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Cape Town South Africa
- Thread starter dic
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Ag damn there goes my hotdog :yack . It smelled funny in places on saturday too. GB harbour looked kinda scary aswell, I would not even want to swim in some places there
This is terrible. Does anybody know which wind we need to clean this muck.
It looks like a SE all the way to the weekend, so the Atlantic might be a good option. Unfortunately I am stuck at sea untill Tuesday:head
It looks like a SE all the way to the weekend, so the Atlantic might be a good option. Unfortunately I am stuck at sea untill Tuesday:head
Hiya
Sadly, this red tide has been known to stay for up to 6 months!!! Even worse, its now STILL up to 18nm off-shore. I managed to find clean blue water at about 26nm from Cape Point!!:vangry
Looks like the West Coast is the only option at this time.....
Sadly, this red tide has been known to stay for up to 6 months!!! Even worse, its now STILL up to 18nm off-shore. I managed to find clean blue water at about 26nm from Cape Point!!:vangry
Looks like the West Coast is the only option at this time.....
Yeah miles i heard it was all the way out in your playground.... Rockbrother the SE isnt doing false bay any favours as far as the red tide is concerned. So yeah its basically a case of diving the atlantic. I might go shoot some hotties at bakoven out of boredom this weekend. Depending on the SE strength. Or if all else fails see if my brother is launching at yzer and then go splash around dassen.
Here's some details on the red tide:
THE red tide (also known as red death), which has prevailed around the False Bay coast for the past three weeks and which this week saw various forms of marine life washed up dead on our beaches, has drawn widespread reaction from far and wide.
Helderberg residents, have during the past few weeks seen a large number of dead fish, crayfish, crabs, sea urchins, worms, star fish, sea cucumbers, octopi and other marine creatures (photos above) washed up along the shore and have claimed that the sea stinks.
People frequenting Harbour Island say there is a particularly strong smell coming from the sea and a wide variety of marine life is lying dead and rotting around the harbour.
The reason for the strong smell is the amounts of dying fish and sea creatures, and because the red tide is concentrated in a smaller enclosed area.
In his book Strike - The book on Salt Water Fishing in Southern Africa, Advocate Fanie Schoeman (who died at the age of 91 in 2006) writes some fish and marine animals are more affected by the red tide than others. Among these are kob, white steenbras, red steenbras, blue and white musselcracker, blacktail, galjoen, wildeperd, romans, crayfish, prawns, starfish, sea anemones, alikreukel, octopus and squid.
He says certain species of fish such as geelbek, mackerel, elf and mullet seem immune to the toxic effects of the red tide. Some people have even confused the red colour of the sea water with sewage and pollution and have blamed the municipality for this.
Many have also phoned the DistrictMail reporting dead fish and other sea life along the beach. Although it is not toxic to humans it is not advisable to eat the sea creatures affected by it.
Advocate Schoeman explains in his book that red tide, which can range in colour from orange through to brown red and even purple or yellow, as the sudden breeding of a form of plankton, "the tiny first link in the sea's food chain".
"Offshore winds dredging across the surface water cause an upswelling from the depths. Together with the cooler water, the microscopic organisms responsible for Red Tide are drawn to the surface. If sunny days and calm seas follow, they bloom in spectacular profusion, sometimes reaching densities of more than five million per litre of sea water. When conditions become unfavourable, the organism simply contracts into a hard ball, sinks backs into the depths and awaits its next call."
In a booklet on red tide written by Irma van der Vyver and Dr Grant Pitcher, they explain that dense concentrations of red tide organisms can also suffocate fish by clogging or irritating their gills, so that they cannot extract sufficient oxygen from the water.
They quote that in 1962 the mortality of more than 100 tons of fish in False Bay was attributed to gill clogging.
Red tides may also kill indirectly by depleting the oxygen dissolved in the water. The mass mortality of the red tide organisms once the nutrients have been depleted, results in an increase in the number of bacteria which are responsible for the decomposition in the sea. The activities of this huge population of bacteria soon deplete the oxygen in the water, leading to the death of other marine animals.
