Author: Shonalanga

OG divers get the gamefish. Bear Report 13-08-2021

Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear’s weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Well fellow divers the August winds are here officially which normally signals the start of the main winter Cape fish run here in KZN. Daga salmon will be piling up on deep marks and wrecks with their cousins the Geelbek in the mix. Brusher will start moving up the coast from far South towards the Durban Bluff and Toti areas. They will be followed by the Cape Yellowtail and Pignose grunter. Snoek and Garrick are still around but spread thin at the moment along most of the coast with certain hot spots firing and then dying off. So it’s a lucky dip gamefish action wise but they say that the more you dive the luckier you get! Cape Vidal had some action and some Cape lads got into some fish. The Border open was a huge success and I will be reporting on the competition next week so look out for the article. Well done Master Guy LeMeme for taking the honours!

In the fish pictures this week we have Chad with a Snoek and a 7kg Blacktip kingfish shore dive North, Connie Hallowell with a fat Snoek shore dive South, Dieter Petrashcke with a Garrick shore dive, Kurt Bunge with his 1st Yellowbelly boat dive South, Master Darrell Hattingh with a size 32kg Daga salmon shore dive South, Master Juggs Holzman with a decent Tassle shore dive Durban, Matt Oakley with a Snoek and slab Garrick shore dive North, Melvin Pillay with a fat Garrick shore dive Durban, Peter, Henry and Dane with Daga Salmon boat dive Durban, Renier Kruger with a Yellowbelly and Bronze bream shore dive South, Robert Morland and mate Ambers and Couta boat dive Cape Vidal, Robert Morland and mates Couta and Garrick boat dive Cape Vidal, Robert Morland and mates Couta boat dive Cape Vidal and Robert Morland with an Amber boat dive Cape Vidal.

Saturday we have the usual winter offshore wind blowing early switching around to a light NE wind in the afternoon. Swell starts a bit on the chunky side at 2.3m but will flatten out during the day. Sunday a cross onshore NNE wind blows early bells putting an East bump on the sea being lighter in the South and stronger in the North giving way to moderate NE wind in the arvo. Swell has less punch than Saturday at 2m but will get messy as the sun gets past the yard arm.

Typical late winter KZN weather for us this weekend and I am going with boaties a green light for Saturday morning and coming right for shore diving around midmorning. Sunday is definitely a go for boaties and shore divers but early bird gets the worm before the NE East gets on it!

Peeps just a quick notice here. North coast beaches are closed for fishing and bathing due to more chemical spill being reported in the samples taken lately. That is all the way from Umgeni river to Sheffield in the North. No one has reported illness etc from diving that area but the sea critters especially filter feeding critters will have a high risk of containing the dangerous contaminants. Please report any fish or shellfish lying dead on the beach or shoreline.

Online report available here… https://youtu.be/PT_XjKL3yW0

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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Jaco Breedt commemoration 27-01-1985 to 07-08-2021

Jaco Breedt unfortunately passed in a drowning incident (suspected SWB) whilst diving alone off Junk Reef near Durban Harbour KZN South Africa on Saturday the 7th of August 2021 . He was a local icon for many years in the area and managed many notable catches of fish whilst diving and fishing KZN waters.

It’s never easy to say goodbye to a buddy and a dive buddy goodbye is the hardest kind of goodbye. I have had to do this on more than one occasion and it never gets any easier with repetition. The best we can do for our fallen dive buddies is remember the good times and celebrate them. Jaco Breedt lived for the sea and passed doing what he loved in life.

Through his 25 year plus diving career he dived with a lot of KZN’s top divers including Protea divers Gyula Plagani, Angelo Spada and Jaco Blignaut. He also showed a lot of current local divers the ropes when it came to diving in around the local Durban area and will be sorely missed by all including Troy Ellof, Louis Schourie, Melvin Pillay and Dane Chittock.

