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Spearfishing Video Review

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Iyadiver

Mr. Long Post
Apr 22, 2002
998
74
0
Gentlemen,

I need the help of forum readers to put a few words of comments on the available spearfishing videos. Some of us far away from the US has difficulty in buying them because if it were shipped to Asia, the shipping will be expensive, as much as the video itself sometime. On top of that many countries need to censor all incoming video, not only it takes hell of a long time, it is also not cheap. Simply not all are as lucky as those living in a "open" countries with plenty of spearfishing activities.

I also see spearfishing video as a form of learning and enjoying someone's else succesful hunt. It shows so many different guns used, float, extreme clear visibility locations and fishes in their actual environment. It is not everyday that you can see Tuna in a school swimming beautifuly like torpedos. Not all of us due to our geography will even see Tuna underwater in a lifetime. Also not all of us are equally good spearos, so a 10kg wahoo to one spearo might be a "walk in the park" and to others, it could be a proud moment.

The review will also be good for future buyers so that we get an honest review by DB readers instead of advertisement which makes every video a must buy. Any one of us then can then buy a specific title to view what we expect to see on the video.

Since this forum readers are of all kind of age group and income group, it will be useful to everyone if we can contribute review information. Savings of US$30 here and there might mean a lot to some people .... me included.....at least we can use the money more effectively for a trip.

I'll start with what I have watched/owned. My review might not be everyone liking but it will be my honest impression of the video. Thanks and please drop a few lines...........:D


01. Succesful spearfishing by Escudo Productions, 1991
This is a scuba hunter, not freediver hunting video. Video resolution is good. Sound OK. Background music so-so.
Duration : 30 min. Location, somewhere is the USA, probably Florida. Some part shows freeshafting method, decent tutorial information. I think the guns are AB Miller, probably not all. The fishes range from grouper to amberjack. Sizes are not big, all under 10kg. This video I don't really reccomend, not worth the money. No spectacular footage.



02. Spearfishing the Palm Beach Florida. Vol 1. Active Eye video production. 2001. Duration 35 minutes. This is a freediving hunting video. Hunters are Tony Ludovico and Chad Palan.
This is a unique one cause it uses the head mounted camera called the Active Eye. The recorder is attached to a special back pack mounted on the diver rear waist above the weight belt. Since the mini camera is head mounted, it shows the actual view of how the diver see the hunt. Every shot made always in two viewing mode, one with the head mount camera and the other a second diver filming the hunter using a regular hand held video, mostly from above. The water seems to be around 60 feet deep.
The guns are Rob Allen with reels, I think the size is at least 130 cm. Single band only. Fishes shots are snapper, cobia, grouper, hogfish, amberjack, can't remember all. On thing for sure is that the shots are made quite close, I think no more than 10 feet/3meters. I don't like the Cobia and Amberjack shots, the fishes are just too dumb in this video. The divers skill is good, hell anyone that goes to 60 feet and hang around a +- minute is good in my opinion cause I am only 1/3 of that. They are also very relaxed.

There was a shot of a big cobia ( I think 15-20kg ) that the diver took but he played with the fish and got a second gun from the boat to do the finishing second shot. I guess he is afraid that the single flopper could not hold the fish and the shot was not on a very vital spot. Most of the shots are not "stoned" shots, a few are. There is also a footage where a spearo mess up the sand to attract a fish to get closer, it works !!

This is a good overall reef hunting video and a unique one. I never expect Florida fish to be this friendly and not so fearful of divers. Worth the money.


03. BLUE WATER HUNTERS, Terry Maas. PAL Production
This is not a spearfishing video, this is an 1 hour documentary video of Terry Maas being a blue water hunter. His famous Tuna is pictured here but only when he pulled it up. No footage of the shot or him being drag by the Tuna. You get to see the faces of the famous Bottom Scracthers members. This video is for those who wanted to know what is blue water freediving, not for a current freediver. The footage of Terry in small island in the Pacific with the local divers is more for those who wanted to see plenty of sharks, not spearfishing action. As I said this is more of a documentary of the sport, not the action you expect to see.
Worth the money ?......you decide.


04. FREEDIVING THE REVILLAGIGEDOS by Blue Water Freedivers
This is a Ron Mullins and Terry Maas film. Duration about 30 min.
There are a few advertisement before the film. One is of a gun called the Stealth, can't remember the shop name. One is of Wong guns. The other is Internet Custom Speargun/Kitto, quite a cool ad this one. This is not of as much action as I wanted to see, two tuna shots and two wahoo shots. The water visibility is fantastic, better than 100+ feet. All shots are long one, the guns are custom, me don't know what brand. What really impress me is the amount of fish the water hold, sharks included.

