Firstly, thank you all who participated for being a part of the Sydney Kingfish Cup, whether it was your involvement in the diving; attendance of the info night or presso or both; support of the event through the social channels; your assistance and support, or your sponsorship.

The Kingfish Cup would not happen without the community driving it.

With the Cup weekend approaching we all saw that swell and wind spike reaching for the top of our phones and try as I might I just don’t have the connection to Huey I thought I had. The Committee decided to run the Saturday and wait for the end of that day and see if the Bureau gets the forecast wrong again, but they didn’t this time.

The Saturday was great, except for those diving South side this year, Bass Point well “it was horrible” one of the Juniors said, 2m vizo and no fish. Royal National Park had whale snot all over it, huge Salomon schools with mega shark action around them, Josh losing a couple of nice Kingfish to big Whalers. Sydney and the Central Coast seemed to have the best of it, though Alex Bond would beg to differ, visibility at the Bull not very good for finding spearguns in 15m…

Around 0930 I receive a message from Alby Cooke and he draws first blood with a nice King of 8 and a half kilos, and the stoke begins to build. Around 3pm my phone starts to buzz with images and the divers are obviously coming back before the Southerly change kicks in. Sam Dalli who had been kept quiet all day send in a couple fo nice fish, amongst them Lou O’Rourke with a 9.5kg fish in a great photo with Grayson and Jules holding up “Air Kings” I have Daniel Coelho arrives with a fish in his Icey Tek soft bag pulls it out and it weighs 11.3kg, Dan has fished the RNP and came with a lot of stories about big fish sighted but not speared, mega whalers, and terrible viz. Then the Central Coast weigh in crew seems to have come alive and the chat is about a Taipan zapping fish, the Coasties seem to have the best of it so far with Jet Skier Igor Melnikov bringing in a 9950gm healthy fish, Vince Isagba with a fish that looks 20kg easily yet pulls the scales down to a 11080gm specimen, Josh Ward hisdive buddy weighs in once again with a 5900gm fish. Brooksy, a Coffs Harbour spearo who took Josh and Vince out fortunately lands himself a fish 11520gm unfortunately losing a very good fish and in the process earning the nickname Taipan…

Jake Davidson rocks up to Adreno with a good fish of 12600gm and he is looking well placed and the leader on the board. Then Logan Sheffer appears at Adreno unzipping a bright Yellow DiveR soft bag and pulls out a very hefty fish this fish appears to have the cash.

I check my phone after weighin in Logan’s fish and I see Pat Martin and Keiran Timp, the Coast again, have weighed in 12560gm and gm fish respectively, too there is an earlier sms from Sam Dalli with Lachlan O’Reilley holding up quite a sizable slab of Yellowtail that is long yet lean. What a session. 12 fish in. Average weight of the fish is 12kg (same as our 2019 and 2020 Cups, last year was 10kg! I was told by Tara Kingfish are declining, they seem to be growing!). Working out an estimate of effort per fish I arrived at 57 hours per fish!

The Presentation Night was great, never as large as the information night, we had a healthy 80-90 people in attendance. The Sponsorship list was very impressive this year and the prizes were stunning. 12 Lucky Door prizes issued, and then a draw was done for those divers registered and present who did not weigh in 10 prizes issued here. Mark Banasiak of the TSFFP donated $1000 to the 8 Junior divers who registered, and each walked away with a $125 Adreno voucher. Now the Ladies Prize, and the McComb was drawn and Tia Thorncroft was an excited recipient.

The finale saw the fortunate divers accept their kudos and praise and prizes, the Top 5 this year receiving medallions. The last two divers were asked to come up to the dais and Logan and Lachlan waited patiently for the Cup winner to be declared, with Lachlan announced the Champion of Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup with a great fish of 19885gm, 137 length and 64cm girth. Logan’s Kingfish a meritorious 64cm girth, length 121cm, weighing in at 18005gm.

Thank you lastly to weigh in crews Greg Sansom, Paul Roso and Lee Dalli. All the Sydney Adreno staff who lived and breathed the Kingfish Cup vibe.

