Benny's Spearfishing & Scuba Diving
Introducing you to my young days of Spear-fishing, I will tell you how it first begun. Remember we young school boys every afternoon went to the band stand enjoying swimming and diving from the water front.
I loved underwater diving and spent most of my time diving to the bottom sometimes telling folks to throw something and I would dive and collect.
One afternoon I noticed two Englishmen swimming with masks and snorkel further out in the deep. I got inquisitive and swam out to them only to see one of them dived underwater with a spear gun and a few minutes following them, one came up with a small fish attached to the end of the spear. My eyes and mind went crazy and when I went home I told my dad and mum what I had seen but they showed no interest.
At the week-end I went to the sports shop if you remember called Jaimex who sold diving equipment and bought myself a mask and snorkel but could not afford the Champion spear gun.
The following day back at the band stand swimming was like a dream with the mask where everything underwater was crystal clear and I could see all the small fish swimming.
This was the beginning to my underwater diving and soon after beg and borrow I managed to get myself a Champion spear gun.
Few days later I came home with a few fish I speared which shocked my parents only to follow on where our neighbours told my dad I should not take up this sport as it was dangerous.
My dad agreed with them and stopped me from spear-fishing and I begged my dad to allow me saying exactly these words I will never forget. 'Dad please let me dive and spearfish and if you do I will never take up drinking or smoking' - between the two evils my dad decided to allow me to spear-fish and this was the beginning to my new life underwater which lives with me forever and with some of the experiences. (I certainly never took up drinking nor smoking if you all remember). If I ever told you all about my wild life underwater and chances taken chasing fish under some of the underwater caves and experience with some of the big game, you would say Benito you are lucky to be alive. 'The Good Lord looks after me'.
With the promise of never drinking or smoking, I was allowed to play for the late Eustace Pereira's dance band STARDUST which was another dream for me and until this day I still manage and run two function bands 'Black Velvet' & 'Velvet Touch'
Below are just a few photographs of my spear fishing days in Zanzibar. I only wish I could find all the other photographs of cray fish and other big game I managed to spear whilst going wild in the sea. I hopefully will add some more in due course and you will have a chance to read some of my adventure stories I had written. Don’t forget to check other links like Shell Collecting and many more other links connected to Paradise Zanzibar.
Best regards - Benny (BenitoDe Souza)
P.S. PHOTOGAPHS ADDED AT RANDOM - INTRODUCING YOU TO MY EARLY DAYS OF DIVING, SPEARING LITTLE FISH AND MOVING TO THE BIG GAME. MORE TO FOLLOW AND BRIEF EXPLANATION of Spearfishing techniques WILL FOLLOW.
CLICK ON THE NEWSPAPER CUTTING FOR LARGER VIEWING.
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BENITO ORGANISES FIRST SPEAR FISHING COMPETITION WELL PRESCRIBED BY MOST OF THE DIVERS IN ZANZIBAR.
PHOTOGRAPHS TO FOLLOW AND RULES OF THE COMPETION WILL BE ADDED.
PRIZE FOR THE LARGEST FISH AND FOR A DIVER WITH THE MOST FISH.
PRESENTATION BY MY MUM
LAURIE DE SOUZA
https://benitosspearfishing.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html
INTRODUCING SCUBA DIVING WITH VIDEO CLIPS AND MORE PICTURES TO FOLLOW SOON.
BENNY TAKING MOVIES WHILST BUDDY IAN MOSELEY TAKING STILL PHOTOGRAPHS. PHOTOS BY IAN MOSELEY.
or link below
KEEPING
IN TOUCH WITH SPECIAL DIVING FRIENDS
SAMIR
KHARUSI WRITES to Benito
Just
to let you know that my youngest daughter is crazy about scuba diving. See
photo taken somewhere in Indonesia. She spent summer of 2016 doing an ECO
course in Barbados. And became a vegetarian. Expecting to get her BSc in Earth
System Science next summer from McGill University in Montreal. Hoping
thereafter to do an MSc on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. And then become
a beach beauty as a dive instructor on some small island somewhere in the Pacific.
