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Despite our discussions leading up to the trip about being selective, empty handed diving days were getting tiresome. The Sailfish swam in on the flashers. Given the way the trip had turned out we were not at all perturbed about taking this fish. In fact it was almost completely consumed in one sitting that night with a group of 15 fishos and divers. Contrary to popular belief the sailfish actually ate very well, even as sashimi it was nice - Shane Fiedler
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INDO Begins Welcome Change Is This Lancelin? Spearfishing the Great Barrier Reef A Weekend to Remember The Shallow Treasury The Travelling Spearo Cobia and Roses New Ground Turn Around Safety - Decompression Sickness
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Michael de Rooy (R) and Tim McDonald (L) with 20.8kg and 19.8kg Black Jew
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Editorial Letters Spearing Sydney Spear?Tips Short & Sweet Downunder Woodie GreatShot10 Marine Electronics New Products
Cover
It was only a couple of days earlier that I had spoken to Andre that he mentioned he wanted to go on a spearfishing trip to Indonesia. I received the phone call after I had finished work in August 2009. Andre had come across some really cheap flights from Perth to Indonesia. They were too good to miss so he booked them for the end of September. There was a few of us going from the East coast. Myself, Josh (Aka), Toddy and Sonny. Our flights were from Perth to Bali so we had to get ourselves over to the West coast where Andre had moved to earlier in the year. We didn’t really think too much about the expense of a return ticket from Sydney to Perth but that didn’t play on our minds too much at this point. We just bought a one way ticket!
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by Travis Corken
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O
ver the last 5 years I have done plenty of trips chasing fish and many of them have started the same way. Hooking small boats up to cars late in the afternoon, hitting the highway and driving late into the night. Finally arriving early morning at a boat ramp, catching a couple of hours sleep before suiting up and heading out exhausted before we even start. The weather usually does nothing it is supposed to and we are flogged from the moment we leave the boat ramp. We are heading miles further than we should in a little boat to a place we have never dived before off on another adventure. To top it all off, we usually just dive until we can’t move any more and our legs can’t kick another beat. Well, the story I am about to share with you is of a trip we recently did with a nice welcome difference. Still fish and some good ones. Still adventuring and discovering diving places we have never dived before but just some added comforts. First up, an 8.00am pick up and drive through the day. (I usually feel driving is a waste of daylight), I felt spoilt arriving at our accommodation without my eyes hanging out of my head. Accommodation that is not a beach or a hard boat ramp felt like cheating. In fact, I had to give up my soft bed to one of the other boys as I already started to feel like I was getting soft just by how the trip was going. The next added comfort was the Cruise Craft 685 parked out the front complete with sink, gas stove, fridge and a 250 outboard on the back. One heck of a boat, slightly bigger and dryer (I got a splash of water on my little finger once on the trip) than my 16r Haines and a heap warmer on a chilly winter morning. We even drove all the way to our dive destinations dressed in our clothes! The final added comfort was the fact that the plan was actually to spend most of the trip diving shallower water than usual and at the end of the whole 100km trip the only ache I had in my body was the side of my leg where the soft boat seat had rubbed on my thigh. I hope I am not turning into one of those soft, old guys! One thing that hadn’t changed on this trip, was our focus on adventure and discovery. None of us had dived any of this country before and it took a lot of research to get our heads around where we were going. On this trip I was joined by my partner in crime, John Featherstone, an awesome mate. We have had some amazing dive trips together, every one of them a great adventure. We have met some great people and both of us have been able to spear some amazing fish along the way. We were joined
by Leon, a Coffs local, and a good bloke and we met up with North Queenslanders, Tony Humphries (Humper), and the Vanilla Gorilla, Mick de Rooy (or just Deroy). It was Mick’s beautiful new Cruise Craft that we were adventuring in. When we arrived, we spent 20 minutes drooling over Mick’s boat then packed our gear and prepared for the next day. From there, we headed to the local sailing club for dinner and a good catch up with the boys. Of course plenty of banter flowed and half an hour later Mick had set nick names for the rest of the trip. Johnny’s ended up having something to do with a walrus (Ed - awesome breath-hold and a Harem of chicks?). Leon had something to do with being a pretty boy. Mick ended up choosing his own nickname - McAwesome Spearo. No one, I repeat, no one should be allowed to choose their own nick name! After the banter we chatted and made plans for the following three days of diving. Day one was to be a day where we would head wide as there was to be no wind and the following two days we planned to stay closer to the coast as the breeze was expected to blow from the west. That first night we all headed to bed with high expectations for the day that was
to follow. I awoke in the morning refreshed after a criminal amount of sleep for a spearfishing trip. What was even more incredible was the fact that there wasn’t even a breath of wind. The first 50kms was with 5 knots of westerly but after that the ocean went to a sheet of glass and the sun broke the horizon to reveal a mirror all around us. The trip to the first spot went surprisingly fast. We geared up and all bailed over to find water much dirtier than I expected 100km off shore, only about 15 metres visibility. We drifted with the boat and only a small Red throat was shot. The next drift we found a school of Spanish mackerel. Tony Humper’s PDT was playing up and got trigger happy. He shot one good fish at around the 20kg mark. Mackerel weren’t on the target list so he got plenty of ridicule back at the boat. He mummbeld something about trying to beat Deroy in their club’s top ten list and I replied with, “lets move and find some decent fish”. The next couple of spots didn’t turn up the fish we had hoped for and the rest of the day followed the theme of the morning, great looking country but only Parrot fish, Trout and Mackerel to be seen. To top it
“Nippy” By Name, rather nippy by nature - big boat luxury!
