SPEARFISHING IN IRELAND IN THE REGION OF KERRY WITH NIK & RAFAL
Location We are located in the South West of Ireland in the County Of Kerry. Our spearfishing spots are located in the Iveragh and Dingle Peninsula. I (Nik) started about 8 years ago by bringing all my spearfishing gear from Greece to Ireland. First we were diving around the estuaries for flatfish and later we tried deeper spots around the coastline.
Popularity The sport is getting popular again but at a very slow pace. There has been an increase in the number of people that are practicing spearfishing on a regular basis. I would say that the acceptance of Spearfishing was nearly inexistent a few years ago, mainly due to the lack of information. We are trying to promote the sustainability of spearfishing and the response we get is very good. We hope to make people more aware in the following years.
Equipment Stores Unfortunately all our equipment has to be order from mainland Europe. Websites in the UK, Spain, Italy or Greece.
Sea bed characteristics Starting from long sandy straights to rocky reefs and kelp areas. The coastline can be also very rocky and you can find deep slopes ending to sand or fallen boulders.
Visibility Visibility can vary a lot. Depending on many factors it can fluctuate from 2 to 10 meters. Every spot can be different and you have to take into consideration many parameters before you set out on a trip, for example: wind, tides, rain, currents etc.
Temperature Temperature ranges between 5-8 degrees in the winter and 15-17 degrees in the summer.
Currents As we live on an island located in the Atlantic Ocean you can expect some currents. You should be very careful around estuaries where the tide can move in and out. Big swells are predominant in the west of Ireland and have tremendous power.
Weather & Seasons As you can imagine the weather is fast changing and you can expect a lot of rain. We normally start in April and finish by the end of October.
Species The most common fish is the Pollock. Schools of sea basses strive here as this kind of fish is not targeted by commercial fishermen. Other species include flatfish, triggerfish and occasionally the “elusive” gilthead bream.
Local Laws Please bear in mind that you are allowed only 2 sea bass per person in 24 hours. From the 15th of May until the 15th of June is a closed season for sea bass and you are not allowed to shoot any. You are not allowed to spearfish Salmon or Sea trout either.
Techniques Depending on the fish that you are aiming at: The sea bass: can be found in very shallow water especially during the summer. I prefer the ambush technique for them. The pollock: the ambush technique is also suitable. The big ones will come at the end of your dive so you should be careful with your diving time... Approaching the fish slowly as you are going down can be also very productive
Personal Experience Two years ago I and Rafal were diving around the area and I was surfacing after a normal dive. When I reached the surface I had to remove the mask because it was fogged and I caught a glimpse of a dorsal fin at the distance. I couldn’t see anything because the water was not that clear and I got a bit worried.
Finally Rafal picked me up in the dinghy and after a few minutes we saw a few more fins on the surface. We realised that it was a shoal of Baskin Sharks feeding with plankton. We managed to approach them but unfortunately we had no underwater camera that time. It was a fabulous moment that we will never forget.
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Nik Nomikos and Rafal Napierala |
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