South Devon 2019

I still post now and again but dont seem to have the time to dive these days like i used to. Back in the day when it was the place to go to deeperblue forums where the best. I am not sure what happened though. A mix of to popular and facebook killed it i guess.
I was recovering from a tumour on my spine at the time. I was told i would never walk proper again. I proved them wrong by spending everyday in the water spearfishing which help me recover and get the strength back in my legs.
I remember getting remarks from certain well known spearfishermen asking who i was and how come i was spearfishing everyday, didnt i have a job. I could pick up the bitterness in there writings. I never told them i was a cancer victim fighting my way through recovery. There was no reason for them to know my personal life. This was just a spearfishing forum not Facebook.
I could spend 6/7hours a day in the water when the weather allowed. Nobody seen me crawling back to the car some days because the legs was like jelly. To cut a long story short someone mentioned it wasnt right i was off sick and going spearfishing. After that i limited my post plus i removed much of what i had already posted.
By then lots more people had joined. If you posted someone would jump on the post and bullshit something or just plainly be rude. Most of the genuine guys started to take a back seat until they all faded away.
By then Facebook was popular and still is. Its your choice if you want to post in the mainstream spearo pages. Or post on your own page, that way picking your audience. If someone is rude or piss you off just remove them from your own group but still keeping them as a friend.
My girlfriend moaned once that all she ever sees on my FB page is fish. Guess what, she got blocked. I will keep posting on here when i dive. Hopefully it will pick up again

shiny1 said:

I still post now and again but dont seem to have the time to dive these days like i used to. Back in the day when it was the place to go to deeperblue forums where the best. I am not sure what happened though. A mix of to popular and facebook killed it i guess.
I was recovering from a tumour on my spine at the time. I was told i would never walk proper again. I proved them wrong by spending everyday in the water spearfishing which help me recover and get the strength back in my legs.
I remember getting remarks from certain well known spearfishermen asking who i was and how come i was spearfishing everyday, didnt i have a job. I could pick up the bitterness in there writings. I never told them i was a cancer victim fighting my way through recovery. There was no reason for them to know my personal life. This was just a spearfishing forum not Facebook.
I could spend 6/7hours a day in the water when the weather allowed. Nobody seen me crawling back to the car some days because the legs was like jelly. To cut a long story short someone mentioned it wasnt right i was off sick and going spearfishing. After that i limited my post plus i removed much of what i had already posted.
By then lots more people had joined. If you posted someone would jump on the post and bullshit something or just plainly be rude. Most of the genuine guys started to take a back seat until they all faded away.
By then Facebook was popular and still is. Its your choice if you want to post in the mainstream spearo pages. Or post on your own page, that way picking your audience. If someone is rude or piss you off just remove them from your own group but still keeping them as a friend.
My girlfriend moaned once that all she ever sees on my FB page is fish. Guess what, she got blocked. I will keep posting on here when i dive. Hopefully it will pick up again

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A brave man, respect to you, good hunting

shiny1 said:

I still post now and again but dont seem to have the time to dive these days like i used to. Back in the day when it was the place to go to deeperblue forums where the best. I am not sure what happened though. A mix of to popular and facebook killed it i guess.
I was recovering from a tumour on my spine at the time. I was told i would never walk proper again. I proved them wrong by spending everyday in the water spearfishing which help me recover and get the strength back in my legs.
I remember getting remarks from certain well known spearfishermen asking who i was and how come i was spearfishing everyday, didnt i have a job. I could pick up the bitterness in there writings. I never told them i was a cancer victim fighting my way through recovery. There was no reason for them to know my personal life. This was just a spearfishing forum not Facebook.
I could spend 6/7hours a day in the water when the weather allowed. Nobody seen me crawling back to the car some days because the legs was like jelly. To cut a long story short someone mentioned it wasnt right i was off sick and going spearfishing. After that i limited my post plus i removed much of what i had already posted.
By then lots more people had joined. If you posted someone would jump on the post and bullshit something or just plainly be rude. Most of the genuine guys started to take a back seat until they all faded away.
By then Facebook was popular and still is. Its your choice if you want to post in the mainstream spearo pages. Or post on your own page, that way picking your audience. If someone is rude or piss you off just remove them from your own group but still keeping them as a friend.
My girlfriend moaned once that all she ever sees on my FB page is fish. Guess what, she got blocked. I will keep posting on here when i dive. Hopefully it will pick up again

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Respect to you Shiny for posting and the grit you showed whilst going through tough times. Always enjoyed your posts and been inspired by your ability. Looking forward to future posts.

