Removing abalone from their rocky homes is done using an abalone iron. While it's possible to make your own iron (leaf springs being a traditional raw material), fish and game regulations limit the radius of the edges (no sharp edges) and the curve of the iron in an attempt to minimize damage done to animals that end up being replaced because they're too small. Abalone do not have any clotting agent in their blood. As a result, even minor cuts can be sufficient to cause the animal to bleed to death even if properly returned to the place it came from. This is the reason resource managers emphasize the need to measure an abalone before attempting removal. While not a part of the regulations, it's standard practice among experienced harvesters to measure before removal. In fact, it's a surefire sign of inexperience when you see someone removing more than one or two abalone and finding them to be too small to keep.

There exists an almost magical piece of equipment that surprisingly few abalone divers use. It's magical in that it can easily double your comfortable working depth while helping you and your buddy maintain relatively intimate contact. That piece of equipment is a floatline attached to your abalone iron.

A floatline is a length of clear plastic tubing, plugged at each end, that is 1/2 again as long as the depth you want to work. With both ends plugged, the line tends to float. With one end attached to your abalone iron, you drag the floatline along during the dive. The opposite end will tend to rise to the surface. If you move along the bottom, the float line will trail behind you. It will not entangle either the diver or the surrounding kelp because of the handling characteristics of plastic tubing. When you stop moving along the bottom, the floating end will once again rise to the surface.

The beauty of using a floatline is two fold. First, your buddy can remain on the surface and keep much better track of where you are by following your floatline. Second, you can relax during your

dive because you know you have a means to mark a spot on the bottom should you come across that 13 incher just as your breathhold capacity reaches its limit. Simply drop the abalone iron, recover at the surface, and return to your spot by following the floatline back to the bottom.

To assist in keeping track of or relocating a float line, it's helpful if it is brightly colored by painting the inside of the line. I use fluorescent paints added to one end of the tube and worked through. No two floatlines are painted the same color. Clear PVC tubing with a 1/4" o.d. is large enough get the paint into and through while being small enough to not collapse from the pressure during a dive. Once the paint has been given a chance to dry, the ends of the tube are sealed using a knotted loop of cord inserted with a healthy dollop of silicon compound. Once it dries, it's ready to go.

Carrying a gauge is a necessity because it's against the law to return an abalone removed from the rock that meets the 7" size requirement and the only way to know if an animal is legal is to measure it. Many experienced harvesters set personal minimum size limits of 8, 9, and even 10 inches and carry gauges sized accordingly. However, they are still required to carry 7" gauges in order to stay within the letter and intent of the regulations.