When it comes to spearfishing we are all aware that it is a dangerous sport to partake in but there are certain safety steps that can be adhered to make it safer. Try to always dive with a buddy and spot each other whilst diving (one up one down). If diving alone take fewer risks and do not push your dives to the limit. No fish is worth a life. Inexperienced divers always follow the experienced diver. Always have someone spotting when working deep caves especially when there is a strong current. And my all time 1st and golden rule “If in doubt sit it out”…there will always be another dive day or another fish!

Troy Ellof has sent me quite a few of Jaco Breedt’s fish captures and you can definitely see that the man is at one with the sea and in his happy place. I have included these pictures as a commemoration of his life at sea.

Goodbyes hurt the most, when the story was not finished…

Rest in peace Jaco Breedt…

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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Big Garrick (Lichia amia) week. Bear Dive Report 30-07-2021

Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear’s weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

I had one of those weeks where I was chasing my tail just about and nothing much else! Other divers were on it though and there have been some big Garrick and Snoek coming out of shoals of fish cruising the backline mostly on the North coast with a smattering of Garrick on the South coast. The last two days there have been plenty Sardines around from the upper South coast to Ballito on the North coast and they are pulling the game fish with them.

In the fish pic’s this week we have Ashley Paul with a beaut Geelbek 9.385kg 1st dive after broken ankle shore dive Durban, Chad Minnaar with a decent 15kg Garrick shore dive North, Master Juggs Holzman with a decent brace of Garrick 14.7 and 13.6kg shore dive Durban, Tanya Nadauld with a 9kg Garrick shore dive South ,Tanya Nadauld with a decent Catface rockcod shore dive South and Wayne with a decent brace of Snoek shore dive North.

Looks like the weather gods are favouring us this weekend! Saturday early bells a light NW wind blows till midmorning switching around to a light NE wind at lunch time. Swell is there at 2.4m 15 seconds Durban and South with it being a bit more mellow at 2m 14 seconds up North. Sunday early bells a Light NW wind blows till midmorning switching to a very light onshore in the arvo. Swell runs a lot flatter at 2m 14 seconds Durban and South with North running at 15m 14 seconds.

So Saturday is go day for the boaties on the South coast and North coast with shore diving North being okay. Sunday is epic for North and South coast’s so get those pink slips and hit it!

Online video available here… https://youtu.be/QBCyokJTM4A

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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OG (old school) Shark repellent. The black plastic bag and how it works

Hi peeps and welcome to another video from www.masterwatermen.co.za. In this video I show how an OG (old school) trick I learned a while back that repels sharks from the catch on your float whilst shore entry diving.

Here in KZN South Africa sharks are and can be a huge hassle whilst shore entry diving along the coastline with many divers having lost their catches while on the stringer and buoy line. There have been some great advances in shark repellents in recent years from weird zebra patterned wetsuits to electronically powered shark pods.

I recently received a Shark Banz model 2.0 from Dave De Wet at Frame Autobody to try out on our local toothy critters. I have tried it twice in the area where this video was shot and am pleased to say the sharks left my catch alone when my fish were left unattended on my buoy with the Shark Banz attached! More testing will be done and I will try to post a video of the Shark Banz in action!

On the previous day to this one I had two fish stolen off my stringer by these same sharks. So I made a plan and remembered to bring a black plastic refuse bag with me. Some of you might have heard of this trick before or even used it! You push your stringer through one of the bottom corners of the plastic bag and string your catch inside the bag so that it hides your catch from the sharks.

Bogus you might say? But it sure works for smaller sharks between 20kg and 80kg and this video is the proof. The only issue is that if you shoot fish longer than the refuse bag their tails stick out and get nibbled! If you watch to the end of the video you will see the bite mark right at the edge of the bag where the tail of the 4kg Rock salmon kept sticking out.

By hiding the profile of the fish you keep the pesky little fish stealers away from you catch. So it is definitely a simple, cheap and easy way of protecting your catch but not completely shark proof!

Video available here…

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

The Sardine News and the Master Watermen are powered by TLC for your Business. Where you can take your business processes online and make more money!

Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear’s weekend dive Report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Well I am not going to lie to you it has been a tough week for us here in KZN South Africa with the rioting and looting going on. We seem to have pulled through the worst of it though and some guys did dive today. Connie Hallowell managed to “loot” his 1st Wahoo just before the riots started on a boat dive down South. Snoek have been reported jumping on the backline up North and chasing Sardine shoals down middle to lower South.

Saturday and Sunday look awesome weather wise with light offshore wind early bells switching around to light variable on shore wind in the arvo. Swell will be smaller Sunday coming through at 1.6m 13 seconds compared to 2m Saturday morning at 16 seconds.

So both Saturday and Sunday get the green light for a dive.

Online report available here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJLzkgU85UA&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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Snoek and Garrick. Bear Report 09-07-2021

Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear’s weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

There were not a lot of great days this week but when it was good the fish were there. Large shoals of Snoek and Garrick were sighted down South and up North. There are also one or two winter fish around with some Daga salmon coming out here and there. So when the weather is good you must dive! Some tank Wahoo were shot in the USC Blue water Sodwana competition last week Friday and the full article is available here… https://masterwatermen.co.za/2021/07/09/wahoo-mayhem-usc-blue-water-competition-sodwana-2021/

In the fish pic’s this week we have Angus chuffed with his 1st game fish 8,7kg Coffee bay, Brett with Snoek shore dive North, Byron with a decent brace of Snoek boat dive South, Chadd bagging a Snoek even though he did not have a gun shore dive North, Connie Hallowell with his PB Snoek boat dive South, Doms with a Garrick and Snoek shore dive North, Grant Laubscher and Andrew with Snoek shore dive North, Master Don Solomon with a beast 6.5kg Scotsman boat dive South, Master Juggs Holzman with a decent 4.5kg Tasselfish shore dive Durban, Master Louis Schorie with a decent 4.5kg Tasselfish shore dive Durban and Piet Combrink with a Daga shore dive South.

Saturday is not looking too bad weather wise with a offshore NW blowing early bells to just after 9am then slowly switches around to a moderate NE. The swell is predicted at 2.5m at 12 seconds but will probably be around 2m at 11 seconds Durban area being bigger in the South and smaller in the North. Sunday morning looks great with the swell down to 1.8m and a light offshore until a moderate NE wind picks up around lunch time.

So if you can brave the larger surf Saturday looks good early bells if you can find viz. Sunday morning would be my best bet for a dive with the sea having settled a bit.

Online report available here…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc6zN1__pkU&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

How is it that the best blue water game fish competitions are the ones that you could not attend!? The Umhlanga Spearfishing Club Blue water compo this year was deffos no exception to the aforementioned Murphy’s law!

On the night after the compo there were stories being leaked out about Wahoo so loose they were jumping in the hatches and of course there was a picture doing the rounds of Master Peter Jacobs with a Tank 40.5kg Wahoo! And then another pic and another pic everyone getting Wahoo some 20 to 30kg plus…legendary…and I missed the compo but I had 3 years to enter hey Kyle? Bleakness of note!

Even new Diver James Purcell got stuck into a beast Wahoo 10 minutes into his 1st Drift on Cpt Jannie’s boat. Now bear in mind here that James only recently shot his 1st Natal Snoek so plugging a 30kg plus Wahoo is a bit of an upgrade in the scheme of things!

Buzzard crew were as usual on form as a team with Cpt Peter Jacobs (Master Adam Waites, Master Luke Garlick and Master Markus Potgieter) landing the biggest and winning fish of the compo a 40.5kg Wahoo.

“No massive story really, 40.5kg Wahoo shot during the comp, nothing exciting or groundbreaking “ say’s Master Pete…hahaha. “I just got lucky with the right fish on the right day. First drift, good shot so it didn’t rev too hard. We put float and landed Adams fish (Wahoo 22.45kg) first then sorted mine out. We dive as a team so shared the prize money. Luke’s Couta of 23.5kg was also a bonus on the day which got him 5th prize for biggest Couta ”

See Two Snoeks Tommy spearfishing is a TEAM sport, you said it not me!

