Posts by Nunodias

  • Mozambican Cronicles - The Red Devil...

    “...I dwell closed to the bottom, gliding as if I was part of it...the gun tucked under the shadow of my body...from rock to rock, hidden by the coral forest…the left hand does its job pulling me forward instead of the fins for these as they move betray the hunter leading them to run long before we can even see them…


    …hours before, standing in front of the bench grinder, I sharpened the tricut tip until all edges cut, added more silicone between the foot pocket and the blade, silencing those small little friction noises e tuned the “clutch” on the reel, tightening the dyneema in order to flow smoothly without jams…


    …all this ritual calmed me down in some sort of meditation condition reaching emptiness witch I attain in these moments while going through the gear, abstracting myself from anxiety as I prepare for the battle that follows…today, its Red Snapper day!


    The Two Spot Red Snapper, or Lutjanus bohar, is one of the most outstanding creatures we can hunt in these waters…sun of the Indic ocean, born with an African spirit, it’s a wild animal, of pure energy, explosive character and very skittish behavior , with an intelligence out of the ordinary with which not so many fish can compare, joining it with a certain superiority and uninterested personality that keeps him at distance e eliminates all that natural curiosity that betrays most fish…I’ve chased Dentex in Europe, Djabar’s in Senegal, Cubera’s in S. Thomas and Prince but with these ones…you put your technique to a trial…stretching the lungs to the limit…while testing all the weakness of your gear!


    …back to the bottom and after several dives, this was just one more in order to make them leave the boilers of the wreck and lead them to the small coral valley a few meters north…


    …in there I know I can stand a chance…plenty of rocks and corals, ledges and caves, where I can hide and make use of the dark to surprise them…


    …I hide…glide…and make myself notice, causing some discomfort leading the bigger ones to move into the deeper zone, seeking protection in the natural landscape of the valley…the rest of the shoal follows…the first battle is won!


    Descending slowly I can see them from afar…reaching the bottom the body follows the path the mind as set on the surface…the gentle approach begins…in a game of patience, like some sort of underwater chess where calm and smoothness set the rules… reaching a coral ledge with the current behind my back, I hide under its shadow…two brief throat grunts and its complete silence…my eyes are down…the gun is hidden…the body in total relaxation…


    …the first ones come in…between 4 to 7 kg, in those orange and bright red tones like small goblins of fire with their sharp fangs coming out typical of their scary look…slowly I lower my head in a gesture of submission which triggers their instinct leaving them to stay close to me…a few meters behind them I can feel him…I can hear the strong runs he makes…still nervous he makes himself notice with fast clashes of the tail, as gunshots that eco like music to my ears…he’s there, my Red Devil!


    …run after run he gains his trust…coming in vigorously one last time, almost on top of me, turning like a lightning in the final second to gain distance once again…it’s now or never …as he backs away I level the gun pushing the body backwards while making one strong throat grunt…the Devil stops, turns around e comes in strongly…I wait…one more meter…one more…the finger presses the trigger and as the spear flies to its target hitting it on the head all hell breaks loose…the fish explodes and I let him run in order not to tear the spear out…as soon as it caves I lock the reel and initiate the ascend…the bottom time is long…the air is short…surface calls…


    Now it’s the rush, I ventilate as well as I can, controlling the fish bellow me, I know that with all the fighting sharks will soon come claiming what belongs to Neptune…going down fast on top of the fish that lays partially caved I try to lower my heart rate…reaching it, one hand untangles the dyneema as the other takes the fish out…pressing him against my chest I look around for bad neighbors …they’re there but at a distance…reaching the surface I know…this one is mine!



    This is the story of my first Bohar of the year, and also my personal best…a magnificent creature, and maybe the fish which poses me more challenges to its capture, testing me to the limit e never ceasing to amaze me…


    Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it…


    Safe diving to you all…


    ND

  • parrotfish

    Here in Moz its like Tinu mencioned, although its also true that parrot fish are quite easy to spear but only in areas where they are not speared and of course small ones...


    When they reach a certain size they tend to become very difficult, they adapt very quickly to the fishing pressure and simply go away in the presence of spearfisherman.


    Here's a Pic. of a nice Blue Barred...