This was from a couple of weeks back. Dived one of my old plaice spots. First time this season. The winter storms always moves the sand around so you never know what the grounds going to be like. The winter storms didnt do the spot very good at all, stripping the nice silty sand down the the gravel which the plaice dont seem to like so much. Only 1 plaice just over 4lb and a good size dover found. There was a few ray around, i took 2. Both my parents are in there mid eighties and love eating ray.
The following day i went about 1 mile west on another good plaice spot. Last season this spot was stripped clean of the nice silty covering so i didnt know what to expect. The swell was up today and the vis had dropped but still very good. The ground was back to normal, nice and silty. Plenty of feed on the bottom, lug casting and razor clam breather holes. Also a few nice imprints in the silty sand from where plaice had been laying up. I had a plaice on the first dive. then nothing for some time and then i went and missed a sitter. Going for the cocky brain shot probably wasnt the best option. Several dives later i added 4 more plaice to the bag plus another ray and a nice big spider crab. It was a long swim back i towing that behind me with the swell pushing me one way then pulling me back by the weight on the float.

Hey guys Im entirely new to the sport, live outside salcombe and I’m keen to start I have everything apart from the gun and was wandering whether you guys had any good beginners gun suggestions within the £80 price range? Not looking to spend loads just want something good for a beginner that’s affordable. So far I’ve only found online shops trying to push their stock so it’s hard to judge what’s good.

Any basic 75 - 90 cm single band gun will work fine.
I can’t remember, in recent years, any really bad reports about any of the commonly available guns, some are balanced a bit better, some might have a more comfortable handle or better running line but basically any gun from a recognised manufacturer should be fine straight out the box, with options to fine tune the set up if required....
The trick is to get very close to your target so you just can’t miss.

I'm pleased to see that a few of the old faithfuls are keeping the forum going.
I live in Cambodia now so my UK dives are few and far between. I got in a couple of days ago in a favourite South Hams spot. Is it just me, or are there fewer fish around than in recent years? I saw a good number of small bass but nothing that was near big enough to shoot. It was good to be in familiar territory again though and I have to say that Devon is still one of my favourite places to dive.

Devon to Cambodia, wow, quite a lifestyle change! Have come across loads of bass this year so far but mostly small. Took a dive a few evenings ago in Torquay and came across a lot of larger bass too uniquely, frustratingly more than allowed to take. Came away with a decent fish am pleased to see them out in larger numbers and size. Seen relatively few mullet this year which has been surprising. Itching to get back in and hope for Sunday evening around Plymouth somewhere.

Nice to read some more posts here, perhaps we're picking up pace this year?!

First fish of the year for me! 2-3lbs at a guess, taken from one of many shoals on the day. Cooked whole on the bbq, very nice. Was seriously struggling for accuracy and missed more shots on take able size fish than I'd want to admit so decided it might be time for some new bands.

They've arrived and are on the gun and I'm itching to get in, I can't believe how stretch my old ones were! Having thought about it they must have been 4 years old so maybe that's why.

Also got myself a "proper" diving wetsuit (subea camo 2 piece 5mm) and it's so refreshing to dive and not feel even slight coldness, definitely improved my breath holds!

Here's to a long summer of great vis and even greater fish

Hello,
I am visiting Cambodia in couple of weeks and I would like to go Spearfishing. Any recommendations? I will not be bringing any gear. Any advice?
My WhatsApp is +13059997836

lokopescado said:

Hello,
I am visiting Cambodia in couple of weeks and I would like to go Spearfishing. Any recommendations? I will not be bringing any gear. Any advice?
My WhatsApp is +13059997836

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I haven't speared here yet so I can't give any specific recommendations.

Unfortunately it's rainy season here now which will probably mean poor vis as we have frequent storms.

I have snorkelled off the beach at Sihanoukville and it did not look at all promising - shallow and mostly just sand with a few small fish and crabs.

I know there are some spearos about but I have yet to catch up with them. All the action seems to be around the offshore islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem.

Hello,

I live in Sussex and am looking to free dive, I am happy to travel to warmer waters for a free diving holiday but would like to meet in the UK if anyone is up for taking me under their wing.

33 Male, 6.31 400m fs
I've managed 125m underwater in a pool with no fins, I would like to try open water on a holiday if I can find a partner or host.