I had my money on Luke Mollison the Hoo whisperer to win the compo but maybe the decision to go North with Captain Alistair Jones on Mr Grinch with Liam Mullany ( 90 percent of the action was South on the day) hampered his efforts. But he still managed a slab Wahoo of 32.5kg which secured him 6th place for second biggest Wahoo.

“Ja over the course of the last two and a half years of the Compo being delayed due to Covid and world cup Rugby finals I have changed boat and crew a few times. It was great to take my newly acquired boat Mr Grinch out for a spin at Sodwana. I was originally crewing with Gary Uys and Ryan Burmeister but Gary sold his boat! North was quiet with the Couta and we decided to hit a lunch time Wahoo hunt at Elusives on the way back. Lucky we did and Luke managed to bag his 32.5kg Hoo.” Cpt Jonesy said about his day out.

The crew of Iggy Cpt Chris Koen, Master Royd Williams and Ryan Schubel flew the Zululand flag well on the day with 3 slab Wahoo down South. Cpt Chris’s 27.5kg Wahoo would have been around the 33kg mark but unfortunately the tax man (Large Bull shark) took a hefty chunk out of it towards the end of the fight. Hard luck Koenie! Royd got a solid 29kg Wahoo and Ryan managed a 22kg Wahoo which won him 2nd Prize for concealed weight (Wahoo 18.5Kg) .

Ex Durban North Local now Zululand farmer Master Ryan Burmeister on his boat Poseidon was not going to be left out on the day throwing 3 Couta and an Amber in the hatch winning the prize for most fish weighed.

The Comp committee boat Daddio with Cpt Quintin White, Kyle Richter, Dylan Koekemoer and Paul THB apparently had a tough day up North but did win some prizes with Paul taking The Iron so that he has a new hobby while off on maternity leave…hahaha. Cpt Quintin managed to luck 4th Prize Concealed Weight (Amber Jack 4Kg) with his 2.5kg Amber. #Nobananas goes to the crew of Daddio for their wisdom in choosing the night before the comp as a warm up to the festivities after the compo! Better luck next time lads!

Local Cpt Jannie Nienaber had a mixed crew on his boat consisting of Vesagen Mudaly, Master Richardt Botes and James Purcell. Vesagen did well landing a 25.5kg Wahoo and a 6.5kg Couta. Richardt was apparently not on form (night before’s festivities Klippies and Cola???) but still managed two Couta getting him 3rd Prize Concealed Weight (Couta 12.4Kg) with his 11.5kg Couta. Newbie James Purcell managed to plug a tank Wahoo but lost it

“The viz was about 15 to 20m and I was 10 minutes into the 1st drift when I saw the Wahoo heading away from me on the surface. So I pulled my flasher up and down to see if it would turn and come back. Which it did but then it turned away again so I pulled the flasher again and it came back allowing me to dive down and plug it. My gun reel emptied in 2 seconds flat and I clipped on the belt reel. BUT I could not bear to see my gun disappear and held on trying to get a float on I lost the fish!” Cpt Jannie said James came water skiing past the boat after he shot the fish!

Bleakness Jamo! Master Richardt saw the fish and recons it was a Slab… school fee’s being paid! James got the spirit award for the competition for which he a got the booby price (an iron) for best spirit at the compo due talking everyone’s ears off! Apparently the fine’s meeting was hectic because Master Richardt had some Jagermeister which may have fuelled James’s beak!

Well done to the USC committee and crew along with all the sponsors for the competition! Sounds like it was a cracker event!

Check out the pictures and PDF’s I have attached for more details.

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from The Bear…

Blue Water Comp Weigh in – 2021.pdf
Umhlanga Spearfishing Club Sodwana compo 2021 Prize List 2021.pdf

Huge Catface Rockcod shoaling. Bear Report 18-06-2021

Huge Catface Rockcod shoaling. Bear Report 18-06-2021: Hi peeps and welcome to the Bears weekend Dive Report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Finally this week the sea came right and with some classic June KZN weather we had some decent diving conditions almost right throughout the week. The one dive I had up the North coast I had just over 20m viz on the surface and 12m on the floor!. Game fish were around for those that were looking with Snoek and Garrick patrolling the shallows and Couta out past the 12m line swimming North for the winter. Sardine activity was mainly from Port Edward to Hibberdene with sporadic action throughout the week. The Catface rockcod have moved into the shallows for the winter spawn and there are absolute bus fish around! The Scotsman seemed to think they should follow the Catface in shallow and quite a few decent fish came out off Durban.

The week in fish

In the fish pictures this week we have Anthony Dede with a decent Catface and Tasselfish shore dive North, Anthony Dede with a Tank 6.5kg Catface shore dive North, Ashton with his 1st Garrick shore dive North, Brad with a decent Garrick shore dive, Christian with a brace of Snoek shore dive South, Christo Muller with two size Catface shore dive North, Dane Chittock with a Daga and Scotsman combo boat dive Durban, Declan and Rory with Snoek and Garrick combos boat dive Durban, Doms and Darryl with Garrick and Snoek shore dive North, Gordon aka Humpty Dumpty with a Garrick shore dive North, James Purcell with his first Snoek boat dive Durban, Keanu with a Garrick shore dive North, Liam and Teegz with two solid Couta shore dive Durban, Lincoln with a size Garrick shoredive south, Luke Shannon and Master Brent Borstlap with two decent Scotsman boat dive Durban, Master Jason Heyne 5.6kg Catface shore dive North, Master Richardt Botes with a size Englishman boat dive South, Matthew Wilson with a Snoek shore dive North, Talent Mkize with a brace of Garrick shore dive South, Troy Ellof with a beast Tasselfish shore dive Durban, Troy Ellof with a lovely Catface and Couta combo shore dive Durban, Troy Ellof with a slab Tasselfish shore dive Durban, and Zander with a Garrick and Snoek combo shore dive South.

Weather and conditions

For our weather this weekend we have a moderate NE wind predicted for Saturday which looks like it will start at midmorning and pick up speed during the day . Swell averages 2.2m at 14 seconds off Durban and down the South Coast. Sunday there is a light to offshore NW wind early bells which will swing around to a light NE wind at lunchtime. Swell is down on Sunday to a manageable 1.9m average at 13 seconds being bigger South and smaller in the North.

So it’s Saturday early bells for a dive or take your chances and dive Sunday morning and hopefully, the NE wind has not turned the sea into a washing machine!

Online report available here…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNF9C3aM39w&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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Hi peeps and welcome to another video from Master Watermen. This time we have special guest Master Richardt Botes putting a decent GT to sleep in style with a custom 1.2m carbon cuttlefish roller.

There’s nothing that beats putting a kill shot in on a size GT and even better when the fish did not even see you coming! It really gets the heart pumping and adrenaline going properly. These fish can and will properly destroy your spear and gear if you let them and a lot of experienced divers will let them swim by if they are at depth.

The best killshot placement is just behind the eye if they are parallel with you. From above you aim for the eye on the other side of the fish and the same for from below. A gun with some decent punch is required so a 1.2m double band rail gun and up or a 1.1m roller and up. I would definitely recommend using a 7.5mm spear and 1.8mm Dyneema running line.

What is amazing to see in the video is the balance of the 1.2m carbon cuttlefish roller and the zero recoil on the shot. Very smooth! Master Richardt reckons it is deadly accurate and has some serious range for those big blue water gamefish.

After the GT they moved spots and found the Wahoo and Master Richardt managed to bag two size fish around the 20kg mark! An epic day out in anyone’s books! Unfortunately the GoPro’s battery was dead…

Keep them coming Master Richardt Botes! Awesome footage to watch …thank you Boertjie!

Video available here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtzXvb6JsOE&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

And as always Dive Safe and Straight Spears…

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Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear’s weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Well at this stage of the aftermath from the cut off low it seems like it is a no dive report! The surf dropped off after a few days of NE wind which is great news but there appears to be little or zero viz reported in the last week! Thanks cut off low! Sardines are still coming out sporadically with Winkelspruit area South coast being the centre of most of the netting activity. Some big sharks are coming out with the shore anglers but no decent gamefish as of yet.

Peeps please give the netters space when they are pulling the nets! If there are spare Sardines they will sort the public out with some freebies at the end of the net pull. Also bear in mind if you are diving near nets being pulled that the skippers of the netting boats are not really on the lookout for you and your dive buddies! Prop rash means a serious trip to a hospital and Surgeon!

Good news is the weather seems to have been tamed for the meantime with good conditions predicted for this weekend. Saturday a light NW offshore blows early and switches around to a light NE in the arvo with the swell running at 13 seconds and 1.7m from the South. Sunday early bells a really light offshore blows then dies off to just about zero wind all day with the swell running at 11 seconds and 1.5m from the South.

So Saturday and Sunday are looking great for diving weather wise if some clean water pulls in! Sunday is probably the better day for a dive if you have only the one day free.

Online report available here…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFmz5XJATU4&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

Hi peeps and welcome to The Bears weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za .

Special shout out this week goes to Dave De Wet from Frame Autobody panel beaters in Durban for donating a GOPRO Hero 8 to the channel !

It was all big excitement on Monday morning when the Sardines arrived down the South coast and nets were pulled at Port Edward and Ramsgate! Then the weather god’s decided to put on a huge fireworks display of thunder and lightning up and down the coastline for the Sardine’s arrival. Unfortunately this put paid to any sea based activities the whole week with the cut off low throwing plenty rain, swell and wind at our coastline. Damage control is Lower to middle South coast trashed with brown river water far out to sea, heading North thereof it is not so bad with blue line of cleaner water moving in on the North coast today (Friday). Couta and Snoek were coming out before the cut off low came through.

Fish pictures we have this week are Connie Hallowell with his 1st Natal knifejaw shore dive South, Luke Shannon with a brace of Couta boat dive Bluff and Zander with his 1st Snoek shore dive North.

So weather this weekend is a bit calmer (relative to during the cut off low) than during the week with sunny skies again in Durban today (Friday) but still some jacked swell. Saturday a -light cross offshore blows in the morning (WSW) swinging to a light SW wind Durban and South Coast. The SW only reaches the North coast later in the day. Swell averages at 2.3m in the morning switching to swell from the South picking up strength during the day to a 20 (yes twenty seconds) swell period. Sunday the swell period has dropped off a tad to 17 seconds but the swell size averages out bigger at 2.6m. Sunday there is a light offshore (NW) in the morning switching to a NE wind around 11am which freshens during the day.

So… hmm… is there a dive this weekend? Looking at the swell and all the river water around the chances are minimal unless you launch in the large surf and head out to deeper marks.

Online report available here…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_26w8Mgm4&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from The Bear…

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Hi peeps and welcome to the Bears weekend Dive Report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Well the swell eventually dropped off and the sea cleaned up and the Couta were still local with some size Rockcod coming out pre sardine run. Also seems like quite a few guys getting shoal Wahoo out deep. Bad news is the swell is set to crank this weekend.

We have so many fish pictures this week! Here we have Abdalla with his 1st Garrick shore dive, Alistar Jones with a bus Catface and 14kg Couta boat dive South, Master Carl Werner with a slab Eelskin dive South, Glen Van Nooten with a Wahoo boat dive South, Glenn Van Nooten, Michael Green and Collin Townsend with some lovely Wahoo boat dive South, Graham and Lincoln with fat winter Garrick shore dive Durban, Hennie and Duan with decent Wahoo boat dive South, Jaco and Troy Ellof with Couta 16kg on the right shore dive Durban, Kurt Bunge with a size Catface shore dive South, Luke with a decent YFT boat dive Durban, Master Don Solomon with a decent Amber boat dive South, Master Juggs Holzman and Master Jason Heyne with Couta shore dive Durban, Master Louis Schorie 18kg Couta shore dive Durban, Master Richardt Botes with a class 7kg plus change Yellowbelly shore dive South, Master Richardt Botes with a lovely brace of Wahoo boat dive South, Renier with big Cape knifejaw shore dive South and Troy Ellof with a 14kg Couta shore dive Durban.

