Anyone spearfish?

dartanyon said:
rksoon ... yea lived the first 8 years of my life in Fiji. Started snorkling when I was about 4, speared my first fish when I was about 5 years old and learned to use scuba when I was 6 years old. Never stopped ;)
Click to expand...

That's awesome man :D :thumbup: I started snorkeling around then too, didn't get into spearing until around 8 or 10 though, never done scuba in my life (very odd now that I think about it) but want to learn soon. Sadly, I haven't spearfished regularly in 4-5 years, ever since moving to California. But I hit the water for day or night dives whenever I'm back home and have the chance. If I make it out to Australia sometime, I'm going to have to look you up. :thumbup:
 
rksoon ... cool :D

night diving ... wow one of my favourite adrenalin sources :thumbup: only being able to see where your torch beam goes ... talk about tunnel vision ;)
spearfishing at night would have to be up there with wone of the most scary adventures ever for me, along side of walking up the mangrove creeks in northern Australia at low tide!! Constant adrenalin surges!! Just thinking about it raises the hairs on back of my neck.
We mainly just dive for lobsters at night these days. I was a regular scuba night diver for several years in my 20's although it sort of wore off. My most memorable night scuba dive was a wreck dive at 2am 90 feet. Was too excited to even be scared.
 
j williams said:
This is something I wanna try my hand at this year.

Anyone do this regularly?

Know of any place that sells equipment for this?

Whats your technique?
Click to expand...

I've been doing scuba diving and spear fishing for years. You can go to places that sell scuba equipment stuff and check out their equipment before hand, than go on e-bay and buy second hand equipment if you want. Spear fishing isn't sophiscated so no worries as long as things things aren't bent then you are set. one thing that I would recommend is that you go with a partner, because dead fish can attrack sharks. Its always nice to have an extra pair of eyes around. If there any other questions I can answer you please feel free to ask.
 
dartanyon said:
rksoon ... cool :D

night diving ... wow one of my favourite adrenalin sources :thumbup: only being able to see where your torch beam goes ... talk about tunnel vision ;)
spearfishing at night would have to be up there with wone of the most scary adventures ever for me, along side of walking up the mangrove creeks in northern Australia at low tide!! Constant adrenalin surges!! Just thinking about it raises the hairs on back of my neck.
We mainly just dive for lobsters at night these days. I was a regular scuba night diver for several years in my 20's although it sort of wore off. My most memorable night scuba dive was a wreck dive at 2am 90 feet. Was too excited to even be scared.
Click to expand...

Yes, night diving is definitely a different animal :) I remember the first time going with my uncle or my friend's father, it was so scary but so damn cool at the same time. We dive for spiny bugs in Hawai'i, when they're in season. I never liked grabbing em because of the damn spines. One of my uncles lost function of his thumb or some part of his hand from nerve damage caused by a lobster. Speaking of night diving, the dive lights nowadays are absolutely crazy. I've always wanted to pick up one of the new xenon dive lights; I have an old UK D8 and haven't had reason to upgrade it since I'm home very rarely nowadays. I saw one of my friend's lights recently, and it really blows my old torch of the water.

Scuba at night must be even more incredible with the added freedom! I definitely need to try that some day, a deep wreck dive at night sounds like quite the memorable experience! Cheers Dartanyon, keep divin! :D
 
I've forgotten the brand of my torch, its a pistol grip design with 4 x D cells and its got a yellow octapus as the brand logo. When I bought it I did lots of research and it was the best one for me. We have sea urchins lining most of the holes I stick my hands and arms in with the odd wobbygong shark guarding the entrances. Not unusual for me to have cuts, grazes and sea urchin spikes stuck in my arms. In winter I use a long sleeved wetsuit wich protects my arms a little.
Scuba diving is awesome! Getting 'as one' with the creatures of the sea/ocean is an experience that changes your views to sea creatures, feeding, patting, holding ... they accept you as a part of their world rather than an intruder that dives down drom the surface. I have a deep respect for the ocean and everything in it. Its AWESOME!
Scary and cool at the same time :):thumbup:
 
I just stumbled upon this thread and yes, I know it's old...but loving to spear fish I had to post :p. I've used a gun, have used an actual ooooold spear (for fishing, no midevil cold steel replicas :D) and of course the Hawaiian slings. I've got skins, in suits, scuba and snorkel and I've got to say that the MOST fun and with the sport at it's most pure is in skins with a snorkel, a mask, fins and a Hawaiian sling. It's pretty hard to catch something with a spear, and for some reason the gun just isn't sporting for me...not that it's easy, but once you've nabbed a good fish with a sling....you don't want to use a gun again...at least for me. I've used fiber glass, aluminum, one that I'm pretty sure is steel (that collapses by unscrewing and can fit in a large backpack...sticking out the top of course) and I like them all. Though you can't beat a collapsable spear if you're traveling ;). I'm no expert, just a guy that enjoys it and loves the ocean and swimming but I've got some great Bass and California Sheepshead. It's great if you MUST go out and the surf is low...visibility is good a lot of the time when waves are small...they're not stirring up the sand and the ocean is more calm...unless it's super windy and it's all choppy out it seems.

