Spearo July Snoek and Garrick competition 2024

Spearo July Snoek and Garrick competition 2024

With the KZN 2024 sardine run in full swing in June this year’s July Spearo Snoek and Garrick competition was set to be a cracker event.

1st of July was a Monday and half the competitors pulled a sickie to get in on the action on day one with absolutely pearler conditions on the KZN coastline!

Clean warm water combined with a glassed off flat as a pancake (2ft swell) sea greeted me when I pulled in at Pennington for a dive with my buddy Domz.

The action started off slow for me with 3 snoek of average size giving me the slip as I got out past the backline surf. Domz managed to bag one snoek on the swim upto Umdoni point and I had nothing to show.

As I got around the point heading South a single Garrick swam upto me on the sand and commited suicide! One fish on the stringer now I had to find the snoek. After chatting with Domz quick and finding out he had seen snoek several times I decided to swim south towards Sezela and hunted slightly deeper off the backline.

I still had no joy over the sand when I spotted two flat slabs of reef sitting a little further out than the line I was hunting so decided to swim over to check. Snoek love these flat slabs of reef because they often hold sprats or other small fish.

As I got to the 1st slab a bomber snoek came in from my right and two smaller ones from my left, duck dived and swam after the bomber, got him in range for my 80cm roller took the shot and missed! Over it’s back…some swearing involved hahaha.

After that I managed to get two rat snoek and after stringing the second one had a shoal of decent bomber snoek pull in on my left. Duck dived and gave chase full speed and nailed the closest one at end of range.

The snoek went ballistic on the surface and came off! More swearing and vowing to myself to get closer next time! Had more shoals come past but flying and no shot.

Sulking a little bit (read lots!) I decided to start heading back to my exit point back around the point to the north swimming a slightly deeper line in 6m. This was a great decision because low and behold after about 50m of swimming there I spied something silver lying on the sandy bottom.

Trues Bob there was my bomber snoek I’d lost earlier just lying there dead! A quick duck dive and I grabbed it off the bottom and as I swam to the surface a Hammer head shark came sniffing around right where the Snoek had been lying!

On closer inspection I saw that I had spined the Snoek hence the spear not going all the way through. What a luck!

Just after a large shoal of bomber snoek came through and I doubled up with both guns but lost the one and landed the other.

Mission accomplished I caught some crayfish and swam back to the exit where Domz was waiting on the beach. I quickly asked if he’d lost a bomber snoek and he said no! So deffos my fish! Couple of pic’s on the beach and then we carried the load back to the vehicle.

When I measured the Snoek at the car I knew it was gonna be hard to beat at 105cm and I was correct! 1st place for Snoek was mine!

We had some epic conditions for the 1st week and a half of the compo then it was hard to get a good dive in with swell and wind plaguing the sea…meh!

2nd place Snoek went to Jerone Govender with a 97cm fish. Well done Jerone!

3rd place Snoek went to Master Sean Burns with a 95cm fish. Well done Burnsie!

1st place Garrick went to Leon Grobler also shot on the 1st of July at 106cm. Leon did three dives that day and only saw the one Garrick! Well done ballie Leon!

2nd place Garrick went to tall man Rudie DuToit at 106cm shot In the Transkei. Yes it’s same length as Leon’s fish but 1st weighed in was his fish. Well done Rudie!

3rd place Garrick went to Kevin Beneker with a 103cm Garrick. Well done Kev!

So all in all it was a great compo with some very lakkas gees (comradery/spirit) and guy’s even gave viz reports etc on the compo group!

Some entrant’s can’t even remember when they dived so hard and long ! Hey Connie and JP…. hahahaha.

A big thanks to Christo Muller for taking the time and effort to put this together for us spearos! Aweh!

And three cheers to the sponsors without out whom there would be no prizes…

Rob Allen and Jeremy from Dive Factory
Oom piet from Bilene Mozambique
Highlanders lodge
Rob from Forest view lodge Umtunzini
Joop from Transkei Sharks point cabins
Craig Sutton from Wakene Beach Estate
Daryn from Slice Pizzeria
Johan from Space Cowboy

So see you all next year July for another great compo!

As Always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear.

www.thesardine.co.za
www.masterwatermen.co.za