Thanks again to all the Sponsors they will continue to be listed and thanked. Please when you go to purchase a dive related product think of them, and if you need a coffee , a portable BBQ, a good read or a hot sauce look no further!

Save the date!

Spearos save the dates for these Kingfish Cup events

Thursday October 29th – Information night at Adreno Sydney

Saturday and Sunday November 7/8th – Kingfish Cup

Thursday November 12th – Presentation at Adreno Sydney

From Blacksmiths to Bass Point be a part of the biggest Spearfishing gathering around Australia.

What is the Kingfish Cup?

The Kingfish Cup is about bringing the spearo tribe together and of course spearing a kingfish over one weekend in Sydney’s prime Yellowtail Kingfish season, traditionally this is late October through November.

Where is it held?

“Greater Sydney” is the area entrants may enter. It stretches from Blacksmiths in the Central Coast to Bass Point in the South covering just over 275 kilometres of coastline. Weigh in Stations are at Adreno Sydney itself, Wollongong, Little Manly in Sydney Harbour, on the Central Coast Terrigal Boat ramp, and Norah Head Sporties Club

Who enters the KFC?

Such a wide-ranging demographic of both age, sex, and area.  Going on recent years, we are expecting over 250 spearfishers entering including sub juniors from 14 years of age right up to Grand Masters (over 65’s), Ladies entries have been strong (19 ladies competed last year). Divers come from as far as Queensland to fish the event. Those who are not competitively focused also fish the Kingfish Cup. We also get relative newcomers fish the Kingfish Cup some of which spearing their first Kingfish in the event.

How does it work?

The USFA runs the event, we work with the Adreno Sydney team, and it has been a successful partnership.  Prior to the event, some 8 days before, we host the Information Night a social “get together” (200 attendees last year) at Adreno – we put on some great food – one of our members “the Paella King” creates amazing paella; we explain the simple rules and discuss the ethics and integrity required for everyone to enjoy the event; we have guest speakers (spearfishing gurus) that discuss kingfish habits and hunting tips, the USFA supports real, unbiased science and this year our Fisheries biologists will divulge their latest Kingfish findings.  The Information night is the spearos social night of the year.

Since the running of the inaugural event in 2019 we have seen healthy registration numbers, now numbering over 250 entrants, thus it requires a lot of organising from an efficient team.  Entrants register online, here they are given details of the event and how to “sign on” and “sign off” (any times between 0800 and 1600 you may fish multiple times on a day) on each day – (some entrants fish only one day) this lets organisers know who is in the water and importantly when they are back out – safety is paramount.  On safety, the organisers also make the decision on postponing the days fishing if the weather is decided to be inclement.

The fish are weighed in at the weigh stations, we try to keep the weights discreet to build some atmosphere for the presentation night the Thursday following the event.

The event is ethical! Sustainable too!

Kingfish are in healthy numbers along Australia’s east coast. Last year (’25) when we held the Cup over two days, we had 261 divers enter in the water for approximately 1219 hours of the 22 Kingfish that were caught it worked out to over 55 hours of effort per fish, with a mean weight average of 9.79 kilograms per fish.  Spearfishing is amazing.

Dates to remember

The information night – Thursday November 2^nd   from 5.30pm

To kick off the biggest event on Sydney’s spearfishing seasonal calendar we are hosting a social & information night to bring the community together under one roof to set the scene for the following weekends event.

This Kingfish cup was born out of necessity, a competition built to bring our communities together in a sustainable and ethically focused competition with divers from all around Australia participating. A competition driven by inclusion, from the most experienced to aspiring greenhorn learning the ropes and piecing it together. This is what spearfishing is all about. Mateship, adventure, respect for the fishery and healthy competition.

The night’s goal is to share experiences and knowledge around Sydney Spearfishing with a focus on the Kingfish species. Feedback from you has been requested on the science of this fishery, and we are giving this to you on the night, An evening meal and refreshments (all free) catered by the Paella King Rico, throw in some sensational door prizes for those in attendance on the night, and to those who early bird register for the Cup there is a whopping major prize, the night is shaping up to be a ripper.

This social event will be bigger than the Cup itself! 

Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup  11-12^th November

The days start from 0800 out of the water from 1600, weigh in closes at 1700

The Presentation Thursday 17^th November from 1730

Another fantastic social evening, where many of the entrants gather, again at Adreno Sydney Superstore, mingle and talk about the one that got away while enjoying some quality food while anticipating the results.

Come and be a part of our wonderful spearfishing community.

Safety warningSpearos it would be remiss not mention today’s shark attack on a swimmer at Coogee around noon today.

We hope the lady has a full recovery and are thinking of her and her family and friends at this time.

I know many of you are still going to enter the water regardless, but just please consider with the whales currently along our coast line and the whites and other sharks species are hunting them.

Please be vigilant when you are in the water. I really feel at the least you should be with a dive buddy or buddies when you enter the water and “watch their backs”; be aware of bait movements; be alert when your buddy spears a fish; listen to that sixth sense too, it tingles for good reason; finally please let someone know where you are going, and when you will be back.

There’s more you could do, but please discuss with your crew and have a plan in case of a run in with a shark. I said a couple of years ago the shark incidences have become unprecedented, unfortunately this is now becoming the norm and will continue to increase until we see government delivering a mitigation plan that sees all ocean stakeholders can safely co-exist with nature.

Dive safe, keep safe people. Much love to you all.

Adrian joined the USFA in 1961, in 2005 he became a Life Member of the USFA, and his club the Mosman Whalers and too the AUF gave him life member recognition.

Adrian was generous beyond measure to spearfishers. I never knew him not to be thinking about spearfishers rights of which he was a determined advocate whether to have equal access to the seas as other stakeholders, or, to be included as a valued stakeholder in any discussion concerning the Fishery and outcomes that would impact spearfishing. Adrian traversed the coast of NSW attending any meeting that would have an impact on spearfishers. He was tireless, and carried a particular torch that spearfishers whether young or old, new or experienced should have safe access to spearfishing all along the coast and not be “locked out” therefore depriving the next generation of spearfishers developing.

I fondly recall Adrian bamboozling Marine scientists from around the world at a Grey Nurse Shark seminar where he got them all to admit that spearfishers have zero impact on this animal, it was a “mic drop” if ever there was one, fantastic. This action, and his champion efforts in and around the court judgement on Grey Nurse Shark habitat areas where the Judge threw the “green” case out that would have seen all rec fishers severely impacted with access to prime fishing locations should always be remembered as benchmark victories for spearfishing.

Adrian (whose brother Phil, and sons Steve and Kevin are champion spearfishers as well) for many decades worked tirelessly for spearfishing in New South Wales and around Australia. He managed National Spearfishing Teams including World Championships, was the convenor of at least two National Championships and too many State and Zone Championships to list, often stumping up the prize pool with his own money.

I will always remember Adrian happiest after a dive, talking fish with his friends, smoke in one hand, a “Turkey” Wild Turkey in the other, life was great.

Rest in Peace Ado and thank you for all you did for spearfishing, you saved the sport so many times, you will be missed and impossible to replace, there was only one of you made mate.

The USFA members send their respects and are thinking of Adrian’s partner Jackie, and Steve, Kevin, Lani, and their families.

Simon Trippe

This year’s NSW State Titles were held by the Norah Hammerheads Spearfishing Club, the new kid of the USFA NSW. Receiving plenty of help and keenness from Hammer’s members and the other NSW Clubs there was plenty of talk about the event leading up to the weekend. In the week before the 2 day Championship the weather reports all started to look extremely bleak and many people wondered if this would be another year when Poseidon would stir the oceans up, too large to dive, the State Championships is traditionally a rock-hopping event, a true test of skill, stamina and discovery. On the Friday morning the committee made the call to have a 1-day competition based on the forecast of dangerous swell warnings for the Sunday, the Saturday it seemed would be good for diving. 

The day started at 530am with a small swell and no rain! Many helpers arriving early to help set up for the day. The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party brought their boat along to act as one of the two safety boats for the day.  Once the area was set up “Uncle Bob” started signing people on and next thing we know there have been 45 divers sign on; including 4 Ladies with 4 Juniors, and several distinguished gentlemen.