    I shoot one once in a while but only if its a challenging shot and of decent size for they are really good eating...

  • Mozambican Cronicles - A day to remember...

    Hi guys,


    Thanks for the kind comments!!!


    Dan, like Psychobilly sayed, Eolo is the Greek god of the wind...


    I do write for some magazines, French Apnea, Spanish Apnea, Freediving and Spearfishing Magazine, Pescasub (Portuguese Magazine) and i'm now writing an article on GT's for Deep Wordwide, mostly technical articles but some spearo stories too...


    Safe diving to you all!!!

  • Mozambican Cronicles - Almost a record...

    Hi to you all,


    After two weeks without diving any lousy sea, will look just fine to drop in...so having this in mind there we went, despite the strong South wind (17 km/h), a very wavy sea, rain and a drop in water temperature...


    32 miles out in the blue the viz was actually nice, around 15 to 20 meters, but with the cold water no fish could be seen, so it did us no good...
    We spent four hours, changing from spot to spot trying to find a warm water area, or any pelagic activitie but with no luck...


    The solution was to head inn to some spots around the end of Maputo bay in the 18 mile range...mostly for bottom fish as well as nice trevally, such as GT, Fulvies, Goldens and Pompano's...
    The viz was something around 4 meters wich is quite bad to drop head to head with those unwanted "guests"...lol...


    A few drift's in the choosen spot and after a long wait almost in the bottom the first Fulvie was shot...15 minutes later i had in my hands...



    A change of spot, to an underwater old lighthouse structure, proved to be good with a lot of small bait fish wandering around...


    After a nice Queenfish lost to Rosalina, the resident giant grouper, i decide to do some agachons in the botton...placing myself inside the structurefacing out i distinguish the shaper of what it looks to be another Fulvie...i aim, wait and as it aproaches i can now see ita a Golden Trevally, a good sized one...a straigth shot to the head and there he goes taking the dyneema out of the reel...


    Following some pulling and letting go for it not to end somewhere down Rosalina's troath i finally managed to old it and get it on board...


    After weighting the fish in the club i saw it was almost a world record for i had the idea that the current IUSA record was 16 kilos and this one was 15,890 kg...


    ...later at night while talking to friend i discover that the record was actually 15,420 kg...well it was almost a world record...almost becouse i didnt aply...lolololol...



    ...so my friend told me..."No worry's...just catch another one.."


    ...lolololol...


    Best regards to you all,


    Dias

  • rob allen wetsuit

    Sorry Dan, i did misunderstood...


    As for the awser, it is possible to do it, but not really recomended.


    In open or double, urine can easly travel to your ear zone and get you trouble with a nasty infection, same for the skin, as well as friction areas where urine will act and produce skin rashes quite easly.


    I've pissed a lot inside all sorts of wetsuits, a few times i had problems directly connected with this, as an ear infection, and some sort of foot rash, but in 25 years of spearing it only happened twice so its up to you to decide to do it or not.


    I feel much more confortable avoid urine in my wetsuit, besides that neopre acts when its close to the skin mantaining the thin layer of water inside the suit warm since the water entrys are limited, if we add more water from inside the layer will became thicker and we will loose the ability to keep the inside of the suit warm, and the urine that was once warn rapidly becomes cold trough convection making the cold problem even worse.


    Hope i've helped this time...

  • rob allen wetsuit

    Hi Dan,


    The pissete can be used in double nylon or open cell the same way, in fact in Europe, specially in France (where the term originaly came from) its very common, and certain French manufactures of custon wetsuits include it has standart.

  • Mozambican Cronicles - A day to remember...

    Here goes the tale of another dive…


    The sun hadn’t rised yet but the boat was already on the water, the body inside the wetsuit and the mind some 25 miles offshore, somewhere in Danae Reef imagining the shapes of Red Snappers, Rubberlips and Grouper’s, as the eyes glanced at the golden waves ahead…


    It was quite a windy morning with a strong North wind, and dark clouds...Eolo was making us know we where uninvited guests in that realm...I find that this days are always somehow rewarding for those that don’t just stay home wondering if there were any good fish in those stormy waters...


    Reaching the drop of the reef we could see the vibrant colored water, a sign that despite the terrible conditions the viz was in fact a vision of blue...
    Its time for the same old ritual...has i slowly go through the gear i focus in my breathing and gently slow my heart rate...one last check at everything...Emiliano at my side signals...we are ready....


    I’m the first to go down…gliding through hundreds of blue and yellow tinny little fish, moving like a single organism in complete synchrony…opening as I pass and closing immediately behind me…the bottom is some 23 meters below, and in this journey down I stop at 15 to check the surroundings…laying next to an enormous ledge is a Whitebarred rubberlip, a very good sized one, so I decide to try mi first fish of the day…the last 7 meters are made in complete silence flying in the blue and landing behind a good sized rock…the fish made a short run and paused again to see what was lurking behind the coral some 9 meters away from him…I stand firm, completely hidden, only showing my mask, and my gun…a few seconds later it starts to approach slowly and slowly…just a couple of meters more and…baaammm…the finger slides through the trigger and the spear almost instantly hits the target…the fish drops dead with a perfect hit right behind the eye…
    Reaching the surface, I call for the boat and looking at the fish in my hands I feel that despite all this is in fact a good day…


    A few immersions later in the same spot, it was time to quit the “aspetto” and check the caves down there…
    …already in the bottom and approaching an entrance I sense some movement inside…I put my gun alongside my body as if it was part of it, and gently look inside…two Tiger Sandsharks and again a lovely Rubberlip...humm…quite a puzzle, normally they don’t pose a problem at all, laying sleepy on the bottom, we even pet them once in a while…but to spear a fish between them…that’s a different story…the gun comes from under the body and aligns with the target…I wait for the right moment…I shoot and once again the prey drops right where it was shot…the sharks stay where they were…and happy Dias comes finning to the surface with another nice Rubber…



    Looking from above I see Emiliano going down far beyond the drop some 26 meters below…gun in front and finning…a few seconds more and he shoots…the spear it’s the fish and has it runs I can finally see…it’s a Doggy!!! Running up and keeping the pressure on the floatline Emi reaches the surface and says it’s a good shot, so I hold next to him…after a while of pulling and letting go he retrieves is first fish of the day, a nice Dogtooth Tuna!!!



    Back to African Pompano, a seven meter catamaran, with two 100 CV four stroke Yamaha’s, we decide to hunt the wreck, in shallower waters…


    The Danae was a cargo ship that sunken in the reef many years ago giving it his name…it lays scattered along the whole reef, some pieces here, some there, like a testimony of days far worse than this one…
    The chosen spot for today would be the boiler rooms…


    Once again I find myself laying in the bottom, sight behind my gun watching some sharks cruising around and waiting for those red shaped devils that dwell far in the blue behind the iron structures…as they approach I move gently to a better position preparing my strike…the shoal comes in and stops some 5 meters away…it’s the enough to take a long shot with my 150 carbon railgun, and I have taken fish a bit more far then those before with her…but a long shot its not a dead accurate shot and if I want to catch more than one from the shoal, they must be stone dead at each trigger pull…waiting is the name of the game… waiting and waiting…and has they come closer and closer I choose one and fire…dead on spot, its my first Mangrove Snapper of the day…


    Its Emiliano’s time and he doesn’t disappoint, spearing a marvelous one…



    Back to the Mangrove Snappers I change my strategy, and decide to hide inside a hole on the iron structure…the strategy pays off and another red devil comes to the boat…
    One more go and a last fish gets taken from the shoal before they disappear into deeper waters, this time a long flat shot did the job…



