Marcel
In Deeperblue there are many, many threads on this topic, with many and diverse views. I’ve been here before. I don’t want to go too far down this road of snorkel (free) diving versus tanks (scuba) but I’d just like to state a few facts.
My catch of yesterday was good for me (18 fish) and John, despite being a very experienced scuba flatfish diver, “only” got 6 fish. I have spent nearly 40 years diving around Guernsey. For most of that time I’ve worked at part time commercial fishing by diving. I’ve had a commercial fishing license and declared my fish, paid my taxes etc. Most of my catch has been flatfish. I am known locally as “the flatfish diver”. I believe that I’ve caught more flatfish than any other diver and probably more than most of the rest put together. I’ve retired from commercial fishing this year but I remain the best there is. I say this not out of bravado but as fact.
Making catches like yesterdays takes years of experience, knowledge and skill. If you think you can strap on a tank and do it then try. You’ll be disappointed.
Tales of “30 soles” etc are fishermen’s tales. Until 3 years ago my best day was 8 soles. Since then there have been 2 exceptional sole years and my 30+ year record of 8 is now 17 soles in a day. A day is minimum of 3x12 L tanks. But this is the best catch commercially by the best diver in 40 years fishing. By contrast a very average day for a commercial inshore netter is 100+ soles.
I’ve known people who are good scuba divers who haven’t caught more than a handful of flatfish in 10 years despite trying very hard. Once you start on diving for the more difficult flatfish like brill you are talking offshore banks, deep water and mega tides – that’s why the gravel banks are there. You might know of people who can freedive these banks but they would be one in a million, literally. The few others who might try would end up in trouble, even dead.
So to sum up; don’t expand from what I can catch to assume that it’s easy because I use tanks or that all tank divers can make these catches. They can’t and they don’t.
I love free diving too. I’ve caught over 30 bass this year, all with the speargun and definitely not with the tanks. Last snorkel dive I did for flats I got 13 plaice. However, if I want to fill my freezer with brill it would take me years and years of freediving to maybe get one or two if I was lucky. Greatly satisfying as this would be it’s not practical. Similarly free diving for scallops is impractical in Guernsey but scuba puts them on your plate and is bloody good fun too.
Get away from the idea that scuba fishing is easy and is somehow cheating and that free diving is some divine method. Free divers can over fished as much as scuba divers can but both pale into insignificance when compared to other fishing methods. We selectively take fish without over fishing or destroying their habitat or polluting their environment. Take the moral high ground as a diver-fisherman (free and scuba) and fight for preservation of fish stock against anyone and any thing that threatens our enjoyment and way of life. Live and let live. Do your own thing and as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, enjoy it.
Dave
In Deeperblue there are many, many threads on this topic, with many and diverse views. I’ve been here before. I don’t want to go too far down this road of snorkel (free) diving versus tanks (scuba) but I’d just like to state a few facts.
My catch of yesterday was good for me (18 fish) and John, despite being a very experienced scuba flatfish diver, “only” got 6 fish. I have spent nearly 40 years diving around Guernsey. For most of that time I’ve worked at part time commercial fishing by diving. I’ve had a commercial fishing license and declared my fish, paid my taxes etc. Most of my catch has been flatfish. I am known locally as “the flatfish diver”. I believe that I’ve caught more flatfish than any other diver and probably more than most of the rest put together. I’ve retired from commercial fishing this year but I remain the best there is. I say this not out of bravado but as fact.
Making catches like yesterdays takes years of experience, knowledge and skill. If you think you can strap on a tank and do it then try. You’ll be disappointed.
Tales of “30 soles” etc are fishermen’s tales. Until 3 years ago my best day was 8 soles. Since then there have been 2 exceptional sole years and my 30+ year record of 8 is now 17 soles in a day. A day is minimum of 3x12 L tanks. But this is the best catch commercially by the best diver in 40 years fishing. By contrast a very average day for a commercial inshore netter is 100+ soles.
I’ve known people who are good scuba divers who haven’t caught more than a handful of flatfish in 10 years despite trying very hard. Once you start on diving for the more difficult flatfish like brill you are talking offshore banks, deep water and mega tides – that’s why the gravel banks are there. You might know of people who can freedive these banks but they would be one in a million, literally. The few others who might try would end up in trouble, even dead.
So to sum up; don’t expand from what I can catch to assume that it’s easy because I use tanks or that all tank divers can make these catches. They can’t and they don’t.
I love free diving too. I’ve caught over 30 bass this year, all with the speargun and definitely not with the tanks. Last snorkel dive I did for flats I got 13 plaice. However, if I want to fill my freezer with brill it would take me years and years of freediving to maybe get one or two if I was lucky. Greatly satisfying as this would be it’s not practical. Similarly free diving for scallops is impractical in Guernsey but scuba puts them on your plate and is bloody good fun too.
Get away from the idea that scuba fishing is easy and is somehow cheating and that free diving is some divine method. Free divers can over fished as much as scuba divers can but both pale into insignificance when compared to other fishing methods. We selectively take fish without over fishing or destroying their habitat or polluting their environment. Take the moral high ground as a diver-fisherman (free and scuba) and fight for preservation of fish stock against anyone and any thing that threatens our enjoyment and way of life. Live and let live. Do your own thing and as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, enjoy it.
Dave