David Wilson
Contributor
Israel as a Spearfishing Country
By JUSTUS MEYER, Nahariya, Israel
By JUSTUS MEYER, Nahariya, Israel
Israel is on the map as a spearfishing country — definitely on the map. First there was a small group of spearfishermen in Haifa with several years’ experience, who founded last year the “Israel Underwater Fishing and Research Society”. They are about 10 to 15 people who were content to go fishing with what equipment they chanced to get from somewhere through acquaintances and friends in other countries or traveling themselves. (Israel has a currency problem and imported goods are hard to get.)
Then, last summer, there was a young man, living in Nahariya, a summer resort north of Acre on the seashore. He read about spearfishing and started to make his own equipment. He made it quite good and his friends asked him to make something for them, too. The thing expanded and so, today, there is a small factory for equipment which is marketed under the trademark “Dagon”. (“Dag” is Hebrew for fish and “Dagon” is said to have been the name of the ancient Phoenician god of the sea.)
And now, with Israel equipment ready on the market, Israel has it like a rash. The seashore is very good for spearfishing — there is no difficulty to catch something. Recently a member of the newly founded Nahariya Club got a jewfish of 9 kg (near to 20-lbs.) and established a record for this club. The biggest catch to date is said to be 26 kg by the former Italian Consul in Haifa. By the way, lest somebody should think all fish are “jewfish” in this country, fisheries here have been an exclusively Arab occupation up to about 20 years ago and you usually call the fish with Arabic names. Quite romantically a jewfish is called a “Da’our”; then there are mullets called “Boury” and another kind called “Sultan Ibrahim”; the shark is called “Kalb il Bahr” and so on.
There is no lack of variety and with growing experience should bring some record catches. Already the club is planning a competition with other clubs for the autumn. But so far there is no question as to the winners: the Haifa Club, having more experience, should easily get as much as all the others together.
A few words about the seashore here: In the northern part you have a rocky stretch from Acre, the ancient Acco, up to Ras en Nakura, with Nahariya as the center of it. There you have a lot of easy ground near the shore and for more ambitious people farther out, a reef. To stay you can have the whole range, starting from a tenting ground in a small woodland passing a couple of comfortable pensions and hotels in Nahariya up to the Dolphin House Hotel of international standard. South of Haifa there are a lot of fishing spots of which I know as far south as Kissarya, the ancient port of Caesarea where you find ancient granite columns of Roman times in the port area, now scarcely used by a few fishing boats. But I am told that in Askelon of Philistine fame there is spearfishing ground, too. Of Tel Aviv I am told there are some wrecks good to be fished about.
Fishing time is practically from March to October, without rubber suits, not yet locally manufactured. With rubber suits there must be excellent fishing on quiet winter days. One member of the Nahariya Club went the whole winter through. He doesn’t need a rubber suit, using his own upholstery as sufficient protection against the cold. And he had good results. The best months though are mid-April to mid-June and September-October. In these months there blows an easterly wind, much dreaded by the general population, because of its hot, dry desert characteristics. But this year, probably for the first time in history, a lot of people prayed for this “Khamsseen”. For with a Khamsseen blowing the sea is as smooth as a billiard table.
Spearfishing equipment made by “Dagon”, Nahariya, Israel. Money exchange problems made it necessary for this young country to design and manufacture their own underwater equipment. Photo by Eli Bar On.
HAIM LEVIN and a 21-lb. black grouper. Photo by Eli Bar On, Israel.
