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2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009 Tournament dates for 2009 are May 4-9, five potential diving days of which we hope to dive 3 days.

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Old 08-07-2008, 09:52 AM   #16
Wilddiver
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Another great prize added to the list already on offer. I have negotiated with Chris and Monique Fallows of Apex Predators (see their website www.apexpredators.com for some of the most awesome white shark images ever taken) that there will be a discount for any of the tournament competitors or their families wanting to do a white shark dive or simply boat based viewing of breaching activities, either with Chris and Monique's operation or African Shark Eco Charters, out of Simonstown to Seal Island. The offices are right out the back of the Quayside Hotel in Simonstown and they launch from the dock out front.

Chris and Monique worked with the National Geographic film crews, the Air Jaws crews and just about anyone else who has done serious white shark filming in South Africa.

Additionally Chris and Monique have generously donated two white shark outings to be used as prizes or lucky draws at the event, perhaps at the opening function so that the winners get to use them on days when we are not spearing tuna!

Below are some pics taken by Chris to get your anticipation high!

Both pics (c) Chris Fallows/www.apexpredators.com
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Old 08-08-2008, 12:54 AM   #17
AJRABIE
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Updated invite:
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Old 08-08-2008, 04:00 AM   #18
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Great looking poster AJ!

And just for those guys reading it and still wondering whether to come, and seeing the "diving to 20-30 metres down" bit and wondering if they are up for it...most of the tuna speared in these waters are shot within 10 metres of the surface! There's no need to have hardcore breath-hold abilities...in fact Tommy Botha reckons he prefers not to shoot tuna in these waters below about 15m (45 feet) because of the danger if you get tangled in the shooting or float line...the water here is about 1000metres deep...a long way to get pulled down!
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Old 08-08-2008, 12:47 PM   #19
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

I absolutely cannot wait . This is going to be better than last year......and last year was great!
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Old 08-12-2008, 08:25 AM   #20
AJRABIE
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Hi AJ.
The "co-ordinate" team will definitely want to take part in the 2nd
CTYBWI.Have committed ourselves and funds already.Please keep us posted
wrt registration procedures.
Sterkte met die reelings.
Regards.
Rob Guthrie


Great news, another of last years teams have re-commited.
AJ
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Old 08-12-2008, 08:29 AM   #21
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Also to all the keen land hunters, Craig and I, am thinking of maybe taking the Ausies hunting for some African Game the week before and then maybe having some wild game meat one night during the comp.
Keith or anyone else, you guys in for shooting a springbok, while down in SA?
AJ
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Old 08-19-2008, 03:24 PM   #22
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

AJ,
Please count me in.
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Old 08-20-2008, 05:42 AM   #23
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Hi everyone
Best everyone pays their own deposit for accommodation at the hotel.
I have included the provisional booking document to use, and it maybe wise to not only fax your proof of payment to the number stated on the provisional booking(word document, but to also e-mail me and Daryl so we can double check that your room is indeed booked.
Reservation Name International Underwater Group
Reservation Number 503

Thx
AJ
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Old 09-03-2008, 01:43 AM   #24
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Hi everyone
Just posting a letter from Craig the tourney organizer and giving a bit of feedback on where to expect to see some branding for the comp and to say thx to our present sponsors and to build some excitement for next year. We managed to get an article posted in a Greek magazine so it looks like 3 Greek teams might be on the table for next year. Also look out for the next issue of IFSN for some branding for the sponsors and just to add more excitement for the participants!
Thx
AJ

Hi Guys
>>
>> On behalf of AJ the Committee and myself I would like to thank you all
>> for
>> your support and sponsorship for the tournament held in May 2008 and hope
>> you will want to be involved with 2009 tournament. Just a little feedback
>> on
>> May 2008 tournament on Spearboard.com chat site the tournament got over
>> 16000 hits the second highest on the website. We have 10 international
>> teams
>> confirmed for May 2009 and we have increased the number of teams
>> participating from 12 (2008) to 16 (2009) and extended the tournament to
>> 5
>> possible diving days of which we plan to dive 3 days.
>> One of the sponsors IFSN has given us great coverage as well as placing
>> advertisements for the tournament all articles have and will display your
>> logos. The next edition will have a full colour add with all your logos.
>> I
>> have also attached a copy of an article as well as an add that was placed
>> in
>> the Greek free diving magazine and so far 3 Greek teams have shown great
>> interest.
>>
>> We have also negotiated with the Costa Rico blue water tournament which
>> you
>> are also involved in to make a $1000 entrance discount prize to our
>> tournament to the winner of the tournament later in the year and we will
>> have the same for May 2009 as a prize for the Costa Rico Tournament in
>> 2009
Craig Hagan
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Old 09-08-2008, 07:16 AM   #25
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

More great news!
North East Yanks is back in for next year!
See the mail below I received from Jonathan.