    Approaching the last set of boilers I see a massive brown shape turning behind them…I recognize the shape and instantly dive to position myself on the opposite side of the huge iron cylinders …I know if I follow her she will run away instantly, so I wait right there hopping the turns back for a look…it worked, she gently slides from behind the last boiler, 10 meters away…I can now see its whole body and its huge…she stop’s…I aim and its now or never…trigger squeezed and a good holding shot a bit behind the head…she explodes in a running fury as I swim up to hold her from entering the hole in the boilers…it’s a brute struggle but the spear itself ends up to prevent the grouper from entering completely inside…exhausted I run for the surface I yell for the boat…” A float and the smaller gun…fast!!!”…
    Francisco, our skipper doesn’t disappoint and is fast delivering the items…Emiliano joins me and dives down for a second shot as I retrieve the line on the reel, clipping the Rob Allen Hippo Float on the bands to make pressure on the fish…16 meters down Emi signals and I realize that the shot is good …it’s a huge Malabar Grouper, the current IUSA world record is 41,4 kg and this one doesn’t look far from that so its up to me to finish her for it’s a potential record…
    Down I go, 90 cm in hand…as I approach I can see the head partially inside…I aim a bit behind and above the eye and shoot…the fish trembles one last time as it dies…a few more dives to retrieve her from the bottom and its done…my last fish of the day…exhausted but very happy I delive her to the boat and has I rest for a while a smile glimmer´s in my face for this was really a great day…
    The grouper was 4,2kg far from the world record, but still an awesome catch and definitely a personal best Malabar Grouper…




    I hope you guys liked the reading has much as I enjoyed writing it, wishes of dream catches to you all,


    Dias

  • Mozambican Cronicles - Out in the blue...

    Its 04:00 am, and the boat makes its way down the ramp for another journey...looking at the sky in the horizon, i can see a faint glimmer comming from behind the water as the sun finds its path to bring us one more day in Africa...


    Once more the sound of the engines starting sets the beggining of one more adventure out in the blue...


    Heading to a spot 43 miles outside Maputo, my eyes wonder's trought all things that can be seen trougthout the way, and i can't stop thinking of how blessed we are to be able to dive in these waters, and to witness visions of dream such as whales breastfeeding, or dolphins jumping and playing like happy children around a Christmas tree...


    The boat stops...its time...everybody's grabbing their gear, like sailors on a battleship, assuming positions, throwing the floats off board as the vessel heads up in the current for the first drift...
    Our skipper stops the engines as we enter the water one by one...first Emiliano, then Vasco and them me...


    Relaxing myself as i unfold the flasher setting it at the correct depth for the first dives, i close my eyes to get them ready for the dark blue, as the water is still somehow murky and the clowds are here to stay...


    One last deep breath and i'm heading down, as i reach 10 meters i stop and let myself glide silently to 15...the bottom rests some 45 meters bellow me and i can see the flasher dancing slowly to the waves movement in the surface, up and down, working its magic like a silent Hamelin flute...all the sudden a small school of sardine flyes bye as if their life depended on it...i turn my head instantly trying to understand the reason of all that commotion and lurking some 10 meters below there's a shinny body with those distinct black fins...the "spaniards" are here!!!


    Spanish Mackerel are not a difficult fish to land, some are harder then others, but unlike most fish, these ones allow you a straight aproach, almost head on...
    I turn its way and engage in the pursuit...he starts to plunge deeper as i struggle to get closer and behind him...it always works...as i reach his rear he loses sight of me turning is all body in an attempt to understand whats happening in his blind spot giving the chance for a perfect mid body shot...as the spear enters the body, the fish explodes making a heavy run, as i start my way up followed by my gun that dwells free next to me...
    At the surface,i reach for the gun and pass the rubbers trought my left arm all the way up to the shoulders i grab the floatline and start retrieving it, meter, by meter, on a gentle manner but always keeping some pressure on the line, too much will tear the flesh, too litke will let the barb close and dislodge the spear...after 15 minutes of pull and run i have the spear in my hands, and the fish takes off again as it feel the shaft pressing against its body making him come alive once more...a few more runs and its mine...





    As i sit on the boat, laying the fish down on the deck i can see Emiliano fighting another one as Vasco heads towards him to help...its always a pleasure to watch dive buddies working together, it makes me remember that besides what a lot of guys say, spearfishing its not a solo sport...one fish two divers..twice the fun...


    As i go down again once more, sinking slowly at the sounds of wales singing, a shadow starts to take shape, revealing a number of long slender bodys, with pointy heads and an unmistakable lower jaw...barracuda...
    I move away from the school wich triggers the curiosity of five of them, now moving away from the school and towards me...i stop and wait, my gun is tucked under me, not to scare the fish...the biggest one gets closer...and closer...and stops...now is the moment, standing 5 meters ahead of me she starts turning as my gun reveals itself...i aim...and the spear hits a litle behind the head...as usual with this fish the first run is quite powerful, but then it stops and sinks...a few meters after and i have the cuda right in front of me...i still remember four years ago, one like that charged over me twice in this exact moment...i slowly grab one end of the spear as my left hand reaches for the other end...shot near the head the cuda trashes but as no chance of bitting me...i give it to Vasco in the boat and he places it inside the fish hatch..its not wise to leave live cuda laying on the deck...




