Spear Fishing/Free Diving in Ireland.

TacT

I'm looking for a dive buddy who may be interested in snorkelling/freediving and spear fishing (the last being my big interest)

I've tried various clubs etc but this very surprisingly is not practised here by anyone (or I just haven't found them yet).

I have no trouble in finding a dive buddy for snorkelling/scuba but what I am after is someone who has an interest in a) Spear fishing b) eating the days catch, c) travelling to and from sites, and finally d) learning how to spear fish.

I've been putting some serious thought into getting a spear fishing club going for a month of the summer or over the weekends. The waters here are extremely rich and fruitful and I'm positive some great days out can be had but unfortunately I do not know the waters here well enough and am very skeptical about going out there on my own.
Although I do it all the time in France (alone) I know how strong currents are in relation to the tides etc. and have been practising on the same sites and various others for nearly 10yrs now. I know where fish are when and why but I haven't got a bulls notion about things here.
Well I have a small idea about Hook Head in Wexford and I'm mildly familar with the waters around dalkey island.

I live in Dublin but am always willing to travel.

If anyone goes out shark fishing or anything wonderful like that to sites such as the sherkin islands off cork where huge pollack etc can be taken then I would love to get on, get dropped off while you are off fishing and get picked up whenever your finished Or alternatively let you give me a chance to take a couple of test dives around a few area's to suss it out myself I will greatly repay you with whatever you require for your troubles.

Thanks for listening.

who007

TacT wrote:

I'm looking for a dive buddy who may be interested in snorkelling/freediving and spear fishing (the last being my big interest)

I've tried various clubs etc but this very surprisingly is not practised here by anyone (or I just haven't found them yet).

I have no trouble in finding a dive buddy for snorkelling/scuba but what I am after is someone who has an interest in a) Spear fishing b) eating the days catch, c) travelling to and from sites, and finally d) learning how to spear fish.
Thanks for listening.

I'd definitely be interested! I live in Kildare but can travel!
email me on dave.m.lynch@intel.com

Cheers
Dave

seamunkey

Well man, thing is here in Ireland - all Padi Dive Centres/Clubs train the majority of Scubadivers/ snorklers- there are other organisations, but not goin listing of all of them. I did a couple years with a club in the West of Ireland and there's a major thing they support and teach to all students and visitors called Fish Aware!!:p Protecting our Reefs and beautiful fish life... Now dont get me wrong, I think spear fishing is class and good fun - I've givin up scubadiving and now do the occasional snorkle in lakes, coasts and off my friends boat around the clare/galway coast... Best of luck with you quest man, but spear fishing is not something I would like to with a complete stranger.

desiredbard

Try scubadive west in Co Galway
I know at least one DM thats into it

murrayjr

Really interested in joining you as a dive buddy. No scuba experience and no plan to, but love snorkling, fishing, watersports, all the usuals. Just bought my first spear and itching to get out there and learn a few things. Drop me a mail if your up for it. Travel to the we'st often too and keen to try it anywhere. Cheers, murrayjr.

jimmyparke

i live in dublin and do a bit of snorkling/surfing/fishing- did you guys get that club organized? I would be v interested to go free diving

James
jimmyparke@gmail.com

The_Irish_Dave

I'm interested too. I live in Dublin. I want to get into spearfishing and eating the fish. I love the whole idea of it. I'm currently looking into buying some gear but feck it's hard to find decent stuff in Ireland. I'm looking up sites with recommended masks, suits, spears etc. but I'm not buying anything like that without trying them on and I don't want to be restricted in getting some particular brand, ****e spear etc just because a shop couldn't be arsed stocking any good stuff. Anyone know a shop I can walk into with a good choice of this sort of stuff? I could go on hols somewhere and pick it up of course.

unseen

Hi lads,

I am from Greece and I live in Dublin the last 2 years. My hobby is spearfishing and apnea(diving without bottles) but i havent done anything since i came here. I want to start again but there are a few problems.... First of all its difficult to carry all the equipment without car and second i still havent found a good shop in Dublin. Only a few online shops in UK.