The length of time a red tide can stay in an area is determined by the weather and can therefore stay in an area for many months. Good news for Helderbergers is that on Wednesday the South Easter had picked up and if it continues to blow for a few days, it could eventually disperse the red tide.
THE red tide (also known as red death), which has prevailed around the False Bay coast for the past three weeks and which this week saw various forms of marine life washed up dead on our beaches, has drawn widespread reaction from far and wide.
Helderberg residents, have during the past few weeks seen a large number of dead fish, crayfish, crabs, sea urchins, worms, star fish, sea cucumbers, octopi and other marine creatures (photos above) washed up along the shore and have claimed that the sea stinks.
People frequenting Harbour Island say there is a particularly strong smell coming from the sea and a wide variety of marine life is lying dead and rotting around the harbour.
The reason for the strong smell is the amounts of dying fish and sea creatures, and because the red tide is concentrated in a smaller enclosed area.
In his book Strike - The book on Salt Water Fishing in Southern Africa, Advocate Fanie Schoeman (who died at the age of 91 in 2006) writes some fish and marine animals are more affected by the red tide than others. Among these are kob, white steenbras, red steenbras, blue and white musselcracker, blacktail, galjoen, wildeperd, romans, crayfish, prawns, starfish, sea anemones, alikreukel, octopus and squid.
He says certain species of fish such as geelbek, mackerel, elf and mullet seem immune to the toxic effects of the red tide. Some people have even confused the red colour of the sea water with sewage and pollution and have blamed the municipality for this.
Many have also phoned the DistrictMail reporting dead fish and other sea life along the beach. Although it is not toxic to humans it is not advisable to eat the sea creatures affected by it.
Advocate Schoeman explains in his book that red tide, which can range in colour from orange through to brown red and even purple or yellow, as the sudden breeding of a form of plankton, "the tiny first link in the sea's food chain".
"Offshore winds dredging across the surface water cause an upswelling from the depths. Together with the cooler water, the microscopic organisms responsible for Red Tide are drawn to the surface. If sunny days and calm seas follow, they bloom in spectacular profusion, sometimes reaching densities of more than five million per litre of sea water. When conditions become unfavourable, the organism simply contracts into a hard ball, sinks backs into the depths and awaits its next call."
In a booklet on red tide written by Irma van der Vyver and Dr Grant Pitcher, they explain that dense concentrations of red tide organisms can also suffocate fish by clogging or irritating their gills, so that they cannot extract sufficient oxygen from the water.
They quote that in 1962 the mortality of more than 100 tons of fish in False Bay was attributed to gill clogging.
Red tides may also kill indirectly by depleting the oxygen dissolved in the water. The mass mortality of the red tide organisms once the nutrients have been depleted, results in an increase in the number of bacteria which are responsible for the decomposition in the sea. The activities of this huge population of bacteria soon deplete the oxygen in the water, leading to the death of other marine animals.
The length of time a red tide can stay in an area is determined by the weather and can therefore stay in an area for many months. Good news for Helderbergers is that on Wednesday the South Easter had picked up and if it continues to blow for a few days, it could eventually disperse the red tide.
Camps bay side has mostly clean clear water, and if not there youll almost certainly be able to find a clear spot somewhere along that coast line, mostly hotties to shoot though...
As far as I know the only happy wind in Stilbaai area is a westerly so pack your rod just in case Im rite and bring lots of booze and wood rofl . We can always hop down to puntjie and go for a low tide shorie if the water is good, cause se is normally better for that side of the point. Only thing is that it must be during low tide as the waves at high makes the sandstone reefs a bit murky, but if we hit it on a good day it will be some awesome spearing, think I mite head there on Firday anyways its only a hours drive from Stilbaai...
According to News 24 there has been reports of toxic red tid on the West coast (Lamberts Bay area) Some people suffered from paralytic shellfish poisoning. Luckely the red tide in Valse bay is not of the toxic type.
DT as you know im setting up a little site for the Bellville spearfishing club, www.underwaterclub.net. Im now slowly starting to populate the site with information. Its far from finished yet but im hoping this will get more people to join. If your bored then just quickly register an account im still testing some stuff out.
Hi all.