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by Tim McDonald
Mick ended up choosing his own nickname - “McAwesome Spearo”. No one, I repeat, no one should be allowed to choose their own nick name! 19
Andrew Martin - His first Wahoo, an impressive 25kg
After chasing the Wahoo to close the gap, I was after some much needed air and while swimming up, the Wahoo
all of a sudden turns to have a long hard look at me.
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by Andrew Martin
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aturday - It all starts out waking up early one Saturday morning with three great mates packing the boat with our dive gear. Luke Halvorson, a mate from Newcastle who had driven up the day before, he was so pumped to be diving with us, Brad Arnott, another great mate whom I always dive with, and myself, Andrew Martin. After getting all the gear together, we head down to the beach for our usual launch. The conditions were great. Flat sea with a small chop, awesome for Spanish mackerel and that’s what we were heading out to chase. Once on the water, heading to our secret location, we noticed the water was getting more blue as we neared our reef. Once there, the water was a nice warm 24.5 degrees. Brad said he would go boatie first up so Luke and I geared up and jumped in. The first thing I noticed was the massive amount of bait on a peak so I head to investigate. To my amazement, out of the corner of my eye in comes the first Spanish mackerel to have a look at me so I dive down and put a nice mid body shot in and after landing it, my first Spanish came in at 11.5kg. I went boatie after that and Brad jumped in and within 5 minutes he had his first Spanish on. After taking a while to land his fish because of a tangle with coral, the fish was in the boat and weighed 12kg. Brad and myself were sitting in the boat wondering what Luke was doing as he didn’t have one yet and he is normally a bit of an lucky bloke when it comes to Spanish. Brad looked over in Luke’s direction and noticed his float on end meaning he was on as well. He landed an 11kg Spanish soon after. We had three nice Spanish in the boat so I quickly grabbed my phone and sent a picture message of the fish to another great mate and diving partner, Grant Arnott, who unfortunately had to work Saturday mornings. Not long after I sent the picture Grant was calling to say to meet him on the beach at midday to pick him up. So we put our Spanish in the esky on ice and jumped back in the water. The visibility was unbelievable at 20-25 metres. An hour went past and it went a bit quiet but then Luke was onto his second Spanish for the day. After landing this 12kg fish, we swam around having a look for some reef species and with that Brad dived down and shot a nice Pearl perch. It was time to head back and pick up Grant from the beach.
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new|products
Information provided in this section (including text and images) is supplied by the respective Manufacturers, unless specifically stated.
QUATTRO CARBON RAILGUN
The fourth Railgun model Made by H.Dessault: the Quattro Carbon is crafted with an innovative handle and a high strength carbon tube that will not bend even in under the toughest conditions. Quattro Carbon tube has an integrated rail for shooting accuracy, The Carbon is lightweight while balanced in water. The ergonomic handle is built with an intuitive safety mechanism and coloured white to facilitate the Railgun location when left submerged. The Quattro Carbon has a compact and open muzzle allowing total vision while aiming. The muzzle can be closed with the “wire
spectacle” provided with the accessories pouch. The Quattro Carbon Railgun can be loaded with either one or two rubber bands to increase power and range. Available length: 110 cm, 120 cm For Distributors contact Aquanaut P: +61 2 4966 4900 F: +61 2 4966 4955 www.aquanaut.com.au
CARBON 110 - RRP (INC GST) $595 CARBON 120 - RRP (INC GST) $645
PERFORMANCE FINS H.Dessault presents the evolution of its original long blade fins, innovating with new composite blades delivering performance equivalent to fibreglass blades. Length: 71cm x Width :22cm Available in: Black Available sizes: 38/40 40/42 42/44 44/46 46/48 For Distributors contact Aquanaut P: +61 2 4966 4900 F: +61 2 4966 4955 www.aquanaut.com.au
PERFORMANCE FIN RRP (INC GST) $299
Evinrude E-Tec Engine Cover Keep your pride and joy protected with the Evinrude E-Tec engine cover. Constructed with soft inner lining and offers great paint and decal protection From UV rays, fishing lures, sinkers, hooks, SPEARGUNS and the elements, can be used while the motor is running. Australia - BRP Australia Pty Ltd. Bankstown NSW 2200 Tel: +61-2-97946600 Fax: +61-2-97946697 Email: infobrpaustralia@brp.com
Undersee - Phantom Railgun
Undersee - Hitman Railgun • 28mm barrel with spear guide rail the full length off gun • Fibreglass reinforced nylon handle with red rubber grip and rubber chest loader pad • World renown Trigger Mechanism & fiberglass reinforced handle • Plated spring steel spear shaft with 80mm flopper and tricut point • Tough stainless steel spear shaft with screw on tip • 28mm diameter aluminium barrel with a built in spear rail /guide the full length of the barrel • Super strong shooting line • New compact design double muzzle • Fitted standard with fibreglass reinforced double rubber muzzle • 16mm (5/8”) latex power band • 16mm power band • Super strong shooting line • New super comfortable loading pad • This speargun comes in the following length barrels, 70cm, 80cm, 90cm, 100cm. • Comes in choice of lengths for every need Distributed by Land and Sea Sports (02 9997 2288) Distributed by Land and Sea Sports (02 9997 2288)