I am diving since 10 years old so i miss it a lot. If you arrange something i am in

The_Irish_Dave

I actually inquired to customs about bringing a speargun into Ireland either by myself or by post because apparently they are not sold here or can't be sold here (according to a local gun shop) and this is what they said

"When you're importing any type of guns into Ireland you have to contact the Dept. of Justice to see if you need a license/permit - phone no: 01-6028202 and ask for 'the firearms and explosives unit' or e-mail: minister@justice.ie If you're travelling with the speargun you would have to inform airport security at the check-in stage.

If you buy it on-line from a country outside the EU it would be liable to
customs duty (usually around 3.7%) and VAT @21.5% If a permit/license is required from the Dept of Justice you would have to produce it at the point of import to get it cleared through customs. If a permit/license is not
required it would not be detained by customs once the customs duty and VAT is paid."

So I sent a mail to the department of justice asking about the speargun issue and they are looking into it and will get back to me. Sure it's not even a firearm so what are they talking about? I don't know. I think it's all up in the air and no one knows what the law on it is to be honest. The guy in the gun shop gave some bizarre reason why they can't sell them that didn't make any sense. "you need a valid excuse to have it and spearing fish isn't valid enough" that's what he said. lol. You can imagine my face. I just don't want to be stopped at customs if I go to France or Spain to buy one. Anyone else know what the story is with buying spearguns abroad and bringing them back here?

The_Irish_Dave

Guys. I got a reply from the minister of justice. You need to apply for a firearms certificate to import a rubber band spear gun. Not messing. Unreal eh? That's why they're not for sale here. Your cert acts as your import license if you buy it abroad too. So it is possible you just need to go through some red tape to do it.

Querious

Hi guys,

I am delighted to see that other people are looking into spearfishing in Ireland. I live in Ireland for 4 years now (an other Greek) and I really miss it, even though I was never really good at it, I used to really enjoy the whole procedure of trying to get my own dinner.
I haven’t looked at it properly so far and the reason is that I am not familiar with the irish sea and especially with the tide, so I wouldn’t go out there on my own without somebody with a bit more experience in the area.
Anyway there might be some legal technicalities as The Irish Dave said, but “where is a will there is a way” so if even if it is not possible to get a speargun, you could still get out there and try to get some scallops or razor clams or even a lobster with a bit of luck. So if you go ahead with the idea of the club after all, I would love to join you.

The_Irish_Dave

There is a way around this legal rubbish. There's no law against a pole spear. I might give that a go.

Fozzydog3

hey i was just wondering how does someone gain experience in this ? like what would the first steps be ?

The_Irish_Dave

Jumping into the water

Fozzydog3

The_Irish_Dave wrote: »

Jumping into the water

ok but youll be held responsible when "inexperienced swimmer dies ,boardsie's fault" covers the front of the herald

The_Irish_Dave

More like "Spearfishing Madness!" a man was found swept up on the shore impaled by his own speargun with several shark bites and signs of drowning while wearing totally inappropriate attire. Locals say they heard a faint call in the distance resembling "I posted a message on boards.ie asking about what to do but no one would tell me!! Damn you The underscrore Irish underscore Dave!! Damn you to hell!!"

Fozzydog3

The_Irish_Dave wrote: »

More like "Spearfishing Madness!" a man was found swept up on the shore impaled by his own speargun with several shark bites and signs of drowning while wearing totally inappropriate attire. Locals say they heard a faint call in the distance resembling "I posted a message on boards.ie asking about what to do but no one would tell me!! Damn you The underscrore Irish underscore Dave!! Damn you to hell!!"

that seems about right or: Madman practices spearfishing in NAC 12 killed

The_Irish_Dave

I've no experience in this stuff either so I'm in the same boat as yourself. I'm waiting until the weather picks up and going out to see what the craic is. I might just do some shallow water snorkeling with some flippers and see what I can see down there getting used to the water and what not. Then if I actually see any feckin fish I'll buy a pole spear online and give that a go with anyone else who's interested. You could try this abroad in warmer waters of course first. If all goes well I'll buy a wetsuit and do it properly of course. Just take one step at a time and be safe and smart as you can. You can't take any chances in the sea really.

yankinlk

Bit of history of Irish spearfishing on these pages if you have a look around...
http://www.limericksubaqua.com/history-1967-1968.html

And some old photos here...
http://www.limericksubaqua.com/irish-scuba-dive-memorbilia-history.html