She read your blog and said "Well, he lived his dream..."
Benny writes -
CONGRATULATIONS YOUNG SCUBA DIVER NAILA
CONGRATULATIONS YOUNG SCUBA DIVER NAILA
Enjoy a great
time Scuba Diving as there is no better sport in the world than Underwater
Diving.
I am ready to
join you!! As my dream for diving will never die.
Wishing you Every Success in all your studies and achievements.
Regards - Benito
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Salim & Nassra Kharusi visit Benny & Betty 2008 followed by Captain Abdulla Karusi meeting up with Benito in Zanzibar May 2013.
....
Dear Special friends from Oman & Zanzibar
For the first time Betty and I were greeted with special friends from OMAN, Muscat - a very pleasant surprise.
Salim Kharusi and his wife Nassra with their naphew Sami visited us at 5 Parklands Way, Worcester Park, Surry with special guests Derek, Diana and Patsy de Lord.
What a special reunion this was, first of all Benny meeting up with Salim Kharusi after 44 years.
For a little background, Salim is the brother of the late Muthir Kharusi who unfortunately drowned in Zanzibar during a Spear Fishing trip off Chumbe Island.
19-year-old Muthir Kharusi, eldest son of Sheikh Hamoud Kharusi, was a member of one of the oldest and most respected families of Zanzibar, and a keen member of Zanzibar's Sports Board.
Special guests Derek, Diana and Patsy who joined us at a luncheon party made it a perfect get-together where Derek was the main man 'bringing back all the memories and contacts of folks in Zanzibar' and how he knew everyboday, only to discover that Salim's wife Nassra was his next door neighbour in Zanzibar. Salim, Nassra and Derek had so much to talk about as Derek and Diana who also visited Oman had met up our unlimited Arab friends from Zanzibar.
The world is getting closer together with us meeting from all over the Globe.
Short video clip on YouTube click link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&v=hV_pMe0wxPI&hl=en-GB
MY YOUTUBE video of Derek, Salim and Nassra.
Please click and view a few
photographs taken at Benny & Betty's
(Regret photographs temporarily lost on Kodak Gallery).
Thanks for viewing.
Regards
Benny
CAPTAIN ABDULLA M. AL-KHARUSI
in Zanzibar - May 2013
Whilst on a short visit in Zanzibar (May 2013) I was privileged to meet up with Captain Abdulla Kharusi and his wife at their home in Zanzibar were we talked about the good old days. A few photographs attached below.
Captain Abdulla M. Al-Karusi (above) from Zanzibar/Oman has been a Pilot for 35 years
with Gulf Air & Oman Air, and currently training Police Pilots in Oman.
WHILST ON HOLIDAY IN BARBADOS - I COULD NOT RESIST A BIT OF DIVING. MANAGED TO BORROW A SPEAR GUN AND ALL I COULD CATCH
WERE SOME SMALL FISH WHILST
BETTY, MERLIN, KEN & OSSIE WATCHED FROM A GLASS BOTTOM BOAT.
GUIDELINE TO SPEARFISHING –
VISITING THE BEST REEFS AT THE RIGHT TIME.
The big secret of
spearfishing is to go to the right reefs around Zanzibar at the right Tide and
Time where you catch the incoming Tide. This is mainly when deep diving in
channels following the big game like Barracuda, Lynx (Karambisi), King Fish and
the odd grey sharks.
Channel diving involves
being at the reef with the incoming tide before sunset and the secret is just
dive down, restrict movement whilst holding your breath underwater around 35-40
below the surface and the big game moving in shoals will come right in front of
you and you pick the one you wish. (Benny always went for the biggest).
To enable me to plan my
dives every month, I used the TIDE TABLE copy below for quick viewing.
Normal reef diving for
Grouper, Red Snapper, Parrot fish and other reef fish is no problem but again
the best time is during the incoming tide.
