Just a reminder that the Shipwreck Coast Skindivers will be hosting the 3rd and final VSC boat comp on the 17th of May. This competition is counted to decide the VSC Boat aggregate champ and the Hannan Trophy. More details of this event can be found under the Victorian Spearfishing Commission thread.

Current Leaderboards of both the Hannan Trophy and the VSC boat Aggregate can be found in the VSC section.

Just another reminder, this comp is getting close. Hannan and Boat aggregate Trophies are up for grabs. Organise your boat ride. Hopefully we get some confirmation from Shipwreck Coast Skindivers on details soon.

This comp is looking good for Sunday. The plan is to meet at the Port Fairy Boat Ramp at 8am. Weigh-in and BBQ will also be at this location in the afternoon. Please check the Shipwreck Coast Skindivers Facebook page, comp will be confirmed Thursday night.

Is there rock hopping aresa

You seem to ask this question a lot.....any chance you might actually show up????

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Watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnsjOA1G3wE&sns=em

Bang Bang.

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Full time cameraman, videographer, boatie, flasher holder.

Might be a South Aussie contingent at this one!

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Your over due for a catch up mate

A trip to forget - by Mitch

Late last week i received a text from experienced young gun Nathan "Watto" Watson whilst he was over the other side of the globe, asking if i was up to head to Port Fairy on the saturday morning, dive saturday afternoon and then shore dive the comp on the sunday. I immediately was granted leave from the parents (they knew i had assignments to do, but spearing > assignments). The weekend was planned. The day finally came and i arrived to Wattos house ready for the weekend. We set off in the hope that the weather would flick the switch to ON for the weekend, and boy oh boy did she ever. I got sunburnt in the car (sun in may????) and Watto filled me in about his awesome trip. We arrived at port fairy at around 3:30 and headed straight for dive spot X in the hunt for some tasty Jasus edwardsii (commonly known as Southern Rock Lobster )

After a lengthy walk testing my small calves and large kankles, we hopped in the water and was greeted with a hazy 7m vis (if that!) and knew we would have some tough conditions, especially with the barrels of swell rolling in. It only took 15 minutes and Watto had a cray or two bagged, and i needed to get one. Watto found a smallish one and told me to grab it, and i grabbed the little bastard and cradled him to the surface to find he was undersize (the length was measured by our eye sight because the float was 20m away!). Watto managed to pull a 3rd cray and it was beginning to get dark so we started heading in. I kept seeing 650-700g sweep swimming around and i didn't have my gun, and it was dark. I quickly grabbed my gun, torch in one hand and gun in the other, and nailed two sweep with two shots. I at least had a feed for the day. A quick stop for dinner and we headed over to Christian "Doc" Hughes' house for the night, where we were convinced to go in his boat for the comp on the sunday.

After a good nights sleep, we were ready to go. We ventured to port fairy boat ramp where we found Muzz and Brett (Muzz actually made the journey down, i hear he bought a VCR to be able to record his Dr Phil TV shows so he could dive more) and Brett was continuously making me feel bad for not spooning with him in his car the night before!. 11 (i think) signed on for the comp and Doc, Myself and Watto planned to head straight to Lady Julia Percy in hunt for some tuna. Birds flying everywhere and i jumped in, loaded the gun and dove down to 5m and saw two SBT swim past me, i line up my shot and...click..Doc's 1.4 didn't fire, the SAFETY WAS ON. I couldn't believe it. First time ever seeing Tuna in the water and i messed it up..but i had to get on with it. After 5 minutes of looking around, i turned to Watto and asked "Its may, and its cold, we won't see kings would we?" and he goes "Nah its way too cold". 5 minutes later, we see yellow tails splashing on the surface. kings. Watto jumps in with the reel gun and absolutely nails one. He held it down and the other kings were circling in 7m vis. I dove down, lined up my shot and completely choked, firing above his head. First the Tuna and now the kingy. First time seeing both in the water and i came so close.

Doc and Watto jumped in the water for some tuna about 10m from them but couldn't get a shot off. We decided to pull the pin and finish off in close. I couldn't hit the side of a barn door until my final shot of the day, and it was a whiting from 3m away. I miss 10kg tuna and 3-6kg Kingfish, but shoot a 300g whiting. Sums up my day. Watto also nailed a 1035g sweep for the Vic Challenge, which looks like is the nail in the coffin for the VC.

Overall, a good trip. There was no spooning on the day (Numerous offers from Brett though). Dave took the chocolates for the day with 7 species. I can tell ill hear about my misses for a while. Leigh reckons i made a new record of missing tuna and kingfish in the same day!

Thanks to Doc for the boat ride and for consoling me at my poor spearing performance. it was a ripper day out and i can't wait for the next one - thanks to watto as well for the car trip up there, and crays

P.S Id like to also thank Carly and Geoff for always being awesome. You go Glen Coco!

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Full time cameraman, videographer, boatie, flasher holder.

COMP RESULTS


He may have been small but he weighed for the Hannan!

Good story Mitch! Bad luck on the pelagics mate, keep at it and you will get one!

Thanks to all for a good day out. Pity it was such a small turnout tho!!

Catch u all again soon

Dave

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Some photos from the Comp

2 whiting on one pranger! Gotta be happy about that!

Kilo+ Sweep! Gotta be happy about that!