Jersey Spearfishing Club

Standard Competition Rules 2005

ALL COMPETITORS ENTER AT THEIR OWN RISK AND

ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY.

Any breach of the following rules and conditions will result in disqualification

 

1. Conditions of entry

 

a)        A competitor must be at least 16 years of age, a competent snorkeller and a member of the Jersey Spearfishing Club.

b)        An annual subscription fee of £15.00 must be paid to the Jersey Spearfishing Club before a diver is allowed to compete in any competition.

c)        All competitors must have proof of third party insurance for competition spearfishing. Insurance can be obtained independently by a competitor, or can be arranged by the Club at a cost of £20.00. This option involves joining the British Spearfishing Association and gives worldwide insurance cover for a year, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.

d)        Club membership is free for totally new members in their first year of joining. New members wishing to compete are still required to pay for the insurance cover.

 

2.  Before the competition

 

a)        The competition rules contained herein will be available for half an hour prior to the start of the competition.

b)        It is forbidden to dive the competition area on the day before a competition.

c)        A briefing will be held 10 minutes before the competition start time to explain the dive limits, currents and other relevant information. All competitors must be present for the briefing.

d)        Competitors must sign in at the competition base before the official start time.

 

3.  The competition start

 

a)        Competitors must not leave the designated start area before the official start time.

b)        Competitors may only proceed on foot between the start area and the water and vice versa, unless stated otherwise.

c)        Diving from a boat or use of any boat is prohibited, unless stated otherwise.

 

4.  During the competition

 

a)        Competitors must use a marker float of a high visibility colour with a minimum volume of 5 litres. The float must clearly display an officially recognised diver’s flag.

b)        A maximum size restriction of 120cm long, 70cm wide 30cm deep will apply to board shaped floats designed for use as swimming aids. This type of float must only be propelled by the diver’s hands, feet, or fins.

c)        Competitors must remain within 25 metres of their marker float throughout the competition.

d)        It is not permitted to use any form of artificial breathing apparatus.

e)        It is not permitted to catch fish other than with a knife, handspear or speargun.

f)          A competitor must be in the water at the same time as a fish is speared.

g)        Artificial lures are not permitted. 

h)        Loaded spearguns must not be left attached to floats or carried on land.

i)           No-one may touch any part of a competitor, his equipment or catch, or assist in making a catch.

j)           Competitors may come ashore as often they wish during a competition to rest, take refreshments and change parts of their equipment. While ashore they must not leave the competition area or competition base without signing out.

 

5.  The competition end

 

a)        Competitors may finish diving at any time during the competition but must not leave the competition area or base without signing out.

b)        Competitors may only return the competition base on foot unless stated otherwise

c)        Competitors must return to the base with their marker float.

d)        Competitors must sign out immediately when they finishing competing on the day.

e)        No fish will be weighed-in until the official end of the competition unless thought to be a potential record.

f)          For a fish to qualify for points, its species and weight must be verified by members of the Dive Committee.

g)        A competitor must ensure his catch is put to constructive use.

 

6.  General Conduct

 

a)        A competitor will be disqualified if commits any act which, in the opinion of the competition organisers, may be construed to be endangering the safety of other competitors or spectators or behaves in a manner likely to bring the Club or the sport of spearfishing into disrepute.

b)        A competitor will be disqualified if he does not obey an order of the Diving Officer or Diving Committee.

 

7.  Points Penalties

 

a)        If a competitor signs out during the first ten minutes after the official end of the competition, half their points for the day will be forfeit.

b)        A competitor more than ten minutes late will be disqualified.

c)        Fish landed by a competitor who is disqualified will not be eligible for any award or club record resulting from the dive concerned.

 

8.  Selection and Organisation of dives

 

d)        The venues and dates of all standard competition dives are to be selected by the Dive Committee prior to the season.

e)        In the event of bad weather, competitors are to meet at the scheduled venue and the Dive Committee will decide on an alternative or cancellation.

 

9.  Points scoring system

 

a)        Specimen weights are to be set by the Dive Committee prior to each season to reflect the level of skill and chance is involved in catching fish of each species. The specimen weight for each species is set based on a fish of that weight being difficult but not impossible to catch.

b)        In the event of an unlisted species being landed, the minimum club size and the specimen weight is be evaluated by the dive committee on the day.

c)         The points awarded of each fish landed in a competition will be its weight expressed as a percentage of its specimen weight; a fish matching its specimen weight gains 100 points, a fish of half its specimen weight gains 50 points.

d)        At each competition, the competitor with the single highest scoring fish will be the overall winner of the day.

e)        An accumulative points system will be run each season leading to the title of ‘specimen hunter’ of the year. For each competitor, these points will be scores from the heaviest fish of each species they land on each competition day. A competitor landing two species on the day will have two scores to put forward; three species will be three scores.

f)          Each season, an award will be given for the heaviest fish of each common species landed. The Dive Committee can add more categories.

 

10.  Club Records

 

a)        All fish landed in club competitions will automatically checked and added to the Club’s own Record List. This list states the heaviest fish of each species captured in a club competition since the year 2000.

b)        A Jersey Spearfishing Record claim form is available from the club, should a fish be a potential Jersey record. The Jersey Spearfishing Records are not restricted to club dives or club members.

 

11.  Banned fish

 

a)        The following species must not be submitted for weighing in at a competition: Lumpsucker, Electric ray, Stingray, Sunfish, Dogfish, Smoothhound, Spurdog, Tope, and Wrasse.

 

12.  Fish Size Limits

 

a)        Competitors must adhere to all Jersey Sea Fisheries Regulations. The minimum legal size limits (in length) for species are only current at their time of publication and can be changed at any time by the Fisheries Department. It is therefore the responsibility of the diver to keep up to date with current legal size limits.

b)        While snorkelling, the regulations prohibit the taking of any shellfish other than crabs and a license is required to take scallops.

c)        Minimum club sizes will apply to all fish weighed in at a competition. For each species, this size is well above the legal limit.

 

13.  Species size limits and specimen sizes