Long distance (expedition) hunting

[Robbert]

Seems to me the key missing element is a backup plan in case things go wrong.

I completely understand the need for pushing the elements and adding a bit of zest by dragging dead fish behind you but if you think of most of the really extreme endurance feats that have been done, they by and large all had backup plans. If not a support boat following you, then at a very minimum a waterproof radio to call for help JUST IN CASE things go wacky!

I think in the scenario you described there are TOO MANY things that could go wrong. You describe a calm ocean but you don't necessarily see 2-4 knot currents when looking at a calm surface. Carrying a bunch of dead fish for 5KM is bound to put out a nice slick line of scent which is like a 5 KM long dinner bell for sharks. By the time you get to KM 2 or 3 your bound to have your hands full with multiple tax collectors. One small "bangstick" isn't going to do diddly for the group. After you blow up the first shark it's just going to get the other dozen or so even more excited!

If you want to go for it, there's really only one sane way to keep it as extreme as you propose, have a exit strategy just in case things go totally Murphy on you and you know that some part of the endeavor inevitably will because Murphy ALWAYS comes to parties like this!

- Robbert

[tuffstuff]

don't doit this sounds like something I would do but I'm crazy.Swimming 5km and fending off sharks doesn't go well together.Bring a kayak at the least to store your fish on ice and have a safespot incase the sharks get into a feeding frenzy.Your speargun will take the sharks out 1 at a time if your lucky but they can come at you in packs.Then if your tired from diving or evading sea life you will have difficulty swimming back to shore which may be too far away to reach before dusk(which is when sharks like to feed).Trust me 1 shark is more then a handful in shallow water with a boat nearby.But if you are crazy enough to not care about you or your friends lives/families it would be one hell of a story!

[spaghetti]

Olie this thread linked below is a must read whatever you decide (boat or no boat: and I'd say yes boat). Many posts are irrelevant, but many are very useful for you since it's a collection of shark experiences from divers of all the world:
http://forums.deeperblue.net/hunting...ne-sharks.html

[ole1291]

Well well well...

What a barrage of "don't do it" advice.
I think many of you don't realize a 10km swim with life vest and fins isn't all that hard, probably because most of you have never tried it yourself. That being said alot of the warnings/advice that was given is sound, if not always practible:
with the kayaks I have used, you can't jump out and in in mid ocean, try to enter a kayak that isn't docked and it tips over, floods with water, and all you can do is tow it back to shore.

The currents are not that strong on the east coast of sri lanka, I've already paddled with my surf board to within 1 or 2 km off the coast and I never felt a current I couldn't swim against. That being said it is an issue, don't any of you know google earth like equivalent for ocean currents world wide? I just can't find any website with that kind of data for Sri lanka.

A bigger problem is shark protection, as some of you have said it is not very realist for me to provide adequate protection for the rest of the group (especially if it gets dark and visibility starts to fall) so the best option seem to be buying shark shields but I have searched the forum for info about them and it seems they cost a minimum of 700$ and don't last long which means you have to buy additional batterries for them. 700+ $ is alot of money just for one fishing day, I doubt I can convince my colleagues to spend that much money on that. Besides they appear not be work hundred percent though I don't really understand why? Do they only work when the shark aproaches slowly but not if he is charging you at high speed?is it size? it looks like the manufacturers themselves don't know when their device works and when it doesn't but anyways...

Probably the most recurrent theme in the warning against this small adventure is that they are too many variables too which I kind of agree. Maybe I will try to find a closer reef to go to, say 2km away for a start and see how it works out. One poster also mentioned the lack of backup solution and he is right, I think I will try to arrange to have a boat go to the reef and take our fish with it to the shore, that way we won't have to tow that shark bait all the way back. The idea of a warterproof radio is also good, although I don't know if it's easy to find one in sril lanka.

Somebody mentioned some spearfishing in Trinco, which brings another concern to my mind,there is war going on in Sri lanka with quite alot of fighting between the SL navy and the sea Tigers, I wonder how the navy would react if they found a bunch of frog men with spear guns a few mile of the shore, espacially around Trincomalee as there is quite alot action/fireworks going on over there.

Well that's it for now, thanks for all the informative replys.

[spaghetti]

Originally Posted by ole1291

Well well well...

What a barrage of "don't do it" advice.
I think many of you don't realize a 10km swim with life vest and fins isn't all that hard, probably because most of you have never tried it yourself.

Agreed that swimming 10 kilometers along the coastline is not that hard if you're trained and fit. But swimming OFF the coast can be dangerous, up to you believe it or not.
Now some posts might have been a bit harsh, but it was just to convince you not to put your life at risk. Now this reply of yours...
Out of my chest, a Tuscan proverb: A far del bene a' ciuchi ci si rimedia altro che zampate
Translation: If you try to help a donkey he will kick you in the face.

[Marwan]

ole,
i played water polo for over 10 years, i would think i know what a 10km is about..done it many times in training, we used to warm up with a 2km swim..
I think you are getting the picture though, it seems you are rethinking your original plan and trying to look at safer options..
one thing i would point you too is the kayaks...theres a kind/style of kayaks called sit on top kayaks..these are typically used for spearfishing. Its easy to get in and out of it with out problems and depending on the length/material/brand etc...are quite stable in handling surf and current...defintly worth a search
do a search on th forum using kayak as your searchword..you should find a lot of info..

[efattah]

Laminar and I swam to Pam Rock, 6km from the shore. We then ate & dove at Pam Rock, and swam back (6km again), in the same day. It took 2h10 to swim there, and 2h35 to swim back. The water temp was 15C.

