Seachange Newsletter

Edition 9 April 2010

x G

at Australian

Contents:

Editorial Benefits 10% discounts Spearsafe and Safety Competitions State news Cover- Drew Fenney with Victorian record Yellowtail Kingfish Media Releases Membership

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Editorial

Spear safe campaign Safety is a very important issue for all of us. There have been some tragic fatal accidents this year due to shallow water blackout and some nasty accidents from gear and sharks (see more below). The AUF offers our sincere condolences to the family and friends of those affected. We are also trying to prevent future incidents and accidents and there has been good progress to increase awareness of safety with a National Spearsafe campaign with website, stickers, brochure, DVD and risk assessments. We also have a goal of a single national Spearfishing training package.

Nationals Congratulations to Rob Torelli for winning the Open National Spearfishing Championships (held in Victoria) for a Record 7 times and to Mary Anne Stacey for winning the women’s championships for a record 7 times. The juniors was won by Trent Crane (Vic), intermediate was Dave Scholefield (SA), veterans Gunther Pfrengle (NSW), Master John Schulter (NSW). The Superdiver (Spearfishing, finswimming and photography) was hotly contested and close and the winner was Garth Byron (NSW). The Mark Searle Interpacific Pairs trophy was won by Aaron Crocome and David Welch. A full report below.

There were 33 competitors, great support from sponsors, some challenging conditions and small fish. Thank you very much to Zia Mustafa and his team for being the Competition Director. Of course we also appreciate feedback on what was excellent and what can be better for next nationals. The nationals event is 4 star Neatfish accredited for fishing sustainability.

The rotation policy for the nationals is now SA, QLD, NSW, WA, Vic - Preliminary discussions have commenced with SA but if they do not wish to host in 2011 then the next state Qld will be selected.

Shark watch The final report has been written and sent to Government. An excellent community survey has been published. Both documents available at http://www.auf- spearfishing.com.au/public/documents/documents.php

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Benefits of a National organisation to represent spearfishers What is the priority of Government- certainly it does not appear to be not recreational fishers interests. The peak body representing recreational fishers Recfish Australia has not received ongoing Government funding and will now move to a voluntary organisation. Recfish Australia has done a great job for all fishers and spearfishers and one was the leaders for the Grey Nurse Shark AAT court case and a strong supporter of the AUF and its issues. Their expertise and co-ordinating role will be sorely missed and this is a tragedy for community leadership.

Our sport is growing rapidly with many new club members and even more people buying gear and having a go. Communication is increasing and look out for the upcoming Dive Expo and National Blue Water Hunting and Freediving Symposium in Brisbane

The AUF and USFA are still separate entities and this is a shame when we need to work together and unite on issues that are important for all spearfishers and skindivers. Suggestions welcome from skindivers on what you want for the future of our sport.

Rules We all know that rules for marine parks and fishing are complicated. But you have a legal and ethical responsibility to know the rules and follow them and be a good role model for others. If someone is doing the wrong thing either deliberately or accidently then please educate them so that all spearfishers reputations are not damaged by a few bad individuals, It is the leaders in our sport who influence the culture of what is acceptable behaviour. One of the great examples of changing culture is from the Townsville Skindiving Club with its new competition format “Top 10” – check it out below as you may be able to adopt this for your club.

Facebook Are you on facebook? Do you find this is a good source of information and photos for your skindiving and Spearfishing?

Until next time, I wish you great friends, clear water, big fish and great experiences

Dr Adam Smith, National Chair (Spearfishing)

Adam with a 3.2 kg Coronation trout from Thimble Shoal

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

BENEFITS FOR AUF MEMBERS

SPEARING THE MENU- 15 % discount

Spearing the Menu, Australia’s first spearfishing television program, is now available on DVD with a 15 per cent discount being offered to AUF members. The two-disc DVD set contains all seven episodes from the first series.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Hi Adam,

A number of club members are breaking the law with regards to bag limits.

These limits are possession limits - if one takes the bag on a particular day one cannot follow this up with another bag on a subsequent day unless one has utilised all the fish from the first day prior to going to sea.

If the limit is 7 trout and one catches this on a day and consumes say 1 that night, then on the following day one may only catch 1 additional fish of this species to make up the possession limit of 7 for the species.

I know of 4 club divers who last weekend speared 21 trout between them on the first day and then followed this up with another 28 on the second day.

Between them they were over the possession limit by 21 trout, which they took back with them from 1770 to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

A fisheries officer could have stopped them on their way back down the coast and this would have resulted in a serious predicament for the AUF and, as the peak organisation, also for all spearfishermen, Australia wide.

Last year a group of divers, form the xxxx club, spent a week at 1770 and tried to spear the daily bag limit of fish every day. They then returned to NSW with approximately 4 times the possession limit. These are 2 examples of contempt of the laws of the country and in particular in Qld and NSW, that I am aware of.

I have spoken to numerous other divers in the SE region of Qld, who tell me they operate the same way - i.e. take their bag limit day after day when the opportunity presents itself.

Upon application to become a member of the AUF or USFA, divers undertake to abide by the law, yet some members are not and are using the excuse that they were not aware of the full meaning of the regulations.

I am convinced that these divers are taking advantage of the lack of diligence among fisheries officers, who are only checking daily cartches at the boat ramps. If they were doing their job the fisheries officers would be not only checking daily catches, but also the catches of divers on their way out of 1770 after having spending more than one day at sea.

I think that the excuse that certain club members make, that they are under the impression that they can take their bag limit day after day, and that they are unaware that there is a possession limit, can and should be squashed through notification at club level and also on the AUF website.

My advice is that all clubs in the country should be asked to notify each of their members about the full implications of the rules and regulations which affect the places their members are diving. Organised trips whereby clubs drive up in convoy from NSW to 1770 in Qld, should include a printed copy of the current regulations wrt posession limits and size restrictions in Qld, easily downloaded from the site www.dpi.qld.gov.au Also vice versa for Queenslanders entering other States to dive and vice versa for all other interstate divers.

It is important to note also, as pointed out recently by a Mackay spearo, that Baramundi may not be taken between 6pm and 6am and may not be taken in freshwater. Many may not be aware of these rulings.

Also that the Painted cray must be 9cm in carapice and 11.5cm in tail and that 2 central lobes of tail must be clipped. A lot of divers think that they can take whatever size they like in Qld.

Regards,

Tony. AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

How much do you love Spearfishing?

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

SAFETY

Do you want to catch better fish? Be a safer Spearo? Then SPEAR SAFE! Australian Spearfishing Safety Initiative About SPEARSAFE

Spear Safe is a national initiative to improve safety for Australian spearfishers. The initiative involves some of Australia’s top divers and attempts to bring together a cohesive view on safety issues involved with spear-fishing.

Spear Safe has the potential to save lives and greatly reduce the number of injuries and fatalities occurring all over Australia associated with spearfishing.

Spearfishing is a great activity but like all sports it has its potential dangers. We have lost friends due to blackout in the ocean and swimming pools. Others have suffered severe injury from boat strike, shark attacks and other causes.

This site is designed to raise awareness and provide information on the risks associated with spearfishing with a view to minimising or avoiding future incidents.

This website is just part of a multi-pronged approach to disseminate information to the Australian spearfishing community. A DVD is under development and is to be made freely available at spearfishing gear outlets as well as diving, boating and fishing stores. A brochure is also planned and is to be attached to spearfishing gear (eg attached to all spearguns/wetsuits etc) to provide some information at point of sale.

Of course providing this service is not free and SPEARSAFE is always on the lookout for sponsors willing to assist.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

What are some of the risks of spearfishing?

Blackout

Blackout is a major killer of breath-hold spearfishers. It is the result of oxygen starvation at the end of a breath-hold dive. Overexertion during a breath-hold dive is a predisposing factor. Blackout is most likely to occur during ascent and within 10 metres below the surface and shallower. Many blackouts occur within 30 seconds after surfacing. Blackout can occur when breath-hold diving in shallow or deep water. Read more >

Boat / Diver Interaction

Spearfisherman spend a lot of time floating on the surface. Spearfisherman may also be hard to detect whilst under water.

There is a risk of injury from boat traffic. Severe injury or death can occur from propeller strike. There is also the risk of spearfishers being caught in currents and lost at sea. A float/flag alerts boats the presence of a spearfisher in the water.

If a boat is being used it should display a large dive flag whilst spearfishers are in the water. Ensure a boatie monitors the spearfishers in the water. Be on the alert for boat traffic. Ensure everyone that is to operate to boat holds a boat licence. Always dive with a friend(s) or tell someone where you will be diving and your estimate time of return. Obtain a current weather report for the time that you will be diving. Read more >

Diver / Diver Interaction

Spearfisherman can be injured by other spearfisherman. In particular there is a risk from a spear gun accidentally discharging and causing injury. There is also a risk from improper use of a speargun (eg incorrect loading techniques and loading out of water). Read more >

Marine Creatures

The ocean has a diversity of marine life that may harm humans. Sharks, crocodiles and fish may bite; stingrays and jellyfish may sting; some fish, seasnakes, blue ring octopus and cone shells are venomous. Remember that sharks and other marine creatures are a natural part of the marine environment. If in doubt do not touch and get out of the water.