My diving dream came to an
end in 1964 when I left Zanzibar for the UK and later took up Scuba diving and
under water photography. You will see some video clips on my website in due
course.
P.S. The secret of deep
diving and holding your breath underwater will be disclosed on this web page to
assist others still fortunate to be spear-fishing on our tropical island
Zanzibar and across the Caribbean.
Now as a Scuba diver, we
avoid touching or damaging coral and the dream for spear fishing has long
gone.
SHELL COLLECTING:
Do check out my Shell
collecting web page and view part of my shell collection. Again the secret of
collecting rare valuable shells is revealed. Another hobby I enjoyed mainly
assisting my mum who was a great shell collector.
BENNY'S KOI AT OUR HOME IN LONDON
MORE PHOTOGRAPHS TO FOLLOW SHORTLY
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scuba Diving Equipment
SCUBA DIVING EQUIPMENT
(Only qualified divers phone for quotation).
BENNY'S SCUBA DIVING EQUIPMENT TO INCLUDE
UNDERWATER SONY HOUSING 40 MTRS WATERPROOF.
SONY CAMERA WITH WIDE ANGLE LENS INCLUDED.
CANNOT GUARANTEE THE CAMERA AS IT HAS
BEEN USED FOR A LONG TIME TAKING
FAMILY MOVIES AS WELL.
Most video cameras may not fit into the underwater camera
housing which may mean making special changes to fit into
the housing shoe. Take
note that most of the old video cameras are not easily available as they
are out of date. (Not suitable for beginners as only a pro who knows
about underwater photography will know how to adapt). Wide angle lens
included.
SCUBA TANK FREE WITH WHOMEVER BUYS DIVING EQUIPMENT BUT NEEDS TO BE TESTED AND PASSED.
UNDERWATER WATCH 200 MTRS WATERTIGHT NEEDS NEW BATTERY. PREVIOUSLY SERVICED AND IN BRAND NEW CONDITION. Will obtain battery only from Specialist dive shops.
UNDERWATER COMPUTER SOLD BUT SOFTWARE AND HOUSING TO DOWNLOAD DIVE PROFILES AVAILABLE.
OPERATING MANUALS FOR UNDERWATER CAMERA INCLUDED.
FULL INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED.
VIEW VIDEO CLIP OF CAMERA USED - DIVING IN ZANZIBAR. See Canberra Link and Video on YouTube.
WILL SPLIT EQUIPMENT BUT BCD REGULATOR AND ACCESSORIES CANNOT BE SPLIT.
EQUIPMENT ONLY SOLD TO QUALIFIED BSACS OR PADI DIVERS.
DIVING BOOKS SOLD INDIVIDUALLY BUT FREE FOR ANYONE WHO PURCHASES THE BCD JACKET, REGULATOR, RESERVE TANK AND UNDERWATER CAMERA HOUSING.
PHONE BENNY TO DISCUSS YOUR CHOICE.
BEST OFFER FOR FIRST COME FIRST SERVE.
PLEASE CLICK ON ANY PHOTOGRAPH TO
VIEW FULL PAGE WHICH WILL ALSO
PROVIDE A SLIDESHOW DISPLAY.
UNDERWATER WATCH £45.00 NEEDS NEW BATTERY WHICH HAS TO BE FITTED BY SPECIALISTS ARRANGED VIA DIVE SHOPS.
SALE FOR SCUBA DIVING EQUIPMENT
OFFERED AT SPECIAL PRICES FOR ITEMS OF INTEREST. JUST PHONE FOR A QUOTE.
DONT MISS OUT ON THE SPECIAL SALE PRICES. COME AND VIEW ALL EQUIPMENT.
VIEW UNDERWATER MOVIE TAKEN WITH ABOVE SONY VIDEO CAMERA.
DIVERS - PADI INSTRUCTOR IAN MOSELEY & BENNY
Click on the link below
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