A Look at Eden 3 Way State Titles 2014
Thank you to the Eden competition organisers for this great blog on the events of the Eden spearfishing competition.
The lead up to this years’ competition had a rocky start with unfavourable conditions forecast for the planned day, Sunday 8th June. It was decided by the organising committee, on Wednesday, to move the event to the Saturday. It was a risk that the news would reach all interested parties however after receiving over 1 000 hits on the Facebook announcement we were pretty confident we had spread the word. Social media has opened up new possibilities of spreading news fast and this has definite advantages.
111 competitors made this the largest Eden comp in many years!
Many had a rush down the coast Friday after work and an early rise on Saturday for registration. By 8am it became apparent that we had a large field of competitors, in fact with 111 divers it was one of the biggest events for many years. An impressive 42 boats, 20 junior/ sub juniors and 14 master/grand master competitors took part. The conditions were calm and comfortable with sunshine all day. All the main species were available so it was important to have a decent size. Unusual species were a bit harder this year so it was the divers who could bring in a combination of something different plus a good weight in the’ bread and butter’ fish that top scored. Almost all divers agreed it was a great day out on the water but for some it was a bit harder with restricted visibility in some spots.
ADRENO junior diver, Josh Green, with a nice Bream
All competitors put in a great effort and the event ran smoothly even though there were a few discussions about hybrids at the weigh in table. The weigh in lasted into dusk, and the clean- up crew worked under lights to pack up. The presentation was held as originally planned on Sunday night and the general feeling was that the divers enjoyed Sunday relaxing or spending time with family. The presentation night was a great success at the Great Southern Hotel, with over $6 000 in prizes and around 100 people attending. This is always a highlight of the weekend as some people only see each other once a year at this event and many were still socialising long into the night.
Over $6,000 in prizes including $2,500 of gear from us!
The decision to move the event to Saturday was carefully considered and in the end it was the best outcome. Unfortunately some divers were not able to make the Saturday due to work commitments but as it turned out had the date not been changed the competition would have been postponed due to the gale force wind warning that came up for Sunday. The response to a Saturday event was so positive it will be up for discussion in the early planning for 2015. Full Results are available on the USFA website. For more images of the day check out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/90996486@N07/sets/72157645202102315/
Some of the top competitors with their trophies
The top ladies competitors
Top 10
| 1 | 961.20 | Murray Peterson | Senior | 100.00% |
| 2 | 899.75 | Jess 'Zappo' Falzon | Veteran | 93.61% |
| 3 | 896.70 | Garth Byron | Senior | 93.29% |
| 4 | 893.30 | Aaron Puckeridge | Junior | 92.94% |
| 5 | 890.11 | Cain Wiki | Intermediate | 92.60% |
| 6 | 856.90 | Peter Riddle | Veteran | 89.15% |
| 7 | 815.00 | Troy Lilliendal | Veteran | 84.79% |
| 8 | 801.30 | Gunther Pfrengle | Master | 83.36% |
| 9 | 793.45 | Jack Lavender | Intermediate | 82.55% |
| 10 | 789.10 | Matthew Poulton | Senior | 82.10% |
Rock Hopper – Lachlan Green
Ladies – Taylah Martindale
Most Species was 18 – Aaron Puckeridge
Most Meritorious Senior Fish- Troy Liliendal 149.4pts, Silver Trevally
Most meritorious fish
Most Meritorious Junior fish – Aaron Puckeridge 90.8pts , Silver Trumpeter
