Our Hosts and Guides
Eric Allard and Nigel Spencer founded Extreme Blue Water Spearfishing in Tanzania in 2009. Born and raised along the East African coastline of Kenya, both Eric and Nigel started spearfishing at an early age. They pursued the sport during their teens and adulthood and are, arguably, the most experienced spearfishing guides you will find along the East African coast. In addition to guiding trips themselves, Eric and Nigel carefully hand pick additional guides to assist them in providing high quality and experienced guiding to all those who join our charters.
Eric Allard
Born in Mombasa, Kenya, Eric grew up on Kenya’s beaches. Already an avid fisherman at age 6, Eric fished for octopus, lobster, and sole in shallow low tide pools. With his first speargun at age 8, Eric ventured into deeper water for Grouper, Parrot fish, Snapper, Wrasse, and Lobster. Under the guidance of his older and just as avid spearo childhood best friend, William Bland, at age 13 Eric was going deeper for bigger Snapper, GTs, Golden Trevally, Grouper, and King Mackerel.Eric has dived most of Tanzania’s coastline and is a Spearfishing Guide since 2009 when he started Extreme Blue Water Spearfishing.
He is, along with Nigel Spencer, one of the two most accomplished Spearos in East Africa. Eric continues to seek and explore new locations, both regionally and around the world, to guide spearos to in search of great experiences and those dream fish. Eric has a B.S. degree in Marine Sciences and has been actively involved in Fisheries Management matters between Government and Stakeholders within Tanzania and the Zanzibar Archipelago.
Nigel Spencer
Nigel was born in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved to Mombasa at an early age. It was there, on the Kenya coast, where his love for the Ocean began. His parents did not like the idea of spearguns, so he used to hide his home made wooden peg gun prior to coming home and put the fish on the kitchen table saying he had caught them on line even though most had holes through them. At every opportunity he had, whether after school in the late afternoons or the weekends, most were spent hunting the shallows inside the reef for Small Trevally, Bream, and Parrot Fish.
As time went on, Nigel progressed to deeper waters outside the reefs off Mombasa and soon enough he was bringing home bigger and better fish. He later acquired his first compressed air speargun that enabled him to bag the bigger prey and soon was selling his catches to the local hotels and restaurants. When he was in his early twenties Nigel and Eric met through a mutual friend and this is where they started, what was to become, a lifelong passion for hunting fish together ,sowing the seed for a future which would culminate in their creating a world renowned spearfishing charter business together.
Over the years Nigel has spearfished most of the Kenyan coast and since 2004 teamed up with Eric to enjoy exploring and spearfishing Tanzania’s lengthy coastline and islands. He also has spearfished Ascension Island , Bali ,South Africa, Mozambique and Spain. He is renowned for his spearfishing and line fishing achievements and is regarded as one of the best Spearfishermen in East Africa. With Eric, Nigel is undoubtedly one of the two most accomplished Spearos on the East African coast.