SPEARFISHING IN CROATIA

What exactly is spearfishing? It is fish hunting with speargun. It is the most selective kind of fishing as only mature and capital specimens are hunted. Diver at the moment of dive is in the element that is not inbred to a man. In these days, in which we live in, days full of stress, when we have just a little bit of free time for ourselves, spearfishing is a kind of a therapy.
Spearfishing is exclusively breath diving. Some people say that it is an "excitement without breath." Spearfishing requires incredibly large efforts and it could be compared with decathlon. Hunting depths are sometimes over 30 meters, so it is a sport which requires perfect psychophysical preparation.
First of all, the person must eat specifically, must devote a lot of time to a physical and mental training, breathing exercises, he must practice yoga and other various techniques which will keep his body and spirit in optimal condition constantly. Top spearfishermen can dive with one breath up to few minutes, and often he can perform several dives in a row lasting from two to three minutes each.
In the middle of the 20th century first spearguns, with spring mechanism, were brought to our shores. At that time, because of abundance of fish, fishermans with those guns, although those had modest possibilities, were achieving catches what you cannot easily achieve today.
Spearfishing has gained greater popularity in following years, because of development and accessibility of spearfishing equipment. Popularization of spearfishing in Croatia resulted with many excellent spearfishermans who proved their world level in international competitions.
In past few decades, Croatian spearfishermans are constantly at the top. In world and European competitions they have won numerous medals. In Croatia there is a couple of international competitions organized every year. The most famous competition is New Year’s Cup in Mali Lošinj (largest place on the island of Lošinj – island located in Kvarner gulf). The event includes two competitions, the Winter Cup of Cities and the European Cup of Nations. The Winter Cup has been held 47 times and the European Cup 37 times, pooling spearfishermen from ten nations. The bond between Mali Lošinj and spearfishing is attested to by a monument to the spearfishermen - the work of sculptor Ante Starcevic of Zagreb, who created the monument based on the original by sculptor Vinko Matkovic of Rijeka.
Spearfishing - is numbered among the extreme sports as it entails many hours of extreme exertion at great depths, working at the limits of physical strength the fishers are subjected to, and the many potential dangers present in these conditions. It is the most selective kind of fishing as the fisher chooses the fish he or she will catch.
And while it is a sporting discipline, spearfishing knowledge has always been passed on among a small body of enthusiasts. Locations rich with fish are kept a top secret. Spearfishing is attracting a growing number of hobbyists and professionals from year to year. Like every underwater activity, spearfishing brings a number of potential hazards. Therefore you have to learn as much as you can about diving safety and health. Laws and ethics, two terms which are in some parts very similar, and in some diametrically different. To be in accordance with the law and social accepted ethics, should be the goal of every fisherman because spearfishing is a sport!
Every Adriatic island, especially the ones which are more away from the coast are very good for spearfishing. As less people are on the island, there is more fish in the sea. Underwater relief of Croatian islands offers various types of bottom, and underwater visibility is also very good.
Before you go ahead with spearfishing in Croatia, it is necessary to obtain a permit. Fishing permits, are issued by tourist agencies and offices in all towns along the Adriatic coast.
Permits are issued for recreational fishing, spearfishing, trawl lines, and tuna hunting.
Whole Adriatic is open for fishing, but special restrictions apply in the waters of national parks (Kornati, Brijuni, Krka, and Mljet) and some smaller sites.
Terms: There is no spearfishing with bottled oxygen, there is no night spearfishing, and you must have a signal on the surface at all times. Terms for quantity that you can catch: 5 kg + one capital specimen at most.






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CLASSIC SPEARFISHING

Classic spearfishing consists in searching a hole or fissure between the rocks on the sea bed.
Less and less fish can be killed on clean grounds because there is a lot less fish and because the fish through the generations learned to avoid underwater fishermen.
Beginner, as a rule, armed with air rifle, looks at the ground to ten meters deep and peeks under any suspected stone. Experienced underwater fishermen in the same field need less time to dive, because they have a sense of where to look for fish.
If you see fish in front of the hole, you should not immediately pursue. Slowly, closing her path into the depth, you have to make her go into the hole. Especially do not need to rush because in the that hole in which fish enters may be other fish. If you make one flee, other will escape too.
For the less experienced searching holes hides dangers of excessive retention at the bottom. For more experienced and skilled, the danger lies in deep dives and long stays. Especially if in the moment when you should go for air the fish strikes. Leave everything on the bottom, keep your head.

SPEARFISHING BY LURKING

Spearfishing by lurking gives the possibility of good catch to those spearfisherman who for various reasons can not dive deep and can not long retain the breath.
If you have not tried spearfishing by lurking, you will be surprised how many fish is moving in the shallow sea belt of 3-4 meters depth .
This type of spearfishing is carried out along the shore, the best in the early morning hours. The best kind of coast for this spearfishing is the coast that suddenly falls to a depth of up to two meters, and then slowly goes deeper. This coast is the most common in the Adriatic, especially on the islands where there is more fish.
In the coastal wall, there are different niche from which you can often surprised by the fish, and in the vicinity are usually located larger rocks where the fish feed.
Spearfishing by lurking still presents underwater fishermen with specific requirements. As the name 'lurking' says, underwater fisherman should not produce noise and can not make sudden movements. You must learn to move very slowly and without any knocking of flippers under the surface. It is best to move forward using your free hand and to use every possible of shelter. If the sea is wavy, lurking is performed on the bottom as well as on the surface.
For spearfishing by lurking you do not need a lot of lead - the quantity choice is individual and depends on the type of suits. Important is only that the lead should be evenly spread out - vest, belt and around the legs. In such way of spearfishing you can catch seabream and ussualy smaller fish like white seabream, sea bass, salema, sharpshout seabream, and possibly vadigo and other combat fish that enters the shallow water. Along the way, you can find cuttlefish or octopus.
Lenght of the gun for spearfishing by lurking should be 90 or 100cm with one or two elastic. Not bad to have a reel on the gun for vadigo and similar fish. White fish in the images on the left side were caught by this technique on the island archipelago of Dubrovnik in the early morning hours.

SPEARFISHING BY WAITING

Spearfishing by waiting, as the name says, is diving to the selected depth, partially or completely hideing and waiting for the fish to come to the gunshot.
This is a new technique, although the French used this technique before the Second World War. Italians needed three decades to break this secret and produce a strong enough rifle for this type of spearfishing.
Waiting can be run at various depths, even in the shallow sea.
Beginners during the summer can hunt in the shallow sea mullets, salemas, sea bass and gilthead seabream. However, for this technique of spearfishing, you should have more experience, and also the ability to hold breath long.
It is not necessary to hold still at the bottom, but dont do sudden flicks. Fish is particularly sensitive to the gun, and should strive to be less conspicuous. A proof of this is that the fish much more frequently approach groups of divers or divers with no guns.
Spearfishing by waiting requires better equipment. It is good to always have gloves, rifle must be 100 long or 110cm, and equipped with 30-odd meters of rope to release. Require a larger quantity of lead for faster and easier dives and posture on the bottom. This way of spearfishing has its dangers too. In the first place you should be able to give up, because fish, especially dentex, moving around the border of the gunpoint may lead to drowning.
No fish is worth your life. Avoid technical hiperventilation (short and fast breathing and expiration), because it reduces your sense of when to emerge.