2003 SEASON NATIONAL REPORT

What a nice change, calm conditions at Sandy Bay but a price to pay, four hours of strong tide roaring across the eastern reef, the divers here struggled just to stay with their floats let alone fish. It did not help at the end of the day when

Jim Taplin came out with a good catch from the west and said, "It was flat calm, clear, 10ft deep and the mullet and bass were going in all directions.

Mick Veal decided he was going to lead from the front this season and pulled out a fine winning catch of mullet and bass. As he said you need a little bit of luck! Looking in a cave in the last hour of the comp he noticed just the belly of a large bass hanging from a crack in the roof. Hitting it with his three pronger; it shot forward as he gingerly tried to hold it with the lightest of touches not knowing what sort of shot he had in it. As the fish seemed to have stopped, he surfaced and dived again to put a single spear just behind the eye for a kill shot. Retrieving both guns and fish he found only one barb of the three pronger had struck home.

Three more divers must get a mention, Steve Mullineaux who paraded two fine bass round and round the car park with a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. Also Dave Tommasson, who took a real scratchers catch, to come second and looking at his catch he obviously had the handicap of using a chain saw instead of a gun. Last but not least Tony (It was as big as a man) Webber making a come back at 10^th.

As the divers stood on Branscome’s shingle beach looking at a huge swell crashing in, the safety officer Dave O, Callaghan advised against going in as it was not safe to launch or retrieve the safety boats. His advice was taken and after much bartering with the Southsea Club, London International moved their comp to Thurlston 40 miles down the coast.

With the average catch being 5 to 8 fish everyone was amazed when

Dave Tomasson weighed in a huge catch of over 20 fish with many large triggerfish in his catch. The more experienced divers were beginning to look a bit worried, as he had started to build up a lead in the championship that would take some catching.

Some people think Triggers are easy but as Neil Pearce (who came 6^th fishing near him) will tell you Dave was fishing in 40ft all day and pulling out some really long bottom times to catch his fish.

Southsea decided that, as it had been arranged for 8 months and over thirty divers were camping within five miles they would go ahead with the comp at Thurlston but with a slight alteration, wrasse at 40cm and half points to make it a bit different.

The day was clear and bright and being a bank holiday the beaches were packed and also the sea, with lunatics in boats. This added a new dimension of excitement to the diving as yachts, high-powered motorboats, jet bikes, canoes and skiers hurtled though the area. Any buoy was seen as a fair target to race round and most of the divers in the east of the area risked their lives every time they surfaced.

As the divers emerged after six hours it was obvious that Graham Worley

(The best diver never to have won the championship) had blown everyone away, he had thirty-two assorted fish including a 7lb Pollock. Graham’s dive computer read 115 dives with the longest at 2 mins. 15 secs.

The up and coming Kevin Daly had an all Pollock catch to take second place with 56.97%. With Dave Bailey six times British Champion coming third and starting to show signs of a comeback after dropping down the rankings last year. Dave coached the British Junior Octopush team last year taking them to the World Championships and winning it, missing a couple of nationals in the process.

After three times of trying Sussex at last got their competition of the ground, at all three of the first dates the weather men had got it wrong, forecasting strong winds that never turned up on the day. With some of the best divers away in Portugal for the Europeans some people fancied their chances to get a good result. The divers going to the outer reef, some two miles from the start should have had a fairly easy swim with the tide sweeping them out there then bringing them back. But this was Bognor and right on queue a southeasterly wind sprung up at force 3 to make it hard for them.

Steve Mullineaux, who has been working on his fitness after eating all the pies last year, swam right out the back with the best of them to take a good mixed catch of 8 fish to win his first national comp and pull himself right up the rankings. He said that most of his fish came of one large rock where he could see fish through a hole out the other side, if he dived and waited one would eventually drift round his side. Luckily for the rest of us, he got a fish stuck and as he struggled to free it scared the shoal off but he learnt from this and said he would leave the gun next time and carry on with his spare retrieving it at the end.

Half way through the comp Steve noticed that his super duper dive computer was showing him the time in Hong Kong instead of England so with a Herculean effort he fought against wind and tide to the only other buoy he could see 400yds away. What’s the time he gasped as a head popped up next to him? Don’t know I haven’t got a watch came the reply from Martin Trosky the only diver in the whole world not to own a watch. Martin is not sure what Steve shouted but thinks it sounded like Anchor,

Dave Bailey stepped up another gear to take 2^nd place with 82% putting more pressure on Dave Tomasson going in to the last comp at Durlston.

Chris Lea pulled out a fine catch with one of his bass going over ten pounds and I suppose I had better mention Paul Smith who shot three fine bass and followed me around the car park for a hour waving his pink slip under my nose. (Editor)

Most of the divers had been dreading this comp and had convinced themselves that there were no fish and no ground in this area, they were right. No! fair dues it’s the same for everyone and some interesting catches came out. Another first time winner Dave Stephens. Fishing in the area where he spent his childhood he pulled out a good mixed catch of ray, plaice, mullet and Pollock narrowly beating Neal Pearce in to 2^nd.

Neil also had an interesting catch with a 3.5lbs soul and a garfish in his catch with his son Dave pulling out a 10lb cod and a big gurnard in his catch.

With Dave Bailey at 5^th with 66% and Dave Tommasson at 15^th with 27^% speculation went on for quite awhile until Dave Tommasson was declared British Champion for the first time.

Yet again Southsea A swept all before them with LIC Dentex, Team Dentex and London Dentex (One Team I think) taking 2^nd.

Southsex Novices where 3^rd with their novice for the year Kevin Mannal catching fish in every round.

An interesting year to say the least.

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