Azores in July anybody interested ?

[Aaron9]

Hey im Aaron 25 and i´m planning a trip to Illha das Flores from 14.07-26.07. Im new to spearfishing but i love it and of course it would be nice to have a diving buddy. So my plan is to dive from shore, charter a small boat or maybe do a guided trip out to corvo or whatever good spots there are. I`m planning to do some scuba diving and normal fishing aswell. So feel free to contact would be nice.

 

[vrokhlenko]

Please be aware that Flores, especially Ponta Delgada in the north, is a magnet for the Portuguese Men of War (Physalia). Getting hit on an upper lip (I got it three times in one day once) is extremely painful. Also beware of the currents - they are quite strong so it is better to go in between tides. I hunted on Flores many, many times...

 

[Takented42]

For many, July and August are the best time to visit the Azores.

 

[Takented42]

For many, July and August are the best time to visit the Azores.

Tellthebell

 

[Aaron9]

Please be aware that Flores, especially Ponta Delgada in the north, is a magnet for the Portuguese Men of War (Physalia). Getting hit on an upper lip (I got it three times in one day once) is extremely painful. Also beware of the currents - they are quite strong so it is better to go in between tides. I hunted on Flores many, many times...

Thanks for those tipps. About the jelly fish i don't worry too much. More about the currents, other boats and sharks. if you got any more safety advises for this stuff, please let me know.

 

[vrokhlenko]

Thanks for those tipps. About the jelly fish i don't worry too much. More about the currents, other boats and sharks. if you got any more safety advises for this stuff, please let me know.

It is not a jelly fish. It is much, much worse. I was afraid to go into a pain shock and drown - I actually took a hit INSIDE my mouth. Currents could be brutal - they will not take you out into the ocean far but they can prevent you from going in the direction you want to go for hours. So better go between tides. Other boats - absolutely not a problem as I barely saw them. people there fish mostly deep - up to 500 meters deep. Never saw sharks but once they ate two amberjacks off my float - only left heads dangling

 

[Aaron9]

Ohh fuck that sounds hard... and pretty unlucky aswell . Do they also sting threw wetsuits? And alright, so currents are the biggest issue. Good to hear. And hopefully those amberjacks haven't been to big.

 

[Aaron9]

And how did you get to your spots? I'm trying to get a scooter but it seems like mission impossible.

 

[vrokhlenko]

1) No Caravelas or Portuguese Men O'War or Physalia does not go through neoprene. But even a piece of tentacle is poisonous long after it separated from the creature
2) Here is some info for you. Flores is supposedly second best island for spearing after Corvo. However in the past three years it became outrageously expensive (car rentals reached 200 Euros per day due to shortage) and accommodations can be easily close to a 100 Euros per day as the do not cater to individual travelers. To get to the spots - you swim. Unless you hire a boat. It is used to be 20 Euros but these days are long gone. Without a boat but with a car your best option is Ponta Delgada in the North (see image attached). You swim out of the marina and turn left in the directions of those big rocks. Do not go close to them since it is a shallow sand there. Stay along the edge of the rocks. I used to kill a lot of fish there - amberjacks and bonitos. But a three years I got almost nothing there. It is probably an 800 meter swim but it is the best spot reachable without a boat. Currents can be strong so make sure you go between tides.
Other spots are: Faja Grande (very scarce fish, you can spend 4 hours in the water and see one amberjack or bluefish if you are lucky), Santa Cruz - you can go off the rocks, Porto de S. Pedro (Norther part of Santa Cruz, right at the end of the airport's landing strip, be careful there since while it is easy to jump in, getting out with waves could be very dangerous, I almost drowned there as the wave smacked me against the rock, see another image attached), Central Hidríca da Ilha das Flores - there is no marina there, you park your car next to this hydro-station and walk along the channel to shore and go from there. Other places accessible by car are not worth mentioning in my opinion - there are maybe a couple of them
Oops, could not attach San pedro file - sending directly

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[Aaron9]

1) alright

OK yeah cars are too expensive, my plan was to Go by Bus. since there are No scooters to rent. The way Back could be funny then if i should geht a big Amberjack or Something.
Alright great Tips! Many thanks. I Aint used to such open information about spots. In fishing Sharing a Spot is Like Sharing that your gay or Something Like that
Which gun would you recommend for this?
I thought about a 95cm Roller

 

[vrokhlenko]

Well, since by the looks of it you are poor - you are restricted to going from the shore. There are basically 5 spots in all of Flores reachable by a car from where you can go from the shore. So there is nothing to reveal actually. Ponta Delgada is the best but the most dangerous. I would say San Pedro is second. Faja Grande had been bad for the most part. The rest are even not worse mentioning. As far as the gun - I shoot air 85/90 cm. I assume your gun would be perfectly fine. Not sure how you will manage with the buses - they do not go everywhere and the schedule is all screwed up. However if you will be in Santa Cruz - you can probably walk to San Pedro or Pier in the center. Be prepared to shoot nothing - I had a few seasons like that. Or you can get lucky, Nobody knows

 

[Aaron9]

Alright, yeah Well fu**, so would you rather get a small boat?
Yeah lets See what IT bring's.

 

[vrokhlenko]

Well, a boat is highly recommended. With a boat you do not care about currents that much (as long as there is another person driving it). There are plenty of people who would take you out - not sure what would be the price now. Fuel is expensive. Used to be 20-30 Euros. Now - not sure.