Spierre Pure Carbons

Deep is free.  Spierre.

National Geographic Photographer Fiona Ayerst photographing Spierre Diver w/ Pure Carbons

A shot I took in PV

The most important thing to bear in mind with our carbon blades is that although they may appear the same as any of the other carbons, they are manufactured from only carbon cloth throughout.  The majority of carbon fins in the market are constructed using one layer of carbon on the outside of the composite construction whereas the inside consists of multiple layers of fiberglass cloth.  By using pure carbon throughout the construction you are getting the maximum effect that carbon fiber can offer – superior return to original position, optimal memory etc.  Adding fiberglass to the inside diminishes on this as fiberglass has quite different properties to carbon fiber.

The carbon composites are not the same as the pure carbon blades and this becomes evident when diving deep.  The majority of divers purchasing our pure carbons are switching from other (well-known brands) of carbon blades, preferring the performance of our blades way above the blades they have been using.

 

Apart from the performance, the cost to manufacture a pure carbon blade using only carbon cloth throughout is obviously therefore close to double the cost of a normal carbon blade but we have chosen this route for one simple reason – to produce the very best blade possible.

  

Just out of interest, taken from the South African Spearfishing ranking website, the following is a list of the current top ranked SA divers using our pure carbons:

 

Gyula Plaganyi – ranked no. 1 (Captain)

James Lawson-Smith – ranked 2

Allen Fraser – ranked 4

Mark Jackson – ranked 5

Adriaan Kriel – ranked 7

Gareth Staats – ranked 9

Gletwyn Rubidge – ranked 10

 

As well as Springboks:

 

Tommy Botha – 12X National Champion

Jaco Blignaut – 5x National Champion

Erik Lombard

Ryan Burmeister

Marc White

Edward Hayman

Trevor Hutton – 2x World Freediving Record Holder 

And many more like

 

Rob Allen (RA spearguns)

 

Review from Distinguished fisherman/spearfisherman

"The biggest freedive tourney in the state is in April and Ive always wanted to win it so Im getting it prepped early. Competition is fierce but that’ll just make it that much more satisfying when we win.

Also, the band length section was not working on the site. I usually just measure the one I take off and come close but sometimes they are light probably due to stretching. Whats the proper length for double 16mms on a 110 and a 130? That 130cm Rabitech Carbon Apex is just the best damn gun. I now have some very expensive custom made guns in similar lengths with triple bands yada yada that I won in raffles (like the 130) but find myself grabbing the 130 before all of them when it really counts. Maybe just a comfort thing I dunno but that thing rocks."

Ed Walker, Florida (www.LightTackleCharters.com)

Have you gotten your Spierres?

Sumora Dive Tools - Exclusive USA Distributors of Spierre Carbon & Fiberglass Fins

Nice Coutas with Spierre Pure Carbons

Renowned photographer Fiona Ayerst takes shots of Diver using Spierre Pure Carbons

Florida's Ed Walker 2/15/2009

Here are some pictures from renowned fishing guide Captain Ed Walker at Light Tackle Charters

The last picture in the sequence is one of the coolest pictures I've seen in a long time.  Shot with Sumora Apex 130cm Carbon Fiber which he custom painted.   (Article below from 2005) shows Ed's creative talents both in the paint and writing of the article in Florida's Sun-Sentinel.

Ed and Cameron Kirkconnell

Ed with nice Amberjack and Sumora 7.5mm Spear shaft

New Pictures February 7, 2009

We're very lucky, proud, and grateful to work with top quality manufacturers: 

Spierre Fins, Rabitech Railguns, and Tommy Botha Tuna Line and our own Sumora Marsellaise Weightbelts & Spearshafts.

Here are some recent pictures.

