The Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup 2025: Everything You Need To Know
What is the Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup?
The Kingfish Cup is about spearing a Kingfish, over one weekend in Sydney’s prime Kingfish season, traditionally this is late October through November.
Where is the Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup held?
“Greater Sydney” is the area entrants may enter. It stretches from Blacksmith's North Rock wall in the Central Coast to Bass Point in the South covering just over 250 kilometres of coastline. Weigh in stations are at Adreno Sydney itself, Little Manly in Sydney Harbour, both Terrigal and Norah Head on the Central Coast, and of course Wollongong too.
Who enters the Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup 2025?
Such a wide-ranging demographic of both age, sex, and area. Going on recent years, we are expecting over 200 spearfishers entering including sub juniors from 14 years of age, right up to Grand Masters (over 65s). Ladies' entries have been strong (9 ladies competed last year). Divers come from as far as Queensland to fish the event. Those who are not competitively focused also fish the Kingfish Cup. We also get relative newcomers fish the Kingfish Cup, some of which spearing their first kingfish in the event.
To participate in the 2024 Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup, you need to be a USFA member and then pay the $30 Kingfish Cup fee.
If you are not already a USFA member, you can get a $110 yearly membership (which will give you automatic 10% discount at Adreno) or a temporary membership for the weekend of the comp for $30.
To join the USFA or to register for the Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup, visit the Register Page.
How does it work?
The USFA runs the event, we work with the Adreno Sydney team, and it has been a successful partnership. Prior to the event, some 8 days before, we host a “get together” at Adreno – putting on some great food - one of our members creates amazing paella, we explain the simple rules, we have guest speakers (spearfishing gurus) that discuss kingfish habits and hunting tips, and this year we have some great scientific data being divulged on Kingfish by a team that is tracking fish via satellite.
A great social night that includes several prizes being given out, for the attendees, and for the early bird registrants, including one major prize (to be announced). Since the running of the inaugural event in 2019 we have seen great registration numbers from 180 to well over 300 entrants, thus it requires a lot of organising from an efficient team.
Entrants register online, they are given details of the event and how to “sign on” and “sign off” (any times between 0800 and 1600 you may fish multiple times on a day) on each day – (some entrants fish only one day) this lets organisers know who is in the water and importantly when they are back out – safety is paramount! On safety, the organisers also make the decision to postpone the fishing days if the weather is decided to be inclement. The fish are weighed in at the weigh stations. We try to keep the weights discreet to build some atmosphere for the presentation night, the Thursday following the event.
The event is ethical! Sustainable too!
Kingfish are in healthy numbers along Australia’s east coast. Take 2024, when we held the Cup over two days, we had 297 divers in the water for approximately 1106 hours of effort, of the fish that were caught it worked out to over 50.2 hours of effort per fish, with an average weight of 11.7 kilograms per fish. Spearfishing is amazing!
ADRENO SYDNEY KINGFISH CUP DATES TO REMEMBER
Information night:Thursday 30th October, Adreno Sydney.
To kick off the biggest event on Sydney's spearfishing seasonal calendar, we host a social & information night to bring the community together under one roof to set the scene for the following weekends event.
This Kingfish cupwas born out of necessity, a competition built to bring our communities together in a sustainable and ethically focused competition with divers from all around Australia participating. A competition driven by inclusion, from the most experienced to aspiring greenhorns learning the ropes and piecing it together. This is what spearfishing is all about. Mateship, adventure, respect for the fishery and healthy competition.
The Kingfish Cup has been an outstanding success in achieving all of this.
A Q&A panel with Kingfish gurus such as last year’s Champion Matt Gaffeny and former champion Grayson Hinrichs, and legends like Bob McComb, Derrick Cruz. The night's goal is to share experiences and knowledge around Sydney Spearfishing with a focus on the Yellowtail Kingfish species. NSW Fisheries Kingfish experts will be in attendance and present some great Kingfish findings on the night, and again, Fisheries scientists will be in attendance at the weigh ins to record the captures for their invaluable research.
An evening meal catered by the Paella King Rico, throw in some sensational door prizes for those in attendance on the night, and for those who early bird register for the Cup, the night is shaping up to be a ripper.
This social event will be bigger than the Cup itself!!
Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup: 8 - 9th November
Get ready for two days of pure action! Spearos will be hitting the water across 300km of the Central Coast, chasing their best catches. Then they'll head down to the weigh-ins and cheer on as we celebrate their big achievements.
