spear fishing in pembrokeshire

[Broseidon]

It sounds dumb as hell but the first time I saw a seal underwater I was convinced it was a school of fish - bear in mind:

• # I was a complete novice
  # Very limited visibility
  # Desperation to shoot my first bass!

All I could see was something pale moving past in front of me, then back again which, under the circumstances, looked very much like a group of silver bass.

Thankfully I engaged my brain and not my trigger finger and waited until I could see exactly what it was - turned out to be a big silver / grey coloured seal - me being excited turned to me being scared quite quickly :waterwork rofl :waterwork

Seals still give me the willies!

 

[James T]

I'm not a regular on this thread by I do follow it and that last post from Broseidon rings true with me too - the first time I was bumped by a seal was diving off Pembrokeshire out by Ramsay Island. I had a few bass on my waist stringer and was on the bottom at 10m lying up alongside one of the rocky islets waiting for the fish to show when I felt a bump in my back. Not really aggressive or painful just a fright. I looked round quickly underwater and saw a seal pup looking at me and the fish - needless to say that was the end of that agachon and we moved the boat on.

I have been tracked by seals on the south coast near Babbacombe aswell which is very spooky. you see the seal following you and then disappear - where are you my friend. You think he has gone and you make a dive to some cave mouth or rocky overhang and he is there in the shadows looking up at you, as if to say - 'mate you are making this look hard'

Diving out in west Ireland a few years back I came across one of the spearos from the 60's he said he had some very close run-ins with seals back then... lets just say you can see how a mistake might get made with a buddy or a seal for that matter I just hope it never happens to me or anyone else on DB.

James

 

[Broseidon]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets a bit freaked out by seals - I'm 99.99% sure that they mean no harm at all but when you're out on the water you're really not in your element while they are. They appear & disappear in a second - plus they're bloody huge!

I was out with Dario a few weeks back and one wouldn't leave him alone - when ever he dived it lunged after him, it actually quite scary to watch from the boat - the thing is, it had been on him for a good 5 minutes and he hadn't even seen it - he got fright when he did!

 

[James T]

Ha ha - now its always funny when it happens to someone else. I was lucky enough to go out spearfishing in Ascension Island in January and there are no seals there but there are hunderds of hawksbill and green turtles which get quite big. My buddy had a green 3mm wetsuit on and wore a darker weight vest (I guess it looked like a shell) and at the end of the day we often fished the bay after being out in the blue all day. He's not a particularly turtle shaped dude but he was mounted a couple of times (non-consenting) and had to physically push the randy boys away every time we dived. Not sure what it says about me but they didn't find me attractive

 

[devondave]

Recently been talking about this on the Cornwall thread, apparently his mate saw him in the weeds and mistook him for a fish...not sure how that happens, or how you can mistake a person for a fish

It's quite easy to mistake the reflection of sunlight off a mask for the flash of a bass's flank, especially if the guy is well hidden.

 

[jonwales]

The two spearos in the video I think were diving around a shallow water wreck.
It would be important to have a discussion before diving to set some guide lines.

I say to my son that we need to be no closer than 25yards and keep a regular check when we surface.
Does anyone have any other advice. Only started spear fishing recently.
Jon

 

[scottwilson]

whats going on with all the shootings in the UK? Is it cos spearing si getting more popular?

I only know of this one. Its been mentioned a lot on here since it happened but you right it is becoming a very popular sport.

The guy says on the clip " he's had a little tiny nick from the speargun " I doubt his mate shot him otherwise it would be more like " poor buggers got a 6 1/2mm hole in him"

 

[James T]

I know its a drag but if you are out with a youngish son I would say just take the one gun between you - you won't get tempted to go your separate ways and you can keep an eye on it. I get scared out with my son of him following me with a loaded gun - mind you he is still small so we stay together anyway and I don't put any lead on him yet.

 

[scottie3030]

Alright James, u don't let young Will have a gun coz u know he'll shot bigger fish than u ;-)

 

[andycornish]

One of the guys on the cornwall thread who I have been freediving has a regular spot where he can find seals, he has tried to feed them fish he has caught and he said they didnt take them. Maybe if you had them on a stringer and it looked like they were swimming.
Have met one seal myself once and as it was the first one I met and it swam straight under me I had no idea what it was, hung around and spent a good 30-40 minutes with it, they love playing with the end of fins and had one slowly get closer than that but ran out of breath and had to surface.

 

[pembroke]

my experience with seals happened when i was having a shouting match with a shore fisherman and felt a tug from my stringer, a seal had nicked one then popped up in front of me, and a pup seal giving me the once over then shot off. I also doubt if seals will harm anyone unless they have there pups with them

 

[jonwales]

Hi Pembroke
I have never heard anyone being harmed by a seal. What was you shouting match with the fisher man about?

Jon

 

[pembroke]

i had drifted into the area he was fishing, i was trying to get a bass off my gun and get my remaining bass out of the water before the seal had them as well

 

[pembroke]

has anyone been out, god the weather is bad

 

[jonwales]

Hi Pembroke

Whats the visibility like in Pembroke.
I might head off some where in the next day or two, but not sure to head over your way or down to Dorset/Devon.

Jon

 

[pembroke]

very bad vis, i have been out 3 times this year

 

[tonyeynon]

It sounds dumb as hell but the first time I saw a seal underwater I was convinced it was a school of fish - bear in mind:

• # I was a complete novice
  # Very limited visibility
  # Desperation to shoot my first bass!

All I could see was something pale moving past in front of me, then back again which, under the circumstances, looked very much like a group of silver bass.

Thankfully I engaged my brain and not my trigger finger and waited until I could see exactly what it was - turned out to be a big silver / grey coloured seal - me being excited turned to me being scared quite quickly :waterwork rofl :waterwork

Seals still give me the willies!

#

Seals jib me out! In poor vis they look like grey ghosts gliding through the mist... Unearthly - stay well clear!

I'm sure I read on the forums a while back that someone got bite and needed a hell of a lot of stitches:martial

 

[foxfish]

Chill out Tone, seals are cool.
It is we that are the aliens.

 

[tonyeynon]

I can't help the fact they give me the heebie jeebies. I love them from land, but underwater hmmm heebie jeebies

 

[foxfish]

Fair enough mate LOL.