World Spearfishing Record Video

If you cant see the video go to Spearfishing World Record Grouper

Here is episode 6 in the Onefish International spearfishing segment. In this episode Austine Derry hunts White Sea Bass and Kingfish. The highlite is Richard Balta's massive World Spearfishing Record Gulf Grouper. Have a look at the IUSA official Record - World Record Gulf Grouper For more videos and great Youtube clips visit the IN THE ZONE  SPEARFISHING VIDEO CHANNEL  Coatesman Book your own Mozambican Spearfishing Adventure go to: Spearfishing Charters Mozambique

Cyclone Funso Heading South

Cyclone Funso gusting winds at 165mph! and heading south!

Cyclone Funso has hit central Mozambique hard leaving many dead and the rest of the coast beaten by the wind and waves. Funso is gusting winds at 165mph / 264kmh! and has been categorised as a grade 4  storm (above the 131-mph threshold for a Category 4 storm)

Saturdays forecast shows the cyclone directly off St Lucia!

The long term projected forecast shows the cyclone heading southwards reaching SA late Friday night. The cyclone should head south and out to sea, but there are no guarantees and it pass over land like cyclone Demoina did in the 80's.

If you find out any new reports please just post a comment

Coatesman

Spearfishing the Transkei Wild Coast

The Ultimate Spearfishing Magazine has just put up another great article on spearfishing locations. This 'how to' article is on spearfishing the Transkei Wild Coast.

The beautiful Transkei Wild Coast - a Spearfishing Mecca

It’s no wonder our forefathers named it the ‘Transkei’… loosely translated as ‘that place over that river’. It was a place so formidable and difficult to transverse yet alluring beautiful. Not much has changed since those days. Sure, now there’s a spiderweb of mud roads criss-crossing the landscape, which makes getting from A to B at least possible. The mystery of the Transkei still grips you. It’s almost surreal.
Deep green valleys carve their way through to cliffs that plummet into the sea, as if the hand of God came and tore away the shoreline. The Transkei is like something out of a Tolkien novel, a ‘Middle Earth’ of sorts complete with rolling mists that cloak its secrets. Even the trees grow strangely, twisted and battered by the wild winds and elements.
The Transkei ocean, not unlike the land, also has its own thing going on. It’s not at all like the Cape or Natal. The Transkei cliffs seem to give the sea an odd ‘bump’ even on calm days. The colour of the water is different, a ‘clean green’ gloom with an airy feeling to it that only adds to the adventure and craziness of this phenomenal place.
For many however, it’s not just the magical setting but the abundance of world class spearfishing opportunities that provides good reason to make the great trek to the Transkei from all over South Africa. Often, trips to the Kei are planned with great excitement and expectations, only to be washed out by the area’s notoriously temperamental weather… but even in these cases, one only needs a glimpse to fall in love. For some, the Kei has become so much a part of their lives that they regard it with a sense of fierce ownership. Completely smitten, they guard the treasures they have found there, like Gollum protecting ‘the Ring’.

This said, you can imagine that trying to glean information for a write up on the Kei was like pulling hens’ teeth. Suddenly, guys had no idea what I was talking about. Some were blunt and refused point blank to say anything. But, as always, there were those who still remember what it was like to struggle along without a clue, and I am truly grateful to those who shared their stories and secrets. 

To continue reading go to: Spearfishing The Transkei Coast

Coatesman

Spearfishing with Cameron Kirkconnell

Cameron Kirkconnell is one of the guys you hear of a fair bit in spearfishing circles. His blog SpearBlog.Com is an institution and one I follow on a weekly basis. Aside from that a couple world records and a host of other notches in his belt I am mostly jealous of  the great spearfishing trips he does all around the world. ...it sounds like he dives even more than I do!

We actually featured a section of him in our very successful film OneFish in this section he shoots a world record Black Fin Tuna and a host of other great fish ... See below or Spearfishing with Cameron Kirkconnell

His most famous record is his Dogtooth Tuna World Record he got in Indo of 91kg although he did get one even bigger last year in Tanzania but because of a mess up with paper work and licensing in the area the record  has not been acknowledged yet.

For more on Cameron Kirkconnell's Spearfishing visit his Cameron's Facebook page or go to his profile on Onefish: Cameron Kirconnell

Coatesman

Spearfishing Cape Vidal over Christmas

Trev with 2 good Snoek and some dart Couta just after Newyear.

While the rest of the Natal Coast starts to wake up over the Christmas period, and the Snoek and Couta start to make an appearance. Cape Vidal goes to sleep, well kind of. The Couta for the most part disappear and most days spearfishing will result in a couple nice Snoek if you are lucky.
If you do get Couta they are usually small, and it can be frustrating as the conditions are usually very good.

As you get into the new year the spearfishing gets better, the Couta although generally small start showing up in numbers. The tell tale signs are the local ski-boaters taking over the campsite for the late January - February run.

Local Spearfisherman Koos Jordaan with 13kg Kakaap just before Christmas

Although the Couta are slow over the Christmas period there are other fish around if you are whiling to put in the time. Local spearfisherman Koos Jordaan managed to get some really good fish over the 'quiet' period, including a 13kg Kakaap (Green Jobfish) and a 20kg Milkfish (Chanos Chanos)

Koos's Newyear 20kg Chanos Chanos (Giant Milkfish)

So the big decision now is deciding whether to stay at home and capitalise on the good sized Couta that are showing up here and there, or head to Cape Vidal. Which one will be better and produce the goods.

For some it will be back to the 'grind stone' ....damn that sucks!

Coatesman

Book your own Spearfishing adventure go to: Cape Vidal Spearfishing Charters and Guided Trips