NSP:156 Bert Keulder | The Old Man Blue

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