So the dreaded big surf is back again with the swell averaging at 3m local and a bit bigger down South on Saturday morning with a light to moderate SW wind blowing till mid afternoon. Sunday the swell drops by a meter to 2.6m odd being a little bigger in the South. A light long offshore blows early with a NE set to blow and pick up speed during the day on Sunday.

So protected surf launch or dive for Saturday and maybe a chance for a dive Sunday early bells if we are lucky!

Online Report available here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3gN5Np-rk0&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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Hi peeps and welcome to the Bears weekend dive Report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za

This week has been a difficult week for shore diving due some rather large surf dominating up and down the coast but the weather has been epic to say the least. Some lucky divers managed to get into the Couta on the local though and the Wahoo are at their usual hangouts out deep with the odd smattering of Snoek on the in shore local as well. The first pilot shoals of smaller Garrick have arrived with fish coming out from the middle South coast to the middle North coast.

This week we have Andrew Trevathan with a decent Couta shore dive Durban, Glenn Van Nooten with a Wahoo boat dive South, Kobus Delport with a Garrick shore dive Durban, Lincoln with a brace of Garrick shore dive Durban, Master Don Solomon with a slab 9.8kg Kaakap shot at 46m boat dive South, Master Jason Heyne with a decent Rock salmon shore dive Durban, Master Juggs Holzman with a 10kg Couta shore dive Durban and Troy Ellof with a 17kg Couta shore dive Durban.

It looks like the weather gods give us another good day at sea Saturday with an offshore wind early bells switching to a light NE wind later in the day. Please take note the offshore looks set to bust down South so be careful boating wise out deep. The swell still looks like it’s going to be jacked Saturday at 14 seconds and 1.8m in Durban and bigger in the South to smaller sets in the North. Sunday morning a light offshore blows switching to a moderate SW just before lunch time in Durban and mid morning in the South. The swell looks like it finally gives up Sunday morning at 11 seconds and 1.4m only to have the SW jack it again in the afternoon!

So if you can brave the Surf Saturday is go day AND Sunday early bells is a winner too for a shore dive and same applies for the boaties too!

Link to online report here…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQ6ZsKmUNc&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

Thank you Jason!

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Couta and big surf. Bear Report 07-05-2021

Couta and big surf. Bear Report 07-05-2021: Hi peeps and welcome to the Bears weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za

It has been a week of big surf with maybe a day or two’s gap in between for a dive and viz mostly being reported way out in the deep. Some lucky divers did get in though and managed to get some fish with Couta still being around and apparently reef fish being quite thick on the deeper marks offshore.

We have Dylan with a decent Shad shore dive South, Kurt Bunge and daughters Bluefin and Big eye kingies boat dive far North, Master Louis Schorie with a shoal Couta paddle off Durban and Master Richardt Botes with a decent Couta and Blue barred parrot shore dive South.

 

The NE wind blew today (Friday) again flattening the swell out a bit but apparently not helping the viz. Saturday morning the NE drops off with not much wind till later in the afternoon when a light to moderate SW starts blow into the night. Swell for Saturday starts at 1.8m down South and is way smaller at 1.4m in the North. Sunday morning a light offshore blows North and off Durban with a SW starting to puff down South which freshens during the day and reaches the North in the afternoon. Swell Starts at 2m and gets bigger as the SW freshens during the day being larger South and smaller in the North.

Hmmm…not sure how much viz is going to be around after 3 days of NE but it is looking good weather conditions wise for a dive Saturday and maybe Sunday morning North coast. The weather apps have been a bit off so timing of SW blow is hard to predict!

Online report available here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJtCA_-WQvc&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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