A complete dummy needing some advise

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wingman001

New member
Me and a bud are quite eager to learn to start spear fishing we both good swimmers but have not done any snorkeling. We both live in George western cape. I have been doing a lot of surf  fishing lately but am getting really tired of the amount of time I spend and the amount of fish i catch. Have some questions.

1. What equipment do you need to start out with on a tight budget.

2. I was looking at a fishing shop and they have a bunch of masks and fins called torpedo are they any good.

3. How often can you spearfish in the George area and what determines when you can and cant.

4. Can you spearfish during winter

5. Where is the best places to start speak fishing around George.

I know these questions have probable been asked a few times but I really have no idea where to start so any advise form the professionals would be appreciated.
 
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Gromit

Senior Member
wingman001 wrote:
Me and a bud are quite eager to learn to start spear fishing we both good swimmers but have not done any snorkeling. We both live in George western cape. I have been doing a lot of surf  fishing lately but am getting really tired of the amount of time I spend and the amount of fish i catch. Have some questions.

1. What equipment do you need to start out with on a tight budget.

2. I was looking at a fishing shop and they have a bunch of masks and fins called torpedo are they any good.

3. How often can you spearfish in the George area and what determines when you can and cant.

4. Can you spearfish during winter

5. Where is the best places to start speak fishing around George.

I know these questions have probable been asked a few times but I really have no idea where to start so any advise form the professionals would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hey Wingman, George has some awesome spots, but the wind plays a big role wrt the clarity of the water. Winter is actually often better than summer due to the warmer waters brought in by the seasonal winds. Its best to get hold of a local and bleed them for all their weather knowledge!

About the gear, remember this is a demanding sport. You don't want to be caught in a rip with a pair of bad fitting, bad performing fins or a leaking, misting up mask.

check out my blog - http://freespearo.blogspot.com
 
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arno65

Senior Member
yes wingman,to buy all the right spearing equiptment it wil cost you between 6ooo-8000 rand.i would advise you to buy the propper kit and not torpedo.i experimented with all the cheap gear and ended up buying the expensive ones after all.coz cheap gogles fog up no matter what u do,and short torpedo fins cant get u thru backline fast enough.get a 1m gun ,float line,a float(or 2l coke bottle) long spearing fins and a proper mask and snorkel and a stringer.gloves ,wetsuit ,reel ,and the rest isnt that important.hope u manage.its a fun sport(highly addictive)
 
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Eckart

Senior Member
Welcome wingman... I love George, I grew up there and there's some amazing spearing!! There's some good shore dives in the area and if you can get on a boat...yeah!
gear wise you can always give me a pm
 
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Don78

New member
Hi Wingman

Basically in the same position as yourself. A useful guide would be Len Jones' guide to spearfishing - Very informative. Its about R12.00 - should find it at most fishing tackle outlets.

Hope it helps.
 
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Johan.Nivvy

New member
@Arno: R6000 - R8000?
That is a little steep mate, I got fully kitted for roughly R4500.

That was for a 2-piece open cell hooded camo suit, mask, snorkel, gun, line, float, stringer, knife and fins.

Remember don't go and buy the most expensive stuff on the market. A R800 mask that leaks is no better than a R250 mask that fits snuggly :)

Same thing applies when buying a gun, get something simple but does the job. Remember you are not 10000% sure if spearing is for you, so don't go and spend an arm and a leg.

Best advice Wingman001 is chat to Eckart, he helped with everything I needed.

Best of luck and welcome to the wonderful world of spearfishing.

:welcomesea:

Regards, Shifty.

*edit
About how often you can go out. That really depends on you and how well your body responds and recovers, usually myself and John go out 3-4 times a week (if we are lucky) or for the whole weekend. It just depends on you, remember dive within your limits and never try to over do it.

