Master Richardt Botes Long range Wahoo

long range wahoo: Master Richardts 2nd Wahoo with a decent spine shot

Master Richardt Botes Long range Wahoo

Since I started spearfishing (1985) till today Wahoo have been my nemesis fish! I just do not see any small Wahoo, only TANKS, and manage to plant fairly good shots (x 3) which they just seem to shake off with nonchalance and swim away unscathed!

In this video from Master Watermen we catch up with Master Richardt Botes on a boat dive on the South coast of KZN South Africa. On board we have Skipper Brett, PADI freediving instructor Charl Marais, Tyron Hunt, Zander and diving Diva Chrystal Botes. Chystal is busy getting in her practical dives in for the PADI course she is doing with Charl. The other lads are in it for the Wahoo!

Master Richardt is using his custom 1.2m Carbon cuttlefish Roller gun which you will see is an absolute machine for those long range shots on the sneaky Wahoo. The gun is made up to spec using a Rob Allen roller head, 7.5mm spear, handle and reel. Freedivers new 16mm outer and 1mm inner diameter roller bands are powering the gun. The carbon cuttlefish 1.2m barrel is imported from overseas.

Range is everything normally when it comes to actually getting a spear in a Wahoo and this gun has that in Spades. Quite often big blue water guns are overbanded woodies (wooden guns with 4 or 5 bands even!) just to get the range and the accuracy is dodgy to say the least! And the recoil is next level hence the two handed braced approach on the shot to secure the fish. As you will see in the footage the cuttlefish carbon barrel negates most of the recoil and the gun is still very accurate using one hand. And ONE band and at half the cost of an imported woodie gun!

I am sure with some more fine tuning these guns are definitely going to find their place (if they have not already) at the top of the Blue water hunters list of “I need” guns!