Spearo books?

[Mr. X]

Looks like Amazon have finally got few specialist spearfishing books, anybody read any of these? I still like my little South African booklet by Len Jones from RA Europe or Spearo.co.uk - cheap & cheerful, at about 4 pounds, excellent:

1. Spearfishing for Skin and Scuba Divers by Steven M. Barsky

2. Spearfishing and Underwater Hunting Handbook by B. Allen Patrick

3. Bluewater Hunting & Freediving by Terry Maas
(I have heard of this before -- popular with US spearos I think, surprisingly pricey though).

4. Last of the Blue Water Hunters by Carlos Eyles

Anybody read any of these? BTW the author [Len Jones] of SA booklet I mentioned above (& described in an earlier thread) also has an second book, which I have not seen yet but which is supposed to be good (stories I think though).

[dave]

The first 2 are largely concerned with scuba spearing, but I would definately recomend the 2nd two. The Terry Maas book is a great reference, although a lot of the content is not exactly relevant to the UK! The Carlos Eyles books are all worth reading although they can be a bit "hippy"
The new Len Jones book is called "Encounters with sharks , dolphins and big fish" I have it in stock, it is a great read
A few of out of print books to look out for;
"The spearfishermans handbook" by David Way (1977) - a bit dated now but all about UK spearing
"Modern Spearfishing" by Vane Ivanovic (1954)- very dated, but one of the early instructional classics
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk

[miles]

Hiya

Bluewater Hunting & Freediving by Terry Maas is considered to be the AUTHORATATIVE book on Blue Water Hunting. Even though it might not be that applicable to your type of hunting, it DOES make a GREAT read!! I simply loved the little anecdotes all over the book!!

Len Jone's, Encounters with sharks , dolphins and big fish, is more like a biography. Tells you about how he started catching sharks off the wharf in Durban on to his spearfishing endeavors. Not really an instructional book, but a GREAT read on days when the weathers too bad for diving!!

Similarly, the Last of the Blue Water Hunters by Carlos Eyles, is also a GREAT read for a bad weather day!! Like Dave said, maybe a bit "hippy"

Regards
miles

[Huan]

There is also,
Underwater Fishing in Australia & New Zealand.
by Dr Adam Smith
Which despite its obviously Antipodean title has a lot of information which is of use here in the NH.
I also found another book called
Spearfishing and Underwater Hunting Handbook
By Allen Patrick
Which I haven't read but it looks pretty comprehensive.
Terry Maas's book is a lovely book it is expensive but the quality is superb printed on Acid free paper etc and should be around for years to come.
Carlos Eyles has another book called *The Blue Edge *I think which is also a good read if you like the alternative viewpoint

[Mr. X]

Great info. thanks guys! (By the way, I haven't seen that expression "skin diver" in decades ... presumably the old name for snorkelling/freediving?).

I'll look at picking up some of these books over time. Maybe you guys should get together and do a modern spearfishing book -- perhaps DeeperBlue would underwrite & promote the endeavour?!

[hcknudsen]

I have the Spearfishing and Underwater Hunting Handbook, it´s ok, it gets you around spearguns and accessories, but it is set up as a school book and that tends to tire me, every chapter starts with an summary of what you will learn and ends with forms you can fill inn, surely ok for a spearfishingcourse but seems a bit patronising(spelled like that??) to grown-up readers who sit at home.

I love reading books on subjects of interest and will recommend reading any book just for the love of the sport, not often a book is SH_T, sometimes you just don´t fly with the guy who wrote it , as long as it´s reasonably priced it´s all worth buying

Hans-Chr

[Amphibious]

Read Terry's book, loved it. a must have for the spearo Library!

[miles]

Hiya

Just read Len Jone's new book, called "Hooks, Spears and Spanners"!!!

Basically the sequel to "Encounter With Sharks, Dolphins and Big Fish"

Its basically a selection of short stories which Len Jones has experienced as a fisherman and spearo. GREAT READ!!!

Regards
miles

[BatRay]

Funny thing; I was sorting through some old photos and found some of my grandfather when he lived in Long Beach. He was a 'skindiver', and also a spearo. Used to dive for lobsters and shoot fish. I inherited his old JBL Custom , so I come by my love for water quite honestly. It was interesting to see the old-style wetsuits and candy cane-shaped snorkels.
I've been eyeballing Terry Maas's book for quite some time on Amazon, and judging by the reviews here, it would be worthwhile .

[Oldsarge]

Let me see . . . you grandfather lived in Long Beach? He was a spearfisherman? This would be back in the '50's? All right, who are we talking about, here, one of the founding Neptunes??!! Mercy, Batray, you do come by it honestly. Good on yer, gel!