The first tuna shot was ( I think 50-70kg ). The shot was on the shoulder, I think not a total penetration and the hunter need to play quite a while with it. No footage of the diver dragged along with the float, the fish did not run that far. Great to watch.

The second tuna shot was a 'stoned" shot, this is very big can't recall the weight but 120KG minimum is guaranteed. It is amazing to see the tuna turned white exactly where the shaft penetrated
all the way to the head, while the rest of the body remained the same color. I thought only grouper goes white like this. A great shot but less fun too watch.

The wahoo shots are very far ones. Great acceleration. Good size too, I think one is about 30 or so kg.

The very best part of the video is when the tuna came in a school and swam in front of the camera, amazing footage. I think hundreds of them. There is one lone tuna which is so fat, looks more oval than the rest. I thought it look like a giant egg with fins.

There is footage of divers playing around with Manta and Whale shark. The best water visibility of all the 6 videos.


05. LEGENDS OF THE BLUE, Legendary Media Productions #1.
Freediving. 1 hour video of hunting the Hawaian reef area by Bruce Ayau. From octopus to all the small local favourite reef fish. I like the way he disabled the octopus, he bit it between the eyes.
The bigger fishes are a big barracuda, a giant trevally and blue fin trevally. For some of the big fishes a float is used. No background music while the diver shoot the fishes, this is important because you can actually hear the impact of the shaft on the big Giant Trevally.................CRACK !!!! Great music on this video.
Entertaining video. I think the gun is Wong Reef gun, not so sure.


06. VISIONS OF BLUE
I lost this one, some one borrowed and never returned. This is an open water/blue water freedive hunting. Mostly wahoo. Gerald Lim is in this video, I do not know that his size is like me, I always thought he is bigger. Great to watch the speeding Wahoo accelerating like rockets. Very short duration but I personally really like this one. Can't remember all details of the video, it been gone too long. But no Tuna.
 
Dear Iyadiver;

I am in the same situation as you. If i want to buy video CD with cost 30 $ i must pay another 30$ for the shipping. Even it may not be reach to me because of some poletical trouble.I think the best way to achive this problem is finding them for free :D . I searched some file sharing programs to find one such as KaZaa which is too pupular but i couldn`t. May be some of the friends who has these CD`s want to share them by using KaZaa.

By the way if saw the 10 kg Wahoo in the water it will be a day to remember for me.I wish to stay in Florida but after i saw this shark business i am not sure. If i know there is a Bluefin tuna which is more than 800 pound and Great white Shark in that area I will not dive to shoot.I am not that brave :(

Is someone know how to find free spearfishing video on the net?
 
SORRY GUYS,

Video no 06. Is not Vision of Blue, it was GRANTED. Been lost just a bit too long.


IYA
 
I entered Riffe homepage few hundred times but never seen a free video. For the others: Terry Maas's site... HanaPa'a... Hawaii Skin Diver, etc. I need specific link.
 
Hi Murat ,

Diving video is never a free-ware type of software. The best is to get a few guys to put up the money and ship them all together, you save plenty this way. Shipping is the killer.

My friend's mom is going to Hawaii and I will bother her with a few videos. Things like that in a luggage need no troublesome censorship. I wanted her to bring one of the Wong but the son say NO WAY !!!!!

You are lucky if you can still get a freediving fin in your country, as for me I can not get it here, only the short Mares Quattro full foot available, those long blades need special import, cause nobody buy them here.

Aren't u suppose 2 study 4 ur exam young man ?

By the way what is the native language of Cyprus ?


IYA
 
Dear Iyadiver;

First, i havent got any friend who likes spearfishing so i can not share the cost:waterwork .

I have an Physic exam tommorow mornig and i am studying hole day. But i didn`t fnished it yet. There is lots of damn things such as Quantum Mechanics and modern physics, some Einstein some Newton some more who ever else. Lots of shitssss Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...... I am getting angry when talkin about these if i couldn`t got it and have an exam tommorow.:martial

By the way my main language is Turkish. Didn`t you like my English:D
 
Hi Murat,

Your English is fine, I understand it well. English is not my mother tounge too. The best part is that your are bi-lingual and dare to speak out, or else how are u going 2 improve, right ?