I would just like to introduce myself to you all in Cape Town. Ryan Johnson, a marine biologist by trade, spent the last 8 years up in Gansbaai and Mosselbaai doing my doctorate on Great whites. Now here in Cape Town and im looking to advance from spearfishing and diving into freediving. Any help or suggestions to hook up with people and get into this would be great.
Thanks
Ryan
I would just like to introduce myself to you all in Cape Town. Ryan Johnson, a marine biologist by trade, spent the last 8 years up in Gansbaai and Mosselbaai doing my doctorate on Great whites. Now here in Cape Town and im looking to advance from spearfishing and diving into freediving. Any help or suggestions to hook up with people and get into this would be great.
Thanks
Ryan
What a awesome weekend we had at Jongensfontein... a quick report.
Left CT on wednesday morning and arrived to a distessed choppy sea so we set up camp and went to the store for some refreshments. Thursday the westerly wind cleared the sea a bit but still no divable waters friday we went for a shore dive in very murky 2 to 3m viz which stayed on for the supposed saturday comp so we moved it to sunday to see if conditions will improve a bit more as it got a bit better each day. So we basically spent everyday partying from Wednesday to saturday... Sunday we woke up to amazingly flat water with a slow rolling 3m swell so we went out to call the comp and upon arrival at the blinder had a game on call from all 6 boats in the water. What a awesome day of spearing in 4-5m viz with water temps ranging from 19 to 21 deg. I started my comp with a 1.4ish kg parrot and then added a 1.9ish red roman and a 1.3kg bream. My highlight of the comp must have been when I missed a shot at a gallie out at odendals point from the surface while swimming closer to shore in 8m viz as I pulled up my spear and set it back to start loading a whole school of probably 30 to 40 leeries appeared so suddenly I had to look twice before I realised what they were. I loaded my gun with the bands crossing each other in the excitement, unloaded and reloaded while the school was making slow circles around me on their third pass I was ready for a shot and also started to notice them moving on as I tried to line up a shot on the biggest fish I have ever encountered while spearing but they were moving to fast and in a attempt not to spook the whole school I opted for a slower swimming 3.7kg leerie swimming in the back of the school, which I stoned with a head shot. I got back in the boat with suct a adrenalin rush and big smile I had to wait a while to get back into the water. We moved on to another spot down the coast and I ended my day with another parrot in the 1.5kg range. All in all it was a awesome day with big cracker landed and some big yellow tail and also a few red stump. The perfect day of diving to end the perfect weekend of partying
Left CT on wednesday morning and arrived to a distessed choppy sea so we set up camp and went to the store for some refreshments. Thursday the westerly wind cleared the sea a bit but still no divable waters friday we went for a shore dive in very murky 2 to 3m viz which stayed on for the supposed saturday comp so we moved it to sunday to see if conditions will improve a bit more as it got a bit better each day. So we basically spent everyday partying from Wednesday to saturday... Sunday we woke up to amazingly flat water with a slow rolling 3m swell so we went out to call the comp and upon arrival at the blinder had a game on call from all 6 boats in the water. What a awesome day of spearing in 4-5m viz with water temps ranging from 19 to 21 deg. I started my comp with a 1.4ish kg parrot and then added a 1.9ish red roman and a 1.3kg bream. My highlight of the comp must have been when I missed a shot at a gallie out at odendals point from the surface while swimming closer to shore in 8m viz as I pulled up my spear and set it back to start loading a whole school of probably 30 to 40 leeries appeared so suddenly I had to look twice before I realised what they were. I loaded my gun with the bands crossing each other in the excitement, unloaded and reloaded while the school was making slow circles around me on their third pass I was ready for a shot and also started to notice them moving on as I tried to line up a shot on the biggest fish I have ever encountered while spearing but they were moving to fast and in a attempt not to spook the whole school I opted for a slower swimming 3.7kg leerie swimming in the back of the school, which I stoned with a head shot. I got back in the boat with suct a adrenalin rush and big smile I had to wait a while to get back into the water. We moved on to another spot down the coast and I ended my day with another parrot in the 1.5kg range. All in all it was a awesome day with big cracker landed and some big yellow tail and also a few red stump. The perfect day of diving to end the perfect weekend of partying