About

ABOUT THE BRAND

Coatesman’s Spearfishing was established in July 2005 by speargun expert and lifelong waterman, Chris Coates. 

Growing up on the beaches of Zululand in the 1980s, Chris was immersed in fishing, and surfing from an early age. He fondly recalls spending hours in rock pools, playing with octopus and crayfish, and discovering the wonders of the ocean.

George Coates Tofo Mozambique – All Africa Black Marlin Record 1969

As he grew older, he learned to read the sea from his grandfather, a seasoned seafarer, and began catching big game fish from his ski-boat. Chris’s grandfather, George Coates, was a pioneer and legend in ski-boat and marlin fishing in Southern Africa. In the early 1950s, George undertook numerous exploratory trips into Mozambique, often spending months discovering new beaches and fishing spots. His stories inspired Chris’s own love of exploration and fueled his passion to continue the family legacy as a third-generation waterman. At just 15, Chris bought his first speargun and ventured into the water at a local beach — the beginning of what would become a lifelong obsession with spearfishing.

Coatesman’s Spearfishing began with a broad focus on gear sales, repairs, and the supply of premium local products such as Rob Allen, alongside carefully selected imported equipment. A few years later, Chris expanded into custom spearguns and spearfishing safaris.

Before the GoPro era, Chris was already pioneering spearfishing videography. He produced a series of popular “SpearPorn” videos and soon developed his craft in both underwater and land-based filming and photography. Chris released several DVDs, from Good Times in 2007 to the acclaimed Onefish series. These projects propelled his career as a professional spearfishing videographer and photographer, capturing safaris with clients at some of the world’s most breathtaking dive spots.

Coatesman’s Spearfishing Safaris officially launched in January 2009, specializing in guided adventures and custom spearfishing experiences along the African coast. Chris takes clients on unforgettable pursuits of wild game fish and pristine reefs, offering truly life-changing encounters beneath the surface.

That same year, Chris founded Ultimate Spearfishing Magazine, which ran for six years. During this time, Chris authored the influential article Unrolling the Roller — a piece that later evolved into a highly popular YouTube series on the Coatesman’s Spearfishing channel and remains a trusted source of spearfishing knowledge today.

Throughout his career, Chris has continued building and refining spearguns, dedicating more than a decade to perfecting his own range of roller guns. His deep technical understanding and relentless testing have earned him recognition as a trusted expert in the spearfishing industry.

In his pursuit of precision, Chris began water-testing equipment in pools and local tidal pools before, in 2023, constructing a custom 15-metre (49ft) testing pool at his home on South Africa’s North Coast. This pool allows him to record shot velocities, recoil, and accuracy using multiple cameras. After countless hours of testing and fine-tuning, his focus shifted from chasing raw power to achieving precision, control, and balance — how the gun truly feels in hand. 

Today, Chris continues to operate Coatesman’s Spearfishing and Coatesman’s Spearfishing Safaris, sharing his hard-earned knowledge with the global spearfishing community through his YouTube channel and ongoing innovation in the sport.

More than a brand — it’s a legacy.

             

ABOUT CHRIS

Born in April 1973, Chris Coates grew up on a sugar cane farm in Zululand, South Africa, just a few hours from the Indian Ocean that would come to define his life. Surrounded by fields, rivers, and wide open horizons, he developed a deep connection with nature from an early age. His schooling years along the KwaZulu-Natal East and North Coasts only strengthened that bond. Whenever possible, he was in the water, surfing with friends, diving reefs, or fishing from the shore.

Every school holiday was spent exploring the sea with his grandfather, George Coates, a pioneer in ski-boat and marlin fishing who ventured into Mozambique during the 1950s to discover untouched beaches and fishing grounds. Those formative experiences taught Chris how to read the ocean, its moods, movements, and rhythms, and instilled a lifelong respect for its power and mystery.

After finishing school, Chris’s passion for the ocean evolved from pastime to purpose. Over the next decades, he built a life around diving, filming, and crafting high-performance spearfishing equipment, combining the precision of an innovator with the instincts of a seasoned waterman.

Beyond his work, Chris is a devoted family man. He met his wife, Michelle, in 1995, and together they’ve built a family that shares his love for the sea. Their son, Braiden, now works internationally in the yachting industry, while their daughter, Kai, brings her creative energy to the family business. Michelle, a personal trainer, leads beach fitness sessions along their home coast, where most days end the same way they began: by the ocean.