Just like to know more of different culture. Sometime direct translation from someone's language into English shows a little of the native language of the person. It's like we can not translated everything into English as accurately as the English language allows. The same with certain English phrase or words which do not have a direct translation to our language. Language is culture so its fun to observe those from other parts of the world.

Good luck on your exam, study those Newton formula well, maybe someday u can built me a recoil-less speargun. Ha ha ha.

Don't worry about those guns you want, you will get it someday anyway. Also don't worry about not being able to buy all you want now, you are only 19 ....come on...... and not by any chance Adnan Kasogi far away nephew....:D :D

Many one us , young or old has gone thru the same process of being in a tight budget for all the hardware u want to get or for the trips you want to do. If everthing comes so easy, then you might not really appreciate the little things you have. It is not a sin for not being able to afford certain "luxuries" in life.

I can sense the spearfishing excitement in you. It's like when we own our first bicyle, by then we would be wondering far ahead if the next 17th birthday toy can be a Ferrari instead of a Honda.

So, study a bit more.

Go to go huntin' in the next few hours, it's Friday late night here now. Hope to get visibility in the 25+ feet region and current no more than 2 knots. Water been shit hell for the past few months. At least after the dives I get to go to my friend's private island as always....never a lousy weekend. Don't drool:naughty

IYA
 
Good luck to you you in your fishing trip.

I just fnished my exam.It was god damn hard. It seems that i will lose my scholarship. :waterwork But who knows may be i can past:confused:
 
Back to video reviews...Pipin's Extreme Spearfishing. its an ok video. All reef hunting with one mackeral shot in midwater. Some good sized groupers though...Decent information but is it worth it? not really. The background music is straight of a porno soundtrack and It is like one long infomercial for Pipin who promotes himself and his company the entire time. Oh yeah, it all had to be translated into english.
 
Thanks Rig,

I was putting this video in my buy list but I think now it is not worth it. Grouper shots is not something I want to see, there is no thrill in that.

The title as "extreme" is defintely too much a marketing tool if the video is mostly reef hunt.

IYA
 
IYA,
i have seen the reef and beyond by dr. daryl wong. it is mostly of him shooting parrot fish ulua and other reef fish using different types of the guns he makes. it also shows him in is woodshop making the various guns. he explains the types and why they are good then it shows him using one underwater. from the shorter wooden guns up to the hybrids and enclosed track guns and then also the blue water guns. shows him using them in mexico somewhere i think. shows him and friends shooting wahoo and yellowfin tuna. its 45 mins long.
 
Thanks John,

Since I am also curious at the Wongs, I will get this video, in fact it is in my buy list. The rest are :

01. Spearfishing in the Coral Sea ---- waiting for comment
02. The Reef & Beyond -- Confirmed
03. Freediving adventures in Vanuatu ---waiting 4 comment
04. Ultimate Spearfishing ---- Cancelled
05. Searching by Wendel Sasso -- On the way
06. Visions of Blue ( at Riffe store ) --- Waiting for comment

Appreciate any comments from those who have watched above.

Thanks Again
IYA
 
I am also interested with Visions of Blue ( at Riffe store ).
Any comments?

In my opinion: It hasn`t got very special catches but you can see the MT at work it is probably great. I noticed the kingfish or ulua at the cover that mean there is no bigger or better than this cach since all the great catches are showing on the cover.
 
Murat,

I have not seen the Vision of Blue but the latest video "SEARCHING" by Wendell Sasso has plenty of shots taken on different Riffe spearguns. This is confirmed by the Riffe people, this is why I wanted the video. I do not know if this is a reef type hunting or blue water....... hell.... I just want to see good hunters using a Riffe. I won't get this video till the next 60 days so......be patient and I will post my comment again much later. I will buy from Hapa Naa or Blue Water Hunter in Hawaii. If only a Wong can be made collapsible like a cheap fishing rod, wouldn't it be great to hide them in the luggage.:naughty

IYA
 
I know its in Riffe new products page but i don`t know how to order it :duh
 
Hi Murat,

Riffe first page in their www has a box called CONTACT, use that or order to jill@speargun.com. If in Cyprus there is a Riffe dealer, u must probably buy from their dealer/s. Or see their international dealers for a country nearest to you. You see Riffe do not sell direct, they only do if there is no dealer in the country of the destination of their products. Every major manufacturer is like this or else their dealers only eat fish scale.

IYA
 
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