NSP:156 Bert Keulder | The Old Man Blue

Explicit content warning

05/21/21 • 102 min

Interview with Bert Keulder - The Old Man Blue Today's interview is with Bert Keulder - the Old Man Blue, as you may know him. He's done everything you can think of in the water, including being tossed into the air by a Great White shark! A well traveled, highly experienced spearo that is deeply in love with the ocean, he has done it all and has an absolute wealth of knowledge from his years growing up near Cape Town, South Africa and living, working and spearfishing all around the world throughout his life. We chat about his early childhood days being dragged around the kelp forests in the Atlantic on an inflated car tube, his days in the military playing underwater hockey to when he worked as a diamond miner along the West Coast of Africa, to living and diving in Fiji with commercial fishermen until finally settling down in WA where he lives and dives today. He is an excellent resource and spearos of any experience level can learn a lot from him. He also makes exceptionally high quality dive gear that is designed to work well and not stop working for a long, long time. If he can give you one piece of advice, ENJOY your diving, be relaxed and take your time and really enjoy the experience. Let us know what you think of today's episode and be sure to check out Important Times: 00:20 Intro 04:00 Welcome to Bert and chat about 06:02 Official welcome and Ben's email 07:50 Old Man Blue gear review 10:14 Estuary Cod bag design 11:24 Aqualyte 13:42 Eating and preparing for a dive day 15:21 How old are you - reflecting back on life 17:00 How did you start diving? 18:42 How has the ocean affected you? 20:40 Childhood diving and getting dragged around the kelp forests 22:52 Hunting Red Steenbras 24:10 My Octopus Teacher 25:52 Eric J Anderson episode 26:38 Diving alone 28:26 Younger divers vs the older generation 29:42 Stages of progression in your spearfishing 30:37 Diving today vs back in the day 33:07 Equipment 36:21 The evolution of spearfishing equipment 37:00 Emphasis on tools vs skills 38:14 The "scarcity mindset" 40:18 Bert's unsinkable dive boat - The Hallubaloo 43:10 Becoming a boat captain 45:04 Diving the inshore reefs 45:16 Best advice to prospective boat buyers 45:58 The Hallubaloo 46:46 Sage advice 47:00 Tell us about your boat 48:23 Rules on the boat 49:33 Sustainability and sharing spots 50:15 Don't be a cowboy 53:16 Sharing fish on the boat 54:26 Spearfishing as a team sport 56:11 A quick story with some more sage advice - the ocean will give you gifts 57:08 Bert's days in the military 58:44 Seal/Duiker Island in Houtbay 60:46 Diamond diving 64:06 Can I go dive for my own diamonds? 65:42 Travelling 69:39 The logo and Old Man Blue ethos 75:20 Hunting fish in WA 79:44 How do you slow yourself down? 82:38 Getting stuck and dealing with panic 84:43 Funny stories 89:39 Spearo Q&A: Single best piece of advice you've received Who is the most influential spearo for you? Scenario What is the spearfishing experience in one sentence? 92:35 Final advice 93:50 Bert's experience with sharks and getting tossed into the air by a Great White shark 100:10 Shrek's closing words Listen in and subscribe on iOS or Android Important Links Noob Spearo Partners and Discount Codes . Use the code NOOBSPEARO save $20 on every purchase over $200 at checkout – Flat shipping rate, especially in AUS! – Use the code NOOB10 to save 10% off anything store-wide. Free Shipping on USA orders over $99 | Simple, Effective, Dependable Wooden Spearguns. Use the Code NOOB to save $30 on any speargun:) Use the code NOOBSPEARO to save $25 on the full Penetrator Spearfishing Fin Range . 28-day Freediving Transformation (CODE: NOOB28 for 15% off) | Equalization Masterclass – Roadmap to Frenzel | Free Courses | Freediving Safety Course | How to Take a 25-30% Bigger Breath! | The 5 minute Freediver | Break the 10 Meter Barrier – Use the code NOOBSPEARO to save $ | ‘Spearo Dad’ | ‘Girls with Gills’ | ‘Jobfish Tribute’ Subscribe to the best spearfishing magazine in the world. International subscription available! . Listen to 99 Tips to Get Better at Spearfishing

