9 July 2009

We are still seeing a massive amount of inclement weather. Yesterday I was treated to my first tornado. In 10 minutes I saw 4 develop a short distance off-shore. Certainly never want to be at sea when one of those comes along. I have included the bulk of my recent newspaper articles as an indication of what has been happening in Coffs. All that remains to be said is that spearfishing is becoming something of a dim and distant memory:



27 June 2009
As the lost opportunities for club competitions start to mount, I wonder if some of the divers who decided not to weigh fish in the earlier competitions are kicking themselves. A case in point: You will hear about the good size of Kingfish that are found around Coffs. On any reasonable day you could expect to bump into several fish in the 20kg region. When it comes to the day of competition, do you weigh a small fish because you have guaranteed points or do you hold off and wait for a larger specimen for more points and risk not seeing another one all year? Considering that you will only be permitted to weigh 2 kingfish in the year. Species points are relatively more heavily weighted than the weight of the fish which adds an additional angle to the conundrum. My approach is to weigh what you have: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, in a manner of speaking. Having said that, suffice to say that last Sunday’s competition was postponed to this coming Sunday, please remember to call Flange to determine if the comp is on.

How do you improve your odds of getting a fish to hand? The first and most important thing to do is not to over-think it. You need to relax and trust that your preparation has been adequate. It is obviously easier to shoot a fish at close range and then easier to subdue it if the shot is a good one. This will require stalking fish and your body language is paramount in maintaining complacency in your target. Keep your eyes away from the intended quarry, don’t swim at it, allow its curiosity to trick it into coming in close. When you squeeze the trigger, the release of the spear should come as a bit of a surprise to you. I find that my best spearfishing is when I am in an almost dissociated state because my body language and intention is not conveyed to the target. Zen and the Art of Spearfishing, if you will. If you can kill the fish immediately, you are spared the often long and protracted struggle which inevitably leads to sharks arriving and relieving you of your prey. Practice shooting and become proficient at hitting small targets. Ideally you want to hit the fish in the brain or spinal chord. To quote Mel Gibson: Aim small, miss small.

Remember that you are only allowed 2 crayfish and 2 abalone. The crays must be caught by hand, no spearing and must be kept whole. You are not permitted to clean your abalone in the sea.

So until we get another opportunity to get into the sea, enjoy gardening or the host of other household chores you neglected when conditions were good.



4 July 2009
Last weekend had some dramatically improved conditions. The competition was rescheduled for Sunday but lack of divers meant it was cancelled again. Reports from some commercials had indicated that blue water was moving in from the deep. Some boats did venture out and found good water around The Lighthouse.

Apparently there were some Mangrove Jacks about but they needed a healthy dose of finesse to be duped, something which Sunday’s divers were lacking. They did find some Kingfish and these made a welcome addition to their meager takings. They also added several good Tailor to their bag.

Weather predictions for the coming weekend seem dismal once again. The weatherman was talking of winds ranging between 50 and 90kmh. The swell will push up and make for really unpleasant conditions out at sea. With the amount of time we have free, now that the diving is trashed regularly, perhaps one could start planning some major projects at home. Heaven knows you will score some serious brownie points.

On a separate point, it seems the cold is keeping the underwater hockey players at home too. Texts are sent through to players and we really only need 6 players to have an effective training session. On a positive note, nights are shortening and days becoming longer and we are on the way to Spring. The Yellowfin Tuna are expected in the deep off Coffs fairly soon and the challenge of hunting these leviathans has seen little investigation by local Spearos. There is an enormous challenge in landing these superb fish and Coffs has the potential to deliver the goods.



11 July 2009
Some fascinating weather phenomena this week. I have never seen a water-spout and managed to see 4 in the space of 10 minutes between Macaulay’s Headland and Split Solitary Island. They were truly impressive and served to reiterate the poor diving conditions we continue to experience.

The subject of conservation was vociferously raised on a TV news broadcast last weekend. Apparently there are 30 Blue Groper which have reached cult status off Sydney and require an extension of the no-fishing zone, according to environmentalists. Now don’t get me wrong, conservation based on sensible research is a necessity. However, fishing bans based on ‘pet’ fish, smacks of utter stupidity. Blue Groper are legally protected in any case. In addition, they are probably the most prevalent demersal fish species encountered off our coast; their numbers clearly indicate that they are not a threatened species. Additional measures to avoid these ‘pets’ falling foul of a hook seem extreme. The fish may not be speared at all and more measures affecting spearos are completely unfounded.

The area in which the no-fishing zone is envisaged, is certainly not pristine. Sydney is subject to high levels of noise, light, air and water pollution and cannot, realistically, be considered an ecologically sensitive or endangered habitat. Perhaps if these ‘pet’ Blue Groper must be protected, above all else, they should be moved to the Sydney Aquarium and then we could stop turning the Ocean into a petting zoo! This form of conservation is tantamount to banning cars because a kangaroo was knocked over once.

The Ocean is a wondrously wild and exciting place. Let’s keep it that way and where protection is justifiable, protecting the habitat and not individual hand-fed fish.

The club meeting will be held at Michael Featherstone’s house on Wednesday evening and will involve an extensive Freediving safety briefing. All club members should attend.