Ireland actually sent a team over to Cuba in 1967 to represnt in the World Spearfishing Championships...

http://picasaweb.google.com/LimerickSubAqua/19671968?authkey=Gv1sRgCNW2zbzex8TqnwE&feat=embedwebsite#5330208581029655474

larry12

HI
i've being spearfishing for a good few years here in waterford.
i catch the majority of fish in less than 3m of water.Mainly seabass,mullet etc.i use 7mm suit,75cm spear mainly easy to maneuver around rocks and has good range,110cm for deeper dives or really clear days in more open water.
i get most of my gear from
[URL="http://apenaonline.co.uk
quality gear and quick service

pibi

Hello lads,

My name is Bittor, I am from the Basque Country and have been spearfishing for lots of years. I come to Ireland a lot because I am married to a girl from Cork.
I got married 2 years ago and I came with 5 of my friends to Ireland with all of our spearfishing gear - fins, suits, guns (covered and checked through) and had absolutely no problem.
Ive travelled all over the world with my spearfishing stuff and Ive never had any problems - its always my own personal gear and I am travelling with it. If I have ever been asked, I have always said that it is fishing gear.

I would recommed that if you are ever on holidays in Spain, buy spearfishing stuff there and bring it back. You can get everything you need in Spain and it would be much cheaper.
An online option that I use a lot is www.subprof.com. I dont know if they ship to ireland but they have quality stuff and a good service.

I hope my comments are useful.

Bittor

recedite

Did CJ Haughey ban divers from taking fish years ago? I think the lobster fishermen of Kerry lobbied him, hence the legal problems.Anyway this is Ireland and you won't encounter any Gardai in the sea, unless you manage to spear Fungi the dolphin.
I have a go in the summer, but find it very hard to hit anything; the spear always seems to travel in slow motion and the fish just amble off. Its enyoyable looking around down there anyway.
A portuguese gent told me that night time with a torch is the way to go if you want some fish supper.

recedite

larry12 wrote: »

HI
i've being spearfishing for a good few years here in waterford.
i catch the majority of fish in less than 3m of water.Mainly seabass,mullet etc.i use 7mm suit,75cm spear mainly easy to maneuver around rocks and has good range,110cm for deeper dives or really clear days in more open water.
i get most of my gear from
[url="http://apenaonline.co.uk
quality gear and quick service

Larry, what head is on the spear; is it a trident?

recedite

larry12 wrote: »

HI
i've being spearfishing for a good few years here in waterford.
i catch the majority of fish in less than 3m of water.Mainly seabass,mullet etc.i use 7mm suit,75cm spear mainly easy to maneuver around rocks and has good range,110cm for deeper dives or really clear days in more open water.
i get most of my gear from
[url="http://apenaonline.co.uk
quality gear and quick service

Larry, what head is on your spear; is it a trident?
(sorry can't work the quote thing for some reason)

unseen

@lary What size are the fishes you are catching in Wexford?

MARKDENISSEN

I'd like to join this club if it ever starts. i've been spearing for years in South Africa. I lived in Skibbereen for a while and dived a good few spots but the water gets milky after any storm so i moved to Ballyconneely near Clifden and dived plenty drop-offs there too but mostly alone because it's difficult to find a free diving budy. I do scuba aswell but i much prefere the freedom of Free Diving. To tell the truth i got bored of shooting Pollock because they are no challenge and they don't taste that great.
I'd like to target Sea Bass but i've never seen one off the west coast.
Even if you don't shoot fish, i know some excellent, deep, clean spots.

djml

Hi. Did any of you guys get together to do some spearfishing etc. Im based in Meath and have a place on the south coast too. Really interested in giving this a go. I've been diving using scuba for about 10 years now but am well up for a change.

tedshredsonfire

Jaysus lads never thought to look under extrem sports for freediving as i normallyt post in surf and dive sections.

been diving on scuba for 8-9 years and got into freediving 5 years ago. deeperblue.net is a great resource for information and theres an irish spearing section there. I did a few course on freediving in the uk and egypt and am heading back to egypt in may this year to do an instructor course so would be interested to see how many would be interested in a freediving course. probabaly run in sligo as its where I dive and know have equipment etc and would be run mid summer over a weekend.
I was thinking of doing a course purely for freeding with yoga etc and a different one focusing on spearing and aspetto techniques.
also +1 on the post above subprof are a great shop for gear.
Give us a message back here or pm me if you have any questions.
freediving is the most relaxing extreme sport there is.

spaceHopper

Surf in Sligo all the time (live in Dublin) used to do a good bit of snorkelling - was always talking about getting a spear gun till some friends got me one in France last year on holidays, I'll take it with me and some gear for flat day fun over the summer (don't expect much to see in the winter).

