Chapter 10
86. Shore Diving.
“Gear for shore diving needs to be kept to a minimum. Entering and exiting dressed like a Christmas tree is not only dangerous but you run the risk of losing gear should there be any wave action. Also if you have a big swim excess gear can tire you out faster than expected and this could cut your dive short. I have seen divers so engrossed in sorting out excess gear while diving that they actually miss seeing fish. You are there to experience the underwater world, not fight with equipment that is not really required” (Darren Shields from wettie.co.nz)
87. Shore Diving. Entry Point.
Your chosen entry point needs to offer you a clean and expeditious route to where you want to dive. Looking at the swell from right in front of it and observing the wave sets for 5-15 minutes will give you a good idea of where and when it’s going to be safest to jump in.
The place where I regularly shore dive usually has a good swell rolling in, so I get in 500 metres away around a sheltered corner and have a warm up swim before I start. Many locations will have somewhere similar such as a gutter where the run-out current minimizes the swell or a semi-sheltered point to enter. Entering the water is usually the safer part of the dive and if it is difficult to get in, it will probably be worse getting out.
All of your equipment should be well organised, wrapped up if possible, and fitted tightly before you enter the surf zone. Once you have cleared the surf zone, then you can unravel and start spearfishing. Coatesman wrote a great post about shore diving with some great information about securing your float or buoy and line. (www.ultimatespearfishing.com)
88. Shore Diving. Exit Points (plural).
This is the part of the dive to spend time seriously planning. If your mate stabs himself with his dive knife and you need to get out of the water quickly, what is the plan? If you get bad cramp, will you be able to make it to your exit point? It sounds dramatic but these are the potential scenarios to think about when planning your exit points.
Entry points that were good for getting in the water can be terrible for trying to get out due to many factors – prevailing current and swell behaviour among them. Therefore, you should talk with your dive buddy while gearing up, and plan for a few different exit scenarios. If you are drift diving (planning on diving with the current along a coastline) then you need to have extra contingency plans in case of emergency. Nothing beats local knowledge. The beauty of becoming a local is the awareness you develop of the area and contingency plans you have for when things don’t go well.
89. Shore Diving. Another Entry & Exit Tip.
Move as quickly as you can when both entering and exiting the surf zone. Spend the time to observe the timing of wave sets, but when you have picked your time to go – Go for it. You have already made the decision and hesitation will just get you in trouble.
90. Shore Diving. Hunting Techniques and Tips for Rock Hopping.
Quietly, quietly, quietly is the way of the Jedi spearo. Good divers clear their snorkels quietly, duck dive quietly and move silently. Muffling noisy parts on your gear is a dive-by-dive conscious improvement and will make a difference to the volume of fish that you have an opportunity to shoot. Even if you are targeting fish that are attracted to noise (curiosity), when you make the noise, the action should be intentional and not the result of clumsy movement.
Shallow water spearfishing demands quiet spearos. In deeper water, the distance between the surface and your prey muffles noise and movement and can offer the spearo some advantage. When diving in shallow water, this advantage is gone. Learning to hunt shallow is crucial and an underrated training ground for those that want to be competent underwater hunters.
This is something you will work on for years. When you head out spearfishing with experienced divers, watch how they move and adopt the good behaviours you observe into your own diving.
91. Shore Diving.
Different fish require different techniques; however, often on a surf beach the fish are close to the surf line. One common mistake noobs make is to assume that they have to dive deep to take good species – this is untrue. Some of the best fish are taken in less than 5m (15ft) of water. Again, stealth is the key whilst maintaining an awareness of the risks inherent in diving in swell. When I started chasing crayfish (lobster) in Wellington, New Zealand, I often made the mistake of thinking I had to go out as far as I could to find them. In the end, the best cray holes I found were only in 3m (10ft) of water (30+ crayfish in certain holes) and very close to shore. Large pelagic species are taken in shallow water also. Giant trevally are frequently found in the shallows up in Northern Queensland, jewfish are often taken very shallow here in Southern Queensland, white sea bass are regularly taken in relatively shallow water (a bucket list fish for me).
92. Shore Diving.
If you are in 6m (20ft) or more of water, head straight to the bottom and lay there as still as can be. This will sometimes attract fish. Their curiosity will force them to come and investigate. If you can lay on the bottom and stay still for long enough (10 seconds+) then you have a technique that can in the right circumstances be very effective.
Diving through a school of bait or undesirable species and laying on the bottom beneath them (without spooking the school) seems to make some target species much less cautious as you seem like less of a threat. Laying on the bottom is a more advanced technique particularly in deeper water. However, as you begin to understand your body and its dive reflex, this can be one of the most successful hunting strategies for both reef and pelagic species.
Laying there till you are blue in the face; however, is not a good idea. Start with short bottom times and learn to listen to your body while staying conservative – be patient with your diving ability it does take time to adapt and learn.
93. Shore Diving. Marking the Spot.
When you find that awesome little spot or hidey hole while out shore diving you can use landmarks and some alignment tricks to mark and remember that spot for next time. Line up on a landmark in the middle ground with something behind it in the background. For example: with your line of sight, fixate on a tree on the shore line and line it up with an identifiable peak in the hills behind it. If you can manage this, you will have a spot that you can find every time you go out. When the water is dirty and you have the slightest bit of current, it can be hard to find that exact spot again. Try the landmark trick!
If it is a hole you are marking, you can also leave your speargun out the front (spearos in Australia and New Zealand do this a lot when chasing crayfish or lobsters), this works in the short term, land marks are better for remembering for next time.