I recently went to Norway. We had 7 days diving. On the last day Mick Veal had a mate who had a mate with a boat at Saltstraumen. A few text messages and a meet was organised. A 90 minute car drive with a ferry trip part of it and we rolled up at the guys house. After a friendly greeting and a few hand shakes we followed him down a muddy track through some woods to his little boat. Not easy when your wearing a 8.5 mm smooth skin suit top and 7mm bottoms with 12kgs of lead plus 2 guns and all the other gear you need to dive. From the mooring to the first spot was only about 150m. He told us what way the tide would run and for how long before it turned. Its one of the strongest tidal stretches in the world apparently. I was using a RA carbon 110 with twin 16mm bands and a 7mm spear. It was set up mainly for halibut.
Soon's i entered the water i couldn't believe the sight below me. It was a mass of coalfish from about 6 to 20lbs. The yellow sandy bottom made them stand out well in the incredible vis. I was to excited to dive on them. I only just got in, plus the tide was screaming. I left Mick And Shane to have a go at getting a big one out of it. I drifted toward the bridge where it narrows. I could see cod and coalfish everywhere but i wasnt there for that unless it was a specimen size one.
At about 12 m i could see what look like a tyre on the bottom. It caught my eye because it was a slightly different colour to every thing else on the bottom. The bottom was a mix of rock boulders and kelp with course sand and gravel. As i looked more at it i noticed a tail coming away from it and thought wow thats what im here for. I dived to towards it trying not to get pushed along with the tide. Once down on the bottom there wasn't that much tide. I lay beside it looking at the beast. I shot it on the right hand side of its head while just above it to its right hand side. The spear exited on the lower left hand side. I was able to hold both ends of the spear either side of its head keeping its mouth closed as i made my way to the surface.

The boat man took the beast from me then offered to drop me back up tide to where we first got in. This time i was relaxed and ready for the coalfish. Again they were there. A gently duck dive and fin down to about 14 m looking all the time for that one big one. So many to choose from , i picked a double out straighten the arm to shot when i noticed a bigger on to my left. I slowly move the gun aroung and took the shot hitting the coalfish mid body on the lateral line killing it instantly. This one went 16lbs .
Next it was time to move away from the narrow part because the tide was starting to run. The next spot was halibut ground. This was probably the best ground for halibut we had dived in the last 7 days. It was perfect flattie type ground. I seen one within moments of getting in. I dived down to have a look because from 14m away it didnt look big enough. I got right down beside it with out it spooking. It was boarder line size wise so i let it be. 80cm is the legal size. After 4 more sightings of under size halibut i finally seen a keeper. It was swimming about 3 m off the bottom in 12/14. The tide had just started to run the other way. The boat guy said when that happens is when your likely to see them move on to the ground. It was a amazing sight to see a monster 13kg flounder swimming towards me. I dive down gently without frightening it off and put a good shot into the head. I soon had it on the surface with a firm grip in its gills and waved the boat guy over. Mick was 40m from me. He was also sorting a fish out on the surface. His was a 27lb cod. A little while after i stabbed what look like a small plaice from the surface but once down next to it i realised it was a lot bigger, probably 6lbs. The boat was coming towards me now with the other 2 guys in. Mick was smiling away. he had a 33kg halibut in the boat but thats another story.
Foxfish i will let you name the Beast

Ha ha nice report , I still don’t know why you shoot flatfish!
How did the thick suit work , was it very cold?
How much did the Angler weigh?

foxfish said:

Ha ha nice report , I still don’t know why you shoot flatfish!
How did the thick suit work , was it very cold?
How much did the Angler weigh?

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They are a bit big (thick) to stab. Plus they don't hang around like plaice while you approach them
Some of the smaller Halibut i seen had already seen me and was on the move.
I had a couple of other Angler fish in the week which were smaller. I stab them.
The suit was fine. 8.5mm torso with 7.5mm arms and hood, smooth skin open cell. The bottoms were 7mm Forza Tre.
Not once did i feel the cold when i got in. The sea temp was 9 most of the time but once or twice it drop to 8 which was down to the area we were diving and the run off from the snow cap mountains.
According to the boat guy it was 20kg but probably a bit more when i first got it. They have that big jelly sack under the belly but it seem to of disappeared by the time it got weighed. I was happy with it no matter what it weighed. The boat guy was more happier and excited about the catch than we were.

Yeah a fine specimen that’s for sure!
My stabbing comment was very much tongue in cheek
You should have some nice pictures to hang on the wall....