higa
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15
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62.12
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77.12
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4
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Wayde Hayashi
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15
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50.66
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65.66
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John Ernst
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8
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23.26
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31.26
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8
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Midwest Diving Council
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145.04
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Paul Castillou
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15
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42.42
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57.42
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Dave Lang
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13
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29.94
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42.94
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Frank Schweininger
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11
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33.68
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44.68
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9
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Massachusetts Free Divers
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130.60
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Andrew Geist
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13
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33.62
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46.62
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Jose Santeiro
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12
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28.58
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40.58
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Scott Turgeon
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12
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31.40
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43.40
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10
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San Diego
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116.84
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Paul Romanowski
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14
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36.38
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50.38
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Thom Fogerty
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12
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23.14
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35.14
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Bob Dawson
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9
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22.32
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31.32
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11
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Palm Beach Free Divers #3
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95.02
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Russ Karnap
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13
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23.40
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36.40
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Lou Galliazzo
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6
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10.76
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16.76
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Dave Graham
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11
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30.86
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41.86
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12
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Hawaii #2
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|
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84.76
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Keaka Ching
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8
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17.26
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25.26
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Shawn Fumimoto
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7
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13.68
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20.68
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Terry Yonashiro
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12
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26.82
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38.82
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13
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Palm Beach Free Divers #2
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84.68
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Dave Edlund
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14
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50.60
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64.60
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Frank Ables
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DQ
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Duanne Shoemake
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6
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14.08
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20.08
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14
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Miami Free Divers
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|
|
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77.84
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|
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Miguel Guinovart
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11
|
34.64
|
45.64
|
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Nivio Diaz
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4
|
7.08
|
11.08
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Rafael Gonzales
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7
|
14.12
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21.12
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15
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GLACD #2
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|
|
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75.88
|
|
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Eddie Ota
|
12
|
23.52
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35.52
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Filbert Labastida
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12
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28.36
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40.36
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16
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Cen Cal #3
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|
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71.68
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|
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Mike McGuire
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DQ
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Larry Schuldt
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DQ
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Ralph Tiemann
|
15
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56.68
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71.68
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6
|
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17
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Palm Beach Free Divers #1
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|
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69.42
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|
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Josh Larsen
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4
|
7.08
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11.08
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Stoker Larsen
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6
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14.28
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20.28
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Aaron Werner
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10
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28.06
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38.06
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18
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Longfins
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57.14
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Tony Marcuccino
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7
|
12.28
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19.28
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George Gonzales
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8
|
13.74
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21.74
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Manny Diaz
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5
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11.12
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16.12
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WOMEN’S TEAMS
|
Names
|
Fish
|
Wt
|
Pts
|
Ind
|
|
|
|
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|
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1
|
Cen Cal #2
|
|
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32.85
|
|
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Brandi Easter
|
7
|
15.46
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22.46
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1
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Jean Lundeen
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4
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6.39
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10.39
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6
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2
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Cen Cal #3
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|
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29.16
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Krista Castillou
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4
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7.76
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11.76
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5
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Debbie Alarcon
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5
|
12.40
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17.40
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3
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3
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GLACD
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20.02
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Linda Grey
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7
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13.02
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20.02
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2
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4
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Cen Cal #1
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18.44
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Jani Newcomb
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5
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7.98
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12.98
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4
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Maryann Williamson
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2
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3.46
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5.46
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7
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