19 June 2009

I have been publishing a weekly update on spearfishing in Coffs Harbour in 'The Advocate' one of the local newspapers. I thought it might be worthwhile including these articles too:

The next Southerly front is here, along with the ubiquitous rain. Face it, when you are diving, you are wet already, as long as the Southerly clears the sea, we may be in for some diving this weekend. Club members are reminded that the monthly club competition will take place this Sunday, weather permitting. All skippers are to contact the Sports Officer on Saturday evening to confirm their participation. We have a very limited list of target species on our club list and each diver may only weigh 2 of each species per year. Very much a question of: ‘Limiting your kill, not killing your limit.’

It has not been all bad news since last weekend. I have a report of some-one swimming in from Sandy Beach headland. He found the surrounding area scoured clean of sand, with lots of newly exposed crayfish habitat. He said that the sea was cool but relatively clean, with suspended sand limiting viz. Diving in these shallow water conditions does take some getting used to. The effect of waves breaking and pushing you against structure requires that you use gear which you don’t mind getting scuffed and scraped. These conditions require the use of shortened buoy-lines, 10m at the longest, shorter more maneuverable guns and a slightly heavier weight belt to avoid continually floating to the surface. The buoy provides a handy place to hang a stringer line, a bag to keep your catch and a measuring instrument. My contact assures me that there were lots of crayfish but most were undersize. He could find no Abalone and although he heard drumming, he struggled to find Jewfish. The drumming is always a good indication that Jewfish are in attendance. A large kingfish ended up bending his spear and making his speargun useless which is when he did see a reasonable Jew. It is a funny coincidence, how that sort of thing always seems to happen.

There are some really good crayfish holes around Coffs, most of which are closely kept secrets but with some perseverance you may very well be handsomely rewarded for your efforts. Expect limited viz but be on the lookout for abalone and Jewfish too.

12 June 2009

For those who have been following my blog, the lack of entries is more a reflection of the conditions in Coffs recently, than that I am too busy diving, I don't have time to write. Unfortunately after the last lot of rain turned the sea brown, we endured several strong S fronts which made the situation even worse. Recently, the systems have settled but we have been left with extremely poor viz. You would struggle to see passed the end of an 800mm gun. I have dived only once since returning from South Africa. A S front without rain is expected in the next few days and this may actually clear the sea up enough to make diving a possibility again. Winter has crept up on us too. The mornings are cold, not icy cold like Johannesburg, but cold enough to make you think twice before climbing out from under the delightfully warm covers. The thought of slipping into a cold damp wetsuit is frightening to say the least. Since I do not just limit myself to underwater hunting but also spend some time hunting game, I find my motivation tends to be toward keeping dry and warm, electing to use a rifle to take down my quarry.

On a more disappointing note, the representative body for spearfishing in NSW is considering breaking away from the National body. It is a real pity when internal politics leads to divisions which are likely to impact dramatically on the sport. I sincerely hope that this matter is resolved amicably.