Index Archive June 2002 to December 2002
(27-Dec-02) Spearfishing Profiles
A new section on the site is going to be the introduction of Spearfishing Profiles. Top spearfishermen and guys who put something back into the sport will be featured. It is always nice to be able to read about fellow divers and to hear how they came to be involved with spearfishing. We start off with well known spearfisherman Anthony Dunne and will shortly be featuring other divers. »
(18-Dec-02) Spearfishing trip to Tanganyika
Here is an amusing pictorial story of Andy Norton`s recent spearfishing trip to Lake Tanganyika with Len Debeer and John Cairns »
(15-Dec-02) Ryan Berry sent some good photos for the Gallery
Ryan Berry spent four days up at Sodwana Bay recently and reports excellent conditions. Good visibility and lots of game fish action with some big tiger sharks about to make things exciting »
(10-Dec-02) Natal Trials for 2003 and more in the gallery
Richard Bruno sent out the Trials format for Natal 2003 and some nice photos were sent in for the photo gallery »
(21-Nov-02) New South African Record
Ryan Burmester landed a 38kg prodigal whilst spearing off Durban on Tuesday 19 November. The old record of 33.5kg shot by Paul Kolenda, has stood for over 10 years
Richard Bruno sent a nice photo of a 24kg Tunny that was shot on Eelskin on Aliwal »
(20-Nov-02) November Monthly Report
John's monthly report for November is up early - it makes for some interesting reading »
(19-Nov-02) New Photo in the Gallery
Nice photo of a big rockcod shot in Brazilian waters by Guillermo Berna »
(16-Nov-02) Cage Diving with Great Whites - Isla de Guadalupe
Isla de Guadalupe is the last pristine hold out for pacific Great Whites, Patric Douglas tells of his Cage Diving experience with these huge animals »
(14-Nov-02) Finally - World Championship Results
World Championship 2002 - Definitive Results
We finally have the World Championship
Definative Results. Jaco Blignaut managed to come 13th which is a
fantastic placing. Our team had no budget to speak of and any moneys spent
came from their own pockets. Some of the European teams have huge sponsorships
with massive back-up personnel and literally spend months scouting the
areas. The other South African placings were: Guila Plagani 36th, Ryan
Burmester 54th, Gary Hazel 55th. Well done to all team members. (thanks
Dean) »
New photos in the Gallery
Andy Foote and Ters Joubert sent us two photos of their trip
to Guinjata Bay Mozambique in September.
20kg Chanos-Chanos shot by Dr. Andy Foote at Guinjata
Bay - “The fish were schooling on the surface close to shore but
we struggled to get close, Andy dived to the bottom and waited till the
fish move over him then slowly approached them and got a good shot in
- the fish shot off at incredible speed... (Late afternoon)”
38kg Sailfish shot by Ters Joubert at Guinjata Bay -
“I saw a fish from the surface, after just landing a 15kg Cuda I
thought it was another one but when I dived down it was not a Cuda but
a Sailie and there were 10 of them!!! some real whoppers in the school.
The fish were at about 15-18 meters deep and the school moved quickly
away from me in a spectacular V-formation, I gave a good chase careful
not to frighten them to much for at least 40 meters before I could get
close enough for a shot on the last fish in the school. The shot was good
but a 30 minute fight followed with me and my buddy Rudolf "Tuna"
Stolze being dragged around the bay. Luckily most of the fight was on
the surface... (It was an hour before sunset)”
»
(10-Nov-02) Garrick news from Darrell and a Story by Nick McClurg
Darrell Hattingh reflects on the 2002 Garrick (Leervis) season, and Nick McClurg tells an amusing story of how he nearly lost his gun on a dive at Treasure Beach near Durban »
(08-Nov-02) Photo added to Gallery
We added a photo of Garrick Morris With a huge dogtooth »
(31-Oct-02) Huge Tuna Shot Off Cape Point
Tommy Botha, Ferdie Burgher and some other Cape divers had some serious action off Cape Point recently. They found the fish 25 miles south of the point in water 2000 feet deep. The smallest yellowfin taken was 40kg with a monster of 73kg being the catch of the day - photo in the gallery »
Bok (Protea) Team update
“I went to see the latest Bok (Protea) Team off at the Jo'burg airport on Monday (Gyula, Gary, Jaco and Ryan - Anthony pulled out due to work commitments) and handed over their Green & Gold Blazers, Tracksuits etc. They look good and promise to come back with the 'Best in Africa - Best in the Southern Hemisphere' and at least in the top 3 in the World at the Worlds in Brazil ” - Thanks Len Turner for the update.
Monthly Report for October
Read the monthly report to see the full History of the South African Spearfishing Nationals plus some changes to the Springbok side. Read the full report here »
(29-Oct-02) Wahoo news updates on upcoming events
Wahoo Champs for Paid up members only (Shore Dive Only) - 17 November 2002
Wahoo AGM at Durban Undersea Club – The bar will be open and Dinner served to ticket holders after the meeting. The tickets are R70.00 pp and can be purchased from Free Divers or at the Wahoo Diving Club on Wednesday club evenings.
Wednesday 20 Nov 02 18:30 for 19:00 Wahoo Charity Comp open to all - 1 December 2002 »
(17-Oct-02) New Club and photo added
Added a new Club to our list, thanks Craig for the details
Pietermaritzburg Underwater Club
PO Box 101408
Scottsville
3209
30Kg King mackerel shot at Cape Vidal by Craig Barlow-Jones added to the gallery this morning »
(02-Oct-02) Latest on the Springboks
The Springbok Spearfishing team now have an official invite to the World Champs. All teams had to register for the champs by a certain date which some teams failed to do. This left the way open for some of the teams on the waiting list and hence the official invite.