The chances of a shark attack are very low and a fatality are about one in a million. However there are some simple tips for safe swimming to help reduce the risk of incidents involving sharks and humans. Leave the water immediately if a large shark is sighted. Never swim alone, dawn or dusk or at night or in murky waters.

Fish such as bill fish and barracouta can be aggressive if speared. If large species are being speared there is also a risk of entanglement. Read more >

Rockhopping / Shore Diving

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Rockhopping/shore diving involves entering and exiting the water from the shore, often from rocky headlands, and then swimming in the sea, often around the head land. It presents some unique risks for the spearfisherman. Sea conditions, tides, rips, surf, boat traffic are just some risks associated with rock hopping. Read more >

General Health & Fitness

Consideration must be given to the fitness level required for spearfishing. Spearfishing requires a measure of strength and stamina. There are other restrictions on spearfishing can include medical conditions, illnesses such as flu and various medications. General health issues is the biggest killer of breath-hold spearfishers based on the DAN data. Read more >

Competence & Culture

Spearfishers need to be properly informed of the risks involved with the sport - education and training should play a critical role in ensuring that spearfishers are aware of and properly manage risks. There is also perception of the development of a competitive culture (in particular among younger, inexperienced divers) that you must ‘go deeper for longer’ in order to shoot fish. This culture also needs to be addressed. Read more >

Equipment

Having the right equipment whilst spearfishing is not only important for comfort and functionality but also plays an important safety role. Critical spearfishing gear includes mask, snorkel, wetsuit, weight belt, fins, gloves and socks. Read more > IN MEMORY OF IMRAN SATTAR By now most of you have heard of the tragic accident near Jurien Bay that sadly saw our good dive buddy Imran Sattar lose his life. Imran had dived with a lot of people around Australia and will be remembered by all of them as an "all around nice guy" - Rest in peace mate. INTERNATIONAL SPEARO AND ALL ROUND NICE GUY Last April, the club organised its first Pelagic Comp to be held mid April when macks and tuna were being spotted all up and down the coast. A new member, Imran, sent me an email looking for a spot on a boat. I had one spot spare for the big risk of running all the way to Green Head where I’d seen a good mix of pelagics the weekend before.

We decided to leave the night before and camp at the boat ramp to maximise our water time – we had to be back in Perth by mid afternoon for the weigh-in. So it was that a softly spoken Pakistani gentleman arrived at my door that Saturday night and introduced himself. It was immediately apparent that Imran was a very polite and softly spoken guy, with a quick smile that soon warmed into a laugh as we talked and got to know each other on the 4 hour trip north.

From the tales he told me, Imran was no stranger to long drives and camping out. He had been diving and driving around Australia for a few years and seemed a very self sufficient guy who never tired of adventures. His stories of big fish in Pakistan had me mentally organising a trip over there, wondering how I could avoid all the trouble and shoot myself one of the thumping cobias he was talking about. Picture some of the most nutrient rich warm waters in the world bordering a land with almost 170 million people, and almost none of them eat fish!

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

When we arrived at the boat ramp we set up camp, me on the gravel near my car in the swag and Imran on the public grassed area in his tent. We quickly put our heads down to get some sleep for a big day. Some time in the middle of the night, it started to rain. Big heavy drops plopped on the canvas of my swag. After a while I realised that the rain seemed to be coming in waves. 5 seconds of rain, 10 seconds of no rain, 5 seconds of rain, repeat. Odd. So I stuck my head out to see what was up, and there was Imran moving his tent off the grass onto the gravel while the sprinklers on the lawn behind him were going full tilt at 3 in the morning! Imran had apparently stuck his tent right on top of a sprinkler and had it fill from the bottom up! When he opened the tent door to see what was happening, he got another face full of water that drenched his sleeping bag and clothes right through. The poor guy was copping water from all sides, and now had to sleep on the gravel with only his wet clothes for a mattress.

I think I got a real insight into Imran’s personality the next morning when we woke for our dive. Not once did he complain. Not once! Can you think of anyone else who would just hop out of their soaking clothes into a wetsuit on a cold autumn morning without looking back at the night before and cursing their misfortune? He took it all with good humour and a big smile and was looking forward to a good dive. What a legend! We didn’t even have to get in the water after that for him to have earned my respect. At the weigh in that afternoon I was proudly telling everyone about the funny story of Imran’s night on the sprinkler, and how he just shrugged it off and got on with things.

CRUISING THE CAPE

Not long after, Imran bought his own boat. An older model glass boat, with an old, small Evinrude motor on the back. In his words, it was very slow. Matt Chave and I had planned a trip down to Injidup to do some shore diving pretty close to the Canal Rocks boat ramp, so when Imran was looking for a place to try his boat close to shore I invited him to come with us and we would bring the safety gear that he hadn’t had a chance to buy yet.

We left the ramp in a light North East wind, which blows onto the ramp a bit, with the forecast for a southerly change around lunch time. Imran’s boat, while not pretty, was actually a bit quicker than you’d expect and rode through the small chop very well.

We all had a quick dive but it was getting a little rough and there wasn’t much about so we decided to move spots. Into the boat, anchor up, turn the key, nothing...Ahh, bugger, Imran’s new boat is a lemon! Imran quickly whipped off the outboard cover and like all good engineers, he and I looked blankly at this strange metal contraption in front of us scratching our heads.

Matt thankfully is a little more practical and soon had Imran wrapping some cord around one of the dohickies which turns the wing wang and gets the whole thing started. Imran had one unsuccessful attempt at pull starting the engine, and while he was rewrapping the rope Matt asked if the key was on. Being a genius, I thought I’d check by turning the key. VROOOM. Away she went, and very nearly Imran’s fingers too! I quickly killed the motor and counted Imran’s fingers and we got the rope out of there and started up again.

We got a bit nervous at that stage, and decided to head back to the ramp. The northerly had gone around to the north north west and built to a good 15-20 knots and the little boat was slicing through it at around 10 knots flat out. The boat in front of us at the ramp was a carbon copy of Imran’s boat. The only difference being that Imran’s was outside of the 2 foot shorebreak and the other was sitting high and dry on the concrete next to its trailer! We tied off to the finger jetty as tightly as we could and hopped out to help and literally lift the other boat onto the trailer, the whole time waves were breaking over Imran’s “new” boat and a heap of water was sloshing about on deck. After a bit of head scratching, we borrowed a jerry can of petrol from the boat we had helped and headed off into the wind around Cape Naturaliste to the nearest boat ramp at Old Dunsborough. AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Matt hopped out and drove Imran’s car to meet us, half expecting that the wind would drop before we got there, but what would we do if it didn’t?

As much as it was a long, slow trip, I had a great time on that voyage. I’ve never been around that cape by boat- it is a beautiful part of the world and I had great company. We saw dolphins rounding up a massive school of salmon just before turning around the Cape itself and the sea there just felt alive with current and fish. Growing up in that area, I enjoyed playing tour guide and pointing out landmarks to Imran and planting seeds in his mind about dive spots to come back to in the future.

The motor stopped when we got to Eagle Bay. The wind was still from the north, but much lighter and was gradually pushing us towards the beach. We tried unsuccessfully many times to start the boat and then just stopped and waited. I began eyeing off the moorings and thinking of strapping on fins to take a line to one and leave Imran’s boat there until we could organise a tow. With Imran, it was just a challenge, it wasn’t a defeat. Just a part of the adventure. I remembered his night at Green Head and kept my spirits up to match his. After a long rest, the motor started. I think it was just feeling its old age and was tired of pushing all of the water from the waves breaking over it at the boat ramp. We took it easy and finally caught sight of Matt, who was waiting patiently at the boat ramp. The ocean was glass when we arrived.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Deaths spark spear-fishing safety push

Kelmeny Fraser From: The Sunday Mail (Qld) January 10, 2010 12:00AM

TRAGEDY: Lifesaving star Jacob Lollback (left) at Bondi Beach in 2007; and Luke Randell who was injured by a propeller while spear-fishing in 2006.

THEY were in the prime of their lives, physically fit and experienced in the water. But for each, a simple spear-fishing trip - something they had done dozens of times before - ended in disaster.

A series of high-profile deaths and shocking injuries of young sportsmen while spear-fishing, including the death of 20-year-old Gold Coast ironman Jacob Lollback on September 22, has led to plans for a major new safety campaign.

One of those working on the campaign is New South Wales man James Sakker, who was on the same fateful five-day spear-fishing trip 75km northeast of Gladstone as Jacob Lollback.

A decision on whether an inquest would be held is yet to be made, but Lollback is believed to have drowned after blacking out in shallow water while spear-fishing, which involves free- diving or diving without oxygen tanks.

Lollback was a rising surf lifesaving star who had moved to the Gold Coast to compete after 15 years of lifesaving.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

His age and physical fitness created a swirl of questions about how he could lose his life in the water. Mr Sakker is now working on a spear-fishing safety DVD, to be released for sale next year in dive shops. "It was a terrible tragedy and obviously I am deeply disturbed by it happening," Mr Sakker said."I decided I had to try to improve safety in the sport and get the message out to other divers.

"There are a lot of new people getting into the sport, and the majority are not members of clubs so they are learning from magazines and internet forums and things like that."

Shallow water blackout has been described as the curse of the fittest and most experienced divers, who are more likely to push their bodies to the limit.

Mr Sakker said divers could be caught out thinking they had more oxygen left than they actually did, as the body used less oxygen at a depth of 10-20m as it was under pressure - giving the impression there was plenty of air left.