Previous Episode

NSP:155 Aaron Edmonds the 17 y/o Slaying Spearfishing Statesman

Interview with Aaron Edmonds I recorded this interview live on a recent to South Australia. I stopped off on the way back to Melbourne in Portland, Victoria and got to chat to Aaron overlooking some of his pristine diving/lobster chasing grounds. This interview has heaps of great intel for people wanting to chase Southern Rock Lobster, Southern Bluefin Tuna or even just start spearing in the Victoria/South Australia area. Listen in to Aaron Edmonds share his story and stoke Important Times 04:00 Welcome to Aaron Edmonds - live in Portland, Victoria. Getting started spearfishing and a bit about his commercial diving experience. 08:45 Early lessons learned spearfishing 10:00 Chasing Lobster or Crayfish 21:30 Scary Moment | Cramping Out in a Cave 29:25 Funny Moments with Jamie 32:00 Underwater Photography | Catching the Bug 40:00 Southern Bluefin Tuna | The Learning Curve! 52:50 Taking out juniors and sharing the stoke 58:40 Spearo Q&A Who has been the most influential person in your spearfishing journey? What are the best spearfishing resources for new spearos? What is your dream spearfishing destination and fish? Could you describe what the spearfishing experience means to you in one sentence Listen in and subscribe on iOS or Android Important Links Noob Spearo Partners and Discount Codes . Use the code NOOBSPEARO save $20 on every purchase over $200 at checkout – Flat shipping rate, especially in AUS! – Use the code NOOB10 to save 10% off anything store-wide. Free Shipping on USA orders over $99 | Simple, Effective, Dependable Wooden Spearguns. Use the Code NOOB to save $30 on any speargun:) Use the code NOOBSPEARO to save $25 on the full Penetrator Spearfishing Fin Range . 28-day Freediving Transformation (CODE: NOOB28 for 15% off) | Equalization Masterclass – Roadmap to Frenzel | Free Courses | Freediving Safety Course | How to Take a 25-30% Bigger Breath! | The 5 minute Freediver | Break the 10 Meter Barrier – Use the code NOOBSPEARO to save $ | ‘Spearo Dad’ | ‘Girls with Gills’ | ‘Jobfish Tribute’ Subscribe to the best spearfishing magazine in the world. International subscription available! . Listen to 99 Tips to Get Better at Spearfishing

Next Episode

NSP:157 Harry Foster | the Master Chef Spearo

Interview with Harry Foster - the Master Chef Spearo Today's interview is with Harry Foster, the Masterchef Spearo! Apart from being an exceptional chef, he is also an absolute frother when it comes to spearing and has a passion for connecting the catching to the cooking. Learn some chef skills that every spearo should know, what kitchen utensils you should have and the biggest mistakes spearos make with fish in the kitchen! We've included two of the recipes mentioned in the show so you can go have a go yourself! Whether working as a chef on a remote island or out spearing or even just taking pictures, he has a wealth of knowledge on the natural world and the animals that live around him. His Instagram stories will show you exactly what we mean. We think you will enjoy today's episode and we hope that you will try the recipes! Let us know your thoughts in the comments! If you haven't seen his Instagram page yet, do yourself a favour and ! Also check out for some amazing recipes! Important Times: 01:00 Joe Murphy message 02:05 Old Man Blue voicenote 04:30 Welcome Harry Foster, how did you begin spearfishing? 05:58 Diving in Far North Queensland 07:42 How far away are you from the Great Barrier Reef? 08:55 The appeal of inshore reefs and bad conditions 10:02 What made you a hunter? 11:43 Dealing with saltwater crocodiles 14:56 Early obstacles 16:30 17:56 Spearfishing culture and the reason for the Noob Spearo podcast 20:10 Shooting his first footballer 22:50 Harry's spearfishing ethos 23:36 How did you get into photography? 24:52 Getting great shots 27:03 What has been your photography journey and what about Instagram? 29:44 Catch cook videos 30:50 The trouble with film making 32:28 What do you spend your time on? 35:21 You've accomplished a lot, let's talk about your chef skills 36:00 How did you become a chef? 37:26 Connecting the catching with the cooking 39:12 How to get great quality fish 41:08 What is the process of caring for your catch? 44:48 Dry aging 46:02 Slurry tips 48:20 What to do when you get home 51:16 What chef skills that every spearo should learn? 52:26 Using the whole animal 53:54 Using more of the fish 55:30 99 Spearo Recipes 56:48 Where to find Harry 57:50 Kingfish Ceviche 61:54 Octopus preparation 65:06 Great advice for cooking 35:38 Caring for the catch 66:22 My Octopus Teacher ( 68:03 What's in your gear bag? 70:00 Funny stuff 71:54 First Spanish Mackeral 73:25 Spearo Q&A Marine tattoos Favourite dive buddy Spearfishing in one sentance 77:52 Thanks and goodbye Recipes: Listen in and subscribe on iOS or Android Important Links Noob Spearo Partners and Discount Codes . Use the code NOOBSPEARO save $20 on every purchase over $200 at checkout – Flat shipping rate, especially in AUS! – Use the code NOOB10 to save 10% off anything store-wide. Free Shipping on USA orders over $99 | Simple, Effective, Dependable Wooden Spearguns. Use the Code NOOB to save $30 on any speargun:) Use the code NOOBSPEARO to save $25 on the full Penetrator Spearfishing Fin Range . 28-day Freediving Transformation (CODE: NOOB28 for 15% off) | Equalization Masterclass – Roadmap to Frenzel | Free Courses | Freediving Safety Course | How to Take a 25-30% Bigger Breath! | The 5 minute Freediver | Break the 10 Meter Barrier – Use the code NOOBSPEARO to save $ | ‘Spearo Dad’ | ‘Girls with Gills’ | ‘Jobfish Tribute’ Subscribe to the best spearfishing magazine in the world. International subscription available! . Listen to 99 Tips to Get Better at Spearfishing