Tuesday 7 August 2012

Spanish Student Alex

Blue Water Sports team up with The Training Partnership to offer a marketing placement for Spanish Student Alex.

Hi my name is Alex, i am from Barcelona (Spain) and today i am going to start my internship program at Blue Water Sport.

Actually I am studying business administration at Abat Oliba University and I hope to learn new things about the business world and i also want  to use my knowledges acquired during my studies.

Friday 27 July 2012

Blue Water Sports employee honored by Peter Jones



This week BlueWaterSports.com employee Alistair White received an award from Dragon Peter Jones.

Alistair forgot that Peter is keen on formality and presentation and so failed to wear a jacket for the photo... bonus points for managing to convince Peter to help him out!

Alistair’s award was for receiving a very good mark on his recently completed Business and Enterprise diploma at South Devon College.  Well done Alistair!

Wednesday 4 July 2012

What do I need to start Spearfishing Part V: The Speargun



A speargun is an underwater fishing implement designed to fire a spear at fish.
The basic components of a speargun are: A spear, a stock/barrel, and a handle/grip containing a trigger mechanism. Spearguns are usually from .5 m to 2 m (1.5 ft to 6.5 ft) long, round or roughly rectangular from 28 mm - 75 mm (1 in to 3 in) in diameter/width.

The two most common types are:
Rubber (or band) powered - which are the simplest and cheapest to maintain, with rubber being the predominant type
Air powered (Pneumatic).

- Rubber powered ones come in two types: those made from wood, and those of sealed tubing metal or composite and/or a combination of these materials construction: referred to as the Stock or Barrel respectively.
Those of a tubular barrel variety have separate "muzzles" fitting in or over one end of the tube, for attaching the rubber bands; whilst others (usually those made of wood), mainly have the bands passing through a horizontal slot in the stock.
A rubber powered gun, besides the barrel, has the following parts:
A spear (being a steel shaft slightly longer than the stock/barrel of from 6 - 10mm in diameter, which lies on top of the barrel or in a track or groove on the top), and a trigger mechanism to engage the spear (usually in or near a handle or grip at or near the rear) to keep the gun in a loaded state of readiness when it is loaded.
Such loading is from one or more latex rubber bands (usually tubing)- which provide the propelling force - and are about one third of the barrel length and from 9 – 20mm in diameter, being attached to the front of the gun.
The ends of these bands have ‘bridles’ or 'wishbones', (which are usually metal or synthetic cord) fitted to them and when these bands are pulled by the diver to engage the 'wishbones' in notches in the spear or 'fins' welded on the top at the rear just before the trigger, the gun is loaded.

Thursday 21 June 2012

What do I need to start Spearfishing? Part IV

Part IV: The Wetsuit

 
Wetsuits designed specifically for spearfishing are often two-piece (jacket and high waisted pants or 'long-john' style pants with shoulder straps) and are black or fully  partially camouflage. Camouflage patterns include, blue for open ocean and  green or brown for reef hunting. Commonly they have a pad on the chest to aid in loading spearguns. Sometimes they have reinforced elbows and/or knees. Often they have an "open-cell" interior, which offers superior warmth because of its very close suction fit to the skin (consequently lubrication is required to put on an open-cell wetsuit). Nylon exteriors are generally used to protect the spearfishing wetsuit from reefs. More delicate uncovered "smooth skin" wetsuits are sometimes used when diving from boats, because they dry quickly.

For more wetsuit specific info you can visit our wetsuit guide.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Guide on how to choose the right surfboard

This is a short guide to help you choose the right board for your specific needs.

 

1. What is your current surfing ability?

Beginners are best to start off with a soft surfboard or longboard if your budget permits. This way you will have a surfboard that will provide you with the stability you will need as paddling, catching waves and balance will all be new to you.

2. Size? - A good average size board for a beginning surfer would be around 7 feet long and 19-21 inches wide and at least 2-3 inches thick. We recommend that your surfboard should be at least 12 inches / 30 cm longer than your height. Also take into consideration your weight. If you have a heavy muscular build then adding a few centimetres to your selected board length is recommended.



This chart below can help you as a general guideline.  

Height Weight Surfboard Length
Feet Centimetres Pounds Kilogram Feet Centimetres
5'2”-6’0" 158 - 183 110-140 50 – 63.5 7'0"-7'6" 213 - 232
5'4"-6’2" 165 - 189 140-180 63.5 - 82 7'4"-7'10" 226 - 238
5'10"-6'2" 177 - 189 150-200 68 - 91 7'10"-8'0" 238 - 244
5'11"-6'3" 180 - 193 170-220 77 - 100 7'11"-8'3" 241 - 253
6'1"-6'6" 186 - 201 190-260 86 - 118 8'1"-9'6" 247 - 293

For children up to about 5’6” and about 100 pound we can recommend a smaller softtop board in the 5’6” to 6’0” range.



What do I need to start spearfishing? Part III

Part III. The Snorkel: In this part we will try to give you all the information you need so that you can choose the right snorkel.


3. Snorkel
The most important feature to consider when choosing a snorkel is the material of the mouthpiece. It’s highly recommended that the mouthpiece is made out of silicone to provide the most comfort.

When it comes to snorkels there are three main types of snorkels. You have standard snorkels, semi-dry snorkels and dry snorkels.

- Standard snorkels are either straight “j-tubes” or slightly curved / angled and come without valves.

- Semi-dry snorkels come with a water deviator on the top of the tube which helps in reducing the the amount of water that can enter a snorkel while at the surface. They also have a valve near the mouthpiece that assists in expelling water making it much easier to “clear” the snorkel.
- Dry snorkels are snorkels that have a valve on the top of the tube which should prevent the entry of any water into the snorkel tube. Most of them also have a valve near the mouthpiece that assists in expelling water in case it does manage to make its way past the dry valve.

There are two popular types of fasteners for snorkels. Rigid plastic with quick disconnect and simple silicon fasteners with loops at each end (similar in shape to the number 8). The later, silicon fasteners, are more popular among freedivers again due to the reduced drag. The plastic quick disconnect versions are more popular among SCUBA divers do to the ability to simply attach/detach the snorkel from a mask.


An example of a good Snorkel is the Mares - DUAL Unbreakable Snorkel with Orthodontic Mouthpiece



Tuesday 29 May 2012

What do I need to start spearfishing? (Part II)

Part II: Fins. In this part we will try to give you all the information you need so that you can choose the right fin.


2. Fins
There are a lot of different options out there when choosing a fin. When it comes to spearfishing you will need a pair of fins that will fit you comfortably and that you find easy to use. Below you will find a list of some general tips which should help you decide on which fins to choose.

Location: Where will you be spearfishing?
- Reefs and wrecks: When you spearfish around reefs and wrecks it’s recommended that you avoid longer fins. These can get in the way when you are spearfishing in close quarters. Split fin designs are also not really recommended around wrecks and reefs. In general shorter, stiffer one blade fins can provide you with more manoeuvrability in these tighter conditions.
- Open waters: When spearfishing in open waters you will need a pair of fins that offer you the most power with each kick. This way you can move more quickly and easily over longer distances without tiring your legs out to much. Fin straps are considered a good investment as they can help you to secure your fins in place when travelling over longer distances.