UNDERWATER FISHING
Hog snapper — more
properly known as hog-
fi sh — represents one of
the tastiest species you
can catch around the reefs
and wrecks off the Florida
coast. Many divers spearthem, but a relatively new
way has emerged for tar-
geting these reclusive fi sh
— underwater fi shing.
A snorkeler hovers over
a likely reef, looking for a
hogfi sh while carrying ahand line or light rod and
spinning reel. Once the tar-
get species is spotted, the
snorkeler pins on a fresh
shrimp and puts the bait in
front of the fi sh. Once the
hogfi sh inhales the shrimp,the diver sets the hook and
reels in the prize.
This technique keeps
unwanted species from
moving in on the bait before
the shy hogfi sh discovers
the shrimp and eats it.THE BEST
SOLUTION
FOR DIVERS
IS A HULLSIDE
DOOR IN THE
COCKPIT. THIS
HAS BECOME
A PRETTY
POPULAR
FEATURE
ON LARGER
CENTER
CONSOLES
TODAY.
SIDE ACTION
Outboard-powered center console,
express and walkaround boats represent
some of the most popular models for
boat-owning dive enthusiasts, especially
in the warm, clear waters of Florida and
the Bahamas where the underwater
world can be spectacular.
Yet outboard boats pose a problem
for divers. The motors and rigging make
it awkward to get in and out of the water
from the stern, even with transom doors,
swim platforms and boarding ladders.
The best solution for divers is a
hullside door in the cockpit. This has
become a pretty popular feature on
larger center consoles today. Some boats,
like the 5300 Sueñ os from HCB Center
Console Yachts, even have doors on both
sides of the cockpit.
Such portals ease the way for divers
when stepping overboard (a techniqueknown as “giant
striding ”) or
climbing back in
(using a deployable
boarding ladder),
keeping them clear
of outboards, drives
and propellers. Yet
side doors on center
console boats
weren’t always
common. One of
the fi rst appeared
on an Intrepid
model in 1994
when the sheriff ’s
department in
Hillsborough
County, Florida,
specifi ed a center
console boat with
a side door for
search-and-rescue
and recovery operations.
“Back then, I just took a Sawzall and
cut out a door,” says Clinton. “Today,
99 percent of our boats get dive doors,
but we have long since integrated the
opening into the mold with special
secondary laminate schedules to
reinforce and ensure a high-strength
gunwale around the door.”
The popularity of side doors extends
beyond the dive community. A door can
be used to haul aboard big fi sh such as
tuna and swordfi sh but fi nds far more use
as a convenient way to step aboard from
fl oating docks. For this reason, inward-
opening side doors are the most prevalent.UNIQUE OPENINGS
Ever more convenient ways for divers to
access the water have evolved in recent
years. The Scout 420 LXF, for example,
features a dive door that’s hinged at thePHOTOS: (FROM TOP) COURTESY BELZONA MARINE, COURTESY SCOUT BOATS88 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MARCH 2018