On surfacing, that pressure lessened and the lungs returned to their normal size, which could rapidly suck oxygen out of the blood and lead to a sudden lack of consciousness, often just before or after surfacing.

The accident was not a one-off, with Victorian television fishing show presenter Neil Tedesco drowning while free-dive training at a local gym pool in Frankston, sending shockwaves through the fishing community.

In November last year, popular 21-year-old Sunshine Coast university student and experienced diver Jason Palmer drowned while on a spear-fishing trip off Caloundra.

Spear-fisherman Mark Bryant, 31, also lost his life while free-diving off the Tweed Coast in early 2004.Many attributed the death to a blackout. There have also been horrific injuries, including those of a Sunshine Coast man who was hit by a boat propeller in June last year at Flinders Reef, breaking his femur, tibia, fibula and ribs, puncturing his left lung and rupturing his spleen, kidney and bowel. He spent two weeks in an induced coma and suffered a stroke.

Luke Randell, of the inner-city suburb of Clayfield, is lucky to be alive after being hit by a propeller while spear-fishing at a shipwreck at Main Beach on the Gold Coast in 2006, leaving him in hospital for six weeks. The blade missed a major artery by 5mm, which would have sealed his fate.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

SHARK BITES DIVER AT LAMONT REEF

Miranda Cashin | 21st December 2009

GLADSTONE freediving champion John Pengelly was bitten by a three metre bull shark while diving at Lamont Reef early yesterday morning. The 19-year-old suffered deep lacerations to his wrist and lower forearm while spearfishing at the reef, 44 nautical miles east of Gladstone. After receiving treatment from medical staff on Herron Island he was flown to Rockhampton and air-lifted to Brisbane for surgical assessment. At the time of print Mr Pengelly was in a stable condition. Diving with fellow Curtis Coast Spearfishing members David Jenson and Nat Keene, it was their first dive of the day when the shark came from below and bit Mr Pengelly. “The shark nipped him on the hand, but it was not an aggressive nip but an enquiry nip,” said Mark Brookes, president of Curtis Coast Spearfishing club, who was also diving at the time. Mr Brookes said he was surprised by the shark’s strike as there seemed to be no reason for the shark to be aggressive. “The reason spearfishers attract attention from sharks is when they shoot a fish it flaps around and grabs the attention of the shark. But John hadn’t shot anything,” Mr Brookes said. “It was a shock as it was totally unprovoked.” Mr Jenson said it was simply a case of mistaken identity. “There were two guys together and to the shark they probably looked like a turtle,” he said. “John was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Mr Keene told The Observer sharks were “just something you deal with”. “As spearfishers you know that you are going into a shark’s habitat. As lovers of the ocean we are respectful of the fish and sharks and the shark was just doing its job,” he said. http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/sto ... mont-reef/

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Shark attack victim John Pengelly, 19, in recovery after emergency surgery at Royal Brisbane Hospital. Photo: Chris Barrett The teenage spearfishing champion attacked by a bull shark off Gladstone yesterday says he felt no pain, despite being left with severed tendons and arteries on his arm from the frightening confrontation. John Pengelly, 19, spoke this afternoon for the first time about the attack at Lamont Reef, 80km east of Gladstone, that occurred while he was freediving with two friends. He said he had just returned to the surface after shooting a Mangrove Jack fish when the shark struck. Mr Pengelly praised the calm resolve of his friends, who used shirts to wrap his wounds before racing him back to Heron Island for medical attention. "I was talking to my mate then I got hit from underneath by a bull shark...my mate said it was 2.5 to three metres," said Mr Pengelly, now recovering after surgery on his arm at Royal Brisbane Hospital. "After he hit me it was just 'don't panic'. Both me and my mates looked at each other and told each other not to panic and made our way back to the boat. "I trust my two mates that I dive with and they handled it well. If I wasn't diving with my partners I definitely wouldn't be here right now." Asked whether the shark attack hurt, Mr Pengelly replied: "No not at all. Me and my two dive partners were actually having a laugh about it on the way back in to the island. "The adrenaline must have still been running - there wasn't much pain at all until I got to surgery. The most I felt was his body hitting me, which was like attacking a football." Mr Pengelly's half-hour journey back to Heron Island took much longer than it should have, however. As revealed by brisbanetimes.com.au today, a group of nearby fishermen on a larger, faster vessel refused to transport him and his friends back to land, leaving them to make their way in their five-metre fibreglass boat. He said he was disappointed the fishermen did not offer to help, although they did radio through to Heron Island to report the incident. "After I got hit there was a much bigger and [more] stable boat that could have got me there a lot quicker," Mr Pengelly said. "Unfortunately they refused to help. They did manage to radio into Heron Island, I'll give them that, that definitely did help. But we were a bit disappointed that they couldn't get me in quicker. "Apparently they were fishing overnight out there. It definitely did irritate us." Mr Pengelly, who has regained feeling in his fingers but has been told to "take it easy" for 12 weeks and undergo intense physiotherapy, said he had "no hard feelings" against the shark that seriously wounded him. He said the experience would not deter him from resuming spearfishing once his recovery is complete. "We're divers in their waters. If he wanted to eat me he would have," he said. "It was just an enquiry bite. "I'll definitely be a bit more aware of their presence but I've swum with up to 10 at a time on previous weekends and they've never really seemed to bother me. "Just wrong place, mistaken identity." http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... -l9wj.html

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Swimmer shot in back with spear gun

Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:14pm AEST Updated Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:15am AEST

A man who was shot in the back in a spear-fishing accident says medics told him he came within millimetres of death as the metre-long spear penetrated his chest.

Brett Clarke was swimming with friends at Cape Schanck on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula when he was struck by the spear.

Mr Clarke, who is now recovering in Melbourne's Alfred Hospital, says the spear's tip came within millimetres of his heart.

"It went in up through my ribs, up into my lungs, on the left-hand side there, and the nurses here say I must have someone looking out for me upstairs," he said.

"It missed my heart by millimetres - I'm a very lucky boy."

MICA Flight paramedic Kyle Lee arrived at the scene around noon on Sunday to find Mr Clarke badly injured on the beach.

"The spear was still hanging out of his back, about a metre-long steel rod," Mr Lee said.

"It penetrated his internal organs and into his lung.

"He was conscious at the time and required a chest tube to drain air that was accumulating in his lung that was making it difficult to breathe, as well as for some pain relief."

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Australian Spearfishing Championships

Between the 21st and 27th of February, Victoria hosted the 58th Australian Spearfishing Championships based from Rye on Mornington Peninsula. The competition started with an introduction and sign-on night on Sunday at the Rye Hotel which saw 33 competitors sign on from five different states.

The forecast for the week? Well it wouldn’t be a spearfishing competition if the weather wasn’t doing everything possible to make it hard for the convenors. So you guessed it, big swell nearly all week!

First day of spearfishing competition was held as scheduled on the Monday. The sheltered Cape Schanck posed itself as the preferred site due to its safe entry and exit points despite the large swell. The conditions were tough with far from perfect weather and a strong current which tested some of Australia’s best. Dave Scholefied from South Australia showed his ability in the Southern waters winning the heat with 10 fish. Talk of 30kg+ kingfish warmed the hearts of competitors thinking about what was to come in the following heats. Some of the notable fish for the day include large Snook, King George Whiting and Banded Morwong.

Second day of spearfishing competition was postponed due to an even larger swell than the first day. The photo competition and finswim were moved forward a day, and venue changed to Portsea pier inside the calm Port Phillip Bay. Garth Byron took out the fin swim with a great swim against ten other competitors. Dave Scholefied again showed his ability by winning the photo competition. Some of the great shots submitted by the field included flathead, sea dragons, banjo sharks, etc.

Spearfishing was postponed again on Wednesday due to inclement weather.

Thursday saw conditions improve significantly and 33 keen divers were pumped to get back in the water. Pyramid Rock at Phillip Island was selected as the location and the divers were greeted by sunshine and a low swell. Rob Torelli managed to find himself a Rockling and large Conger Eel (even without a torch), along with 15 other species which made for great score and Rob the winner of heat two by five fish. Victoria’s Drew Fenney, Murray Petersen, Chris Monaghan and Rob Torelli easily took out the teams event for the second year in a row with fifty fish between them.

Friday saw the final spearfishing heat down the road at YCW. A sizable shore break and dirty water again tested even the best divers who were already up against it trying to catch up with Rob’s stellar score from the day before. Dave Scholefield landed one of the biggest competition fish shot in Victoria in recent years, a 12.7kg Kingfish which won him both the biggest and most meritorious fish trophies. Drew Fenney won the day with 12 fish but it was not enough to catch Rob.

Making Rob Torelli the overall winner of the 58th Australian Championship and a seven time Australian champ.

The interpacific pairs competition was held on the Saturday before the presentation night after much confusion and deliberation on a location. The day was won by Aaron Crocombe & David Welch in a field of four pairs. The presentation night gave divers the chance to reflect on the previous week of competition, catch up with old friends and receive their hard earned glory. The titles were AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

concluded with the announcement of Queensland as the location of the next Australian Titles in 2011. Rob Torelli also announced his retirement from competiton spearfishing after more than 30 years of competition diving.