750am Justin Elsey held the safety briefing and at 8am sharp the NSW Titles commenced!  Many divers headed towards the Lighthouse while others headed north towards Lakes Reef. Visibility ranged from under a metre to 10 metres in some places, and though it was challenging conditions 36 of the 45 divers weighed in fish!

All divers were back by the 2pm finish time and there was plenty of quality fish to check out and everyone was keeping a keen eye on the scales as they tried to figure out who would walk away the victor.

The weigh in completed, (we would like to say special thanks to the Sea Lions, Seahawks, Dolphins and Neptune’s for their assistance in the clean-up and pack away) everyone headed to Norah Head Sporties for dinner and the presentation.

The 2025 NSW  Ladies Champion is Shelley DeCourcy of the Norah Hammerheads, Shelley won the McComb Spearguns custom speargun which doubles as a trophy with its custom plaque. 

Open 2025  NSW Champion is Josh Green who under challenging conditions managed to weigh in an extraordinary number of quality fish. 

NSW Pairs Champions – Josh and Lachlan Green

NSW Teams Champions- Josh Green Lachlan Green and Sam Morgan.

It’s our understanding the last name Green works wonders in the green coloured water haha.

We had plenty of prizes to hand out from our sponsors, the participants’ were blown away by the generosity and quality of the prizes, thank you to – McComb Spearguns, Osprey Spearguns, DiveR, Dive Cave, Adreno Sydney, Knife Merchant, EKF, Shark Eyes, Dive Imports, Throw Flashers, KHJ photography, Wettie NZ, and, Online Dive Gear.

The highlight for me was when Chris from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party won the Osprey speargun then gave it to Joe one of our Hammerheads Juniors.  The junior we call “Spewy” hugged and cuddled the gun with an ear to ear grin the rest of the night.

Thank you to all involved.

Mark Banasiak – presentation

Shawn Anderson – safety boat

Chris Dorahy- safety boat

Kristen – photographer

Bob McComb – sign on / sign off and weigh master.

Justin Esley – scoring program and competition organiser

Brett Carter – event organiser 

Vince Bertolli – sponsorship organiser

Craig , Therese, Stuart – BBQ experts.

Beau, Rob, Spewy, Andrew and all the others for cleaning the fish that were donated to Coast Hands to feed people in need with fresh local seafood.

And, of course my family for putting up with it all for the last months or so.

It was a pleasure to host this year’s NSW State Titles and we look forward to doing some more feature USFA events in the future.

Alex Bond 

President

Norah Hammerheads

Underwater Skindivers and Fishermen’s Association

SUBJECT:  Sanctioned USFA and AUF events – no extra joining fee

To: Spearfishers of the USFA and AUF

Great news for USFA members!

Financial USFA members will no longer be charged the full AUF membership fee when entering an AUF spearfishing event. The USFA will no longer be offering the $10 temporary memberships to financial Australian Underwater Federation (AUF) members who wish to attend USFA major events, there simply will be no charge to either Association’s members. This is ongoing.

To protect the organisers of the event a diver must be a current financial member of USFA or AUF. The diver will need to show proof of their Association’s membership to the convenor at time of sign on.  (USFA members you receive emails from our platform approving your payment please show this).  

The USFA and AUF retain the right to discern entry to their events as per their code of conduct and membership stipulations.

To subscribe to USFA membership

Senior Membership

https://usfa.tidyhq.com/public/membership_levels/c4450d628e28

Junior Membership  (to 17 years of age)

https://usfa.tidyhq.com/public/membership_levels/f045b97357d5

Thank you

Simon Trippe

President

USFANSW

On behalf of the committee and members

14th February 2025

HOSTED BY ST GEORGE DRAGONS SPEARFISHING CLUB

Monday 17th February from 1900 at the Caringbah Hotel

Timmac needs no introduction in Australia, he is hands down the most prolific spearer of fantastic fish in the country.

This will be an epic night of conversation and Q&A. Tim has forgotten more about spearfishing than most spearfishers know.

Entry is $10.

To learn more click here https://www.facebook.com/events/897983625819885/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1A4NiXS239/

St George are also running raffles with amazing Riffe prizes, Tim is a Riffe Spearfishing Amassador.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ca5htuF9N/?mibextid=oFDknk