Guernsey 2008

[portinfer]

Well thought I'd start a new trip report for spearfishing in Guernsey in 2008.

This thread has come along way from the early days of glimpsing silver tails and using a rusty 50cm footloader. From asking what a bass was, to catching a few, to the 2006 thread and the 2007 thread. Progess...

The original Guernsey Summer Fishing thread had a simple aim :
"...hopefully encourage more people to take up the sport and get out of the armchairs and into the brine." This has definitely happened and there is now a good bunch of folk diving and getting together for dive related mayhem.

Anyway my aims for 2008 include the following:

-- To catch a Gilthead bream
-- To dive to 20m
-- To dive more days than I did in 2007

Simple really !

All the best for 2008.

Ed

 

[Magpie]

Premature as always Ed! Hope you feel proud and slightly wary of what you started!

 

[ADM]

Well it's still only the 28th...

Easy targets... Get in the water and use the darn gun and suit I spent a fortune on rather more than in 2006 and 2007!! But then I said that last time and spent more time with the rods in the end.

 

[Spaniard]

I'd like to see/catch a bass in August 2008. Failing that, get hammered and eat well.........maybe wrestle with Podge, learn to fillet from Mart, go on OMD's boat, chin wag with Derek, melt into my chair by the fire, not get burnt by molten marshmallow (cheers sarah ;-)) All good stuff!

 

[podge]

maybe wrestle with Podge,

Wrestling you say, only if there’s a pit filled with lime jelly and a heap of half-naked ladies rolling around.rofl

Happy New Year to all the Gentlemen of Guernsey:friday

 

[glowworm]

Happy New Year to everybody in Guernsey :friday:friday

 

[Old Man Dave]

Happy New Year to one and all.

Dave

 

[SurfnSpear]

Happy New Year to you guys over there!

 

[Pastor]

From one island to another, Happy new year :friday

 

[grob]

Happy new year guys. Here's to more wettage and fun in 2008.

All the best.

Cheers,

Grob

 

[beardy241]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFmbVBeUS4A]YouTube - Snorkel 1-1-08[/ame]

Snorkeling in South Africa

At long last, I was able to go snorkeling yesterday at Buffels Bay - the other end of the bay from where we are staying. There's constant BIG surf rolling here so it's virtually impossible to get your face under the water without being sliced and diced and given a major rinse-cycle!

4 miles away at Buffels there's a small headland that affords a tiny amount of shelter from the swell. I spent about half an hour in the water - no wetsuit but quite comfortably warm - and saw LOTS of fiiiish!! Happy day!!

In the video you'll see some zebra striped dudes (name unknown but probably 'zebra-fish'!), lots of Dassies (or 'Black Tails' with black spots near their tails), zillions of yellow-striped Strepies, a funky looking box-fish called an Evileye Blaasop and watchout for the Lesser Spotted Bellybutton Fish.

Just got back again from another outing. Saw the same squillions of fish as yesterday plus, a couple of varieties of abalone, lots of colourful urchins, and a couple of different starfish — all in 4ft of water!!

There was a bit of a swell running in today so kept it simple. Am hoping to try another site maybe tomorrow.

[m]

 

[Old Man Dave]

Looks fun Marcel. Vis over here (back home) is about 6 inches by the look of it and it's about zero air temperature to boot. Bring back some decent weather when you come.

Dave

 

[beardy241]

Will see what I can do - I'll try to be selective... it's chucking it down with rain tonight but it's still over 15°C

[m]

 

[beardy241]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kmPGy1l9Wk]YouTube - Snorkeling Buffels Bay - 2nd Jan 08[/ame]

Got out snorkeling with sister-in-law Carol this afternoon. It was severely overcast, a bit chill and Carol forgot her snorkel (we think it's then called 'masking').

Saw the same suspects on the fish front but this time stayed shallow and spent more time looking in crevices. Saw 2 different types of starfish, two types abalone (like 'ormers' from Guernsey), fousands of colourful sea-urchins and a lone crab tucked up in a hole. Very pleasing.

As I write the weather is delivering some extreme rain. I'm hoping it'll clear overnight so Murray and I can head out to another site in the morning.

Feels great to get in the water here.

[m]

 

[beardy241]

Found an excellent site today from a freediving spearfisher in South Africa. Lots of good information that would apply anywhere in the world.

Underwater Hunting on Squidoo

[m]

 

[Sarnian]

Happy New Year to all.

Nice vid and good site Marcel ( no wonder they're called wahoo!) - sounds like fun.

Back in the land of the living after going down with flu on New Year's Eve. Just managed to survive our dinner party. Pics of fishy starters attached.

 

[podge]

That looks great Col bet it tasted as good as it looks to.
Only one thing I could only see 3 bottles of wine, what did everybody else drink…rofl

 

[Sarnian]

Hi Podge - yeah not bad, followed by fillet of beef and of course, Mandy's ice cream - a new recipe using sloes from sloe gin, as you suggested, topped with a bit of the sloe gin. A great idea, which went down very well.

p.s. eventual bottle count was 14, but there were 8 of us...:friday

Look forward to seeing you and the rest of the gang in 2008.

 

[podge]

Nice one Col and the only reason I won’t be there in August is if I’m dead.

 

[ADM]

Planning to swim if it's rough then? See if you can spear something nice on the way across!!