Thankyou to all the divers for making it another great Nationals and all the families that allowed them to come. An even bigger thanks goes out to all the volunteers and organisers that put so much time into getting this competition to run, namely: Paul Dorfstatter, Rob Torelli, Dave & Renee Torelli, Murray Petersen, Chris Monaghan, Ziya Mustafa, Paul Crane, Luke Donnison and Andrew Vibert.

Finally, thanks also goes out to the sponsors who together contributed more than $14000 worth of prizes. Including; Omer, Bluewater Hunting International, International Freediving and Spearfishing News, JB Esclapez, Edge, Sporasub, Aimrite, Adreno, Beuchat, Picasso, Torelli, and Topsub.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Heat 1 Heat 2 Heat 3

Placing Competitor Category State Score % Score % Score % Total % 1 Robert Torelli Sen VIC 991.35 89.32% 1944.70 100.00% 1293.00 95.89% 285.21% 2 Murray Petersen Sen VIC 1082.00 97.49% 1291.55 66.41% 1085.80 80.53% 244.43% 3 Chris Monaghan Sen VIC 1109.40 99.95% 1073.95 55.22% 1198.95 88.92% 244.10% 4 Drew Fenney Sen VIC 909.00 81.90% 1192.75 61.33% 1348.35 100.00% 243.23% 5 Garth Byron Sen NSW 873.10 78.66% 1203.45 61.88% 868.70 64.43% 204.98% 6 Gunther Pfrengle Vet NSW 877.30 79.04% 1308.80 67.30% 776.05 57.56% 203.90% 7 Paul Roso Sen NSW 997.55 89.88% 771.25 39.66% 987.65 73.25% 202.79% 8 Dave Scholefield Int SA 1109.90 100.00% 755.95 38.87% 755.50 56.03% 194.90% 9 Aaron Crocombe Sen VIC 856.50 77.17% 965.45 49.65% 878.90 65.18% 192.00% 10 Arnold Piccoli Sen WA 1084.90 97.75% 874.20 44.95% 659.85 48.94% 191.64% 11 Shane Fitzmaurice Sen Int. 997.30 89.85% 1006.55 51.76% 674.00 49.99% 191.60% 12 Tony Heugh Vet QLD 861.75 77.64% 859.10 44.18% 859.40 63.74% 185.56% 13 Graham Carlisle Sen WA 668.15 60.20% 877.65 45.13% 996.25 73.89% 179.22% 14 Guy Wood Sen QLD 1015.75 91.52% 859.75 44.21% 578.10 42.87% 178.60% 15 Ilias Papadopoulos Sen VIC 885.90 79.82% 750.50 38.59% 773.55 57.37% 175.78% 16 Warren Carter Sen NSW 684.90 61.71% 1084.65 55.77% 770.10 57.11% 174.60% 17 Tim Neilsen Sen QLD 662.05 59.65% 1005.70 51.71% 653.45 48.46% 159.83% 18 David Welch Sen QLD 781.10 70.38% 744.65 38.29% 655.40 48.61% 157.27% 19 Nick Lynch Int VIC 767.80 69.18% 648.75 33.36% 528.90 39.23% 141.76% 20 John Schulter Mas NSW 772.25 69.58% 885.95 45.56% 216.00 16.02% 131.16% 21 Trent Crane Jun VIC 434.55 39.15% 986.00 50.70% 528.10 39.17% 129.02% 22 Mary-Anne Stacey Lad SA 532.25 47.95% 534.60 27.49% 634.85 47.08% 122.53% 23 Eddie Skerry Mas NSW 553.00 49.82% 851.45 43.78% 328.50 24.36% 117.97% 24 John Higgins Int NSW 675.70 60.88% 647.60 33.30% 319.65 23.71% 117.89% 25 Jayme-Lee Neilsen Jun/Lad QLD 538.35 48.50% 530.90 27.30% 527.50 39.12% 114.93% 26 Sam Dawson Int SA 650.85 58.64% 530.65 27.29% 252.75 18.75% 104.67% 27 Ryan Schulter Int NSW 642.80 57.92% 856.85 44.06% DNW 101.98% 28 David Davies Mas NSW 323.90 29.18% 743.40 38.23% 455.00 33.74% 101.15% 29 Zac Sharp Jun SA 431.50 38.88% 536.50 27.59% 429.85 31.88% 98.34% 30 Ryan Harris Sen VIC 431.30 38.86% 747.50 38.44% DNF 77.30% 31 Joseph Bednarek Mas VIC 119.55 10.77% 532.85 27.40% 423.45 31.41% 69.58% 32 Greg Sperring Mas VIC 351.20 31.64% 421.20 21.66% 212.60 15.77% 69.07% 33 Philip Dachs Vet NSW 207.85 18.73% 533.75 27.45% DNW 46.17%

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

LADIES 1 25 Mary -Anne Stacey Lad SA 122.53% 2 12 Jayme-Lee Neilsen Jun/Lad QLD 114.93%

JUNIOR 1 8 Trent Crane Jun VIC 129.02% 2 12 Jayme-Lee Neilsen Jun/Lad QLD 114.93% 3 3 Zac Sharp Jun SA 98.34%

INTERMEDIATE 1 4 Dave Scholefield Int SA 194.90% 2 10 Nick Lynch Int VIC 141.76% 3 19 John Higgins Int NSW 117.89%

SENIOR 1 31 Robert Torelli Sen VIC 285.21% 2 33 Murray Petersen Sen VIC 244.43% 3 11 Chris Monaghan Sen VIC 244.10%

VETERANS 1 24 Gunther Pfrengle Vet NSW 203.90% 2 14 Tony Heugh Vet QLD 185.56% 3 26 Philip Dachs Vet NSW 46.17%

MASTERS 1 16 John Schulter Mas NSW 131.16% 2 20 Eddie Skerry Mas NSW 117.97% 3 15 David Davies Mas NSW 101.15%

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

FILM FISH Placing Competitior # Competitor 1 4 Dave Scholefield 2 25 Mary-Anne Stacey 3 19 John Higgins 4 7 Warren Carter 5 23 Paul Roso 6 13 Tim Neilsen 7 5 Garth Byron 8 8 Trent Crane 9 3 Zac Sharp 10 20 Eddie Skerry 11 10 Nick Lynch 12 14 Tony Heugh 13 6 Sam Dawson 14 22 Graham Carlisle 15 Sam Neilsen

FIN SWIM Placing Competitior # Competitor 1 5 Garth Byron 2 14 Tony Heugh 3 23 Paul Roso 4 6 Sam Dawson 5 7 Warren Carter 6 4 Dave Scholefield

Film Placing Competitor Spearfishing Finswim Total Fish 1 Garth Byron 29 11 9 49 2 Paul Roso 27 9 11 47 AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

3 Dave Scholefield 26 6 15 47 4 Warren Carter 18 7 12 37 5 Tony Heugh 22 10 4 36

Pairs scores

Species Weight (g)

Welsh Croc 3 1810 318.1 100.00%

Rosso byron 2 2900 229 71.99%

Muzza Lynch 2 1165 211.65 66.54%

Gunter and Arnald 2 950 209.5 65.86%

Individual and Pairs scores for selection of Interpacific Team

Total Placing Competitor Ind Pairs Qualification Score 1 Aaron Crocombe & David Welch 192.00% 300.00% 492.00% 2 Murray Petersen & Nick Lynch 244.43% 199.61% 444.04% 3 Garth Byron & Paul Roso 204.98% 215.97% 420.95% 4 Arnold Piccoli & Gunther Pfrengle 203.90% 197.58% 401.48%

Interview with the Champion

In February 2010 Rob Torelli won a record seventh Australian Open Spearfishing Championship. After 30 years of competition spearfishing, he is hanging up his competition fins. We asked him some of his career highlights and advice to divers:

How old were you when you started spearing, how did you get into it? I started spearfishing at the age of seven or eight with my older brother. First with hand spears, then home made Hawaiian Slings then graduating up to spear guns. Our family was introduced to the sport through a relative and then l joined a club at the age of 13.

How did your spearing progress? Initially, we just went spearfishing on our Christmas holidays at Phillip Island. We were self taught until l joined a club. This is when my spearfishing really progressed.

What clubs have you been a member of?

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

I was a member of the Dandenong Skindiving Club, a club founded by Shane DeGelder. Shane was an early mentor of mine and l am grateful for his help when l first joined the club. I stayed a member of this club till it folded about 1990. I then formed the Southern Freedivers in 1994 with David Hallam.

How long have you been diving spearfishing competition? I have been competition spearfishing for approximately 31 years. These competitions have taught me so much about diving and life in general. I would not swap the past 30 odd years for anything.

What years did you win your Aussie Titles and the states of those titles? In 1984 l went to South Australia to compete in the Nationals. I did a lot of training before hand and was quite fit and was lucky enough to win the Australian Junior Championship and place 3rd overall. The following year l again trained up and won the Australian Open Title in Tasmania as an 18 year old, l was stoked! I went on to win the nationals in Victoria 1988, 2005 and 2010. l won again in Tasmania in 1985 and 1991 and in NSW in 1992. I have came Runners-up and third a few times as well.

What years did you win State titles? I won the State Titles on 10 occasions on and off from 1984 – 2006 and have always enjoyed this 2 day land based competition held in early March. This is a prime time for spearfishing in Victoria.