Terry Maas is to spearfishing what Peter Hathaway Capstick, Hemingway and Robert Ruark are to African safaris, the main author that gets people going. Additionally there are are a couple of older books on snorkeling that include some info on spearfishing Snorkeling by John R. Clark and Successful Underwater Hunting and Gathering by Dale Sheckler. Both of these are really, really basic but if you " don' 'no' nuffin' " they help. If you do know anything, (like you've been down once?), don't spend the money.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Looks like Amazon have finally got few specialist spearfishing books, anybody read any of these? I still like my little South African booklet by Len Jones from RA Europe or Spearo.co.uk - cheap & cheerful, at about 4 pounds, excellent:

1. Spearfishing for Skin and Scuba Divers by Steven M. Barsky

2. Spearfishing and Underwater Hunting Handbook by B. Allen Patrick

3. Bluewater Hunting & Freediving by Terry Maas
(I have heard of this before -- popular with US spearos I think, surprisingly pricey though).

4. Last of the Blue Water Hunters by Carlos Eyles

Anybody read any of these? BTW the author of SA booklet I mentioned above (& described in an earlier thread) also has an second book, which I have not seen yet but which is supposed to be good (stories I think though).

The links above are all for the US based Amazon.com site, however, it looks like Amazon in the UK now have the Terry Maas book too (although more expensive than in the US ), along with another on Freediving:

Bluewater Hunting & Free Diving by Terry Maas
In the USA 2nd Ed:http://www.bluewaterweb.com

Freedive! by David Sipperly and Terry Maas

Anybody read "Freedive!" or seen the Terry Maas FreeDiving DVD?


[See thread: http://forums.deeperblue.net/forum61/thread64478.html for Freediving/apnea books]

[Huan]

I have Freedive! and it is a good book, covering more of the technical side of breathhold diving rather than spearing.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

The links above are all for the US based Amazon.com site, however, it looks like Amazon in the UK now have the Terry Maas book too (although more expensive than in the US ), along with another on Freediving:

Bluewater Hunting & Free Diving by Terry Maas

Freedive! by David Sipperly and Terry Maas

Anybody read "Freedive!" or seen the Terry Maas FreeDiving DVD?

[See thread: http://forums.deeperblue.net/forum61/thread64478.html for Freediving/apnea books]

Looks like they are making more of the Spearo books & DVDs available in the UK:

1. Modern Spearfishing by Vane Ivanovic

2. Spearfishing for Skin and Scuba Divers by Steven M. Barsky



3. Spearfishing and Underwater Hunting Handbook: Beginner Through Advanced by B. Allen Patrick


DVD:
4.
The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, X-treme, Scuba-diving, Spearfishing Adventure Amid the Oil Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexicoby Humberto Fontova

[Old Man Dave]

Ive got Bluewater Hunting bt Terry Maas. My daughter brought it back from the States. Not cheap even there. I tried to buy it on one of my trips across the pond but had a job finding it. Excellent book - brilliant read, although not very relevant to my diving.
I've also got Last of the Bluewater Hunters by Carlos Eyles. Managed to import it a few years ago. One of the best books I've ever read. Almost life changing for me. I was so fired up I spent 2 years quoting Carlos to anyone who would listen and many who wouldn't. Still think the person described in the book is the nearest to my ideal that I could imagine. "You see I was born a hunter" - yeah right on - me too. However I'm afraid Carlos no longer spearfishes and that for me was almost a personal betrayal, so it's once more back to realitity for me although still think it's a great book.
Have David Way's book and know him from my era of competition spearing. He used to run a part time business dealing in second hand diving books. There was also another guy (forgot name - sorry) running a similar business also I think in the West country. I subscibed to their lists, but it was many years ago (pre internet) so don't know about now a days. Anyone know?
One of the all time classics was Hunting Big Fish by Marcel Isy-Schwart printed by Burke in 1954.
There are lots of similar out of date classics including great spearfishing story books by Hans Hass, Jacques Cousteau, the Taylors and similar greats of the past. Most of them went on to reject spearfishing and even to campaign against it but they can't deny that it's where they started.
A mate of mine collects old diving memrobilia including books. Maybe one of these days I'll pester him for a list.
Dave
PS Carlos has a web site as he now instructs in freediving and fish/mammal watching in Hawahi.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Old Man Dave

...I was so fired up I spent 2 years quoting Carlos to anyone who would listen and many who wouldn't. Still think the person described in the book is the nearest to my ideal that I could imagine. "You see I was born a hunter" - yeah right on - me too. However I'm afraid Carlos no longer spearfishes and that for me was almost a personal betrayal, so it's once more back to realitity for me although still think it's a great book.
...

Interesting. Apparently it is quite common that the urge to hunt - or at least kill - diminishes as you get older. My brother has always read a lot of shooting books (mainly relating to game birds & wildfowl in the UK) and has often talked about this over the years. He has always had a moderate appetite for the kill though -- he eats very little meat oddly, although he eats what he kills. Recently, I have noticed that there are some things which he does not care to shoot anymore (ducks for example) or that he will shoot less of ...although he will still enjoy taking part. Chapman Pincher, the journalist/would-be-country squire, also writes about it (I recommend reading his memoir). [Not sure where the urge to spearfish comes from though! I was never really into hunting -- although I did a little fishing when younger, almost all catch & return though.]

I notice that scuba divers often do not eat seafood - they're happy to just look. Some have said they have seen the stock & environment diminish over the years, as the increasing human population has taken/destroyed/polluted more.