AJ,

Great to see you have gotten the ball rolling again, The North East Yanks
are back and ready to come down and take some of your fish this year, Brian
Jessurun and myself are committed and will be there, we will have a third
team mate soon. But please accept this as our commitment to attend the 2009
tournament. Please use me as the contact for this year’s tournament, and I
am very much looking forward to see every one again.

Is Ryan still around and will he be spearing?

Talk with you soon,

Jonathan Lounsbury
North East Yank
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Old 09-15-2008, 06:31 AM   #26
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Seems like Palm beach freedivers are back in!
thanks craig. we will most likely be diving under the palm beach freedivers name again this year, unless we get a big sponsor.
shane


Craig got 2 brand new Worldcats to enter the comp for next year, some pics included of the offload at the harbour!
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Old 09-16-2008, 12:28 AM   #27
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Hi guys
To touch on Johnathan's request
Regarding Ryan, he's in Australia with martin and the ausies diving and shooting loads of fish! Very unfair if you ask me!

Here is a reply from Libby about the ausies and ryan:

Hi Craig,
Hope you have dried out a bit since your last email. The rain has finally stopped here for a while. I spoke to Marty tonight on the sat phone, he said Ryan is loving it so I can only imagine the weather has been good. They will be out for another week I think and then back in for a break, that will be about a 10 day trip. I have been away with Simon and the kids, camping. At the back of Innisfail (the town I live in) is called the Tablelands, lots of beautiful lakes and walking tracks and about 10 degrees cooler, no crocodiles or sharks either, makes for a nice change.
By the way I'm not vegetarian either, I love my Sunday roast. I didn't mean to offend, it was said to Ryan lightheartedly, more that I couldn't do it, but I know martin and Simon would be interested. On our way through Cairns last week I saw a big sign outside a deli, Sth African Biltong available, I will have to get some for Ryan for when he gets home sick. The photos you sent of your storm were just unbelievable. Do you have any sequence shots of the lobster shack and waves? Even Ryan was blown away.
Anyway got lots to catch up on the only drama with taking a break, the catch up.

By for now,
Libby Cunningham
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Old 09-16-2008, 12:34 AM   #28
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

And we in the CApe of STorms got this:
BRASS BELL RESTAURANT- KALK BAY
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Old 10-06-2008, 04:47 AM   #29
AJRABIE
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

Hi Guys
Another SA team interest are DR PIET KAMFER and 2 team mates, not sure of the team name yet,but we will find out soon.
Thx
AJ Rabie
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Old 10-08-2008, 03:23 AM   #30
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Re: 2nd Annual Cape Town Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water International May 4-9, 2009

This is the report from this year's blown-out comp, as used in IF&SN magazine, which AJ has asked me to post here:

THE CAPE OF STORMS LIVES UP TO ITS NAME


South Africa’s inaugural Yellowfin Tuna Blue Water Invitational spearfishing competition slated for May 6-10 this year (2008) saw the Cape of Good Hope live up to its alternative acronym – the Cape of Storms – with all diving completely blown out by gale force winds and tempestuous seas that made any thought of sending divers 30 miles offshore to the famous tuna grounds out of the question.


With 12 teams of three spearos each having gathered in Simonstown, near Cape Town, from as far afield as the USA and Australia for the groundbreaking event, the disappointment was palpable each morning as the weather call was made – “no diving today!” But while disappointment filled the air there was little dissent about the decisions, even though the seas outside the spectacularly located Cape Boat & Skiboat Club clubhouse often looked calm as a millpond. With legendary South African spearo Tommy Botha, an 11-times SA champion and a pioneer of tuna spearing in the Cape waters, co-opted onto the weather committee as the “spearfishermens’ representative” all contestants knew that the decision not to dive was being made or endorsed by one of the most experienced and hardcore spearos on the planet.


Tommy, a member of Team IF&SN/Pelaj along with fellow-South Africans Zak Zuccaro and myself, all experienced tuna spearfishermen in these waters, actually set out to sea on one morning when the conditions seemed faintly possible. Launching with skipper Peter Burley in his boat Reel Escape in the pre-dawn darkness we ran the 11 nautical miles from the slipway in relative calm, sheltered in the lee of the Cape Peninsula in False Bay. Glancing at our boat’s fish-finder/depth sounder from time to time I shivered as I saw the water temperature – fluctuating between 9 and 11 degrees Celsius! (About 50ºF) Brrr!


But as we rounded Cape Point we ventured out into the open Atlantic Ocean, and into the teeth of the northwesterly wind that was already hitting 18-20 knots, and climbing…and this still only 7am. With high seas running and a rising wind it was evident that conditions further out to sea would be even worse, and the chances of divers being able to stay with the burley trail, or even get the chum to sink into the depths to lure the tuna up to spear-able depths, non-existent. Tommy also pointed out that with the swell running at more than 4 metres and the wind likely to push the boat away from divers in the water, chances of a competitor being lost at sea were too high to be even remotely acceptable. Regrettably the decision was taken once more to call the diving off for the day.