If you know any good snorkelling spot around Easkey that you care to share (not looking for surf spot have enough) I've never fired the spear gun and wouldn't mind a few tips - if you do the course let me know and I'll take a lesson have most of the gear I'd need - dive fins, surfing wet suit some weights, belt knife mask snorkel . The gun is ban powerd and I'd say the saft is 70 cm

tedshredsonfire

space, no hassle with spots pm next time your coming down the only thing I ask is that you only shoot what you intend to eat and be sensible with the gun. theres usually no hassle from peopl maybe the odd fisherman but most are just interested in how you do it. Pollock are the most plentiful and are reasonably easy to spear. wrasse on the other hand you could spear with eyes closed but taste rank imho. i am not a big fish eater so I don't spear myself but my friend does and I usually go snapping with the camera. theres a few spots more towards sligo from easkey and when your coming i'll give you directions but the fish wont be in till late march i would guess.

pollock you will get in water from 5m and down sometime shallower and mullet usually in 1ft of water but they are very skittish. bass are around but i have yet to sneak up on one. some vids and photos are on the blog here http://irelandsocean.blogspot.com

the guys in the camo suits are a couple of greek guys that came here spearfishing two years ago and i showed them a few places they were savage divers and I had trouble staying down with them.

spaceHopper

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100216/twl-freediver-breaks-holding-breath-reco-41f21e0.html

tedshredsonfire

yeah but thats on o2 stlldamm hard though

recedite

That's a bit of a con, allowing them to breathe pure oxygen first. It makes the feat a bit irrelevant.

ThOnda

The more I read this thread the more I would like to give some snorkeling a go...

gubasas

Hi all
I think a club would be a good idea I am based in west cork. I will gear up for the summer and definitely will be spear fishing in the summer and I also smoke the fish that I normally catch plus I know lots of good remote places around the west cork and beara so let me know how things are going and hopefully will meet up in the summer
email me : gubassas@yahoo.com

spaceHopper

Saw these on gumtree
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/63/54659363.html

Some body here might be interested but I reckon you need to know what you are doing before you buy something like them

tedshredsonfire

Pretty good value in fairness and you could proabably haggle a bit. I have a similar mono but never use it other than in the pool. It was the first I ordered and didn't know much about them. While the footpockets/straps need to be tight on mine they are excruciating and I can only wear it for 15-20 mins max but I would have gottena bigger blade if I was re ordering again. If the foot is too loose you lose a lot of power in the transfer from your body to the fin.I decided to wait and go to a few comps and meets etc and try on a few other types to have a better idea when ordering.

Also a mono is crap for spearing or recreational freediving. Its excellant for pool of freeding for depth only like when attached to a line. The traditional long bi- fins are excellant and give you the most mobility in the water imho.

gubasas

Hi guys I am thinking to go for some snorkeling this weekend anyone been diving lately is there any fish around at this time or is it all gone dipper? I was also thinking to go spearfishing.

tedshredsonfire

Hi Gubasas, was out last sunday in mullaghmore, sligo as there was no surf. the vis was excellent but its too early for catchable fish. You could get scallops etc if you know where to find them.Wrote about it here. Fking cold though.

http://irelandsocean.blogspot.com/

Theres some videos etc at the top and a few pictures of previous dives.

gubasas

thankx tedshredsonfire
I am lookingforward to this I had my first dive on 30th of january this year got lots of scallops but was freezing as I still dont have my proper gear ready for the season so I used only 3mm suit with some close undernith but it was really good I enjoyed it a lot. This week end I will try area in west cork around Baltimore hope the vis would be good woold like to see some fish though couse I also like to do some rock fishing
I will let you guys know how it went

gubasas

Well guys, Today seams like a good day to get my but in to the water. I also bought a lobster pot yesterday will try to set it up near the shore by the rocks I never tried it before but you never know . Does any one has any tips on wats the best place to set up the lobster trap?