What’s been your most memorable win? That’s a tough one. It used to be the Australian Open Champ as an 18 year old but then l said the Nationals l won in NSW in 1992 was my most prized win. There were so many great divers present and it was such a close comp with myself just winning on the last day with a 20 kg Yellowtail Kingfish as part of the final days catch. However, winning a record 7th Nationals at 43 years of age was very, very satisfying.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

What goes through your head during a competition? i.e. Are you always thinking about the next fish? I generally go into a competition with a bit of a game plan. That is, l try and figure out where l will catch certain species and then try and plan my day out. However, you need to constantly re-assess your plans depending on how your plan is working, weather conditions, divers nearby and fish in the area, etc.

Do you think you have to dive deep to be a good competition diver? No, not in Australia anyway. This is a fallacy and something l do not subscribe to. I have rarely made a dive over 15-17 meters in all of my National Title wins. I pride myself on working the shallows, sand/weed edges and caves to find my fish. I find it quite strange that divers want to dive out wide in deep water in competitions when there is so many fish in the shallows. It just does not make sense, why would you “bust” yourself in the deep when you can berly up in the shallows and land plenty of great species. Other attributes such as a good fish sense, good competition sense and good general fitness are more important. Sure, there are places through out the world that divers do need to dive deep but usually you’ll find fish in the shallows in most locations.

What is your biggest fish ever taken? It is not as big as you might think. I have landed a number of game fish around 50 kilograms like Dog Tooth Tuna, Giant Trevally, Sailfish, Big Eye Tuna, etc. My biggest fish is probably an approximately 60 kg Dog Tooth Tuna. I have seen more than my fair share of big pelagic fish but l am so often guiding and filming that l do not get to shoot them. I have seen a 450 kg Black Marlin, 300 kg Blue Marlin and Pacific Blue fin tuna to over 300 kg. I have had numerous chances to spear large Billfish but have opted not to. Then there have been chances on large reef species like Maori Wrasse and cod and groupers but again l have not chose to spear these species.

What is your most memorable fish? Again, that’s another tough question. Perhaps it was that 20 kg Yellowtail to win the Nationals in NSW but then again l really enjoyed spearing the IUSA World Record Big Eye Tuna a few months ago. The fact that we targeted this species in the open ocean and were able to capture this on video makes it a special catch for me. (Add picture of Big Eye Tuna World Record here, maybe do a link to the video clip of catch)

After all these years what still attracts you to diving/spearfishing? It is a combination of things. I love both the physical and mental challenge the ocean and marine life can pose. I also love eating fresh fish and the fact that almost every day in the ocean is different. You simply just don’t know what you are going to see or catch.

Most memorable experience diving? I have had numerous memorable moments diving. Most of them l never had a spear gun in my hand. About 15 years ago l started filming underwater sequences on video and l have had some amazing encounters with sharks and cetaceans. Many of these have been with my filming dive buddy Mark Priest. Close encounters freediving and filming Killer whales, Southern Right whales and Humpbacks spring to mind. Then the close encounters l have had with Mako sharks, Tigers and Great whites also are career highlights. The most outstanding highlight was a huge bait ball Mark and l filmed at Dirk Hartog Island area in West Australia in 2002. For several days we filmed hundreds of sharks, whales, and pelagic fish that most spearos only dream of. I have had a great life!

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

W What about your favourite dive location? I love the diversity of diving. l am quite happy diving the warm crystal clear waters of the tropics like the Coral Sea. The Coral Sea never ceases to amaze me and l have spent so much time there. Then again, l love diving the cooler, temperate waters. My favourite dive destination in Southern Australia is probably Pyramid Rock at Phillip Island. I have spent many a long day in the waters off Pyramid catching crayfish, abalone, filming and diving competitions.

How has being a Victorian spearo shaped your diving ability? Victorians spearos learn the hard way. I did anyway, lots of shore diving in big dirty waters. We do not have the best spearfishing in Australia, in fact we probably have the worst but that just makes the trips interstate that much more exciting and fun. Victorian spearos make good scroungers and can usually adapt to most conditions.

What changes have you seen in spearfishing competition over the past 30 years? When l started in the competition scene it was very popular. I saw it drop off in numbers and then pick up again. The obvious changes are that we are generally more selective now with our score sheets, competitions and attitude. Competitions that shoot less species and target blue water species are great and a relatively new thing.

What changes have you seen in the spearfishing culture in the past 30 years? Spearfisherman have become more selective and more accountable for their actions. We need to continue to improve our sport so as it can be accepted as a legitimate sport and activity in the future. There is a lot of pressure out there from various groups to restrict our sport.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

What advice would you give to a young spearo wanting to improve their spearfishing skills? Without doubt, the single best advice l could give is join a reputable spearfishing club. Even if you are not into spearfishing competitions, join a club, hang out with the guys and you will learn much faster and safer than you can reading books, watching DVD’s or diving alone. Finally, do not train in a swimming pool by yourself!

What training do you do for competition spearfishing? I used to run a lot but in the past 10 years or so my knees have given way and now l enjoy water time, both in the sea and pool. There is nothing better than “time in the water” even in average conditions or in the off season. I dive for scallops, crays, abalone, etc, even in average conditions. Pool work is great also like swimming laps but only with a trained partner. Most of my pool work is surface lap swimming not breath holds under water. Always keep an eye on each other do not train by yourself.

Who are the best divers you have dived with? The best competition divers l have dived with here in Australia would be Andy Ruddock and Ian Puckeridge. They both have incredible “fish sense” and great fitness and determination. A few other divers may have been better breath hold divers but as a complete package over so many years you could not beat these two guys. They have won nationals on the South, East and West coast of Australia. Other great international comp divers who stand out that l have actually dived with include Darren Shields (New Zealand) and Dennis Haussler from the USA. Whilst l have not dived “side by side” with Dwayne Herbert from New Zealand l think he is the most promising spearo the South Pacific has at the present. He wins competitions in New Zealand and Australia and is young enough to really kick on. Good luck Dwayne.

What about up and coming competition divers? The divers showing the most potential and promise as far as l can see would be fellow Victorian divers Drew Fenney and Murray Petersen. Both Runner-Up National Champions l can see both of them winning a National title IF they keep up their passion, fitness and desire to win.

What does the future hold for Rob Torelli? l enjoy sharing my experiences with others and travelling. Through my company, Blue Water Hunting International Pty Ltd www.bwhi.com.au l get this opportunity and l plan to continue to lead selective spearfishing expeditions around Australia and the South Pacific for may years to come. I plan to spend more time blue water spearfishing myself as well. I enjoy targeting pelagic fish in the open and offshore waters.

Is there anyone you would like to thank? There is so many people who have helped me over the years l will not mention specific names. However, l am in debt to my wife Sue for allowing me so much time away from home and the Australian Underwater Federation for there support and infrastructure. Without competition spearfishing, without all the travel l have done representing Australia l would not have gained the experience l have or be the diver l am today. Thanks guys, long live the Australian Underwater Federation.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Year Venue Open 2010 Mornington, VIC Robert Torelli 2009 Dunsborough, WA Arnold Piccoli 2008 Wollongong, NSW Paul Roso 2007 Townsville, QLD Adam Smith 2006 Kangaroo Island, SA Ian Puckeridge 2005 Phillip Island, VIC Robert Torelli 2004 Perth, WA Arnold Piccoli 2003 Ulladulla, NSW Ian Puckeridge 2002 Magnetic Island, QLD Ken Picard 2001 Rye, VIC Andy Ruddock 2000 Perth, WA Ian Puckeridge 1999 Nelson Bay, NSW Ian Puckeridge 1998 Hobart, TAS Tim Nielson 1997 Batemans Bay, NSW Ian Puckeridge 1996 Kangaroo Island, SA Robert Torelli 1995 Townsville, QLD Ian Puckeridge 1994 Eden, NSW Mark Colys 1993 Perth, WA Andy Ruddock 1992 Wollongong, NSW Robert Torelli 1991 Hobart, TAS Robert Torelli 1990 Kangaroo Island, SA Greg Pickering 1989 Cairns, QLD Andy Ruddock 1988 Phillip Island, VIC Robert Torelli 1987 Perth, WA Arnold Piccoli 1986 Sydney, NSW Paul Riorden 1985 Swansea, Tas Robert Torelli 1984 Fleurieu , SA Robert Muir 1983 Tannum Sands, QLD cancelled 1982 Warnanbool,Vic Len Joyce 1981 Perth, WA Robert Muir 1980 Eden, NSW Heiki Nevala 1979 Triabunna, Tas Les Siemek 1978 Minlaton, SA Ralph Whalley 1977 Cairns, QLD Kevin Ranger 1976 Port Fairy, VIC Bob Hart 1975 Margaret River, WA David Hopkins 1974 Bridport, TAS Ralph Whalley 1973 Nowra, NSW Brian McKenna 1972 Narooma, NSW Les Siemek 1971 Edithburgh, SA Geoff Skinner 1970 Mackay, QLD Allan Badger 1969 Ocean Grove, Vic Steve Duffy 1968 Busselton, WA Brian Bailey 1967 Shoal Bay, NSW John Black 1966 Maroochydore, QLD Peter Kemp 1965 San Remo, VIC Ron Taylor 1964 Kangaroo Is, SA Ron Taylor 1963 Denmark, WA Ron Taylor 1962 Currarong, NSW Ron Taylor 1961 Phillip Island, VIC Ben Cropp 1960 Bicheno, TAS John Black 1959 Tullebudgera, QLD Bob Webb 1958 Moonta Bay, SA Roy Howell 1957 Bremer Bay, W.A. Bernie Harbour 1956 Bermagui, N.S.W. Barry May 1955 Point Lonsdale, VIC Barry May 1954 RapidAUF Bay, Mission: SA BringFrank Sport, Kirkham Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World 1953 Tweed Heads Ron Cox

INTERPACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS – April 2010

Australie

Murray PETERSEN

Aaron CROCOMBE

Dave WELCH

Tim NEILSEN

Hawaii

William ERNST

Patti HEID

Marnie C. BALUBAR

Kimberly WERNER

Tim NAKAMURA

Nouvelle-Zélande

Peter HERBERT

Dwane HERBERT

Todd HERBERT

Julian HANSFORD.

