NSP:323 The Vision Behind the Australian Spearfishing Association | Tom Sandstrom, Rhys Clay & Sam Mumford

Three Noob Spearo instructors, one four-hour drive to 1770, and a conversation every Aussie spearo should hear. Tom Sandstrom is a Coffs Harbour reef hunter, a former president of the Coffs Harbour Blue Water Spearfishing Club and now a director of the brand-new Australian Spearfishing Association (ASA). Rhys Clay (No Viz Adventures) and Sam "the Waterman" Mumford keep him honest from the passenger seats. Tom explains why spearos have been split across half a dozen bodies for years, and how $10 a year puts your name on a register that fisheries managers can't ignore. He also takes on the proposed one-kingfish-per-boat limit and the blue groper imbalance on the Mid North Coast. In between there are caves holding 40 oversized crays, wahoo tips with a throw flasher, a 45-year-old Haines Hunter rebuilt from the shell up, and the night Rhys walked into the wrong bedroom on a retreat. If you hate politics but love spearfishing, start here. Important Timestamps 00:00:00: Shrek sets it up: a different kind of episode about the ASA, recorded in the car on the way to the 1770 retreat 00:02:00: Bert's voice message on NSP:321 with Matty Parker, and why the apprentice phase matters 00:03:00: No Shins passes his freediving course with an ear-care tip from the Sail x Spear podcast (flush, plus coconut oil the night before) and gives Eddie from Townsville Skindivers a shout 00:05:00: How to leave Shrek a voice message at noobspearo.com 00:06:00: Rhys introduces Tom Sandstrom and Sam the Waterman from the road 00:07:00: Tom's origin story: Dorrigo, Moonee Beach, seven kids, and diving almost only with his brothers Ollie and Liam 00:10:00: The Solitary Islands, where tropics meet temperate: coronation trout, red throat, mackerel, wahoo and the odd coral trout in Coffs 00:13:00: The Coffs Blue Water Classic daylight-saving blunder: 3am at the FAD, waiting an hour and a half for sunrise 00:14:00: Coral in a kelp forest: how the EAC delivers tropical visitors to North Solitary Island 00:16:00: XL cray honey holes: caves stacked with 20–40 oversized eastern rock lobsters, and when they come back in 00:19:00: Tom's red throat emperor in 13–14m, and why it might be Australia's most beautiful fish 00:21:00: No blackspot tuskfish south of the border, and the blue groper competition theory 00:22:30: Blue groper protection and ecosystem imbalance: "They're a resource. Let's eat 'em." 00:24:30: Why the ASA exists: putting every spearo in the country under one banner 00:26:00: How representation works now: split bodies, conflicts of interest, and the 12–18 month transition to thousands of members 00:28:00: Directors, keeping Australia's spearfishing records, and the new ASA app 00:29:30: Insurance explained: about $70 a year and year-round sanctioned events that cover you on an ordinary dive day 00:31:30: The $10 social membership, and fighting emotional decisions "made in the city because they don't like a picture" 00:33:00: The ASA advocacy tab: every issue, your local member and the documents you need 00:35:00: Tom's Haines Hunter 565C rebuild: hull extension, a Yamaha 250, and Tony Payne doing the worst of the fibreglass 00:39:30: Wahoo tips: the 22–25°C sweet spot, drifting wide of the pressure point, a throw flasher and no burley 00:42:30: Sharks around Coffs, more whites, and the case for shooting small sharks 00:44:30: "If you wanna be sustainable, shoot the shark, not the jewfish": mulloway and the fish hierarchy 00:46:30: The kingfish one-per-boat proposal and the 5.5% stock figure, compared with what divers are seeing 00:48:30: What happens next: solo boats, Queensland's mackerel changes, and snapper slot limits under consultation 00:51:00: Why kingfish are a great hunting school and fight harder than Spanish mackerel 00:52:00: Marlin buck fever: two shot, none landed 00:53:30: Coffs launching: a silted-up ramp, beach launching and Darcy's tractor 00:59:00: Coffs pearl perch at 3–4kg, and some banter aimed at Tim McDonald 01:02:30: Tom's pitch: head to the ASA website and sign up for $10 a year 01:03:30: Why spearos started teaching spear