About Old Man Blue
We are Old Man Blue, Aussie designers and makers of innovative & quality cray loops, spearfishing equipment and diving accessories. Handmade and tested by divers, made tough and reliable.
Based in Perth, Western Australia, we ship locally and internationally. We have gear being used all over the world, from here in WA to Europe, Cape Town, the UK and USA and many Island nations!
Australian made, by divers - for divers. DM us for any questions!
Meet our founder, Bert Keulder!
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t drawn to the sea. My love started from day one in a small sleepy coastal town called Onrus River in Walker Bay, South Africa (across the bay from the Shark Cage Diving Operations). It’s neighbouring town is Hermanus, one of the best whale watching destinations in the world.At the age of 5/6 (+-1975) I got my first taste for diving. An family member would attach my wrist with a rope to a car tube (catch net in the middle) and tow me, through the kelp beds looking for abalone. When I got cold or tired I could pull myself up on the tube for a rest. I had a pair of googles and for the next 5 plus years became obsessed with the kelp forest – it was like a magical world for me.
A game changer for me was when my dad bought me a wet suit at the age of nine. Until then I dove in a woollen jumper and socks-and the Atlantic Ocean is cold!
Around 11 I bought a small plastic Champion speargun. We spent that summer learning to spearfish on the desert coast of South Africa’s West Coast with my two best friends, Dawie and Riaan (brothers from another mother). We were pretty much addicted to spearfishing from then on. The hardest thing was having only one gun between three of us!
In the military I played underwater hockey and spearfished in comps. It was during this time I started to learn techniques for things such as equalising. There was no internet or courses in those days so you learnt by trial and error and from more experienced divers.
After the military I ended up back in the West Coast desert as a commercial diver diving for diamonds. I worked and lived with some pretty eccentric and amazing ex-military characters.
I backpacked extensively around the world for the next seven years – always with a speargun, rarely with shoes. I got to live and dive with the locals in some pretty amazing places. I met my future wife in Western Australia and ended back in South Africa where we lived for two years. It was great to be back in Southj Africa diving Walker’s Bay, False Bay and Seal Island in Hout Bay again. One of my most memorable shark encounters (in a terrifying sort of way) happened off Cape Point when I was knocked clear out of the water by a great white. My wife would like to say it was when she watched me being circled by too many sharks to count on the Cocos Island’s whilst 20 weeks pregnant.
For the last twenty some years I have felt exceptionally lucky to live here in Western Australia – it is an amazing place. Along the way I dived and still dive with some great blokes, have speared some impressive fish and have had some surreal underwater experiences. Too many stories to share around a campfire for a single night.
Old Man Blue has been a dream of mine for many years. Four years ago I decided it was time to take the steps to make it a reality. Today we make what we hope will become a brand that serious and passionate spearos and divers associate with high quality, innovative dive products. With a lifetime of diving experience behind me, I am really inspired by the high quality products that were made in the past. Products that were designed to last. I think we are at the beginning of a shift towards locally made. A shift away from the cheap, throw away offshore ideology we have been encouraged to adopt for a long time now.