by Brandon Swanepoel | Aug 10, 2022 | Noob Spearo Podcast
Interview with Simon Horvath
Today’s interview is with Simon Horvath! If nothing else, this episode will convince you to join a spearfishing club! The wealth of knowledge, opportunities and lessons you get through being in a club is a sure way to get better at spearfishing and have a great time doing it. A club will help get you through that first year, teach you things you would have otherwise taken years to learn and ultimately make you a better diver. Another important benefit is being connected to the voice of spearfishing in your area. With so many stories about new protected areas essentially making spearfishing inaccessible and illegal, having a connection your local government to have your voice heard as a spearfisherman is extremely important. Simon has been playing this role for the Central Coast spearos and been a voice for fisho’s and spearos alike.
Go find out about your local clubs and join! If there are none, consider starting one yourself!
Important times:
- 00:13 Intro
- 03:45 We are midway through our journey, today we make a visit to Simon Horvath!
- 04:25 Lovely rainy weather
- 05:10 Central Coast Sealions spearfishing club
- 07:15 Hawkesbury almost lost 90% of their fishing
- 10:05 Spearfishing makes you acutely aware of your environment
- 13:00 Education
- 15:25 How can the average spearo get involved?
- 19:00 Tell us about your spearfishing journey
- 21:40 The club made a really big difference
- 24:15 How to find the Central Coast Sealions
- 27:10 How many members have you got?
- 28:55 A club is a great way to get past that first year
- 30:30 How is your viz?
- 34:30 Tell us about your sinus issues
- 39:10 What’s a memorable fish you shot?
- 43:20 Your dream spearfishing destination
- 43:50 What does the spearfishing lifestyle mean to you?
- 45:55 Thanks Simon!
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by Brandon Swanepoel | Jul 27, 2022 | Noob Spearo Podcast
Interview with James Sakker
Today’s interview is James Sakker! It’s day 3 of Shrek and Cam’s East Australian Coast trip and they are chatting with James Sakker! Whales and sharks become a big talking point with loads of stories of encounters and tips for dealing with them yourself. Also some bonus tips for hunting Mackerel and drift diving! Lots of laughter and great stories!
Important times:
- 00:13 Intro
- 06:55 No lobsters were harmed in the making of this podcast!
- 07:50 Day 3 on our mission
- 09:30 You picked an amazing time to come, not
- 10:55 Big whales and a baby whale
- 14:25 Tail slapped by a whale
- 15:40 Scariest whale story
- 17:40 Diving with Dodgy and a Bull shark!
- 22:10 Cam’s shark encounter
- 25:15 How should you handle sharks when you shoot a fish? Keep eye contact, roar or make a loud noise underwater. You’re big, be aggressive. Except Bull sharks.
- 30:40 Sharks have strict hierarchies, especially Great Whites. A smart shark is a cautious one.
- 32:10 Encounters with aggressive sharks
- 35:00 Poking sharks away and a mate getting bitten
- 41:10 Tagging Great Whites
- 42:40 Great Whites throughout the world
- 44:45 Is it blood or movement that attracts sharks?
- 46:20 Alternatives to poking
- 48:15 Thoughts on the swimmer taken in Sydney, very unusual behaviour
- 50:30 Tiger sharks and Dogtooth Tuna
- 53:20 Cobia
- 54:20 What is your diving range at home?
- 56:25 Drift diving = accuracy matters more than time
- 01:00:20 How do you dive pinnacles?
- 01:01:55 Flashers and Mackeral
- 01:04:20 Sound underwater
- 01:06:35 What’s coming up next?
- 01:08:05 Outro
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by Brandon Swanepoel | Jul 13, 2022 | Noob Spearo Podcast
Interview with Tom Sandstrom, Angus Knox and Cameron Wise
Today’s interview is a little different, join Shrek and his good mate Cam as they go on a spearfishing road trip down to Sydney! Today we are in the Moonee Tavern in Coffs Harbour after a day of spearing, having a few brews, a good meal and a great chat with mates! Shorediving, breaking in new wetsuits, cooking tips and what conditions you can expect when diving around Coffs Harbour. Join Shrek and his mates in the pub after a day of spearfishing!
Important times:
- 00:13 Intro
- 06:05 Welcome everyone!
- 07:00 New wetsuits
- 10:25 Shorediving in Coffs Harbour
- 11:30 Abalone: size, how to find them and how to cook them
- 13:50 How is your seafood game?