The Awards & Presentation Night: Thursday 13th November from 17:30 pm
Another fantastic social evening, where many of the entrants gather, again at Adreno Sydney Superstore, mingle and talk about the one that got away, while enjoying some quality food while anticipating the results. Sponsors for the event are amazing and the 2024 event saw over $15 000 of prizes given out we are on track for a similar prize pool.
GREAT PRIZES UP FOR GRABS
- Heaviest Kingfish Opens - 1st to 15th place
- Ladies - 1st to 5th place
- Juniors - 1st to 5th place
- Rockhoppers Category
- Mystery Weights - Kingfish weight closest to the weight drawn
- Mystery Ticket prizes
Mystery Weight shall be determined by a non-competitor drawing a weight “out of a hat” at the presentation evening. The five closest to the mystery weight shall receive the prizes. The Open category's heaviest fish will not be included in the Mystery Weight, nor will the Lucky Door entrant major prize winner.
ADRENO SYDNEY KINGFISH CUP COMPETITION RULES AND INFORMATION
Kingfish Cup Regulations
This is a fun, easy event to take part of! Go diving, spear a kingish, weigh it in at a weigh station and be in the chance to get a prize, no matter the size of the legal kingfish.
However, there are some guidelines that need to be adhered to so we have a smooth running event to occur.
- Fishing Boundaries - Fish can ONLY be taken between Blacksmith's North Rock wall & Bass Point (fishing outside this area will result in your disqualification).
- Signing on daily for the event - letting us know you are going to dive on that day. Once you have registered online for the Kingfish Cup (ensuring you have entered your mobile number and email in your registration). On the days you choose to dive you will still need to let us know when you are entering the water, and approximately where you will be, and how long you expect to be diving for. This process is the “sign on” You will need to sign on https://adrenosydneykingfishcup.com.au/SignOn (the green button) your intent to dive on each of the days that you choose to fish (you may fish either one, or both, of the days of the Kingfish Cup.) You may dive multiple locations, just please remember and this is important to “sign off”
- Signing off for the day - letting us know you are safely back. You need to let us know you are back on land so we do not contact services to go looking for you and to save you from being disqualified!https://adrenosydneykingfishcup.com.au/SignOff (the red button). If you do not sign off by 4:00 PM, you will be disqualified by the committee, and emergency services called to locate you. Please press the “RED” button to sign off! Log back on to the website to sign on
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Weighing in your Kingfish - Your Kingfish must be weighed-in at one of the nominated non contact weigh-in stations.
- Location 1: Adreno Sydney Store - 1 / 678-682 Botany Rd, Alexandria
Opens 10 – 5 pm - Location 2: Norah Head Sporties – Victoria St, Norah Head
Opens 1 – 5 pm - Location 3: Terrigal - Boat Ramp
Opens 1 – 5 pm - Location 4: Little Manly – Boat ramp - Craig Ave Manly
Opens 1 – 5 pm - Location 5: Wollongong Area - TBC
Opens 1 – 5 pm ( if you plan to fish out of Wollongong and would like to weigh in there, please contact the phone number on this website; there is a USFA Wollongong member who will weigh your fish in for you between 1-5 pm on each day.)
- Location 1: Adreno Sydney Store - 1 / 678-682 Botany Rd, Alexandria
Other things to note
- You are allowed to enter one kingfish per day the The float and Alpha flag must be used by the diver
- Fish landed by the one diver is to be weighed in by that diver only; no one else shall weigh in another diver’s fish for themselves.
- Do not enter the water before 0800
- Sign on each day
- Sign off each day before 1600
- No line fishing from boat or shore
- Dive only in the permitted areas as per NSW Fisheries regulations.
- You must comply with all current NSW health orders
- Any issues that may arise, the organisers will revert to the Sydney Zone Spearfishing event rules for guidance.
- Prizes are for Open, Ladies and Junior categories, and, their will be 3 Mystery Weight prizes, and prizes for attending the presentation evening at Adreno.
- The “OPEN” category means everyone. The Ladies, self-explanatory. Juniors under 18 years of age on the date of each day's event.
- Mystery Weight shall be determined by a non-competitor drawing a weight “out of a hat” at the presentation evening. The three closest to the mystery weight shall receive the prizes. The Open category's heaviest fish will not be included in the Mystery Weight, nor will the Lucky Door entrant's major prize winner.