Geoff CRAWFORD

Australes Tuhaa Pae Tahiti

Yannes DEBESE Nehemia TEPOU

Teva TEAHI Teva MONTAGNON

Gaston VANAA Zephirin TARAHU

Pita TANANAI Steeve TETUANUI

Remplaçants: Manuel EDDY / Arnaud ADOLPH Remplaçants Joel DROLLET Delle LAMARTINIERE

Manager: Philippe VANAA / Bruno VIRIAMU Manager Romuald MONTAGNON

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Dear Spearo friends,

Since the last Tahitian championships 2007, its with great pleasure that I welcome you again to our islands for this year's tournament. Rurutu is well known throughout the Pacific not only for its rich cultural heritage but also for its particularly warm hospitality and its with great pride that I invite you to share in this tradition. The week of the tournament will equally serve to promote the archipelago in all its beauty.

May the best team win!

Programme du Tournoi / The Competition Schedule

Friday 23 th April scouting days

Saturday 24 th April scouting days

Late afternoon teams from all countries to assemble at Rurutu

Briefing 18h00

Sunday 25 th April scouting days

20h00 réunion des capitaines- capitain meeting

Monday 26 th April scouting days

Opening Ceremonie

Tuesday 27 th april Beginning of competition – Day 1

Wednesday 28 th april Beginning of competition – Day 2

Jeudi 29 avril Closing Ceremonie Presentation of inter-pacific Trophy exchange of gifts

19h00 Repas traditionnel Tamaraa- traditional lunch

Friday 30 th April Teams depart

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Recfish forced to move backwards Recfish Australia, has been forced not to renew the CEO’s contract and accept the resignation of the Chair of the Board following the rejection of a request for financial support from the Australian Government.

In the week after the government finally released its National Strategy for Recreational Fishing for public comment, it is ironic that Recfish Australia is required to take such dramatic action. Recfish is repeatedly recognised in the National Strategy for all its past hard work and industry leadership but has now been denied the funding it requires for ongoing representation of the national interests for 3.5 million recreational fishers, providing expert and sound advice to government agencies and the fishing and boating industries.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 April 2010 06:09

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Media releases and relevant newspaper articles

Wed April 20th 2010

Dear All re www.oceaniadiveexpo.com ( ODEX )

Due to the very positive response of a email letter I send out last week to selected members of the dive industry, ODEX will now fully support and develop this annual symposium

I will be expanding the proposed exhibition area considerably and develop 2 days of seminars / workshops and films ( Sat / Sun )

At this early stage we are in the process of identifying potential exhibitors, sponsors and seminar speakers. If you are interested please contact [email protected]

You can reserve a booth now, simply by return email, and not pay the 25% deposit until Sept 2010 ( no obligation ) – Floorplans attached -

The earlybird 3 x 3 mtr booth costs $ 2499 Australian dollars ( ex gst )

As an exhibitor you will be able to sell your gear, gadgets and gizmos at the show, as we expect over 5000 visitors

The benefits of investing and exhibiting at ODEX are numerous:

Meet qualified buyers in a highly targeted environment Generate valuable sales leads Strengthen relationships with existing and loyal customers Keep up to date with your competitors’ developments Let buyers use all five senses to gain a full appreciation of your product Overcome objections face-to-face Showcase your full range of products Launch new products Raise your public profile and build on your brand image Meet new agents or distributors

Our official website, currently a holding page, will be refreshed and uploaded by the end of July 2010.

Industry magazine and online marketing will commence Sept 2010

Thanks again for your consideration and please cc this email onto anyone who you feel may want to exhibit or present a topic at the 2011 BWHF symposium

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

NEWS FROM QLD

Moreton Bay Marine Park - Luke Randell – AUFQ Spearfishing Commissioner

The Moreton Bay Marine Park is now in place. Thanks to the past efforts of AUFQ representatives (from both scuba-diving and spearfishing commissions) at stakeholder meetings with the EPA I think the plan achieves a good balance.

In particular, from the spearfishing perspective, AUFQ attendance at these meetings ensured that we were not unwittingly displaced from various sites, which I am positive would have otherwise occurred. One ongoing aspect of management of the park is the implementation of artificial reefs. These reefs are designed as „compensation‟ for recreational fisherman (including spearfishers) that are now displaced from various green zones.

I recently attended an EPA artificial reef meeting as the AUFQ spearfishing representative. Of interest to spearfisherman are two proposed sites north of Moreton Island (one being specifically for spearfisherman). The government is putting around $2 million into the project. The plan is to use „state of the art‟ technology largely derived from Korea and Japan. Further information can be found on the Department of Environment and Resource Management website:-

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/marine_parks/moreton_bay_marine_park_zo ning_plan_review/trial_artificial_reef_program.html

Coral Sea – do you want to catch huge fish and spearfish in Paradise?

We are still waiting on a draft plan from DEWHA and it will certainly reduce access by spearfishers and increase sanctuary zones in the Coral Sea. Do you care enough to write a letter or donate money for a project or campaign? If the answer is yes contact the AUF on [email protected] or call the National Chair Adam Smith on 0418726584

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

2009 AUF Queensland Skin diver award During the AUF Queensland Annual General Meeting each year the Skin Diver of the Year Award is announced. This is a service award given in relation to services rendered to the AUFQ, sporting commissions and on a club level rather than for sporting achievements.

On 17 March 2010, Helen Canavan and Chad Lunow were nominated for their efforts in 2009. Helen was nominated for her tireless organisation for many years as the Underwater Hockey Commissioner for Queensland. Her exemplary and constant efforts for the benefit of many others and the sport was appreciated and recognised in her nomination for this award.

However, this year, Chad Lunow who was nominated by the Cairns Underwater Association Inc. President, Marc Richards received the award. Chad was recognised for his efforts in improving communication and keeping divers informed of issues affecting their sport. This passion toward raising awareness of the sustainable, selective nature of our sport and the deep environmental awareness this sport brings to the participants is evident in his communication with fellow divers.

Chad works as a marine biologist in the state fisheries department monitoring reef fish species. Initially, this involved counting coral trout over a set transect while SCUBA diving but to improve his skills in spotting coral trout, Chad joined the Townsville Skindivers Club in 2002. Enjoying the camaraderie and environmentally aware proactive nature of the club, Chad has been a member ever since.

In 2007 Chad was sponsored by the AUF Chair Adam Smith, who recognised his passion and skills, to attend the FRDC funded “Next Generation of Leaders” training held in Darwin. The program was about succession planning in the recreational fishing industry with the intent of the training being to experience and practice leadership roles to develop and prepare passionate young recreational fishers for leadership roles within the recreational fishing industry. In 2008 Chad took a 9 month holiday to travel the world and completing his Dive Master training in Thailand.

Returning to Cairns in late 2008 he initiated a local club newsletter covering all aspects of underwater world including freediving, spearfishing, diver safety, underwater photography, underwater hockey and cooking top quality seafood. Along with other members of the club, Chad supported the development of a new competition within the CUA where club members challenge themselves to catch 10 nominated high quality eating, difficult to capture species over a full year. The species list was designed to challenge the knowledge and skill of any diver regardless of experience and consists of inshore, reef and pelagic species. This promotes the selective and AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

sustainable nature of spearfishing for members wanting to compete without having to attend specific competition events, where emphasis may be on the results of a single days fishing.

Since then, Chad has joined the ranks of the Queensland Spearfishing Commission taking on the role of Communications and Education officer. Members of the AUFQ will start hearing more from him in the near future. Very recently, Chad also became an AUF delegate to Recfishing Australia, the united national voice for the recreational fishing industry. Chad and Jason Coe (also of the Cairns Underwater Association) are organising the Queensland Titles to be held in Cairns over the weekend of October 23-24th 2010.

A member of the Australian Underwater Federation

P.O.Box 511 Hyde Park QLD 4812

THE NORTH QUEENSLAND TITLES 2010

AND TOWNSVILLE NEMROD

th Saturday May 8 2010

Proudly Hosted by the Townsville Skindiving Club

The Townsville Skindiving Club invites spearfishing competitors to the 2010 North Queensland Spearfishing Titles combined with the Townsville Nemrod Round to be held on Saturday the 8th May with a back up date of the 5th of June.

The Club will be running this year‟s titles from small boats. Currently we have five boats available allowing us to take 23 divers in addition to the owners.

Nomination

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Attached are the nomination forms, release agreement and “B” section rules. To ensure a position in the competition, nomination and release agreement forms are to be returned to TSC by the closing date as stated on the nomination form. The total cost for the event will be:

Senior $140. Ladies $100 Junior $100.

