Guernsey 2013

[foxfish]

Andy, if you search for wetsuits on the forum you will find hundreds of post offering opinions on every aspect of every suit....

Two made to 'measure companies' come up all the time, Elios suits & Oceanos suits.
Elios probably have the best reputation for quality but are expensive & slow to deal with - oceanos are much cheaper & pretty fast.
I have owned both & personally I feel oceanos are by far the best value, perfectly adequate & are the ones I prefer however, there is no doubt Elios are very good suits too.
There are a few main options that matter in my mind.... made to measure or off the peg - for anyone who is not off the peg shape - then MTM is essential & will make a big difference! ..... smooth skin inside or nylon lined inside - if you are not to prone to the cold & want a really long lasting tough suit then lined inside is great, if you want the ultimate warmth possible the smooth skin inside is the way to go.

Look here for great value Grey Abstract Camo Wetsuit

 

[Spirit]

Thanks, perfectly adequate should do for me. Would you recommend the 5mm lined for our sea temperatures? Prices seem pretty good too.

I am trying (and succeeding) to lose a little weight so might have to reduce my waist measurement a little then hope it stretches for the 1st few months.

 

[foxfish]

Yes 5mm is good, I have the green camo in a slick interior & the grey camo with a lined interior... the slick version need lubrication to get on but is lovely & warm however they dont last that long in my hands & I ripped one almost in half a few years back trying to get it off! (I am very heavy handed with that sort of thing though)
My other suit with the lining is very easy to get on & off but it is not quite so warm & perhaps more importantly not so comfortable however it is a lot stronger!
I think you should go for a slick model for your first custom suit though, long johns & attached hood, loading pad is good too.
The last one I bought was about £135 delivered. (the prices are in dollars)

 

[foxfish]

This might interest some of you http://forums.deeperblue.com/spearf...ballistics-test-international.html#post909656

 

[Yeti]

Yep. Of interest. Cheers

 

[Sebbles]

Hello

Could anyone tell me where I can find the Guernsey minimium size limits? I can only seem to find UK & Jersey laws.

Thanks

 

[Jonny250]

Hello

Could anyone tell me where I can find the Guernsey minimium size limits? I can only seem to find UK & Jersey laws.

Thanks

Hi Sebbles, i just found this:
http://bailiwickalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Guernsey-Fishing-Guidelines1.pdf

however as a suggestion, you may want to 'go large' on the minimum sizes.

 

[Magpie]

As Jonny says, those minimum sizes are pretty minimum and you won't find many spearfishermen who would stick to them. The joy of the spearfishing is how selective it is so you can choose exactly which fish you take, allowing you to pick the fish that will give you a decent feed.

 

[Spirit]

Hi Sebbles, i just found this:
http://bailiwickalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Guernsey-Fishing-Guidelines1.pdf

however as a suggestion, you may want to 'go large' on the minimum sizes.

Thanks, have bookmarked it.

Interesting bit about small cetaceans. Does that mean that if a humpback strays into our waters, it is fair game?

 

[Yeti]

absolutely!?

.....although you may want to up the weight of your dynema on your lanyard....and maybe a bigger float?? :hmm

 

[Sebbles]

Thanks Jonny, thats just what I was looking for. I mainly wanted to see the minimum size of spider crabs as i've found a couple of big ones recently.

 

[Fro-in-shorts]

anyone dived with the seals over here? I checked my pots the other day and there was a big one following me around rocquaine. Was wondering if anyone had had any good experiences or problems with them, as given that I'm in the water a lot i'm going to bump into one at some point. I've surfed around seals a lot but generally on a surfboard they give you a wide berth.

might give a swim or pot check a miss today

 

[sidders]

Hi guys, am pretty new to spear fishing and was after some pointers of where's good to go is there anywhere round vazon way and what's the best way to get my weight belt right, trial and error ? got loads of questions but don't want to bore you all straight away

 

[Spirit]

anyone dived with the seals over here? I checked my pots the other day and there was a big one following me around rocquaine. Was wondering if anyone had had any good experiences or problems with them, as given that I'm in the water a lot i'm going to bump into one at some point. I've surfed around seals a lot but generally on a surfboard they give you a wide berth.

might give a swim or pot check a miss today

The seal around Rocquaine has been there for a few years. Haven't heard about any problems, he always keeps his distance when I see him. Richard Curtis, the Lihou warden knows a fair bit about him, I believe.

 

[foxfish]

Hi Sidders, the whole of our coast has potential for good fishing but I would be very careful around vazon due the the extreme activity in the bay, windsurfers & kite surfers are not likely to spot you all the time! Cobo is better but also has plenty of boat activity, make sure you tow a marker float!
Trial & error - yes, although you can need different amounts of wieght for different circumstances & depths!
Tell us more about your kit, what type & thickness of suit etc...

 

[foxfish]

I have swum with seals a few times, the big males can be a little intimidating it must be said!! However I have never had a bad experience, there is a very friendly (or perhaps inquisitive) female around the west coast most summers.

 

[Magpie]

Its the question that people new to the sport always come and ask and Foxfish is right, you can catch fish pretty much everywhere around our coast. From town all the way round to the fairy ring I can't think of a 500m stretch where there isn't a good spearing spot. Yes, plenty of fish in vazon, but stick to either end to keep away from the crowds.

The south coast is no doubt the same but much more inaccessible.

Just get out there and see what you see, exploring is a big part of the fun.

Weight wise you should have enough to help you get down, but not enough that you are negatively bouyant at any depth when you are starting out. As an example in a standard 5mm suit, and being a pretty average build, I'll use somewhere between 16 and 24lbs depending on the type of diving I'm doing that day.

 

[Jonny250]

I'll use somewhere between 16 and 24lbs depending on the type of diving I'm doing that day.

too much ?

 

[Jonny250]

i had a funny seal encounter a couple of years ago - nearly zero vis and i was on the bottom - saw a shadow pass over and thought maybe a huge fish... next thing i knew i had a seals face literally in my face, eye to eye, nose to nose, we both reacted equally fast - me heading for the surface, no idea where the seal went. laughed about it afterwards, shame i didnt have the presence of mind to keep calm and carry on...

perhaps the presence of seals means there are fish around, or maybe the presence of a seal means the fish have swimmed away???

 

[foxfish]

too much ?

For general diving I use about 16lb & for shallow water surface hunting I use about 22lb.
I few years back when the bass were more abundant & the weather seemed calmer I (we) used to fish the shallow weed beds very regularly in fact we would dive for flats over the sand on every available spring tide & the shallows for most of the other times.
So I had two sets of kit - angle weights, sinking short fins & a 20lb weight belt with a fish ring fitted on the back of the belt (no float)
For flatfishing we would ditch the ankle weight, 16lb belt, use longer fins & use a float.