- 16:20 Cooking fails
- 17:30 Mushy Kingfish Pastrami
- 19:25 Dry-Aging
- 21:45 Icing fish
- 24:45 Smoked Mullet
- 27:35 What conditions can we expect diving here?
- 31:50 Too cold for Kingfish?
- 33:30 Tips for shooting big Kingy’s
- 36:45 Hunting Parrot fish and Dhufish
- 40:20 Do you wear a GoPro?
- 43:25 What are the best months for diving here?
- 44:40 How can someone start diving in Coffs Harbour? Coffs Harbour Spearfishing Club!
- 47:45 What makes a good dive buddy out here?
- 49:18 Good habits and ettiquette
- 51:20 3 free online tools help find secret spearfishing spots
- 53:10 Core freediving techniques
- 54:30 Stress testing
- 57:25 Can you remember your first big Kingfish?
- 01:00:20 Family spearos
- 01:02:40 Spearfishing Competitions
- 01:04:20 Gunther Pfrengle
- 01:08:05 Barriers to entry – getting past the first year
- 01:10:00 We shoot 3 Luderick, how are we cooking them?
- 01:11:20 Dhufish
- 01:14:35 Thank you and Thwaites Marine for taking us out and treating us so well!
- 01:17:30 Spearo Q&A
- 01:22:00 Outro
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by Brandon Swanepoel | Jun 29, 2022 | Noob Spearo Podcast
Interview with Kevin Glen
Today’s interview is with Kevin Glen former owner/operator of Mantis Spearfishing, a friend of Forrest Galante and the only guy to shoot a Marlin in California! An engineer and innovator in the spearfishing world with countless awesome stories of him and his mates out in the water! From shooting and losing a Sailfish in Durban to tracking down Yellow Tail and Sea Bass in the Channel Islands, he is a great source of information and knowledge in California. Hear some of his stories in the water, the journey of learning to spearfish and the stoke of doing it with great friends. Be sure to check out Mantis Spearfishing and grab their last stock!
Important times:
- 00:13 Intro
- 04:50 Welcome Kevin! Tell us about this Marlin!
- 10:10 You engineered a dive float?
- 13:50 You have an unusual spearfishing story with a bunch of famous friends!
- 15:55 Setting the record straight on the record Sea Bass with Forrest Galante!
- 18:55 What’s the spearfishing community like there?
- 20:10 Wind and swell conditions for the Channel Islands
- 21:35 Urchin barons
- 22:05 Sheephead eat urchins
- 26:05 Mantis Spearfishing – tell us about it! The Roller Muzzle
- 30:10 What does your spearfishing look like these days? Good dive buddies?
- 33:30 White Sea Bass
- 34:50 Vermillion Rock Cod
- 35:45 Do you think your fisheries are well managed? MPA’s, 30-30 and conservation
- 40:00 Big hearts, well intentioned but completely disconnected from the real world
- 42:55 What’s your favourite species to hunt? Halibut, yellow tail and sea bass
- 44:55 How are you tracking yellow tail down?
- 46:15 Using bait fish
- 48:05 Half Moon bait fish
- 51:45 Memorable fish
- 54:10 Fighting the fish – how much tension is right?
- 56:25 Tough/scary situations
- 01:00:25 Reels vs floatlines
- 01:02:15 Jewfish, Mulloway or Kabeljou sounds
- 01:03:45 Designing gear
- 01:08:20 We need more people like you!
- 01:12:00 What’s in your dive bag for the Channel Islands? 5mm wetsuit, weightbelt, knife, Scorpio Carbon Fibre fins in Pathos foot pockets, Mantis Spearguns
- 01:15:30 Spearo Q&A
- 01:22:00 Outro
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by Brandon Swanepoel | Jun 15, 2022 | Noob Spearo Podcast
Interview with Rodney Pacitti
Today’s interview is with Rodney Pacitti, aka RoKKiT KiT on Youtube! Today is a gold mine for all things spearfishing and Youtube! Rodney has a successful Youtube channel with almost half a million subs that started off with kayak fishing adventures all the way to solo camping, catch cook videos. He tells us about his channel’s success, how he started it, the tips and tricks he uses, how he films and advice for beating the algorithm! Give his channel a follow and let us know what you think of the interview! Rodney makes a living making these videos, be sure to give them a watch and see what he’s getting up to. What Youtube advice did we miss? Let us know!