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RIFFE - 7.5mm Euro Shaft Continuing in the tradition of quality, RIFFE is proud to announce the release of its new 7.5mm shaft. Specifically designed for tough Australian fish the 7.5mm shaft offers a no compromise, perfectly balanced shaft. Features: • Tough 7.5mm design • Available in 160 | 170 | 180 | 190 | 200cm lengths • Stainless Steel - no more slow, ugly, rusty shafts • Correctly chamfered and finished shooting line attachment - no more worn shooting line • Polished bridle notches - no more frayed bridles • Exclusive Riffe Micro Tab system - added shaft strength • Twin notched for double rubbers • Tough bullet point • Chamfered spear to accommodate flush fitting flopper • Legendary RIFFE Quality • Special introductory price, 25% OFF RRP when purchasing online
Fits nearly all Euro style Guns including: Rob Allen, Pelaj, Rabitech, Freediver, Cressi, Torelli, Picasso, Orca and MANY, MANY, more!
Contact: Riffe Oceania web: www.riffe.com.au email: sales@riffe.com.au phone: (02) 6654 0515
See Advertisement this issue!
ContourHD 1080p ContourHD 1080p is the World’s First and Smallest wearable video camera. It’s light but armored body “slides and locks” ContourHD onto a series of mounts for your goggles, helmet, handle bars, vehicle, or anywhere else you want. Built to be operated with a pair of gloves on, ContourHD uses a single button to capture hours of HD video to an internal microSD memory card. With no wires or tapes, the ContourHD helmet cam makes it easy to capture Full HD video from within the action. Combined with the waterproof case suitable to a depth of 30m it makes this camera a must have for every spearo’s kit. Shoot to share with the Easy Edit software and your own account on www.vholdr.com. Connect ContourHD to your computer, clip the best parts, and share your adventures online and prove to your friends that the one that got away was really as big as you say it was. Contact: Australian Distributor - Black Phoenix Films - 02 49330428 Camera: RRP $499 Waterproof Case: RRP $69.95
Put Yourself In the Picture - Holmes Reef Charter Spear the remote regions of Holmes Reef and the Seamount with experienced guides. Holmes Reef is located approximately 130miles east off Cairns and over the years has had scuba divers visiting with the occasional spearing charter. Spear and Dive were the first to start regular 5 day live aboard spearing charters to this location and some surrounding destinations back in 2009. Since then we have our charters running like a well oiled machine. The crew consist of a Captain, Cook and Aaron Odell the owner of Spear and Dive and 2 tender drivers/crew. Aaron takes it upon himself to take the 2 tender drivers and himself out to Holmes in the off season to scout new grounds. This way they get in the water and GPS mark new pinnacles and congregations of fish so when on charter they can give divers their best chance of securing their prized fish whether it is a Jobfish or a Dogtooth tuna. At a very affordable price of only $1650.00 for 5 days get away why not treat yourself. The trip includes all meals from a qualified chef and as it is run by spearo’s we know how hungry you get. So don’t be surprised if you put on a few Kg’s of weight over the 5 days. The boat is fully air-conditioned 24hours a day so you can relax in after a hard day diving. We only take on average 8 to 9 guests as this enables crew to look after divers on a more personal level and prevents overcrowding in the water. The boat has two toilets and 2 hot/cold showers as well as a TV and DVD to relax with in the evening. The tenders are around 20feet each with 50Hp outboards and driven by experienced crew only. We have no more than 5 divers allocated to a tender. There is general shallow water spearing in 3 to 9 metres shooting Coral trout and Jobfish to floating above pinnacles with teasers shooting Dogtooth tuna. We can cater for beginners to experienced divers, just tell the crew what you feel like hunting on the day and let them put you on the fish. The season starts around the start of September and runs approximately till the end of March. Over this time the local winds drop down and the Tuna and Wahoo are in large numbers. Average visibility can be well over 40metres through this time. So call up the Spear and Dive Crew and book a berth before we are booked out. You can nominate the month that best suits you and we can place you on a charter in that month with fellow divers. You can also get your dive buddies together and do a group booking.
At Only $1650.00 for 5 Days Why NOT?
or Call and ask about our 10day live aboard to PNG in November. Spear and Dive : 84 Aumuller Street Cairns, QLD Ph: (07) 40 35 6776 See
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Got a New Product
If you are looking to tell the spearfishing world about your great new product don’t hesitate to contact us for inclusion in our New Products sections. Contact john@spearfishingdownunder.com.au
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