There's nothing like the ocean and spearfishing is one of my favorite things to do in it :D I'd love to spearfish in NZ or Aus :D I'm going in a year!
 
rksoon said:
I think this is it Jake, a lecture and some good concise material by Dr. Kay, a diving physician with UW:

http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/

http://faculty.washington.edu/ekay/MEbaro.html

You know, BF member oakietree does spearfishing up here on the Mainland, he'd be the one to talk to you if you want to get started up here Jake. I've never spearfished up here before, all my experience is in free-dive 3-prong spearfishing in warm Hawaiian waters :) Hope to change that soon though.
Click to expand...


Been slaying the fish, you need to come up Russel. Islanders only get to use one fin though. Gotta even the playing field.

This was from Thur.
IMG_0254.jpg


IMG_0259.jpg



Last week
IMG_0248.jpg


Last year but I cant help posting it, it was such an awesome catch
IMG_2206.jpg


I just noticed how old this thread is.
I mainly freedive spear fish. I am scuba certified but I like freediving. Its a sport onto itself and the fish you shoot are worth more points. I am not sure what species you want to go after or what area. I hunt mainly the North coast of California. I use a speargun that is aprox 3ft. It is tied to a 50 ft float line that is attached to a float. This is the set up that I have found works for me. I have hunted with spear poles and find them to be generally inadaquate. If I had to use one it would have to have a butterfly tip. Para tips are ok for small reef fish but the first time I used a gun with a speartip and a flopper my recovery rate went from about 50 percent to close to 100. I have hit and recovered every fish I have shot at this year.

For freediving info Terry Maas wrote an excellent book.

There is also a forum called spearboard.

Hit me up if you are gonna buy a speargun or fins or mask etc for spearfishing.

I have a lot more info but really cant type for shit. Any one visitng Nor Cal and wants to freedive for fish, Abalone, or kayak fish the Pacific Ocean feel free to contact.

The ocean is my love and my life. I am happy to share.

Matt

Dwk2 do you dive SoCal?
 
Yes, I dive SoCal and used to dive down in Baja quite a bit (before the most recent unpleasantness). Grew up spearfishing with my late father off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, around Catalina, and occasionally out to the Channel Islands. I'm looking right now at a picture above my desk of my father with a huge white sea bass that was shot around 1950 and was close to 5 ft. The 94 lb record fish shot a couple years ago was only a bit longer but a good deal deeper and wider than my father's fish (the weight of which has been lost to time).

DancesWithKnives
 
When I taught scuba years ago in Malaysia (Pilau Tiomon) we would skindive / sling spear for dinner quite often. Have not done it since, but was about the most fun I have had in water. Makes me sad that now i live 1000km from the closest ocean!
 
I went spearfishing in the pond at PWYP. Got a lil blue gill. Did anyone get pictures of me doing that?
 
Oakietree said:
Been slaying the fish, you need to come up Russel. Islanders only get to use one fin though. Gotta even the playing field.
[...]
I have a lot more info but really cant type for shit. Any one visitng Nor Cal and wants to freedive for fish, Abalone, or kayak fish the Pacific Ocean feel free to contact.

The ocean is my love and my life. I am happy to share.
Click to expand...

Matt, once I'm done slaving for this exam I have comin up, I'm gonna have to look you up man :thumbup: I don't know about the whole evening the playing field though, I haven't been diving in forever :) You can look at me as a blank slate and teach me how you guys do it here up on the mainland. :D I've never even used a gun before, so I'm definitely going to have to learn a thing or two from you :)
 
klammer said:
When I taught scuba years ago in Malaysia (Pilau Tiomon) we would skindive / sling spear for dinner quite often. Have not done it since, but was about the most fun I have had in water. Makes me sad that now i live 1000km from the closest ocean!
Click to expand...

Awww.... come on and just jump into the North Saskatchewan, I'm sure you'll find some monsters down there (and maybe not just the Sturgeon!)
 
Some awesome pics guys! I use a poke pole and and snorkel. Mostly I carry it while snorkeling for scallops or blue crabs and take opportunity shots on mullet and flounder. I also love gigging flounder and frogs, does that count? I got a few nice bullies last weekend. :thumbup:
Some pics from last summer:
IMG_3137.jpg

IMG_3143.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top