I have been abalone diving several hundred times over the last 16 years and I can tell you that I have made several foolish mistakes in that time. One of the worst ones is that invariably abalone with hide in the tiniest of places in between and under very large rocks. When you are free diving, you only get one breath so you need to make every second count because in many cases you will on get one chance to grab that killer ab because of the conditions (rough water or poor visibility.
On more than one occasion I have had my bar under a rock and popped the hubcap sized ab, only to find the bugger is too big to get out of the opening. No matter how many times you twist, turn and tug, that ab isn’t going to come out. Trying to decide when to give up is very important to your survival and the survival of the abalone because if you can’t get him out, you need to stick him back on the rock so he can torture someone else. 
The key is to not get your hand stuck in that hole or any other. If you see a hole that is questionable, it is better to not take a chance because it could mean serious trouble if you push the envelope.
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