Views #36 | High Intermediate 6

Spear Fishing

Michael talks about hunting fish without a fishing pole.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Michael	Todd

Todd: OK. Michael, you are into spear fishing.

Michael: Yes, I enjoy going spear fishing

Todd: OK. Can you talk about that a bit?

Michael: Yeah, sure. Spear fishing basically is a sport that you dive under the water with the aid of flippers, wet suit and weights but you don't use oxygen at all. It's all-- you hyperventilate before you go down to get your oxygen levels up then you dive down.

Yeah, then you have to you sometimes hide under rocks or actually stalk the fish and when you see a species that is edible and of legal size you can catch the fish

Todd: Oh, Wow. Now spear fishing, does that mean you throw the spear?

Michael: No, you use spear guns which uses surgical rubber to propel the spear you just pull it down to cock it. It's kind of like a crossbow without the cross piece at the front.

Todd: So do you ever see sharks down there?

Michael: Yeah, you occasionally see sharks. It depends on where you are. You see a lot of.. there are some sharks called wobbegongs which are harmless sharks and they are actually quite friendly, they won't attack you but if you've caught some fish and you keep them on your purse and the blood goes into the water it can attract bigger sharks. And a few times when we've been spear fishing, we've actually had the sharks come down and take the fish while we're there and it's a little bit scary but the sharks themselves are.. they just sit there and watch you in the water. They're kind of like dogs, they're scary because they follow you and they look at you, and you turn around and they'll be sitting there looking at you. So most of the time we like to.. when we catch the fish, to keep the blood out of the water. We put them on a float that floats a fair way away from actually where you are fishing as a safety precaution but if you know..of course, you see too many sharks you just get out of the water...but now, it's nice and exciting.

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

spear fishing

I enjoy going spear fishing.

'Spear fishing' is when you try to catch fish with a long stick that has a sharp point at then end of it. You catch them by stabbing this stick or spear through their bodies. Many times this type of fishing is done from the water instead of a boat. Notice the following:

He is excellent at spear fishing.
I have never been spear fishing before, but I would like to try it.

with the aid of

Spear fishing is a sport you do with the aid of flippers and a wet suit.

If you perform an action 'with the aid of' something or someone this person or thing helps you succeed in what you are trying to do. Notice the following:

They painted their house with the aid of their family and friends.
I passed the class with the aid of extra tutoring classes.

stalk (the fish)

You have to hide behind rocks or stalk the fish.

To 'stalk' something is to follow it, usually in a hidden manner, until you have the opportunity to attack. Notice the following:

We watched the cat stalk the bird.
He used to spend hours stalking animals through the forest.

of legal size

If you see a species that is edible and of legal size, you can catch it.

When trying to catch fish or hunt other animals there are laws about what size the animal must be. The government does not want you killing animals that are too big or too small because they are trying to control the animal population. A fish 'of legal size' isn't too big or too small. Notice the following:

Does this fish look of legal size to you?
The man received a ticket because his deer wasn't of legal size.

a fair way away or safety precaution

We put the fish on a float a fair way away as a safety precaution.

If something is 'a fair way away' from you it is a safe, comfortable of relatively long distance away. Something you do to protect yourself from danger is a 'safety precaution.' Notice the following: