Aberdeen spearfishing buddy

[tiggrr]

Hello

I am new(ish) to aberdeen and I am in the process of sorting myself out with some gear to get in the water. I have plenty of experience snorkelling back home in Ireland and with family around the Mediterranean and I want to take the next step and start catching dinner. Is there anyone in the area that I could buddy up with, give me some advice or know of any decent locations with good visibility? I don't have a boat so will have to go from the beach/rocks. I know the west coast is fantastic and also up north but I can't seem to find much info about the east coast. I don't really know nobody up here and would rather not go alone. Also, the water is 8degrees at the moment so I am a little unsure of what thickness of wetsuit to get, 5mm, 6mm or 7mm...? And does camo make a difference other than looking cool? Thanks

 

[Mr. X]

Hi Tigg, I moved your thread to the Buddy area, UK subsection. I left a temporary link to it at the original location though. We certainly have members in your area.

Camo just looks the biz but nothing wrong with that It's debatable and we have debated it at some length (search the forum for that!). It could be argued that black is cooler and that camo is just trying too hard! Black reflects less light but it makes you look more like a seal! Black is the new camo. There all kinds of arguments. Both have been proven to work. I have one of each

5mm-7mm? Hmm depends on various things, not least you - do you feel the cold/skinny/from the tropics? - and when and where you will dive. Thicker suits mean you will need to carry more lead to offset the extra buoyancy. You can overheat too. But I think I would be considering 6, 6.5 or 7mm if I lived in Scotland but also I would not be overly worried about diving in my existing 5mm suit (which incidentally is a little warmer than my 5.5mm suit!) in Scotland in the late Spring ( gather the best weather in Scotland - or was it the highlands? - typically occurs in the Spring, is that right?), Summer and through maybe October/Nov. If I needed extra warmth, I could wear thicker neoprene socks and gloves, I could in theory get a slick neoprene vest/gillet to wear inside my suit (hard to find and surprisingly expensive in practice) and my neoprene weight-vest probably offers a little extra warmth (Omer's weight gillet covers a larger area than my Mares weight vest - at least it did last time I looked several years ago). You might even be able to figure out some additional head covering. When the water is cold the fish tend to stay away, at least here S. England, so you might find that you don't dive so much in colder conditions anyway. However, I hear you have lots of good lobsters ("like rats") up there and you may get more cold water species that we don't see much. Hopefully some of our Scottish and Scotland-based spearo will be able to provide better info.

Also, a spearo wetsuit with long-john style pants might offer a tad more core warm than traditional high waist spearo pants, although the waist on my Elios pants really is quite high and my Mares wetsuit pants go even higher, so probably not as much difference as might be expected. Getting a good fit is key.

 

[tiggrr]

Hi Tigg, I moved your thread to the Buddy area, UK subsection. I left a temporary link to it at the original location though. We certainly have members in your area.

Camo just looks the biz but nothing wrong with that It's debatable and we have debated it at some length (search the forum for that!). It could be argued that black is cooler and that camo is just trying too hard! Black reflects less light but it makes you look more like a seal! Black is the new camo. There all kinds of arguments. Both have been proven to work. I have one of each

5mm-7mm? Hmm depends on various things, not least you - do you feel the cold/skinny/from the tropics? - and when and where you will dive. Thicker suits mean you will need to carry more lead to offset the extra buoyancy. You can overheat too. But I think I would be considering 6, 6.5 or 7mm if I lived in Scotland but also I would not be overly worried about diving in my existing 5mm suit (which incidentally is a little warmer than my 5.5mm suit!) in Scotland in the late Spring ( gather the best weather in Scotland - or was it the highlands? - typically occurs in the Spring, is that right?), Summer and through maybe October/Nov. If I needed extra warmth, I could wear thicker neoprene socks and gloves, I could in theory get a slick neoprene vest/gillet to wear inside my suit (hard to find and surprisingly expensive in practice) and my neoprene weight-vest probably offers a little extra warmth (Omer's weight gillet covers a larger area than my Mares weight vest - at least it did last time I looked several years ago). You might even be able to figure out some additional head covering. When the water is cold the fish tend to stay away, at least here S. England, so you might find that you don't dive so much in colder conditions anyway. However, I hear you have lots of good lobsters ("like rats") up there and you may get more cold water species that we don't see much. Hopefully some of our Scottish and Scotland-based spearo will be able to provide better info.

