posted by pierdive on Aug 15
On August 2nd, 2008 forty-six competitors descended on Narragansett Bay for the 2008 RI Picasso Open freediving species meet. Freedive hunting is the only way to practice “Release before you Catch” rather than “Catch and Release”. A freedive hunter is given the opportunity to select an individual fish and let the rest swim by, rather than stressing and endangering several fish until a suitable one is caught. The species meet was created to determine the most proficient FreeDive Hunter by establishing rules in which diversity, rather than total aggregate weight, of a catch will prove who is the best.
Narragansett Pier Dive Shop would like to thank all the competitors (& especially the gentleman from NC who brought us some tasty bacon-wrapped shrimp) and Picasso America for co-sponsoring this event.
Results:
| Name | Total Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Allen | 115.6 | 1st place |
| 2 | Brian Jessurum | 112 | 2nd place |
| 3 | Sergey Lopez | 90.1 | 3rd place |
| 4 | Andre Lopez | 87.1 | |
| 5 | Darryl Wong | 85.85 | |
| 6 | Erick Salado | 75.3 | |
| 7 | Ken Anderson | 71.2 | |
| 8 | KJ Malone | 56.75 | |
| 9 | Ryan Moore | 55.7 | |
| 10 | Arturo Lazo | 54.7 | |
| 11 | Kelly Gillette | 52 | |
| 12 | Austin Burneo | 49.3 | |
| 13 | Mike Penders | 46.2 | |
| 14 | Bernie Finnerly | 44.2 | Biggest bass – 44.3 lbs |
| 15 | Andrew Ford | 41.45 | |
| 16 | Gabe Mathias | 34.5 | |
| 17 | Chris Parkins | 33.75 | |
| 18 | Jon-Michaed Digidio | 31.3 | |
| 19 | Billy Daniels | 29.5 | |
| 20 | Faye Swenson | 27.75 | 1st place – Womens |
| 21 | Adel Sotolongo | 27.35 | |
| 22 | James Hurst | 26.35 | |
| 23 | Paul Richard | 22.85 | |
| 24 | Michael Digidio | 18 | |
| 25 | William Altman | 17.75 | |
| 26 | Tom Gilgrest | 17.6 | |
| 27 | Amanda Ernst | 15.4 | |
| 28 | Noel Swroit | 15.35 | |
| 29 | Erin Gilgrest | 15.2 | |
| 30 | Bill Ernst | 14.95 | |
| 31 | Steven King | 12.55 |