1770 Classic - Queensland's #1 Spearfishing Competition

Who: Hosted by the Central Coast Skindivers Club (CCSC)

Where:Town of 1770/Agnes Waters, 5 hours north of Brisbane

What: A competition not to be missed

When: Sign-on Friday, July 13th 5.30-7.30pm. Competition day, weigh-in and presentation Saturday July 14th.

Why: Because it's our favourite competition in the whole of Australia! :)

It's the competition that we've been looking forward to for the past year - the CCSC 1770 Classic. Last year, the competition attracted over 40 keen spearos from all over Australia to the small town of 1770 - the closest launch spot to the Great Barrier Reef, north of Brisbane. The format of the competition has been praised by SDM, with no other same competition in Australia.

CCSC's 1770 Classic is a competition that focuses on quality, rather than quantity. Competitors are allowed to weigh in 3 fish from the species list, and they receive scores based on the percentage weight of that species when compared to the QLD spearfishing record - the closer your fish is to the record, the more points you receive. Competitors may also weigh in one separate fish for the Most Meritorious category.

Being able to weigh in just 4 quality fish for the day makes this an extremely selective, but challenging competition. Competitors must carefully consider which fish from the species list to target, shoot and weigh, making this competition a great one to test your selective spearfishing skills.

This year, CCSC has added another element to the competition called the 'honour start'. After signing on on the evening of Friday, July 13th, competitors will be allowed to head for their chosen diving spots at any time, ready to start diving at sun rise on the Saturday. This eliminates any advantage a faster boat may have in getting to the reef, as smaller boats are able to head out at their own pace.

Last years competition was an absolute blast and many high quality fish were weighed in including Barramundi, Fingermark, Trout, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, Golden Trevally, Queenfish, Emperor species, Sea Perch, Tuskfish, Kingfish and much much more.

If you are thinking of attending the 1770 Classic, you should RSVP on their facebook page. You will need  to be there on Friday night, July 13th, to sign on before 7.30pm. You can head out to the reef at any time once you have signed on, and begin diving at sunrise. Head back in for sign off before 4pm, enjoy the afternoon weigh-in, a bite to eat and then get cleaned up before a night of fun at Presentation on Saturday night at the Agnes Tavern. Sunday is free to pack up and head home, or head out to dive the reef again.

Competition entry is $50 and all competitors must be financial members of the AUF , which provides insurance should you have an accident while spearfishing or freediving - well worth it!

Click here for all of the competition info.