Southland Divers
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Diving
Forum Name: Spearo's Corner
Forum Description: Free-divers & spearos chat about their sport
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=61476
Printed Date: 10 Jun 2023 at 7:31pm
Topic: Southland Divers
Posted By: kuuni
Subject: Southland Divers
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 11:14am
| In less than a month I'll be in sunny, sunny Invercargill and staying for at least a year - so, where the heck can I dive down there? Are regular dives even possible or is it only on rare calm days? |
Replies:
Posted By: oldfela
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 12:00pm
|
Hi Kuuni, give this guy a call hes in dunedin, but knows all the boys down there,
here is the details for the south Island champs,would be a good place to meet most of the divers from down that way
Entry form attached
Kelvin Milne mailto:[email protected] - [email protected]
SI spearfishing champs 2011
Location :Tautaku Beach, South Otago
Date : 5th February 2011
Registration & Briefing : 8:00 am Tautaku Beach Carpark
Competition Start :10:00am Competition Finish : 2:00pm
|
Posted By: oldfela
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 12:22pm
| there is some very good diving to be had down the bottom of NZ heeps of paua crays trumpeter , and the water can be very clear , there is a club in Invercargill |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 12:35pm
| There is plenty of great diving around Southland - trumpeter, blue cod, butterfish, Blue moki, paua and crays. Bluff has some good diving, right from the harbour entrance and along the coast. Some good shore diving around the Catlins. There are heaps of options. I can give you some contacts if you PM me. |
Posted By: kuuni
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 2:00pm
Argh, bugger - I won't be there til the 6th  Cheers though.What's the club name?
|
Posted By: Philip van Zijl
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 3:32pm
|
I will be shifting to Oamaru on the 30th - I will have a boat by then text me or call my on 021 026 26667 or at the Oamaru Library. ------------- Never underestimate and old man with a spear gun ;) |
Posted By: oldfela
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 3:46pm
|
I,ve edited my post with kelvin,s contact he will be able to give you a lot of info
|
Posted By: kuuni
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 5:23pm
Great! Thanks guys - now I've just gotta sort a 7mm suit 
|
Posted By: oldfela
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2011 at 6:13pm
| you should only need a 7mm for winter, I dived down there in the comps in a 5mm for 4 hours with out getting cold |
Posted By: redfox
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2011 at 9:35am
|
Kuuni, I head down to Invercargill fairly regularly for work. Will be down twice in Feb if you want to catch up for a swim at some point.
I've done a little in the Catlins from time to time but that's about it. Often see divers out by the lighthouse in Bluff, looks pretty nice around that area.
Andrew
|
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2011 at 9:45am
|
oldfela wrote:Posted By: clash
Date Posted: 17 May 2011 at 3:12pm
|
gidday I'm looking at going spearing in fiordland. Is it possible to spearfish in milford sound without a boat? and is there very good access if so?
- cheers
|
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 17 May 2011 at 5:47pm
| Not really, the bit you can drive too is dominated by the river/estuary. That said, I haven't dived that far in. So if you can get below the freshwater layer, you might find something. |
Posted By: CBF-Whk
Date Posted: 17 May 2011 at 8:06pm
If you can get down to one of the other sounds like "George" or an area called the fingers???. We got pup hapuka in 50ft of water along with the cod, trumpeter etc. The crays can get to scary size in shallow too.
 CBF
Whk
|
Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 7:57am
| Mean. Were you spearing the puks? |
Posted By: kuuni
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 9:30am
I'll be interested to hear if you go! I think I cleared out all the cod from my first spot...  ...Need to dive somewhere new...
|
Posted By: CBF-Whk
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 9:44am
|
No we were anchored for the night in one of the sounds and someone dropped a line over the side. After been in the water all day spearfishing was not high on the agenda. Saw one or two while picking pua along the north side of charlky inlet. The crays in the photo came from the southern end of Fiordland were gathered for a function in about 20minutes by three free divers the size limit was they had to fit in the pot we had so we left bigger ones alone.
CBF
Whk
|
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 9:45am
|
Whoah! So you actually saw a couple? Awesome. More info, more info!!!!!!
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Phantom Menace
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 9:49am
| Trip to Fiordland to satisfy your mainland Puk fetish LJ?? |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 10:17am
|
yes, yes, yes, yes, YES! DD has suggested it may not be that easy but...what would he know? ------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 10:35am
Eh? Did I?
|
Posted By: CBF-Whk
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 10:39am
|
Was back around 99-2000 scamed 5 days in Fiordland on a pua boat working my passage. Weather forced us into Chalky on a day and while the real workers worked the beach I was a little further out. Got to see all sorts some of the best diving I have had in NZ.
The puker were over clear bottom and around 18 inches long, 4 kilo,s???. Some of the cod were bigger. Cant have been deeper than 60ft thats all i could ever dive lol. there was a layer of fresh water where we were that day as the vis was crap for about 6 inches until you hit sea water then it was clear as.
Stangest fish I saw in there was a elephant fish looked like a stumpy shark which had its nose stomped on and squashed.
CBF
Whk
|
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 3:48pm
| That must have been when we met you down there Zane? I haven't seen puka down there, mainly for lack of trying - paua were always the focus species. I know a few guys who have speared them there, up to 15kg or so. I'm sure if you made good use of your sounder, or a local fisherman's knowledge, you would have no problem targeting them down there. |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 5:52pm
|
Jacko had free rein down there the last two months and got nuffink. The shadow he exists under aside, I'd back him to come up with the goods..... but no joy? Maybe the wrong location?
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 6:40pm
| I think it will mainly be pups in sounds, but find a decent pinnacle on the coast with some tide on it and I reckon you would find something in that 15m plus area. When I have been down there, I tend to dive like I do on shallow weedlines, rather than diving the deeper stuff like you might do in a comp. |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 6:42pm
|
Is Padraig saying "It's on"?
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 8:21pm
| Fiordland is a fairly massive playground, and surprisingly varied. I caught a snapper in Dusky Sound many moons ago. Game on I reckon |
Posted By: B1g_Pun
Date Posted: 18 May 2011 at 8:42pm
|
Ooh..ooh... Pick me, pick me! I would love to get down there with some other divers armed with some local knowledge. Just spent a few days down there but due to weather being absolutely fckd couldn't get to the outer parts. Managed a couple of dives in Thompson sound and Bradshaw arm with only a handful of crays to show for it, had to work pretty hard for them too (15-18m) ------------- "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" William Shakespeare |
Posted By: Waltz
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 3:48pm
| Kiaora Diver Dan I'll be in Queenstown 26th and keen for a dive 27th this month can you tell me a bay I can go to for a feed of kina paua maybe a cray be very much appreciated Cheers |