Also, a spearo wetsuit with long-john style pants might offer a tad more core warm than traditional high waist spearo pants, although the waist on my Elios pants really is quite high and my Mares wetsuit pants go event higher, so probably not as much difference as might be expected. Getting a good fit is key.

Thanks for the quick reply. Suppose I can get a black suit and then some camo gloves.

The best weather in Scotland...could be any day of the year but the sea is definitely warmer towards the end of summer. As for the thickness the easy decision is a 7mm but I would like to take it with me on my travels so I want to get away with the minimum for warmer seas, I'm thinking 6mm that way I can top up with an extra layer if its too cold. Going with a custom Polosub, being 6'6 and almost 120kg there's not a suit in the world that would fit off the rack.

As for sea life I will let you know when i get my head under

 

[Mr. X]

Yes, mixing and black and camo (suits) is a recognised way to break up your profile. Popular tactic of some French and Italian spearos. I often wear my camo weight vest with my black wetsuit. The lead BB bags in the weight vest also add significant 3D texture. But I'm quite big, so fish can see me metres away even with camo unless I hide behind a rock or in kelp/string weed or in a gulley.

Polosub suits look good. I like the look the the suits that have some camo and some non-camo. I found Eliossub to be cheaper when I got my suit made to measure. I went with the cheapest neoprene option, black Ecoline, which they assured me was more than adequate for spearing, and time has proven that to be so. Many of the fancier neoprenes were designed for SCUBA, where the diver remains deep for an extended period. It's one of the best purchases I ever made. The exchange rate is much less favourable now though, so some members switched to a Greek manufacturer. Turkey might be the place to look now?

The Ecoline neoprene is not very stretchy, which is fine as the suit was made to fit me, but because of that it retains it's loft well (a feature for high end scuba suits). My off the shelf 5.5mm Mares camo suit is soft and stretchy, so it would likely fit a wide range of shapes and sizes but I don't think it is quite as warm, despite being 0.5mm thicker and with a higher waist band. I suppose the more it stretches the thinner it gets, and the deeper you dive the more it compresses. It's not bad though, I like both suits. Made to measure is worth the money.

Another option would be to get, say, 5 or 6mm pants and, say, a 7mm top. You might then get, say, a 5mm top or 3mm pants later for your travels. Lots of possibilities.

Get a loading pad on the chest. If you get a nylon outer you don't really need elbow and knee pads for shore diving but I'm told they can be handy for boat diving. Nylon outers take longer to dry if boat diving but offer essential protection for the neoprene when shore diving.

 

[Mr. X]

BTW I've offered detailed advice on getting measured for your suit several times before on this forum - look it up if interest (Google is your friend). Essentially: get somebody else to measure you, preferably someone who knows how to measure properly; take each measurement several times and on both sides of your body - ideally at different times and temperatures, discard any outliers and average the rest. Make sure the throat measurement is not too tight.

 

[tiggrr]

Yes, mixing and black and camo (suits) is a recognised way to break up your profile. Popular tactic of some French and Italian spearos. I often wear my camo weight vest with my black wetsuit. The lead BB bags in the weight vest also add significant 3D texture. But I'm quite big, so fish can see me metres away even with camo unless I hide behind a rock or in kelp/string weed or in a gulley.

Polosub suits look good. I like the look the the suits that have some camo and some non-camo. I found Eliossub to be cheaper when I got my suit made to measure. I went with the cheapest neoprene option, black Ecoline, which they assured me was more than adequate for spearing, and time has proven that to be so. Many of the fancier neoprenes were designed for SCUBA, where the diver remains deep for an extended period. It's one of the best purchases I ever made. The exchange rate is much less favourable now though, so some members switched to a Greek manufacturer. Turkey might be the place to look now?