The team remains the same:- Gyula Plagani
- Jaco Blignaut
- Gary Hazel
- Anthony Dunne
They will be leaving on or about the 26 October, returning on the 11 November. The official dates for the two day competition are 8 and 9 November. Anthony Dunne will be giving us a full report on the Worlds when he returns and this will be put up on the site. As there is no money available from either SAUU or NUU, the team will be paying for all the costs themselves. Any help here would be much appreciated.
(30-Sep-02) Monthly report for September
Read the monthly report and find out about tides and the Equinox. Some big fish shot at Salt rock and the brusher run is a good one. Read the full report here »
(11-Sep-02) Update on National Spearfishing Team Selection
The selectors have decided that the results of the trials are a true reflection of the spearos ratings taking part. So the team will be:
- Gyula Plagani
- Jaco Blignaut
- Gary Hazel
- Anthony Dunne as the reserve.
Congratulations to these spearos.
There is still no invite to the World Champs. We have applied to go
on the waiting list for an invitation. There are 5 countries ahead of
us on this list, so 6 countries would have to drop out of the Champs for
us to get an invite. The next option is the Brazilian Nationals. Here
some of the guys are keen and others are not — so this might not
be an option. We will keep you up-to-date with what is happening.
Cheers, John »
(01-Sep-02) Picasso Merit Board Addtions — Nationals news
Some nice reading — Report back on Nationals 2002 and Bok selections by Ant Dunne »
Richard Bruno's write-up on Natal Trials and how it works »
Clint Nevin sent through his Picasso Merit Board Claims as well as some nice photos of some big Rockcod and a Snapper for the Photo Gallery, Wayne Thomas also sent a nice photo of a Marlin he shot »
(30-Aug-02) SA Spearfishing Record Claims
We have put up the Rules for Submitting a Spearfishing Record Species Claim as well as the Submission Form, its worth while reading »
(30-Aug-02) Monthly Report for August
Johns monthly spearfishing report is up with conditions after the rain, sardine news, trials news and what to expect for September. Read it here »
(25-Aug-02) Spearfishing in Peru.
A Short Story on a Spearfishing Competition in Peru by Chris »
(15-Aug-02) Hunting the big return cuda at Cape Vidal
Find out who bags the winning fish by John Little. Read the Whole story »
(14-Aug-02) Springbok Trials update
Read the update on what is happening regarding Springbok selection »
(02-Aug-02) Shark Files
(30-Jul-02) Monthly Report for July
Read the monthly report and find out what the law is regarding abandoned ships and wrecks. Some big fish action at Salt Rock and the kob run starts in earnest. Spearfishing Nationals cancelled again, again, again. Read the full report here»
Also two photos added to the Photo Gallery »
(23-jul-02) New Photos in the Gallery
Some nice new photos up in the photo gallery sent through by Basie Ackermann and Chris Ananiadis. Chris Shot a huge Malabar rockcod, 34.2kg off Scotties in the South Coast. Check the Gallery »
(23-Jul-02) Reply to Disgruntled Cottage owner
Antony Dunne emailed us:
“Hi there, Do you think this is reasonable? if so then take this as a submission in response to “Disgruntled Hole-in-the-Wall cottage owner” and his posting. Cheers antman ”
(30-Jun-02) Monthly Report for June
Johns monthly report is up — Some good action with the sardines along the coast with lots of Natal Snoek and a few other good fish been taken by spearos. The Sardine Run has been a very good one with good amounts of fish right up to the Durban area. BBC film crew member was bitten on the arm by a copper shark and Catch of the month goes to Jacu Blignaut. Read the full Report here »
(30-Jun-02) Sardine Fever hits the KZN Coast
A short article on the Sardine Run along the Kwa Zulu Natal Coast »
(28-Jun-02) Cottage owners at Transkei unhappy
We had a posting on our message board the other day, it was a bit long so I moved it to the stories section and put a title to it “Disgruntled Hole-in-the-Wall cottage owner”
(27-Jun-02) A Brand New Look!
Yes we have finally given the site a “facelift”, it should be leaner meaner and faster and give you lots more good info.
Please bear with us as there may still be a few small quirks that we need to sort out.
(27-Jun-02) Alot has been added to our site
A New Attraction is the Picasso Merit board where Champion Divers have sponsored a Picasso Jacket to Spearos’ completing it.
On the weather pages we have added a Wave Height and Direction maps which are useful and interesting.
Our Discussion Board has also been changed, unfortunately we lost the old messages but are sure it will fill up soon.
We plan on adding news on the top of the home page as it happens so check back regularly for updates.
Cheers, Guy
About this Website
This site is aimed at local and visiting spearfishermen. With our unique coastal seas, both in fish diversity and conditions, we have a wealth of exciting experiences for the most ardent of spearfishermen.
From our blue water hunting along the Zululand coast where big game fish are plentiful, to our wreck diving where giant kingfish and 40kg salmon are regularly speared. There is something for everyone. Monthly reports, dive
sites, hunting techniques to name a few of the topics that will keep you up to date with what is happening on the spearfishing scene.
The site covers the Zululand and Natal coastal waters and will be extended to cover other popular spearfishing venues, both local and outside our borders.
Safe diving, John.