    A few more dives and its time to head back, as the warm African North wind starts to blow...


    Already on the dock there's one smile we all share, witness to a day well spent among friends...not many fish where landed but the soul purpose of being underwater was fulfilled as we dive for one good fish...and not many...for these are the ones that stay printed in your memory, coming alive in your dreams in the nights to come...


    Happy dives to you all...

  • Mozambique Cronicles - A glimmer down under...

    As i rest on the surface, my chest inhales gently and slowly exhales lowering my heart rate to a point where anxiety no longer dwells in the mind...


    The water is somehow dark and the viz must be around 10 meters for the Black Bart lure in the end of the flasher can barely be seen...in these waters we are not the top predators, and in this particular spot i am far from that...


    ...back to the breathing rhythm i drive myself away from any thoughts other then what i came here to search...the floatline on my left hand, the gun on the right...a few final breaths, a gentle slide forward has the fins go up and the journey down under begins...


    ...the bottom lies some -80 meters below with a very small pinnacle coming all the way up to -40...the first meters are crowded with a cloud of Unicorns, Surgeons and other smaller fish wich tells me that today the predators lie beneath...


    Passing the flasher set at -12 meters i slow my rate and level the body at -20...one brief look in my back tells me there's no unwanted guests by now...checking my surroundings as the eyes get used to this dark blue color that fades into a grey horizon without any visual references that seems void of life...


    ...a few seconds later, while looking down a tinny glimmer down under triggers my instincts and i immediately sink in its direction...it’s an unmistakable shine and as i approach it, the glimmer becomes a shadow...the shadow becomes a shape...and the shape becomes a fish...


    …fully aware of my presence, the fish slowly moves away…I stop…I am some 26 meters below and after this run, I can’t go down any further, so now is the moment…aiming the 160 a bit above the lateral line, compensating for the long shot, I press the trigger…
    …the spear seeks its target and penetrates straight trough the side…the fish shakes and trembles…a perfect spine shot!!!
    One final look around me and it’s time to ascend…meter by meter, keeping the tension on the line and checking for predators…


    On the surface I retrieve the fish and call for the boat…


    Sitting aboard admiring the prey a feeling of fulfillment and freedom runs through my mind reminding me this why I came here after all…



    Specie: Narrow-Barred Spanish Mackerel-Scomberomorus commerson
    Gun: Rob Allen Zulu 160
    Location:The Pinnacle - Southern Mozambique


    Safe diving to you all...

  • Cutting RA CF 130 down to 120

    Hi,


    Some advice when cutting RA carbon guns...


    Beware when replacing the plug again.


    RA barrel plugs come glued tigh and are inserted in the barrel by a machine that presses them very hard for the plug itself has around 30 to 31mm of diameter and the barrel only has 28mm.


    This is made on purpose to insure that the gun can whitstand the pressure if taken to 50 meters or more and the plugs dont move further in.


    Besides this, the plug material itself swells a bit, (so does the Nylon on the muzzles), after a while.


    So after cutting you will probably have to grind the plug a bit before aplying it again, and be sure to use a strong glue to keep it in place with the pressure. (Industrial contact glue is ok).


    Hope i've helped...


    Best regards,


    ND

  • Request a new regional section here

    Hi to you all,


    I know i'm quite new here, and still getting to know the Forum, but is there any chance of opening an "AFRICA" section on then International Spearfishing Reports & Discussion area?


    Safe diving to you all...

  • Greetings from Africa...

    Thanks for the welcome guys!!!


    Don, Springboks are South Africans...he,he,he...i'm Portuguese...


    Dan, GWS are not that common here but we do get them...Tigers and Zambezi's (Bullsharks) thats another story...in almost every diving day you end up seeing one of them...


    Once again thanks for the welcome!!!


    Safe diving to you all!