Cheques/money orders are to be made payable to the Townsville Skindiving Club.

BYO food and drinks.

Competition Day

Competitors can load gear from 4.15am at the Coast Guard boat ramp on Ross Creek, meet at the top of the pontoon. Departure will be at 5am, or earlier if we’re able to get everyone loaded quickly. The competition is to be held on a reef out from Townsville within 50Nm. The preferred reefs for the titles are Keeper, Lodestone, Grubb, Centipede, or the Slasher group. The final destination will be decided based on weather conditions prior to departure. The duration for the competition will be 5 hours and we expect to return back to Townsville by approximately 5pm on the day of competition.

Weigh in

The weigh in will be held at Horseshoe Bay on the way home. At the conclusion of the competition boats will travel to Horseshoe Bay and assemble for the weigh in, with the presentation held shortly afterwards.

The current holders of perpetual trophies are reminded to return them in a clean and undamaged state for the competition.

Your Catch

Competitors will report to the weigh master, who will weigh all fish over 1kg or, if greater, the minimum legal size. The catch will be recorded on a score sheet. Divers are responsible for their own catch and must ensure they have the eskys, etc to transport their catch after the comp

Note: Under new Qld Government regulations, all fish must have one pectoral fin removed, and all fish must be left whole, unless a fillet of 40cm can be taken. Also, a total bag limit of 20 fish now applies. Note also that bag limits apply for individual species groups and new size limits apply (see below). Competitors breaking the new regulations will be disqualified. All competitors must make themselves aware of the rules before the competition.

Individual bag limits: AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Parrotfish 5

Surgeonfish 5

Cods & groupers 5

(See QDPI&F brochure for complete regulations)

Great Australian Shark Watch:

The AUF has generously donated a GASW wetsuit for our presentation and has asked all competing divers to record their shark sightings on the AUF website.

COMPETITION RULES AND SAFETY:

The rules are based on AUFQ regulations and by-laws and include the „A‟ Section rules.

Scoring is based on 100 points per species, 10 points per kilogram, with a minimum weight of 1kg, up to a maximum amount of 15kg All divers must start from the same position, viz touching the vessel, and return to the starting point and advise the timekeeper of their return before the appointed finish time. Competitors must make themselves known to the timekeeper and sign off the log sheet on their return. All divers must have safety gear including a dive flag, knife, mirror and whistle or other signalling device. The Club will provide a safety boat that will patrol the designated reef for the duration of the competition. A competitor using the safety boat for any purpose such as transporting diver or fish will be disqualified. Eligible Species:

It is the responsibility of each competitor to make themselves aware of the Qld Govt regulations regarding minimum legal sizes, protected species and catch limits for all coral reef finfish. To be eligible for the weigh-in all fish speared must have a minimum weight of 1kg. Please note that a total daily bag limit of 20 coral reef finfish now applies.

Ineligible Species:

All sharks, rays, eels, pufferfish, triggerfish, flutefish. All protected species such as: Maori Wrasse, Barramundi Cod, Paddletail, Red bass, Chinaman, Potato cod, Queensland groper – any competitor who returns to the boat with a protected species will be disqualified. All sweetlip including painted (slatey’s). All spinefoot. Flowery cod. Napoleon Parrotfish. Thick lipped wrasse. AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Scarlet breasted wrasse. Batfish – all species Brown unicorn All competitors are required to be AUFQ members and must abide by AUF “A” Section rules. The competition “B” Section rules are attached.

A reminder to all competitors that whilst onboard … all divers must follow directions as given by skipper and crew and complete sign off sheets! This will ensure a safe and happy competition is had by all. Competitors are also reminded that it is the individuals responsibility to know and abide by State and Federal fisheries regulations.

Unforeseen Weather

In the case of unfavourable weather a decision will be made by TSC by Thursday 6th May at 7:30pm. Each club entering the competition should have a representative contact the TSC contacts on Thursday 6th May after 7:30pm to confirm. The backup date is Saturday the 5th of June.

Accommodation

Townsville has a range of accommodation available; also there are some TSC members willing to billet divers for the nights of Friday 7th May and Saturday 8th May. Any enquiries regarding accommodation may be directed to:

Scott Heilbronn on 0407 203846 or [email protected]

Adam Smith on 0418 872658 or [email protected]

Townsville Skindiving Club

Top 10 Competition

Format

Run from 1 January to 1 December each year Presentation will be held in early December Ten species to target chosen by the committee so everyone is chasing the same species The species are chosen to cover a range of species from inshore, to reef to bluewater. Also a range of difficulties so some species most divers will likely land, some only the better divers are likely to get, and a couple (tuna and wahoo) only those who really put in the time and effort and go that bit further will get. Fish are to be measured using the fork length (down the centre line of the body) and witnessed by someone other than the successful diver.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Divers must submit the witnessed fork length to the records officer. If possible divers should also submit a digital photo of the fish captured. The winner will be the diver with the most number of species. If multiple divers end up with the same number, then the winner will be decided by who has the greatest aggregate length Divers are able to submit multiple entries for each species so that they can upgrade through the year if they land a better fish The prize will be a perpetual trophy purchased by the club for this purpose.

Species

Spanish mackerel Wahoo Cobia Tuna (any species) Green jobfish Barramundi Leopard or coastal trout Red emperor or largemouth nannygai Fingermark or mangrove jack Blackspot tuskfish

North Queensland Underwater Hockey Cup

Cairns April 24, 2010 (by Chad Lunow) In the second year of the annual event, a seven member mixed squad from Townsville descended upon the unsuspecting Cairns team with their impressive trophy to fiercely defend their title of North Queensland champions. Twelve members from the Cairns Underwater Association (CUA) underwater hockey section were up for the challenge with two teams. An additional three players travelled all the way from Brisbane to join the Townsville team for the event.

Three games were needed to decide the winner of the North Qld Underwater Hockey trophy while social games were played amongst the other players in the adjacent court. The first of the cup games saw Cairns off to an early lead and wrapped up the score 7 : 2 after 25 mins of playing. Townsville retaliated 6 to 4 in the hard fought second game against the Cairns second team.

The third and deciding game was played by only six players on each team, with no substitutions. Throughout this game, each goal scored by the Cairns team was shortly answered by the Townsville team. With two minutes to go, the score at 3 all and everybody running low on energy, the pressure was on. In the final minute of the game, a long struggle at the Cairns goal by the Townsville

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

attackers was foiled and a long run to the Townsville goal was also stopped just short. As the other Cairns forwards caught up at the Townsville goal tray the final flurry resulted in a goal to Cairns right on full time, securing the trophy in the Wet tropics until next year.

Few penalties were awarded as each game was played hard but fair by each team in a true display of good sportsmanship. Special mention must go to the women who played with great skill on each team. These were some of the women who represented Queensland in Hobart early this year at the National Titles. Just for fun, they formed a team to challenge the boys from the Cairns second team and won hands down 5 to 1, clearly showing their dominant skills! Well done!

After the matches and a short presentation and photo session, dinner was held at Rattle and Hum restaurant on the Cairns esplanade. The following day a social dive was organised with the women snorkelling and relaxing at Vlassoff Cay while the guys headed out for a spearfish on the Great Barrier Reef to top off an excellent weekend.

Thanks go to YMCA managed Woree Pool for permitting us to hold the event, for all the Townsville and Brisbane players for making the trip north, to Larnie Linton and Marc Richards who organised the event and to the players who volunteered as umpires on the day. Boat owners Bruce Mortley, Keith Seekee and Sid Caswell are acknowledged for their support of the social day on Sunday! Thanks guys.

A special thanks also goes to the AUFQ for recently supplying caps, gloves and mouth guards and Cairns Council for supporting the purchase of snorkels, masks and fins under their Sports Development Grant to allow for new players to try out when being introduced to the game.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Townsville team left to right

Leonardo, Emma, Brendan, Ian, Ben, Joel, Larry.

Cairns team left to right

Front: Warren Hughes, Sonny Dennis, Marc Richards, Dennis O'Regan

Middle: Ben Leahy, Larnie Linton, Bruce Mortley, Stephan Trump, Chad Lunow, Michael Heidenreich, Phillip Clark,

Back: Michael Baker, Nicola Mellick, Steve Thomas.

Others not shown include Brian "Rusty" Dawson, Keith Seekee

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

NEWS FROM NSW

Invitation to workshop

Hi all

Users of our ocean and estuaries interested in adopting best practice techniques to minimise impacts of use on the region‟s marine environment are being encouraged to participate in a workshop in Coffs Harbour . Anyone with an interest in best management practice systems can attend the workshop which will be held at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club from 9.30am until 12.30pm, Tuesday May 4, 2010. For more information or to register your attendance, please call me, Anissa Lawrence on mob. 0419 903 800 or email [email protected] .

The session is open to all marine users, whether recreational or professional, and will provide information on existing best management practice programs, as well as how to develop new best practice systems.

The workshop will showcase examples of existing best practice programs in the recreational fishing, commercial fishing, aquaculture and tourism sectors and outline the different types of guidelines and environmental management systems available, along with the benefits of those systems,

Workshop participants will learn how to adopt existing best practice programs and be introduced to the resources and potential funding assistance available to implement such programs or develop new systems for use in other areas.