Fat Cubera snapper w/ Spierre Pure Carbon Fins 

Pierre Liebenberg & Gang in South Africa shooting Yellowtails with Spierre Pure Carbon Fins used by entire South African national team

Albie with 30 pound Black Grouper shot with Rabitech Apex Carbon 110cm
Albie with Rabitech Apex Carbon getting ready to shoot Grouper
Ken in Lake Mojave w/ Rabitech fitted w/ Sliptip & Striper

Chris Oak from Los Angeles, California proudly showing personal best 24 pound Halibut

Shot with Rabitech Stealth 120cm x 7mm shaft...Congratulations Oak!

24# and 12# Hali

Some recent pictures.

Some Sheepshead

Rabitech Wetsuit, Octopus. Palos Verdes, CA
Big Female Sheepshead, Rabitech 100cm Carbon Stealth
View from Above
Alive

New South African Record Tropical Yellowtail

Craig Heslop shoots 110cm Stealth Carbon through 24kg Tropical Yellowtail.

Rabitech Stealth Testimonial

Spearo’:  Angelo Spada

 

Palm d’Or: South African national spearfisherman

                Represented Natal A on three occasions

                Represented Southern Gauteng A once

                Highest National placing - third

                Current Border Open Champion

 

Equipment used: Only Rabitech Stealth Carbon guns (from 60cm to 1.15m) – 5 in total

                               Rabitech Predator wetsuits (Elios suits for comps only)

                          Orca Carbonetic and Sporasub Pure fins

 

Rabitech Stealth Guns: I live 600km from the nearest salt water. This means that when I do dive competitively I do not have the luxury of missing fish. I also do not have the time to get used to a new gun.  From the moment I first held a Stealth, I knew this was the gun for me! I can honestly say that probably 80% of the fish I shoot I stone or spine. It is amazing some of the shots that I do pull off especially when you have no option but to try as you know the fish is going and will not return. Squeeze the trigger and the fish practically stops swimming as the spear enters near the tail and exits somewhere near the head! With guns I used to have I never even thought about taking the shot as I knew it would miss.

 

                          The balance of these guns is superb, with the angle the handle forms in your hand – just perfect – you point at the fish and fire, knowing the fish is yours. For fun I sometimes try ridiculous shots as a normal mid body shot is too easy! A favorite is shooting queen mackerel from the top. The target is extremely narrow but with the right gun, not too difficult to do.

 

                          These guns although pretty are not pretty euro guns. They can handle big fish. All the following fish were taken with one of my Stealth guns:

 

 

Garrick (Licia amia) 18.5 kg 

  

King Mackerel: 28.5kg – Where’s the spear hole????

  

8kg Yellowbelly Rockcod – Spain

 

Note – no spear mark as fish stoned outside its lair!

 

 

10kg Black Musselcracker and 4kg Natal Fingerfin

 

Note the lack of damage to these fish as they both were ‘switched off’

 

 

Other noteworthy fish:

 

Amberjack 19.5kg

Daga (Muloway) 34kg

Queenfish 13 kg (would have been a SA Record but never claimed)

Natal Stumpnose 6.2 kg

White Musselcracker 13 kg

Milkfish (Chanos chanos) 13 kg – the strongest fish I have landed

 

All these fish have been taken in Natal 

Mixed Fish Soup!

I was determined to try a new Sheepshead fish soup recipe so that was my prime target today. The visibility ranged from 10-30 feet with fantastic conditions diving from 11-2pm. 
Inside 15-25 ft the visibility was top to bottom no problem. 
Outer 40ft-45ft depth vis worsened and the kelp super thick.

Really nice dive!!!!!!

Ended up bagging: with plans to cook in parentheses
5 sheepshead (soup/ceviche)
5 Sargo (fried/baked)
1 Kelpfish (panfried)
1 Cabezon (steamed whole)
2 Octopi (tenderized and put into soup)


I need some help cutting onions so I was hoping someone would know: It doesn't matter if I wear glasses, ski goggles, or no glasses, my eyes water uncontrollably when cooking onions, even when I light a candle next to the cutting board. Does anybody have any tips... Just drink more wine??

