-
Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:
- Join over 47,943+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
- Participate in and browse from over 531,990+ posts.
- Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
- Post your own photos or view from 7,455+ user submitted images.
- All this and much more...
You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
Dorset Spearfishing 2013
- Thread starter misterlizard
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 90 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
For boat traffic at Hengistbury Head it's also worth considering the state of the tide at Christchurch Entrance (Mudeford) - a lot of the boats can't get out of the harbour over low water & so high water is when most of the boats pass through.
On the ebb, there is a large but slow eddy/slack water area inshore at Hengistbury Head, west of the groyne.. I was in the ebbing tide race at the end of the groyne the other week being pushed in the direction of Swanage - this was on a neap tide and too fast for me to swim against - by working my way across the tide towards land I got myself into the inshore counter current. On the flood, the tide pulls eastwards a lot closer to land.
If spear fishing the Beerpan rocks area, it may be best to get there a bit before slack water before the ebb, otherwise you can get pushed down towards Christchurch/Highcliffe area on the flood without much time to explore. To get the slack water time & current direction, I use the current prediction from the nearest local buoy listed in my Navionics smartphone app (charts and their tidal diamonds can also be used). Slackwater and the time the direction of the current changes is often different to the high and low water times.
On the ebb, there is a large but slow eddy/slack water area inshore at Hengistbury Head, west of the groyne.. I was in the ebbing tide race at the end of the groyne the other week being pushed in the direction of Swanage - this was on a neap tide and too fast for me to swim against - by working my way across the tide towards land I got myself into the inshore counter current. On the flood, the tide pulls eastwards a lot closer to land.
If spear fishing the Beerpan rocks area, it may be best to get there a bit before slack water before the ebb, otherwise you can get pushed down towards Christchurch/Highcliffe area on the flood without much time to explore. To get the slack water time & current direction, I use the current prediction from the nearest local buoy listed in my Navionics smartphone app (charts and their tidal diamonds can also be used). Slackwater and the time the direction of the current changes is often different to the high and low water times.
well there is food and so on coming through the river mouth and bait fish. you sea a floatilla of fishing boats on the west side of heng head and people will drift the ebb tide all the way to poole. in fact the previous owner of my now sold raider 18 did that once, turned round (with the outboard up) and had the ferry bearing down on him... the boat was deflected by the ferry bow wave and an aggressive turn on the ferry's part...
Even with 10kgs and a compressed 5mm wetsuit, I am still positively buoyant in less than 5m.
Some of the Dorset marks are rocky and have seaweed and kelp which you can grab onto when you are down but may also be a quite a walk... when fishing such marks would it be feasible to say drop the amount of lead taken to half and just hold onto the bottom? Does anyone do this?
Some of the Dorset marks are rocky and have seaweed and kelp which you can grab onto when you are down but may also be a quite a walk... when fishing such marks would it be feasible to say drop the amount of lead taken to half and just hold onto the bottom? Does anyone do this?
Kuya id say you should use a little more weight or weights to suit the depth your diving to ,to be neutral ? Sure others will say be positively bouyant and play safe.i think yoy dont wont to be strugging to stay down wasting air.But ive not done any free dive training so im sure others will say the opposite.You could drop a big 'drop weight' and pull your self down to your mark .May be useing a big float or baord.it will be very hard to get down and stay down otherwise? Whats your thoughts?
Mate, I use 12kg with my 5mm suit; I'm 14 stone. 5-6 m and im staying down.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the replies.
I thought by going from a 7mm suit to a 5mm I could lose a few kilos, seems it's not the case when diving shallow water. For my local marks I will take an extra 2kg if in the shallows.
However I was also thinking of ways to get the weight down for those long walks in the Purbeck Hills.
I thought by going from a 7mm suit to a 5mm I could lose a few kilos, seems it's not the case when diving shallow water. For my local marks I will take an extra 2kg if in the shallows.
However I was also thinking of ways to get the weight down for those long walks in the Purbeck Hills.
Weight is a personal preference. I prefer to be overweighted on deeper dives 10m and over. I get to 6m then stop finning and fall like a brick! Then no effort to hold bottom. Just a bit off a bugger to get off the bottom, especially if it's silty. If I was in the slightest bit of trouble I would ditch the belt without hesitation.
This season I have been pretty much exploring the shallows at night. With probably 1in 15 dives being during the day.
I would say that I stick to 1-3 meters of water at night for 75% of my dives. Red mullet and plaice tend to be a bit deeper over sand 4-8m at night. Sole, flounder, mullet and bass in knee deep. So being overweighted for me is a must to get down in 2-3m to line up a shot for a fish.
Crawling on my belly through thick kelp and rocks in 1m vis seems to be my usual tactic.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
This season I have been pretty much exploring the shallows at night. With probably 1in 15 dives being during the day.
I would say that I stick to 1-3 meters of water at night for 75% of my dives. Red mullet and plaice tend to be a bit deeper over sand 4-8m at night. Sole, flounder, mullet and bass in knee deep. So being overweighted for me is a must to get down in 2-3m to line up a shot for a fish.
Crawling on my belly through thick kelp and rocks in 1m vis seems to be my usual tactic.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
hi all looking to start spearfishing been snorkling for a while and would like some advice on places that are safe for a beginer in and around bournemouth/poole also would like sombody to go with as my freinds are not into this sport.any advice would be great many thnx.
I did my first night dive on Friday, it was awesome! Didn't get to Swanage as we stopped at studland to check the viz, it looked good so we got in there. Can't believe how much more there is to see after dark, although the only sizeable bass shot off as soon as I saw it, there were small Sole everywhere, squid, spider crabs, flounders, mullet, and a nice Brill. The only fish I caught was the brill, and I picked that up in my hands! Let it go though, couldn't bring myself to kill such a tame and relaxed fish. Can't wait to go again this weekend!
hi ash tnx for ur reply.u free this weekend? i got a few places i know of but not really places to go by myself.i got a 60cm gun will this be ok.
Hi Rog, not too sure this weekend, hopefully will be able to get out at some point. Have you got an idea of when you fancy a dip? A lot of people start with a 75cm but a 60cm will be fine especially in some of the low vis conditions. I haven't managed to get round to PM you yet, what area do you live?
Seas looking great as I didn't bring me gear this week typical!small swell coming in aloneg boscombe pier way the surfers n paddle boarders are playing on .Shame the piers got so many fishermen on it could be some life under it.whats the depth on the end of pier just out of interest.
The water is about 3 m deep under the pier (up -+1.5m) depending on tide. There is not much to hold fish there, just thick concrete piles. Bournemouth Pier could be a better fish holding pier. Have only been under Boscombe Pier once (daytime in the depths of winter) so can't say for sure.
It's a shame you left the gear. The wind has been mostly offshore (north westerly) the last few days flattening the sea off.
I will try and get in Thursday.
It's a shame you left the gear. The wind has been mostly offshore (north westerly) the last few days flattening the sea off.
I will try and get in Thursday.
hi all i have fished the pier with rod and been snorkling under.under bournemouth pier the most commom fishes are as follows small pollock when tide is in. also small school bass on low tide.there is the ocasional bass ov about 3-6lb at night but these dont get caught much.about 100yds of the end ov the pier there is a chance of rays ov various kinds a couple weeks ago i guy nearly caught a nice thornback of about 8-10lb but failed to get it onto the pier.also bream off the end about 70yds. makerel are the most popular fish caught on rod here when tide comming in.also sole and other flat fish off the sides. better places to go would be to find were the hidden reefs are along the beaches.