Cornwall really is the UKs jewel, a place of natural outstanding beauty above and below the waterline, and the perfect location for spearfishing courses.
Hand on heart we would have to agree that Dorset probably holds the biggest fish with many records falling in that vicinity. However, Cornwall is a very close second and has the edge on breath-taking surroundings to immerse yourself in.
Endless coves and remote beaches to explore. One of our favourite moments is breaking for lunch on a beach inaccessible by land. Sitting down and wondering when the last person had set foot there aside you and your team.
What we hunt on a Cornish spearfishing courses:
The prime targets along the Cornwall coast include species such as sea bass (when in season). These delicious bars of silver can grow to well over 10lb and they are awesome to see under water. Sometimes you’re bottom side, hiding in the kelp beds and they will bomb straight at you. You must hold your nerve and wait for it to turn and show its flank, that’s when you take you’re shot!
Other times you’ll be hiding and out of no where you will be surround by a huge fast moving shoal with larger specimens towards the far back. You must think fast, switch on your targeting system and choose one before they all disappear. In that situation it’s so easy to get blinded by all the choices that you can easily end up missing the lot not even taking a shot. 5 hours later and you will be ‘that guy’ at the bar talking about the ones that got away 😊
Of course there are plenty of times you wont see any at all, or they will stay right at the edge of the visibility alerting you to their presence but being smart enough to prevent you getting a shot of. Welcome to the frustration of spearfishing!
Cod tend to be further East or in deep Cornish waters but they have started to make a comeback.
Pollock on the other hand are abundant in Cornish waters and make a great meal. Pollock are rather obliging to us spearos and by nature are quite inquisitive. Once you drop down and hide amongst the kelp they will always raise out of the kelp and show themselves. While the juveniles will literally nibble on your spear tip, the bigger ones are much wiser and like to keep their distance. As if they know the exact range of your gun.
The Cornwall spearfishing courses will look to cover all these challenges and set you up with the knowledge of how to best try and overcome them. Like everything, it requires training, practise and dedication to become a proficient underwater hunter. But equipped with the correct knowledge and coaching you will fast track yourself along this process.
Shellfish:
Once the main course is taken care of you can start thinking about the entrées. Lobster holes, brown crabs and scallops make for an incredible starter worthy of any Michelin star restaurant.
We can guarantee you will never forget harvesting your first lobster. A dark little cave, potentially coinhabited by a finger munching conger eel. Fighting the urge to breathe in the hope of managing to get a solid hold of the lobster without scaring it off into kelp never to be seen again. Its claws raised over its eyes in its defensive posture. While at the same time its being distracted by the various techniques you’ve been taught to try and entice it out of its hole.
Beyond that there is so much to harvest, including oysters, edible seaweed, mussels, clams, the list is as extensive, as it is delicious.
Basking sharks:
In Cornwall we are also lucky enough to be on the migratory route of the basking sharks. These gentle giants cruise the UK coastline, mouths wide apart filling their huge stomachs with microscopic plankton. When you are in relative proximity with them, they tend to swim right towards you, mouths wide open and always turn at the very last moment. There is no feeling like it. Seeing this gentle giant homing in on you. You know there is no intentional aggression from this beautiful and harmless shark but at the same time, its just a huge creature and you’re in the open ocean.
The south coast offers some of the UKs best diving conditions. Sheltered from the prevailing southerly winds we can often find calm sheltered coves in all but the worst of conditions. A huge benefit is when the wind does switch, we can then often find favourable conditions on the north coast. We often have the best visibility out of the whole of the UK here.
Regardless of where you choose to do your course, you will have a couple of days that you will never forget. Our Cornwall spearfishing courses will always hold a special place in our hearts because it really is just as stunning below the water as it is above it.
The summer months of Cornwall tend to book up pretty quickly as soon as the sun starts showing signs of staying out. If you plan on taking a course over summer then we advise you to book early to avoid disappointment.