It was one of the best trips of our life. There were about 200 seals at Pam Rock. We didn't do any spearfishing though. We dragged a dry bag filled with food, water, and emergency supplies.

We encountered annoying currents, but with monofins the currents had little effect.

[settingsteel]

The fins I would recommend you use are either Evinrude or Yamaha the ones that have numbers in front with HP after, the type lifejacket could be a Boston Whaler, Bertram, or even a Carolina Skiff these al work well

[azapa]

I have spent a month traveling around Sri Lanka, we stayed near trinco for a while, about 10kms north (yes, tamil road blocks etc). I particularly remember pigeon island about 3Km off nilaveli, lovely. This was long before it was hit hard by the tsunami, it was beautiful. I believe the hotel was destroyed.

Although I can swim 8km in the ocean, I would never try your plan mate, too many variables. Basically, it would all be fine if no one got tired, had a cramp, stomach problem etc, but what the hell would you do if they did? No one here is going to say "go for it" because it sounds too crazy. I like your spirit though

[wes]

Well I will give you some advice as you have asked for it, sort of.

Get with your buddy and get all your gear and one evening after work swim about 1 km off shore and spend the night and then come back in to shore in the morning. If this doesn't work for whatever reason, like you get to cold or whatever and have to come in early then modify your gear or plans or whatever went wrong. Then try again to spend the night in the sea untill you can with no worries.

Now you can go out and swim out and back very far with little worries and if you have to spend the night offshore you will have the experiene.

Once windsurfing of Long Beach I sailed out at sunset to an oil platform 6 miles off shore and then quickly blew out my finbox so had to swim in with my sailboard. I swam in down wind and down waves so was a bit easier than swimming alone without a board but still alot of work. I got in about midnight and it was really no big deal. I knew I had a warm enough suit to spend the night so just slowly worked my way toward shore and knew that eventually I would get there which I did. I have had many many adventures like this windsurfing and kitebaording and enjoy really this part of these sports the most, going out past the crowds and exploring and sometimes having to swim in.

Another time while kitebaording I was at a very remote beach (no rescue and no coast guard) in Baja Mexico with off shore winds and everyone there was freaked out about me going out to kiteboard as I was just learning. So first day I went out with my kite wrapped up on top of my board and swam out about 1 mile and up then swam up the coast then swam back down then back in and took about 3 hours and I never even launched my kite. But then I (and every one else on the beach) knew that if I got stuck or wrecked my kite, I could just swim in, and I had a wonderful 2 week kiteboard vacation there.

Cheers Wes Lapp

[mupwi]

yo maby a good option would be to tow a couple of kayaks maby one for every 2 guys in youre group that way you have place to keep all youre gear and keep youre fish out of the water If you get cramp of someone gets injured or the sharks come looking you have someware to get out of the water It may be dificult to padel with 2 people on a single yayak but it will flote you and give you a place to rest you cold even raft them up for more stability and you can still do youre swim just my 2c

[ancientdiver]

Use a boat or a kayak. Take a local fisherman as a guide. Keep the fish out of the water. Immediately get each kill out of the water. Move from the locale of each kill to at least 1/2 mile away after each shot. Your planned outing, as described, is beyond dumber than dirt. If you swim with while dragging dead fish, sharks will be there sooner or later. Take it to the bank. The crunching sound a shark makes as it eats your kill will be very audible, and other sharks will appear out of nowhere to see if there are any snacks for them too. You'll be there snack if a big'un shows up. If you do this plan as described, you will be a classic example of Darwinian evolution - your genes will be eliminated from the gene pool. Suicidally stupid. You have to be a complete neophyte, arm chair spearo. Have a nice trip.

[dannieh42]

I am usually not a smartass on these forums and I dislike when people are, but this time I have to say something about this...

Originally Posted by cubscoutdad

Keep the fish out of the water. Immediately get each kill out of the water. Move from the locale of each kill to at least 1/2 mile away after each shot.

If your hunting technique is "shoot one fish then - run for the boat - ride somewhere else to shoot one fish". How do you ever get any fish? Sharks are part of diving. They are an even bigger part of spearfishing. You just have to learn deal with it.
I have spent at least 200 hours freediving/spearfishing at some local jetties (perdido pass). These jetties are at the mouth of a bay where freshwater and saltwater mix. Visiblility varies anywhere from 3 to 15 ft. I have dove there day and night. To be short this is perfect bull shark territory. If I got out of the water everytime I shot one fish I probably would not waste the 45 minutes it takes me to drive there.

[blaiz]

I know that this post is a little old but I thought I would add some food for thought.

Ole, you need to take some advise from people who have paved the way in this sport. These guys have experienced a lot more than you give them credit for. It seems to me that your ego may be playing a little to high a priority here. Dont get me wrong, egos have a big part in spearfishing but when they steer a person beyond reason and logic it can be a dangerous thing.

I dont mean to beat a dead horse but your plan, as stated numerous times above, has way to many holes in it. If you talk to any one who takes extreme risks in sports there is always extensive planning behind these stunts. I live in hawaii where long distant swims(interisland swims of 30 miles or more), surfing waves as tall as 5 storie buildings, and some major spearfishing, are an everyday activity. What all these extremists have in common is extensive planning. At the top of this planning is the respect and consideration of the advise of experienced people.

Aloha and good luck!

[blaiz]

Originally Posted by settingsteel

The fins I would recommend you use are either Evinrude or Yamaha the ones that have numbers in front with HP after, the type lifejacket could be a Boston Whaler, Bertram, or even a Carolina Skiff these al work well

I friggen love this!!