Live to dive and dive to live :)
 
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arno65

Senior Member
R1200 GUN
R2000 WETSUIT
R1500 FINS
R100 WEIGHT BELT
R100 WEIGHTS
R250 MASK
R150 SNORKEL
R200 FLOAT
R50 FLOAT LINE
R150 KNIFE
R150 GLOVES
R80 STRINGER
R80 CRAYBAG
i didnt go top of the range carbon gun or blades or anything and my kit cost R6000.SOME GUYS USE UP TO 3 GUNS WHICH PROVES THAT AN AVERAGE KIT COST 6-8 GRAND.DO U DISAGREE WITH ME JOHAN?
 
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arno65

Senior Member
maybe kit in durban is alil more expensive,i buy from rob allen and freedivers.stunning gear but comes with a price
 
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Johan.Nivvy

New member
@Arno
No need for caps buddy :)
I can give a break down of the price of every piece of my gear but I won't due to respect to Eckart and Louis at Rabiteck (both of whom sell great gear) but the most expensive items I own are my wetsuit R1800 (open cell two piece) and Rob Allen 'Couda' fins R1200.

All I am sayting is you don't need to spend R6-R8K on gear.
 
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arno65

Senior Member
i understand,it wanst meant agresively,was on by accident lol.just wanted to show u a kit cost R6000 if you buy it locally.ya we got a shop in park rynie that sells pelaj equiptment that is alil cheaper than ,freedivers and rob allen.
 
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wingman001

New member
Went out today just to have some fun in the tidle pool in Herlods bay, just bouight a cheap set no dive shop in George.wow it was great saw an octupus fish and other stuff.
R4000 is a little exesive for my budget being a youth pastor and expecting a baby soon limits my funds, will have to look at somthing second hand. I have some questions.

1. How would one snorkel inbetween the waves?

2. I wear a broughd size 13 and can't find any flipers that fit exept fot the open back ones.
 
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wingman001

New member
Went out today just to have some fun in the tidle pool in Herlods bay, just bouight a cheap set no dive shop in George.wow it was great saw an octupus fish and other stuff.
R4000 is a little exesive for my budget being a youth pastor and expecting a baby soon limits my funds, will have to look at somthing second hand. I have some questions.

1. How would one snorkel inbetween the waves?

2. I wear a broughd size 13 and can't find any flipers that fit exept fot the open back ones.
 
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Gromit

Senior Member
wingman001 wrote:
Went out today just to have some fun in the tidle pool in Herlods bay, just bouight a cheap set no dive shop in George.wow it was great saw an octupus fish and other stuff.
R4000 is a little exesive for my budget being a youth pastor and expecting a baby soon limits my funds, will have to look at somthing second hand. I have some questions.

1. How would one snorkel inbetween the waves?

2. I wear a broughd size 13 and can't find any flipers that fit exept fot the open back ones.
Click to expand...

I wear a size 13, most foot pockets come in that size. If you go for the cheaper options get the XL, they fit me as well.
 
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Johan.Nivvy

New member
Wingman001

If your budget is that tight, may I suggest taking a look at Sportsmans warehouse.

I was in one this weekend and they have some pretty decent Reef masks and snorkels.

Mask = R250 - R300
Snorkels = R99

Also for weightbelts and the like contact Eckart, he is crazy cheap :p

Try finding footpocket fins (where the blades are seperate) you should be able to find them in bigger sizes.

Well with snorkeling between the waves, I can't really help as we don't normally stay there. We just swim through them to get out behind and then hunt there. But I suppose it would be similar..when the wave breaks/moves over you simply hold your breath, once it has passed you will purge (blow out through your mouth and snorkel) then continue breathing as per normal.

Maybe more experienced guys can offer better advice.

Regards, Shifty.

*edit
P.S. @Arno hehe no offense taken mate :)

**edit
Gromit :)fbash) beat me to the foot pocket suggestion
 
G

Gromit

Senior Member
wingman001 wrote:
How do you use the foot pockets used my feet they kind of hurt?
Click to expand...

Foot pockets are used for fins with removable blades. On the cheaper fins you cannot remove the blades, in this option look for the XL sizes, thats unless you have a larger foot than mine (13) in which case you should not need fins as you already have a pair attached :)
 
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