SpearBlog

With four days to go and only one shaft on my 110Euro left, I thought hard about releasing the shaft on the 125 lb Dogtooth Tuna that was approaching from the depths.  Was the 75 ft piece of line I scavenged off the beach going to hold?  Would the two gas can floats keep him from taking me over the drop?  How is it possible that I own thousands of dollars of equipment from the best companies in the world and yet I find myself one shot away from ending my entire spearing trip because I have no more gear.

Planning.

I’ve learned many lessons diving and traveling the world and most of them have been through trial and error.  Every trip can be epic, you just have to make sure you give yourself every opportunity to make it so and understand along the way not every thing is going to go your way. Whether you’re traveling  alone or with family, to a remote island or a big time tourist destination, there is always potential for getting some spearfishing in.  Don’t think that just because you aren’t on a planned spearing trip that you can’t get in the water, every trip is a dive trip as far as I’m concerned and you just need to make the most of what you have in front of you.

As soon as I decide on a new place that I am going  I try to find out four things; who, what, when and where.

Who has been there and when.

What kind of fish are there and when.

Where exactly do I need to be when I am there.

In recent years the use of Spearboard.com, Deeperblue.net, Spearfishing.com.au, and HSD’s online forums has acted as a buddy network throughout the world and showed just how much of a brotherhood the Spearing world is.   Ask if anyone has ever been to the area or somewhere close and gather any information you can from them.  The difference between talking to someone that has speared there or some flunkie in a cubicle in Tennesee who is trying to sell you a vacation package is huge.  Whether they spent 10 years diving the place or 2 days any information they can give you will get you ahead of the game and make your trip all the more fantastic.

As soon as I have gathered as much second hand knowledge as possible, I look at a nautical chart of the area and also try to find out what type of fish are in that part of the world.  I spend hours and hours pouring over charts and fishing magazines trying to piece together whatever information I can to plan a trip and make sure that I don’t get stuck trying to dive a Reef one mile north of a river mouth in the Monsoon season.  Drop-offs,  headlands that end in deep water, river mouths, coral reefs and pinnacles are the most prominent and productive features to look for.   Knowing the currents for the area, as basic as knowing which direction they set(direction they flow) and what the tide difference is can make or break your trip.  Some common sense goes a long way in traveling so when you are going to be diving in an area that has 15-18 ft tides and there is an estuary or river nearby you can bank on the fact that anywhere from 1-20 miles offshore during that time of the month is going to have reduced visibility and knowing whether to be north or south of there can make all the difference in the world.

Ok so you know where you want to go and what you are shooting.  Now what do you bring?  Will I really need a wetsuit in Indonesia in July?  That’s summer isn’t it?  I know they have huge Giant Trevally(Ulua) there and that’s  what I really want to target, so I think I’ll just skip the little gun.

As a rule, always bring two guns and extra shafts for both.  You are already having to bring something that is oversized and ungainly so the extra 15 lbs of weight isn’t going to matter much and you will thank yourself when you aren’t stuck shooting 3 lb Mu in 10 ft of water with your bluewater gun.   Bring your normal dive gear that you would for diving at home and bring a wetsuit that will accommodate the conditions you will be experiencing.  I take a 2 piece 3 mil Riffe Cryptic suit with me at all times so that when the water is too warm I can just wear half of the suit and a pair of shorts or the bottom and a long sleeve rash guard if there are lots of Jellyfish in the water.  This cuts down on having to bring 3 different wetsuits.

Lets forget gear for now. Everyone has their own opinion anyways and you can show up looking like a Hana Pa’a store with 300 lbs of gear or get away with the bare minimum and still have the time of your life.  We’ll delve into all that another time.

Now that you are there, where are the fish?  A good place to start is to go down to the docks or to the beach where the local fisherman come in every day and look to see what everyone has caught.  Look for fish that are going to be in the area of the types that you are wanting to hunt and strike up a conversation with the fisherman. Give him a hand pulling his boat up on the beach or just be friendly and talk to him as much as possible and try to learn what you can about where and how he caught his fish and determine from there your next plan of action. Fisherman the world round speak the same language. In saying that, whether you are in a foreign country or not there is a good chance the fish names are different than the one commonly used in your home waters.    Cod, Grouper, Cabrillo, Rockfish,  and Coca are all names for a very similar type of bottom fish that is found throughout the world.

Pick up key words like boat, Rock, Reef, Bait, Grouper, Shark,  Tuna, etc. Understanding people isn’t so much about the words they speak as it is understanding and interpreting their body language.  Use pictures, drawings, hand movements and whatever you can to make each other understood.   Find out what types of fish sell for what amount of money and get an idea of what he might make on an average day.   Also make sure of what fish you can and can’t shoot in each locale.  In some places, species that carry Ciguatera poisoning can change from one side of the island to the other and a lack of local knowledge could punish you for months on end if you accidentally mess this up.