The workshop, a project of the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority, is intended for individuals, clubs, business and industry groups and aims to support the sustainable use of the region‟s marine environment.

Cheers

Anissa

Overall SURNAME FIRST NAME AGE SCORE CLUB place Riorden Paul Veteran 1682 NN 1 Carey Aaron Senior 1617 Ind 2 Trott Paul Veteran 1435 NN 3 Carey Mick Master 1328 NN 4 Finn Greg Senior 1321 NN 5 Gillett Luke Int 1292 NN 6 Elias Steve Veteran 983 NN 7 Walker Kevin Master 878 St. G. 8 Field Simon Senior 849 NN 9 Schulter Ryan Int 790 SC 10 Carter Lee Int 770 NN 11 Falzon Jess Veteran 768 SC 12 Wade Paul Senior 750 NN 13 McCook Connor Junior 748 NN 14 Carter Warren Senior 746 SC 15 Tryk Les Senior 742 NN 16 Carter Ashley Senior 664 Ind 17 Craig Matt Junior 543 NN 18 Drake Tyler Int 539 NN 19 Welsby Andrew Junior 537 MW 20 Schulter John Master 532 SC 21 Black Jordan Junior 529 NN 22 Drury Rhys Int 438 NN 23 Elias Jacob Sub Junior 424 NN 24 AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Field Justin Senior 325 SSD 25 Beattie Mick Senior 323 LWF 26 McCook Quinn Sub Junior 317 NN 27 Ernst Barry Master 222 NN 28 Green Phil Senior 213 LWF 29 Davies Alex Int 209 NN 30 Tucker Matt Junior 209 NN 31 Kirsopp Mitch Senior 208 NN 32 Slocombe Laura Lady 207 NN 33 Falzon Clay Junior 109 SC 34 Field Peter Master 109 NN 35 Barrett Chris Senior 108 NN 36 Gillett Steevee Lady 101 NN 37

http://www.chbf.com/

Welcome Welcome to the Online home of Coffs Harbour Bluewater Freedivers. We pride ourselves on our environmental values and we strive hard to educated our young and inexperienced divers, as well as the wider community about the selective and sustainable nature of spearfishing.

Position Name Phone Email

President Mark Kallman (0410) 648066 [email protected]

Vice-President Michael Featherstone (0411) 634 999 [email protected]

Treasurer Glenys Davison (02) 6654 1677

Secretary Justin Ward (0412) 244 155 [email protected]

Comp Co-Ordinator Geoff Flanagan (0419) 694 098

Records Officer John Featherstone (0428) 166 092 [email protected]

Social Organiser Peter Landini (02) 6656 2539 [email protected]

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

NEWS FROM VICTORIA

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Brett Illingworth - 17.3kg Gummy Shark Ryan Harris - 14.1kg Kingfish

NEWS FROM SA

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

I have received this Adam , and will circulate to my members

I will find out this month, if will support a request to host earlier or if they are happy to keep things as they stand.

On 22/04/2010, at 7:35 AM, Dr Adam Smith wrote:

Hi Mary Anne

As discussed by phone I wish to confirm that SA does not wish to host the next AUF National titles.

The rotational policy is that the next state who may host will be Qld, NSW, WA, Vic and then SA

Please call if you wish to discuss options

Regards

Adam

NEWS FROM WA BFWA Pelagic Pairs Competition 2010

Mission: To have a great day, catch some great fish and get involved.

Date: Saturday 6th of March 2009

Entry Fee: $10 per pair. Payment required on the day at the weigh-in, correct money please. AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Registration: Please email [email protected] your boat name and competitors onboard 1 day before competition. All registered divers must log off preferably in person with Matthew Chave before the weigh in or phone on 0447878060.

Venue: 18 Waldemar st Gwelup sausage sizzle provided, BYO drinks

Weigh-in time: 4:30pm sharp. All fish will be weighed on the one set of club scales.

Fishing Locations: There are no limitations on dive locations.

Comp start time: All fish must be caught on the day of the comp

Scoring : Each pair can weigh a maximum of 4 different Cat 1 species and one of each cat 2 species of fish. The score will be calculated by the # of Cat 1fish x 100 + the #of Cat2 fish x 50+total weight in KG x 4

E.g. competitor X weights in a 15kg Spanish 20kg Samson 10kg Shark mac and a 500g Skippy his score would be 3x100+1x50+45.5x4 = 532point in total

Score Sheet : The score sheet has been kept short as the new fisheries rules do not allow for many fish to be taken (maximum of 2 cat 1 fish per person and 4 per pair)

Cat 1 Species Minimum Weight

Yellow fin Tuna 6kg

Blue fin Tuna 3kg

Wahoo 15kg

Spanish Mackerel 10kg

Shark Mackerel 4kg

Samson Fish 10kg

Dolphin Fish 4kg

Yellow Tail King Fish 6kg

Cat 2 Species

Bonito 1kg

Skippy 500g

Australian Salmon 1.5kg

No maximum weight will apply to the scoring.

Required Safety equipment: Competitors must have the following safety equipment at al times AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

A personal float with positive buoyancy of no less than 7kg and a principle coloured either orange yellow or red with reflective tape with a clearly displayed International code flag A a minimum size of 300mm x 250mm with it’s base a minimum of 200m above the water surface. Whistle and signal mirror of at least 50mm x 50mm The competion is a pairs event and one up one down rules apply. At no time shall a pair of divers separate or be below the surface at the same time.

Boat safety It is a requirement that all drivers of the vessel have a recreational skipper’s ticket and are familiar with the DPI boat safety requirements.

Below is a link to DPI boat safety. http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/imarine/19078.asp

Prize Categories : The comp will be a pairs event with prizes for first, second and third highest score calculated from the attached score sheet and most meritorious judged by a comity on the day..

Responsibility of fish: All fish is the responsibility of the competitor and must be taken at the close of the event.

Please stay within Western Australian Fisheries rules and represent the club and AUF in a responsible manner on the sea and at the ramps. Everyone will need there fishing licence to fin fish from a boat. RECORDS OFFICER UPDATE – not available PROJECT UPDATE

The Great Australian Shark Watch is still continuing but with no ongoing Government funding. A full report has been written and is available on the AUF website. 13180 sharks counted between Oct 2007 and Oct 2009. A total of 452 individuals counted sharks. The highest individual count was 2125 sharks and 10 individuals contributed 48% of all sightings.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Most sharks were sighted in the morning or mid-morning

Individual length data available for 9896 sharks. Range from 0.2- 9m, average of 1.6m.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Australian Underwater Federation Inc Susan Dockar A.U.F. Memberships P.O. Box 195 Menai Central N.S.W. 2234 Ph/Fax: (02) 9543-4907 Email: [email protected]

Representing all Freedivers, Spearfishers and underwater sports enthusiasts

Full Name: (print)……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(Surname) Given Names

AUF Membership No………………………………………..……… New……. Renewal

Spearfishing and/or Freediving Club…………………………………………………………………………..

Address: (No. & Street)…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Suburb:……………………………………………………………..State:……………...Post Code:………….

Phone: (…..)………………………………………..Mobile:……………………………………………………….

Fax:: (…..)…………………………………………email:…………………………………………………………

Occupation: …………………………………………………….Date of Birth:………./…………/……………

Male: Female:

NOTE: A.U.F. m/ship + National and State Spearfishing Commission memberships due 1st July and expires 30th June

each year. NEW ONLINE FORM at www.auf.com.au

Or contact Sue Dockar AUF Memberships – P.O. Box 195, Menai Central, N.S.W. 2234 (02) 9543-4907

Do you want to learn more about Spearfishing?

Perhaps you or your club should contact one of these AUF accredited and trained Spearfishing coaches.

John Van Blanken - Tweed/Gold Coast Freedivers (QLD) Accred to Jan 2010 - AUF exp 30/6/08 (07-5593-9034)

Cameron Miller (QLD) - Acccred. Feb 2011 - AUF exp 30/6/07 (0438-801-990)

Mary Anne (South Australia) – 0419804685 [email protected]

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World

Australian Underwater Federation Inc.

SPEARFISHING SAFETY RULES

These Safety Rules are intended to minimise the risk of injury or mishap to divers engaged in Spearfishing. Divers are encouraged to adopt these rules without exception and to promote them amongst divers who may not be familiar with them. It is the responsibility of all A.U.F. members to make our sport as safe as possible.

While engaged in Spearfishing you should:

* Tow a safety coloured float (yellow, orange or red) with an International Code “A” flag (signifying diver below) displayed in a vertical position above the float.

* Attach game to the towed float so that the game is carried away from your body.

* Carry a knife that is attached to your body and which is readily accessible.

* Carry a plastic safety whistle and a reflective signal mirror.

* Wear a weight belt fitted with a single hand operated, quick release buckle.

* Never load or carry a loaded speargun out of the water.

* Ensure that speartips are suitably sheathed while not in use.

* Ensure that you are not under the influence of any drugs or medication that may impair your senses, judgement or physical ability.

* Cease diving if for any reason you are not feeling well.

* Take liquids to ensure that you do not suffer the effects of dehydration.

* Avoid hyperventilating by taking no more than 2 or 3 deep breaths before holding your breath.

* Always dive with a friend or tell someone where you will be diving and your estimated time of return.

* Obtain a current weather report for the time that you will be diving.

* Be on the alert for boat traffic and ensure that you are visible to passing vessels.

AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World