(As an aside, the second weather boat, San Michelle, with three local western Cape spearos aboard, decided to stay out for a while longer and attempt to at least catch some Yellowfin or albacore tuna on rod and line. Later that day they limped back to the club slipway, the boat smashed by the high seas and forced to withdraw from the remainder of the competition!)


Chad Morris, (aka GRISWOLD) a member of the USA’s Deep South Divers team along with another Spearboard luminary, Keith Simmons aka Big Mako, later told me that while all the contestants waiting in the clubhouse were hugely disappointed when the call came back from our boat that conditions were not suitable for diving, he did not hear one dissenting voice or opinion, such is the esteem in which Tommy Botha is held in the international spearfishing community!


Sadly for the organisers, the Bellville Underwater Club and the Cape Boat & Skiboat Club, bad weather and no diving was the story of the event.


Craig Hagan, the tournament director, was understandably gutted at the outcome, but remained upbeat for the future of this event, groundbreaking for the manner in which it had seen divers and anglers, traditional rivals if not outright enemies, united in a common cause. Fifteen deep sea fishing boats belonging to experienced anglers had been offered, along with their skippers, to host divers during the tournament, while the boat club and its members had allowed the spearos full use of all the clubhouse facilities and services.


Every fishing boat skipper I spoke to echoed the same sentiments – “You guys have gotta be crazy getting into the sea out there. We really wanted to see how you do it, see how you spear and boat these big tuna. We know how they fight and how long it takes us to boat them…and you want to do it in the water - you’re all crazy!”


From the contestants’ viewpoints the organization of the tournament was top-notch, with many acclaiming it as the best-run event they had ever attended. Breakfasts were laid on at 5am at the clubhouse every morning, diving or not, and supper every evening. Several of the local competitors stepped in as hosts and tour guides to take international visitors to the local sights, dive shops and out to the acclaimed Stellenbosch winelands, and some even managed to fit in a short safari to a nearby wildlife ranch to see some of Africa’s famous big game. Others ventured out to the notorious Seal Island in False Bay to make a cage dive to see Great White Sharks, and one commented that the chill he felt on seeing a five-metre shark cruising up to him while in the cage made the 10 ºC waters feel positively warm!


Much time was spent examining equipment brought to the event by the international contingent. Most South African spearos make do with simple Rob Allen or Rabitech railguns when hunting tuna, or the custom-made Tommy Botha tuna guns, but the nine USA contestants arrived with a spectacular array or weaponry that had the locals gawping in amazement. There were guns with inner titanium tubes for water ballasting, six or seven bands, magnetic line releases, enclosed shafts, custom paint jobs, lead ballast weights and custom carbon-fibre stocks. But the quote of the tournament must have been a quip by Tommy Botha, admiring a selection of these guns, who commented: “My guns don’t do any of those things. They just shoot fish.” And with that he produced his old faithful teak gun, the first one he made, with four bands of disparate rubber and showing all the signs of the 100 or more tuna taken with it!


The final evening’s closing function and prize giving went ahead as scheduled, with prizes being awarded on a lucky draw basis in lieu of the planned-for highest aggregate weights, with every team present at the function walking off with prizes ranging from Rabitech, Rob Allen and Freedivers spearguns and an array of other dive accessories. Each boat skipper was also called up for an award, with the top prize of a Yamaha generator - a handy unit given South Africa’s current power shortages - going to the first name out of the hat.


Most gratifying for the organizers, however, must have been the enthusiasm among the international contingent for this event in the future. There was a unanimous “we’ll be back next year” and “we have already booked our flights” from all with whom I spoke. (And judging by the list of entries already confirmed for 2009, they were being serious!)


Craig Hagan and AJ Rabie of the organising committee are already looking to the future, with the possibility that the event will be staged over a longer “waiting period” of perhaps 10 – 14 days. Statistically the month of May is the ideal time period for the tournament – the big fish are most prolific and there is usually a window in the Cape’s notoriously bad weather at this time of year. Reinforcing this opinion is the fact that the week immediately prior to the event saw the staging of the Gordon’s Bay Yellowfin Classic while the week immediately afterwards was scheduled for the South African Yellowfin Tuna National Championships, two of the country’s premier tuna angling events. (Incidentally, the week immediately after the tournament the weather remained as bad, if not worse, with winds up to 40 knots and 6-metre swells!)


This year the contest was limited to 12 teams of 3 divers each, but the organisers have said they will be able to increase this to 16 in the future. Teams who entered the 2008 event will get priority in 2009…so start preparing for May next year!


I look forward to seeing you all there!
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