how have you confronted your fear?

[Syn7]

It's just a part of coastal life. Vancouver has a pretty kick ass playground in it's back yard. Mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers and ocean, and lots of it. Lots of pristine lakes too, outside of the city of course. I wouldn't even let my dog swim any of those toxic dumps in or near to the city. But an hours drive can get you to clean lakes. Go far enough and you can see the glacier lakes. It's really blue but foggy from the silt. It's funny, cause I can swim with my eyes open in the ocean all day, but 20 minutes in a pool and I'm rubbing them like crazy. There is something refreshing about swimming in water you can actually drink. The canyons are pretty sweet, cliff jumping and all that. But it's freakin' cold in the spring. You jump in and climb out. You'll get an ice cream headache if you swim around under water. In the summer it's much much warmer, but still cold by lake standards.

[GoldenBrain]

Vancouver has a pretty kick ass playground in it's back yard. Mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers and ocean, and lots of it.

I really must visit this playground of yours one day.

We have some really clear lakes around my neck of the woods, but there are others that are so red from the red clay that you can't even see your hand in front of your face, and thats with a mask on. As a kid we used to dare each other to dive to the bottom holding our breath and grab a handful of sand as proof. Most people can't make it 5 feet before extreme panic sets in.

Here's a true story from when I lived in Oklahoma. A friend of the family races speed boats. He wrecked one of his boats close to the dam on lake Thunderbird one time and sent in a salvage crew to retrieve the motor. I was about 14 at the time. We were all hanging around in our boats watching the production when the two divers surfaced in a panic saying there wasn't enough money to get them to go down again. They told us about the catfish at the bottom that they ran up on which they estimate to be at least 7ft long. They couldn't really see it, but instead they said as they were feeling around the bottom for the motor they touched what felt like a slimy rock and then it's 2 to 3 ft wide mouth opened up. There are rumored to be dozens of them of that size that just sit at the bottom near the dam letting food come to them on the current.

On a neighboring lake Eufala, a year or two after the lake Thunderbird incident I read a story in the newspaper about a 12 year old boy who was almost eaten by a catfish. He fell while water skiing and as his parents were circling back to pick him up they noticed him bobbing up and down and when they got close they saw the catfish which was in the process of spitting him out. Apparently the kid survived only because he was wearing a life vest and the catfish couldn't drag him under. He was swallowed up to his armpits.

Here's a catfish caught on the Po river in Italy.

Attachment 7824

[Scott R. Brown]

Donner Party anyone?

Donner Party, or Dinner Party?

[Syn7]

Donner Party, or Dinner Party?

Fine line.

[Syn7]

Here's a catfish caught at lake Texoma which is where I live now.

lol, hand fishin?

That's a big fish man. What's the weight on a cat that big?

[GoldenBrain]

lol, hand fishin?

That's a big fish man. What's the weight on a cat that big?

Sorry for the misinformation, but the catfish in that photo was actually caught on the Po river in Italy. It was caught on rod and real using live eel. Length 215 cm (7.05 ft), and weighed 85 kg (187.4 lbs). I'll also edit the post with the photo to correct the location error.

The record catfish for Lake Texoma is 140 lbs. The Oklahoma record is 118 lbs. Officials say a 140 lb catfish is well over 100 years old and could eat a human.

Imagine hand fishing and getting a hold of one of those monsters...

[Raipizo]

Start carrying a knife if you swim there, if you get swallowed carve yourself out.

[GoldenBrain]

Start carrying a knife if you swim there, if you get swallowed carve yourself out.

I never leave home without it. Besides, even if I didn't have a knife on me I'd just use my tiger, dragon, leopard, cranes beak, monkey, mantis claws to rip that bad boy open and then it's filets for everybody. Bwaaaahahahahahahahaha!!!

[Raipizo]

I never leave home without it. Besides, even if I didn't have a knife on me I'd just use my tiger, dragon, leopard, cranes beak, monkey, mantis claws to rip that bad boy open and then it's filets for everybody. Bwaaaahahahahahahahaha!!!

I believe you mean monkey beak, have you learned nothing from great master Jake Mace? I wonder if it is actually possible to cut yourself out, they swallow their prey whole.

[GoldenBrain]

I believe you mean monkey beak, have you learned nothing from great master Jake Mace? I wonder if it is actually possible to cut yourself out, they swallow their prey whole.

The magical master Jake Mace is well, magical. hahahahaha!

I've learned a monkey form, not the mimicking a monkey type show form, but a form that actually teaches real applications. Just about every time I practice it a funny thought pops into my mind that if one wanted to really fight like a monkey they'd prolly just throw a handful of shit at the person attacking them. I guess I could use the famous monkey beak for that.

I'm pretty sure if you were motivated and still had oxygen you could cut yourself out. You'd have to survive the crushing action of the swallowing and jaw work as well as the HCL in the stomach but I think it's doable. It's best not to fall when waterskiing in Oklahoma and Texas lakes.

[David Jamieson]

The traditional monkey stuff I've seen looks like old traditional shaolin kung fu. Not saying it is, it's just that it looked like that to me. The Pek Kwar aspect I guess. Although some would argue it's the Tai Shing part. You find the pek kwar weapons styles in a lot of schools. Especially the Dan Dao stuff.

[Lokhopkuen]

we all know how Cus D'Amato's proteges faced their fear

how do most TCMA students address this essential issue?

Oneness of self