History and mission:

The London International Club ("LIC") was founded on 8th October 1999 by a group of friends and passionate spearfishermen in London. During the following years the Club grew rapidly to become the largest spearfishing Club in the United Kingdom, with over 40 members, and by far the most international, with over 10 nationalities represented. The Club is a non-for-profit organisation and is purely devoted to supporting its members and promoting breath-hold diving and Spearfishing in England and internationally. Spearfishing is a fascinating sport which entails diving under water and hunting selected species of fish with the help of a speargun, typically powered by rubbers. Spearfishermen dive without the help of any breathing apparatus and hunt the fish in their environment; this makes the sport very challenging and natural. Spearfishing is also one of the most environmental friendly fishing techniques as divers see their pray before hunting it and only catch adult fish. Spearfishermen typically catch only a few fish for dinner and by law are prohibited from selling any fish.

Activities:

The Club was originally established in 1999 for several reasons. First and foremost it had become apparent that there was a large community of people living in and around London that shared the common passion for Spearfishing and Free Diving. It was also apparent that there was no existing association in London able to fulfil the demanding needs of this group. Due to the difficulty of living in or near London, far from the sea and, for many members, far from their home country, it was agreed that the Club would act as the centre point for many activities. Today the Club is involved in organising and coordinating a large variety of events and activities, including:

» Organising Club dives all around the UK, with boats or from the shore

» Facilitating the share of transport, boats, magazines/videos or finding diving partners

» Sharing local knowledge about weather conditions, tides, fish and dive sites

» Organising social events, including the annual Club BBQ and prize giving, visiting the London Acquarium, local fish markets or various Diving Exhibitions

» Organising international spearfishing trips

» Organising Club meetings

» Coaching beginners

Several Club members participate in the UK Spearfishing Championship, both individually and in Teams. The London International Club also organises at least one Spearfishing Competition every year valid for the UK Championship. Through some of its members the Club is also able to provide access to top quality spearfishing gear at very competitive prices Due to the high international profile of the Club, from the beginning it was agreed that the club should not only focus on the UK spearfishing activities but also provide its members with access to many spearfishing locations around the world. As a result the Club regularly organises many successful international spearfishing and freediving trips drawing on the wide network of contacts and knowledge of its UK and foreign members. Previous trips included South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, France, Australia, New Zealand and of course the United Kingdom. Futhermore the Club maintains a network of good relationships with other spearfishing clubs worldwide, including Bluefins in New Zealand, Wahoo Club in South Africa, Provence Club in France and Apnea Team in Italy.

Officers:

Chairman: Mike Bradshaw

Secretary: Paolo de Michelis

Dive Officer: Paul Maxwell

Membership Secretary: John Costa

Treasurer: George Balbino

Records Officer: Glenn Cooke

Club photo/video cameram: Garbhan Shanks

Website editors: Paolo de Michelis, Anthony Vigneron, Ross Gilfillan

Fees and membership

Our annual membership fee offers great value for money and costs only GBP15 per year, payable in January or at the time of joining the Club. We also encourage members to join the British Spearfishing Association ("BSA") for an extra GBP25 per year, which gives them access to cheap dive insurance and the possibility to compete in the UK Spearfishing Championship

For more information please see the Contact us section of our website

Next Page: Conservation

[Site Map]