The Ecoline neoprene is not very stretchy, which is fine as the suit was made to fit me, but because of that it retains it's loft well (a feature for high end scuba suits). My off the shelf 5.5mm Mares camo suit is soft and stretchy, so it would likely fit a wide range of shapes and sizes but I don't think it is quite as warm, despite being 0.5mm thicker and with a higher waist band. I suppose the more it stretches the thinner it gets, and the deeper you dive the more it compresses. It's not bad though, I like both suits. Made to measure is worth the money.

Another option would be to get, say, 5 or 6mm pants and, say, a 7mm top. You might then get, say, a 5mm top or 3mm pants later for your travels. Lots of possibilities.

Get a loading pad on the chest. If you get a nylon outer you don't really need elbow and knee pads for shore diving but I'm told they can be handy for boat diving. Nylon outers take longer to dry if boat diving but offer essential protection for the neoprene when shore diving.

Mr.X delayed reply I know, I went for a polosub in the end and it is fantastic. Black suit with camo gloves so the lobsters can't see my hand coming. I have been out quite a few times now, I have a few videos on youtube if you want to check out the wildlife, search for- tiggrrpowrr. I am part of a small group of guys up in the north of scotland, spearos and free divers, so if anyone is reading this in Scotland get in touch because we are short on dive buddies up here!

 

[MDeren]

Hey. I live in Aberdeen and also looking for a buddy for spearfishing! Let me know if you are still interested! Cheers - Marek

 

[tiggrr]

Hey. I live in Aberdeen and also looking for a buddy for spearfishing! Let me know if you are still interested! Cheers - Marek

Have sent you a message Marek

 

[Stew345]

Hey man I’m really interested in getting into Spearfishing but I’m a complete newbie. I grew up in the tropics so am very comfortable in the water at least. I also had my first experience in cold water a few weeks back without a wetsuit and got on alright! I’m living in Aberdeen at the moment and I’m looking to get in touch with some more experienced spearfishermen who are looking for another buddy and could show me a thing or two! If you’re still around and wouldn’t mind me tagging along I’d really appreciate it! I will need to get all my gear figured out and purchased before joining though!

 

[MDeren]

Hey man I’m really interested in getting into Spearfishing but I’m a complete newbie. I grew up in the tropics so am very comfortable in the water at least. I also had my first experience in cold water a few weeks back without a wetsuit and got on alright! I’m living in Aberdeen at the moment and I’m looking to get in touch with some more experienced spearfishermen who are looking for another buddy and could show me a thing or two! If you’re still around and wouldn’t mind me tagging along I’d really appreciate it! I will need to get all my gear figured out and purchased before joining though!

Have sent you a message Stew

 

[Satdiver]

Hi Tggrr, I am also bassed in Aberdeen. I haven't done any spearfishing around Scotland, but have done a lot of saturation diving with my work. I have ordered a 5.5mm polo sub suit. I have had quite a few polo sub suits over the years and found them to be great. Before the COVID came along I was living in Bali, how the world has changed so fast....

 

[Daniel son]

Hey Guys,
I live in moray but currently in WA and have discovered spearfishing. I'm looking to keep it up when I get back (sometime this year) so if there's any locals here it would be cool to hear from you. Also keen to keep up pool training if that happens up our way?
Cheers

 

[CampbellTough]

Hey, I was just searching the internet looking for others in the area that have experience either free-diving or spear fishing and see if there was the chance to tag along! I have no experience but I am pretty strong in the water (coming from a competitive swimming background). If there is any chance to buddy up and learn a thing or two I’d love to get involved!

New to this forum though, so not sure how best to get in touch. Any help / recommendations are appreciated!

 

[borys]

Hi Guys. I live in Aberdeen as well. I am looking for a people that want to have some regular trainings in the pool. Anyone?

 

[Grizzle245]

Hi all. I'm also based in Aberdeen looking to get into the sport. Anyone met up around the cove area ? Seems like a good place

 

[flyingdelvo]

Hi All,

Inverness based (Moray Firth) and getting back into the sport after a decade break. Be good to fish with other folk East or West coast.

 

[TMach]

Hey everyone, I'm from Aberdeen and have just got all my gear for freediving. Anyone around who's lucky for a buddy?