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b'Interview with Philip Van Zijl - Godfather of The "Spearfishing Mafia"! This episode covers Philip\\u2019s spearfishing journey from the jump to competition diving starting in Cape Town, South Africa to New Zealand and plenty of places in between. He\\u2019s a champion of the sport, an absolute legend. He\\u2019s a major contributor to the spearfishing community, and a big proponent of paying it forward. Something he\\u2019s coined \\u201cThe Spearfishing Mafia\\u201d. Our community, sport, and the hobby are niche. It\\u2019s even more niche than SCUBA diving. Take advantage of it, and build your network.\\xa0 Big thanks to Philip for taking the time to \\u201cpay it forward\\u201d on the Noob Spearo Podcast! This episode is provided to you through the support of\\xa0 Time Stamps!\\xa0 10:00 Introduction Philip Van Zijl began diving in Cape Town in 1968 at the young age of 16, without wetsuits and just basic gear taking the train to get to where he needed to be. Yellow tail, crayfish, and other good species were some of his earliest accomplishments, always a good feed! A master of limiting out on crayfish during his years in school. He even paid for a year of his time at university from the fruits of his diving! A strong proponent of speargun awareness, make sure you listen to find out why\\u2026\\xa0 Philip personally procured one of his 120cm spearguns from the legendary Rob Allen, what a story! Think you\\u2019re bad about keeping old gear? Philip still has his first catch bag he bought in the 60\\u2019s.\\xa0 26:00 Early struggles spearfishing Personally, rigging your own speargun was a bit more difficult without YouTube\\u2026 \\u201cIf you give out kindness, it comes back to you.\\u201d \\u2013 Pay it forward! Learning new spots, on your own \\u2013 pays dividends later on! Sharing your expertise, and knowledge, doesn\\u2019t necessarily mean sharing your spots Proper weighting, weight secure locations (Harness vs. Belt)\\xa0 31:35 Most memorable catch His last dive in Tauranga, NZ with a mate who brought him to a secret honey hole. 15-20 meters visibility, perfect conditions. Kingfish, historically uncommon for the area but are making a comeback. He was diving with some friends, stomach started to sour, and then returned to the boat. After viewing a bait ball of Kahawai, he grabbed his gear and jumped back into the water. Viewing a school of Kingfish, he pulled the trigger and bagged a PB weighing in at approximately 27 kilos! To hear his second most memorable catch on a \\u201cpopgun\\u201d, tune in to 35:43!\\xa0 38:50 Favorite species to hunt Snapper, hands down. A challenging quarry, requiring a combination of burly and stealth. 3-4k tops, but no monsters like on the GBR. Slow movements, be calm, don\\u2019t look directly *at* them, and let them get within target range. Maintain gun awareness so that when the shot presents itself, it can easily be taken. Learned from losing a 6k Trevally years ago. Learn about the duality of the gun safety discussion here! \\xa042:50 Scariest moments in the ocean While shooting a Blue Moki, the bugger got off the spear and high-tailed it into a crevice. Meanwhile, a surge came and pushed Philip into a crevice in which he was stuck. Every spearo\\u2019s nightmare. Trying to remain calm, he considered that a surge which can push you in, can also pull you out. Going for broke, he expelled the air in his lungs to reduce his physical profile and was able to get pulled out on the next surge out to sea. Probably the scariest moment of his life. Lesson learned \\u2013 be very careful when working a crevice while fishing for crays or otherwise. \\xa048:00 Veterans Vault: The \\u201cSpearfishing Mafia\\u201d Giving back to the spearfishing community is as important as the sport itself. Hospitality within the spearfishing community is unique to the sport \\u2013 PAY IT FORWARD! Bring your gear as often as possible when traveling so you never miss an opportunity! Reaching out on social media prior to travel and networking can be an incredible asset When traveling with spearfishing equipment, keep \\u201cgun\\u201d out of your vocabulary. Just refer to it as fishing equipment. It can save you valuable time Cooler bags can be worth their weight in gold when traveling Sharing spearfishing equipment when mates are traveling can not just save on cost but strengthen relationships Be a good host \\u2013 it comes back around; when you aren\\u2019t, well then it won\\u2019t will it? How to avoid losing a knife - use some paracord or dyneema, tie it off to a pencil or other instrument, then tie that to the end of the knife. This way, when you drop the knife (not if, but when) it will stay secured \\xa075:00 Equipment Bag Catch-bags are a must, saves you from going back to your plat \\u201cfloat boat\\u201d. Avoid harassment from sea lions, seals, or the tax man by simply using a catch-bag. Actually, saved a fishing competition by using one as the sea lions were going from float to float getting chubby on the hard work of humans. Carry two knives \\u2013 one on thigh and one on arm. To avoid losing knives, use some paracord or dyneema, tie it off to a pencil or other instrument, then tie that to the end of the knife. This way, when you drop the knife (not if, but when) it will stay secured.\\xa0 1:06 Spearo Q&A Describe what the spearfishing experience means to you? \\u201cMy Happy Place, oh and the food.\\u201d Single best piece of advice ever given for spearfishing? \\u201cDive to your capabilities, don\\u2019t overdo it. Have fun, enjoy it, recharge yourself.\\u201d Most influential person in spearfishing to you? Jacques Cousteau, major influence. Spearfishing/Freediving library? 99 Tips to get Better at Spearfishing! Had to start all over, what would you do differently? Get a decent wetsuit, a lot earlier. It makes such a difference. A decent speargun too. OMER fins, good foot pockets. Being comfortable when diving is more important than you think! Carbon fins have made a huge difference, but hey back in the 60\\u2019s we didn\\u2019t have a choice. Don\\u2019t look at the brand, look at the fit, and you\\u2019ll appreciate it later. You don\\u2019t need to spend a fortune to have an effective dive kit. Who is the best person to go spearfishing with now? I\\u2019ve got a Band of Brothers here now. I tell my wife it\\u2019s my Portuguese adopted son. There\\u2019s a few spearos around here and we all go spearfishing together.\\xa0\\xa0 Where can people connect with you? Philip Van Zijl Sr. on Facebook, message me and let\\u2019s connect for a chat or a dive! Any parting guidance or wisdom for the community? Set the example. A lot of people have different perspectives of spearos, 90% of us are ethical and moral hunters. Don\\u2019t publish death piles. It just gives ammo to the greenies. Pay attention to the size of the fish. If there\\u2019s a doubt, don\\u2019t shoot. If it\\u2019s marginal, don\\u2019t shoot. If it\\u2019s huge, then its legal. 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