(Yes I know it's ridiculous!)

36" Sheepshead

Fat Sheepshead from Palos Verdes, CA shot with Rabitech Apex Tuna Line 120cm, over 25pounds! (11.3kg) shot by Jim Pierce.

New pictures

Attached are two pictures: Haul by Ritchie Zacker, Sumora Customer and 2006 Spearfishing Team National Team Champion (Above)

4pm-2AM dive in Laguna Beach, California(Below)

The clock was ticking away. Decision time to leave Los Angeles at 1:30pm Wednesday...Be stuck in traffic while pristine Laguna conditions wash away... or go out and enjoy the scenery ASAP!

Hearing about good conditions is usually just hearsay - its truth cannot be asserted because weather can change so instantly, and fish can disappear so rapidly. I had to find out what the fuss was about (My friend shot 2 Halibut yesterday - the larger being 40")...so the decision was easy!!! 

After the last Sargo cooking spree that turned out to be one of the moistest, tastiest fish (and knowing a big party to provide for), I was on a Sargo-Hunt. 

I made it to Laguna at 4:30pm, about 30 minutes before sun down instantly getting some dinner (2 Sargos with my 120cm Apex 3000) at the far reef at Moss. I didn't find the big sheepsheads, nor the calicos this time around, even in the dimming 30 ft visibility.

I made my way into shore and grabbed my new Princeton Tech Shockwave LED (Very Very nice LED light - brighter than my previous UK C8 LED and lightweight. And switched out the 120cm Apex 3000 Tuna Line for an 80cm gun. (Stealth Carbon 80cm)

Diving at night was fun and challenging - given I've never hunted (fish) at night. Visibility made things comfortable and conditions were FLAT! (though Moss gets very surgy). I shot 4 more Sargo and a nice Calico. In shallow where there was a lot of water movement I looked for bugs, saw a 4#er retreat far back into the hole and grabbed a legal. I then headed over to Sebastien's house (If only because I heard his wife is a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef) 

I am so lucky and blessed - Earlier in the week a customer's wife cooked up an italian food storm after a dive in PV, and as a first grade teacher cursed and threw down some beers and pasta and pizza with us. I wish I could have shared this wonderful meal with all you.

Sebastien's wife was a fantastic cook and very hospitable...what I wanted was a light meal before the night dive but how could I resist?

Thoughts of having a light dinner quickly took reversed themselves after I got a bite of the food

So, we had a few more glasses of wine, relaxed by the outdoor firepit, and we headed to a different spot together.

Quickly searched for Halibut but looks like someone killed them all the night before...then headed for Scallops pulling a limit throughout the night (after dropping the iron, used our hands to pull them off the rocks)

It was a good learning experience to look in a lot of the holes to see what was going on, where the bugs were moving, but there were a lot of traps out and previous report of bugs everywhere (day before) turned untrue for today.

Deep in a cave a small Octopus was camouflaging itself but its bulbous head stuck out and so he was early to come to the party. 

And later a scorpionfish decided to come along as well.

We were in no rush - it was now 1:30AM and 3 hours of doing 1 up one down with green glowsticks attached to the snorkel (this was very helpful and not obstructive) Sometimes we venture out all over the place but I truly enjoyed the team effort and camaraderie of diving together.

In where there was more good water movement was able to find 2 more bugs and we headed in. Was out of the water at 2AM, Dropped off lobster for my parents then headed to LA. Along the way searched for Albertacos 24 hr Mexican food, settled after 30 minutes of pointless driving with Del Taco. 
Arrived to my destination at 4:30AM.

Total tally for the Phelps diet:
10 Scallops
3 Bugs
1 Octopus
6 Sargo
1 Calico
1 Scorpionfish
1 Donut Cinnamon twist (Donut Star)
1 Bean and Cheese Burrito (Del Taco)
1 Chicken Burrito (Del Taco)