gubasas

Well guys I've been there done that vis was sh** but I got a lobster pot set up so will go today after work to check it out and hope it will be better today but the good news is that the water wasnt that bad exept hand were absolutelly frozen but after a while you just dont feel them any more :P so I am delighted looking forward to a good weekend

gubasas

Well how was everybodys weekend? I done lots of diving, snorkeling etc. Visability was at its best on Sunday the place was very nice but I havent seen a one bloody fish where are they all gone? I guess I will have to wait till summer to do some spearfishing. Didnt get any lobster in my pot maybe the place is wrong for that or it isnt deep enought but any way it was worth the cold.:)

tedshredsonfire

Good man rocky kelpy bootom is best for lobster but I think you need a permit to have a pot but could be wrong. There was also a law about returing females and notching them with a v but think this may now be defunct but not 100% sure. If its only one pot its hard to see how you would have any hassle. What have you used for bait inside?
The fish wont really return for another month or six weeks so just keepo up the practice but try and make sure you have someone with you who knows how to help if you have an accident.

gubasas

Thanx man. I researched the laws in regards of lobster size females and so on. so I am in clear with that but then again in Ireland for any law there is one that contredicts it . As for the bait I used herring and mackrel the depth about 5-6 m. on the low tide and rocky bottom. I will be pereodicaly going in and checking if the fish is back also wil set up my smoker to have it ready for the time when fish arrives

Molpe

Hi everyone!
I've been living in Galway for the last two years and I've done some spearfishing there. The west of Ireland is amazing!!
Now I have just moved to Dublin and I'm looking forward to going diving here, but I don't know the good areas, accesses, etc.
I'm also looking for people to go together.
Can someone help me?
Will someone be interested on going together with me?
Regards.

FreediverK

Hi Guys,

I'm an AIDA** qualified freediver and I do some pool training in the NAC (National Aquatic Centre) in Blanchardstown on Tuesday nights between 9pm - 10pm. I train with the Ocean divers scuba club there, safety divers are there to. If there are any equally qualified AIDA **, *** or **** freedivers out there who would like to join me get in touch.
I havent ventured out into the sea yet as I'm sceptable about the safety issues but am certainly up for travelling to do some diving around Ireland.
I have never speared before but would love to give that ago to.

Cheers
Rory

MARKDENISSEN

Hi. I'm going diving on the west coast this weekend at spots that i know well. There are fish but i wont be spearing. Just need that diving feeling. There are spots that are safe even if the sea is a bit rough. Anyone that wants to come with can meet up in Clifden.
denissen.mark@gmail.com
Cheers

tedshredsonfire

Hi Mark will be out this weekend but in sligo. Bothair bui is a spot I had a nice dive in a few years back at carraroe theres a fair current runs at the tides if i remember correctly but the vis was good. there was meant to be a trawler sunk there too but couldn't find it the day i was there.

Of the people reading on here how many would be on for a course and would you liek it to be more focused of pure freediving or spearfishing. assuming i qualify i will probably hold either one or two course over the summer more if theres a demand for it but would hope to limit each course to a max of 6 person but ideally 4 any ideas or suggestions?

MARKDENISSEN

Hi Tedshredsonfire. How deep is that trawler do you think. About the course, what would you learn. Do you deal with shallow water blackout.

tedshredsonfire

Hi mark if memory serves me certainly less than 10m I think. there was meant to be bouy on it but that was a few years ago. Ask around the locality and they may be able to help you more on it.
On the course it will be an Apnea Academy course http://www.apnea-academy.com as long as I pass all my tests next month. So yeah SWB will be covered along with correct breathing, equipment, technique, diet, training, yoga/stretching and safety at sea. The idea of any of these courses is to improve aquacity and make diving deepr or for longer a lot safer. But for spearfishing this is not always whats required depends on what your after.I am unsure where to pitch it as either pure freediving or try to blend in some spearfishing in to it as well. I have speared before and hunt fish with the camera but would not be an expert spearo by any stretch.