Important times:
- 00:13 Intro
- 03:25 Welcome Rodney! You were requested!
- 04:30 Tell us about your Youtube channel!
- 08:25 Kayak fishing
- 10:40 Kayak diving
- 12:00 Where do you go kayaking?
- 14:00 The fishing lifestyle
- 15:40 How do you film your trips?
- 18:55 Acting vs real life
- 20:35 Youtube inspiration
- 23:55 Your job as an entertainer
- 25:25 The Youtube algorithm and how to beat it
- 32:20 What success have you seen from your channel? Are the millions of views paying off?
- 37:00 What other tricks and tips do you have for your channel?
- 39:40 Using analytics
- 42:00 How do you measure your success?
- 43:50 Best time to post: 7am Saturday morning Sydney time
- 46:35 What tools do you use to make these videos?
- 50:35 Dealing with internet trolls
- 53:40 Dealing with the fame
- 57:05 Sydney spearfishing – how, when and with who?
- 01:01:50 Boat diving?
- 01:03:00 Gold Coast Freedivers pool training
- 01:05:45 How often are you diving?
- 01:07:40 What big challenges do you face in spearfishing?
- 01:10:25 Scary moments
- 01:13:35 Do your kids spearfishing too?
- 01:16:30 What’s in your gear bag?
- 01:18:18 Noob Spearo discount code for Adreno
- 01:22:05 Where can people find you?
- 01:22:35 Spear Q&A
- 01:26:30 Thanks for being on the show!
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by Brandon Swanepoel | Jun 1, 2022 | Noob Spearo Podcast
Interview with Paul Rodriguez
Today’s interview is with Paul Rodriguez of Hot Rod Spearguns! A well traveled spearo that has a passion for making great spearguns, he gives us his best advice on designing and building a speargun and he lets us in on a special project he’s busy with… a travel speargun! It breaks into 2 parts for easy travel and fits back together into a powerful and effective speargun to take with on holiday! All this and more! Is Cobia the best eating fish? Or is it African Pompano? Maybe it’s the Jobfish! Some robust conversation and interesting insights into the different types of spearfishing in different parts of the world. Also, some great advice for hunting Dogtooth Tuna! Enjoy the episode and let us know what you think!
Important times:
- 00:13 Intro
- 04:30 Hello and welcome Paul!
- 05:25 You have invented a travel speargun that comes in two parts? How did this come about?
- 08:55 How do you build your spearguns?
- 10:40 R&D in spearfishing is long and expensive. How do you protect your IP?
- 12:55 How does the speargun join back together?
- 15:35 Mono or dyneema? What length and how strong?
- 18:30 Line management and avoiding muzzle wrap
- 22:00 Simplicity is your friend – form follows function
- 27:20 Tell us about your spearfishing story! Where and how did you start?
- 29:40 What is the best all-round speargun size?
- 32:20 Roller’s throw the shaft far but lack penetrating power. What do you think?
- 34:30 Old school vs new school mentality
- 37:10 Where are you spearing these days?
- 37:37 Tell us how you process Cobia?
- 40:30 Palm sugar for ceviche and smoking fish changes the game
- 43:10 Rubbers/Power bands – what do you see?
- 44:40 Most consistent setup uses 14mm bands
- 49:00 What is a species what you love to target? African Pompano
- 50:45 Besides the thermocline, what else do you use to target them?
- 52:40 What are you looking for in weather? Water temp and wind
- 56:05 As you’ve traveled over the world, what things have you learned about planning a trip to go spearfishing?
- 58:05 Spearfishing in the Philippines
- 59:10 What’s the most special fish you’ve ever lost?
- 01:00:25 Green Jobfish is the best reef eating fish
- 01:07:05 Tough or scary situations
- 01:11:30 Having good dive buddies is the most important dive gear
- 01:13:20 Good buddy diving is also great fun
- 01:14:10 Funny stories
- 01:18:22 What’s in your dive bag? JBL Mask, white snorkel, Waihana wetsuit, medium to soft blades, Garmin Mach 1, handbuilt dive knife, Travel Hybrid 120 speargun
- 01:23:44 Gyotaku is a great way to memorialize special fish
- 01:25:20 Spearo Q&A
Important Links
Noob Spearo Partners and Discount Codes