So all the fishing right now is offshore and your plans for shooting Roosterfish and Cuberas in the Shallows has been crushed because the River has flooded out and the idea of 3 ft vis and 10 ft Crocodiles doesn’t sound too appealing.  Charter boats can be great but $1000 a day to dive by myself is ridiculous and the Scuba Boats aren’t going to be too stoked on me slaying all the pretty little reef fish in front of the Tourons(Tourist-Morons).    Back to your fisherman.  With the information you have already gathered come down to the beach this time with a plan.  Ask them if it would be possible to accompany them on their boat for a day and offer to pay the equivalent of a good days catch plus 10-20%, whatever you feel comfortable with.  In some locales this can be as little as $5 a day and the offer of double or triple that can win you a friend for life.  Bring pictures of fish you have caught in the past and make sure that it is clear that you are going to be diving.   Yes, they will think you are crazy and no matter where you go everyone always says there are sharks.  A good rule of thumb; Taste the water, does it taste salty?  Then it has sharks in it.

9 times out of 10 a fisherman will go straight to his normal fishing spot and start fishing or go to a place that he has seen people dive in the past.  He will fish, and continue to fish until you make it worth his while to follow you around.  Whether I want to or not my first few dives I always shoot the first 3 food fish I see.  That is $$ in his pocket and food on his table and now you have his attention.  You had better believe he’ll start keeping the boat close when you ask and as long as you keep him satisfied you can pursue the fish you are really after.

Establish some basic signals and rules with boat driver and try to work with them so that you don’t make them feel uncomfortable about you’re being in the water.  Pick me up and pick me up NOW are the most important ones.  Also as far as safety goes tell someone ashore where you are going and when you will be back and leave a name and number of a family member to contact if you aren’t back in the set amount of time.   This may seem morbid but it can mean the difference in drifting 2 or 200 miles offshore before someone finds you.

What you see is what you get when you go feral so bring what you are going to need when you show up at the boat the next morning.  If you want food, bring it, water, bring it, first aid kit, you get the idea.  From experience I can say that there have been a few times drifting with a broken motor in a dugout canoe that I would have paid a mint for a jug of fresh water.  Don’t get in over your head but also don’t overlook some simple necessities that could save you later.  My worst case scenario is having an accident and having to reduce bleeding very quickly when medical help can be hours and sometimes even days away.  If  you ever find yourself in a situation like this get yourself to the biggest or nicest hotel around as they have the best access to competent doctors and also the highest chances of an English speaking person there as well.

Keep a journal while you are there and make mental notes of what worked when,  what types of bait seemed to hold the better fish,  Rocks that were more productive than others, Tides, currents, times of day,  Landmarks and other position indicators that can help you find your way back in the future.  It was 12 months before I was able to get back to that spot with the huge Doggies and with the notes from my journal I was able to hit the spot dead on at the right tide and capitalize the second time around.  I’d like to think that I remember every rock I have ever seen and every fish I have ever shot but memories fade with time and having exact notes can mean the difference between 4 days of scouting and 4 days of hunting.  Make a list while you are still there of gear that will need on your return as well as notes on people and fish’s names,  the prices you paid for different things and anything else that you think will help you in the future.

You better believe I took that shot.  The fish turned broadside at 12 feet and I hit him high in the shoulder. And no,  just like the other 2 I had already lost that week the fish took my entire rig down so deep that all I could see was my gas can floats at 120 feet and knew that he was wrapped up in the rocks far below that feeding yet another pack of hungry sharks.  My boat driver just smiled and turned the Outrigger  Canoe towards the island shaking  his head, “Terlalu Besar! Terlalu Besar!”  Too big!  Too big!

Whether you catch anything or not I can promise you that an adventure planned from the ground up outside of your local haunt will give you memories for a lifetime and a much better respect for the conveniences of diving at home.  Any trip is a good one when you are diving and exploring new places.  It never ceases to amaze me that a certain species of fish will act completely different in three oceans and the excitement comes in finding the 3 different ways to hunt that same fish.  Plan a spearfishing trip to the next headland, the next island or halfway across the globe and enjoy the diversity that our oceans have to offer us.

Cam’s Feral Spearfishing Gear list

130cm Riffe Euro gun rigged with 400lb mono and breakaway rig with 2-10 extra shafts

110 Riffe Euro gun, 2 shafts rigged for a reel and 2 shafts straight to gun/buoy

Reel rigged with 500lb Kevlar or spectra

2 Riffe 2Atm floats

50’, 25’, 10’ bungey’s

75 ft float line(Armor Spectra from Riffe is the smallest and strongest)

mask, fins, snorkel, booties, gloves, dive knife, fillet knife, wetsuit, rashguard

leatherman tool for minor repairs and sharpening spears

gun bag and fin bag

Underwater video/camera  (no one believes you unless you video it)

Extra Mono and Crimps and rubbers

IUSA WR application, Official Scale and measuring tape.  Curse the day you need this and don’t have it.

First Aid Kit

Whistle

Extras: Mosquito net, spray, spark plugs to give as gifts to boat drivers, Hat, sunglasses, wife/girlfriend,  Wasabi,  2 x Gallon Ziploc Bags for stowing wallet/camera and also a select piece of fish for dinner,