One of the original South Beach characters and all around free spirit-bohemian , hippy types was Michael Bustamante aka (seaweed).A true bohemian to the core seaweed could be found any given day with his crazy blonde hair up on the pier or in the water in Goverment cut chasing hog fish ,grouper or catching lobsters.His love of the outdoors and of spearfishing could only be matched by his contagious laughter and smooth personality.Seaweed who lived only a few blocks from the pier became one of Rene's best friends , bait catchers and part of the entourage willing to do anything for Rene for the privelege of traveling to shark fish with the king of the sharks.On the South Beach pier every one knew Seaweed, he was an outgoing character quick with a smile, and aside from being in Rene's inner circle he quickly gained status as the best spearfisherman-free diver on the South Beach pier.Seaweed was one of the best that came out of South beach during that era:he even went on to compete in the spearfishing nationals held in the Florida keys a few years during the 1990's.In his best days seaweed would come out of the water with huge groupers and bags loaded to the hilt with lobsters,,,,he lived to be in the water with a speargun in hand at the ready.
Seaweed with a jewfish he speared off South Beach pier
A typical day on the water looked like this for Seaweed
or like this
The weedster with one his many groupers
Seaweed with one of the tarpons that got Rene spooled on Bahia Honda bridge
Spearfishing cudas for Rene on Bahia Honda bridge
Seaweed in hogfish heaven
Seaweed with his usual catch
Big cobia were on the menu also
Another very nice grouper
Seaweed traveled to exotic places to spearfish ,,,here he is in Puerto Rico
Seaweed with a huge 14 lb hog snapper
Seaweed ,Sal and Jesse Brayshaw his step son with another fine day's catch
Seaweed ,Miko and Jimbo with a 431 lb hammerhead Jimbo caught on the pier
Holding up the hammers tail
Some friends with a big day's catch in the Gingerbreads Bahamas
Seaweed chilling at home with his dog Sam
Seaweed next to the South Beach pier with a pier caught hammerhead shark
Seaweed,his son Shannon aka(seaweed jr)and Rene fishing off Ocean Cay Bahamas on the "shark fever"
Seaweed's gun and a typical days catch
Classic picture of Seaweed and the wild boyz at the front of the pier
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
Damn Will that was realy Beautiful of you to do a dedication page of my old man like that, i realy apreciate you keeping my old man ,Rene, and all the old legends spirits alive, may they R.I.P. These sort of things that you do for us your friends and family are things that atleast for my sake, and i can speek for hammer as well, will forever be engraved in our hearts, And i can promise you this i know your a healthy solid as a rock dude, but if i outlive you, your legend will be passed on by me Willy and you to will be remembered and talked about often when your time expires.Me and you and especialy you and my dad Seaweed have all clashed with each other due to our blunt personalitys and i guess wild cuban temper in us, but i tell you this Will i love you like an uncle and will never forget these things you do for all of us.
Shannon Bustamante
Little WEED
SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator
Thank you Shannon.I am honored to keep there memory alive,it is my legacy to shark-fishing and to all the great friends i have made along the way and i take pride in telling there stories for all to remember.My life was impacted by all the great characters i have met and had the pleasure of shark fishing with so it is only right that i contribute to keeping there memory alive on this website.Yeah we clashed sometimes but at the end of the day we are all great friends sharing a common history and willing to help on the spur of the moment.True blue friends are hard to find.Thanks again.,,,,,,,William
SHANNON THESE ARE BY FAR THE BEST PICTURE OF THE OLD CLASSIC SOUTH BEACH PIER THAT IVE SEEN. GREAT JOB I LOVE THEM AND THE MEMORIES.
Right on hammer and theres many more in the collection, i would give one leg and finger to have been around with you willy ,lui,white owl,rene and my old man , in those days on the old pier!!!! you guys had it so good.
i would have stayed there with my baits out 7 days a week!!!!!
but whatever thats fairy tale hopes, now all i can look forward to is maybe the city of miami beach building another pier along the jettis way out or in the same spot, if so we will break the world record!!!
SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator
i remember seaweed from a long time ago (when i was a little pipsqueek) and when i lived next to the marina in south beach. him and my dad were good friends and i remember i would go around with my dad and would see him around and i remember my dad telling me that he was the best in miami. untill today ever now and then my dad tells me how much fish seaweed used to spear and how much he loved to dive. i wish i was older back then so i could have learned a few things from one of the best divers
R.I.P. seaweed
meir
gino #7419
Thank you meir those were kind words about my old man.
SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator
this is really awsome what your doin for the oldtimers will!
i would have loved to be around an known seaweed an got a chance to learn some dive tricks an dove with him.
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
I just found this post of Mike aka (Seaweed) and remember taking some of these pictures back when we were young. I shared so much of my life with him and even after I moved we were still best of friends. He truly was the most free spirit I have ever known with his true soul mate Lindy. I see Roper in the picture by the pier and now remember all the times we ran to the vet because Roper got bit by a shark jumping off the pier while Rene was reeling in a monster, or bit in the nuts by some dog.
I remember when we first started diving. The big time diver I remember then Dave-the-Wave, . I started learning from Dave in the early 80’s using a potato sack to carry our lobsters and Hogs we shot in the Cut by the Coast Guard station. Mike and I started diving shortly after and got Basic and Advanced diver certs by Jean Jac Mayol. Mike had a talent to spot big fish and kept on diving to the end.
I’ve wanted to write a Bio about Mike and host a website for him. Got tons of pictures but need to digitize them before I can post them. If anyone has picture of Seaweed, email me and I will get started on the project ASAP…. I will never forget him...
Joe Tux
Hey Tuxedo glad you found us pass the word around to all the old south beachers still around and maybe we can get them to write there stories of all the crazy times back on the pier.Rene and seaweed were just two of the many characters that frequented the pier.Many folks out there that could be very sources for pictures and stories of those wonderful times.The first thing you should do is register a username with a password,I'll approve it and you're up and running.Send me a PM (private messege )or call me if you need help.
Will 786-797-5712.See ya.
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
omg that is a very nice memerial page will
ty for sharing
and shannon your old man was one of a kind just like rene
"2017 Team little rock
Never test the depth of the water with both feet"
I DO NOT SWIM IN THE OCEAN
GO BIG OR GO HOME
O M G tuxedo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TUX!!!!!!!!!!!! How you doing?its me Shannon .... Ive been looking all over for you. how are you and silvia? I heard you moved to north carolina. My father loved you and Silvia with all his heart, and always told stories of your diving trips and etc...
One that ill never forget, is how when money was bad, he would get a box of squid and go catch a bucket of grunts, clean them and bring them to your mom to fry them up....
For the biography that you plan on writing, i have thousands,and thousands of classic pictures, with you, him, the south beach pier and much much more.
Call me 786 468 1955 Sincerely Shannon Bustamante
SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator
Sorry for the late reply but I am glad to see people still posting on the forum. I started my project on South Beach but got side-tracked the last couple of months. I got a scanner for negative to get better quality on the pics, but it is so slow.
I will call you later,
Tux
828.885.5105
Shannon,
This is awesome! Your Dad and I were always best friends and I will never forget!
I will call you.
828.885.5105
Tux,
MESSAGE TO THE LAST poster please register and then log in in order for your posts to show up properly...Thank you :O)