I am looking to get into spearfishing and am looking for recommendations on where to start. There are several types of certifications…which do I need? And also, where is a good place to find a deal on scuba equipment? Is getting something used an option or is that not smart? Finally, what should I look for in a spear gun and also should I look for a deal on a used one? I am a complete rookie here starting from scratch so any help would be great. Thanks
Get the diving part down before you go jumping in with a gun.
You should probably “test the waters” before you buy gear. Contact Victor at Low Country Scuba and he can line you up with a introduction to scuba just to see if you even like breathing under water. It is not for everyone, but most people that try it do decide they like it.
Get yourself certified in “Open Water” and begin your dives in shallower / controled waters until you get comfortable then work your way to deeper water.
My first couple of dives were in my backyard swimming pool. Once I got comfortable with all the equipment and honed my skills I went out to a nearshore reef and dove with an experienced diver. That first true open water dive was very intimidating but fun still the same. By the time you get past the first true openwater dive you will know if owning your own equipment is going to be feesible.
If you decide to buy your own stuff there is nothing wrong with picking up good used gear to get started.
Good Luck!!!
Be sureif you buy it to get “used” gear recertified/checked out. Same goes for internet purchases.
Wanna kill fish, then let’s go!
#1 rule. Do as much business with your local dive shop as you can… If they go out of business, then there is nobody around to fill your tanks. Sure, you might be able to save a few bucks on the internet, but if you have to start driving 50 miles to fill tanks, costs start to jump up quick. All of us have bought something off of the internet from time to time, but I’ve bought tons of gear from the dive shop.
You need basic open water and nitrox at a minimum for Charleston.
Don’t buy any breathing gear second hand unless it has been fully inspected by a shop known personally to YOU. Don’t buy any tank older than 10 yrs and support a shop of your choosing. My fave is on shem creek. Go with people that have done it. This aint a cheap endeavor for you. You are looking at easy over $100 a trip when you have to share the costs.
There are only two shops in Charleston that I know about… One that loves fishermen\spearfishermen and one that hates them…
I second the idea of supporting your local dive shop. Sure you can buy gear off the internet at a slightly reduced price but who is there to do your annual service and give you tips and my dive shop will actually loan me equipment if I have a failure on a piece I bought from them. I have heard and seen too many stories of internet purchases and their quality, the worst being several name brand first and second stages with metal shavings in them, kinda second rate equipment if you ask me. Also you never know how long the product has been kept on the shelf or how it was taken care of in the internets warehouse.
The concept manafacturers don’t seem to grasp is that if they sell to internet suppliers who cut rate sale equipment on the internet, they are in turn putting a damper on the sales of the local dive shops. Without sales local dive shops will go out of business. Now, who is there going to be left to certify new divers when all of the local dive shops close down due to no sales. Hence the fact that the manafacturers are shooting themselves in the foot. So support your local dive shops and any events or trips they put together.
Wanna kill fish, then let’s go!
easiest place to start for all of this is a small little website called GOOGLE- type speargun, speargun video, dive course, dive gear and start researching so you have some knowledge of costs, brands, etc and see if this is something you are ready for …and where do you plan to dive- lakes or saltwater- what thickness wetsuit- ohh…and do you have a boat or will you be paying for charters or hope to get on others boats- spearfishing is a fun adventure but there is alot of money and time involved
Nobody has really mentioned it, but one thing I don’t like to bargain shop for is the stuff that is keeping me alive. I would get open water certified, go on a few trips (charters) to make sure you like it renting different gear to see what you like and don’t like. I don’t know if you have a boat that you will be diving from, but it can be a little daunting the first time you dive off of your own boat if you are not completely comfortable in the water. I went on a dive charter for my first open water dive outside of the classes and got experience with the currents, visibility differences and diving in general. Guns completely depend on your budget, you can spend a few hundred all the way upwards of $2000. The choice of gun can depend on where you are diving and what your are targeting, but I would be sure I was comfortable in the water before I started throwing another variable in the equation. Once you start shooting fish for the first few dives/year you will be sucking down air like you wouldn’t believe, just like your first dives in the open ocean.
As FishnBarels said, diving in general is an expensive sport up front and as it goes along, but it is awesome.
Good luck with your venture, if you have any questions let us know.
- Get certified for open water and Nitrox. Use Vic at lowcountry.
- Buy gear. If necessary, go cheap on everything but a regulator. I recommend Zeagle. use Vic at lowcountry.
- Make friends with some really experienced shooters.
- Make 25 dives with these guys before picking up a gun. Watch them carefully.
- Buy spearguns. I prefer one for water-column shooting/pelagics, with lineshaft and one for bottom shooting with freeshaft. I recommend ocean rhino or Biller. Don’t go smaller then 48" and get a 52-54" if possible.
- Avoid anyone who thinks an anchor attached to a boat while diving is a good idea.
- Never leave an inexperienced person at the helm while you are under water.
- Use lift bags for fish and for “crumb trails” while ascending.
- Always do slower ascents with more deco/safetystop time, even slower and longer than the all-knowing computer tells you.
- Always have redundant computers, or a manual air and depth gauge as a supplement to your computer.
- Always carry 100% o2 on board. Don’t be afraid to use it.
- Always wear a wetsuit, even if the water is 90 degrees.
- Always have a healthy respect for sand tigers, even if your buddies tell you they are like big puppies. Don’t be afraid to shoot a shark if necessary.
- Always carry an air integrated whistle. Use it often after surfacing.
- Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. You need to fill in the blanks.
- Do use caution posting pics of fish killed with speargun while diving. According to many “experts” who have never tried it, it’s not challenging and is unsportsmanlike.
- Attend the 1st annual Murrells Inlet Spearfishing Tournament in late October 2012.
Good Luck.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
quote:Easy now! :smiley: It's actually a GREAT idea...
Originally posted by yellabird
- Avoid anyone who thinks an anchor attached to a boat while diving is a good idea.
I figured I’d get at least one spirited response to that one. Just my opinion. Being left in the ocean will give you strong opinion about that.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
You had better just ask Mrs Yellabird for one of these for Christmas… http://nautiluslifeline.com/
Just found out about these last week, and I will probably order one ASAP…
Some of our group ordered these when they came out. I haven’t heard any reviews so far. Seems like range would be very low from the waterline. As far as I can tell you’re just relaying your coordinates via VHF to whoever is listening. I don’t know how well the transmit feature works. The typical transmit feature on VHS is rarely monitored by anyone other than coasties and there rarely 12 miles from me. Still better than nothing I guess.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
What yellabird said X2!
#6 is one of the best bits of advice up there too. 
Set the trap boys, we going to pass through them again!!
#7
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NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
I don’t know man. I dive with an anchor out 90% of the time and it’s never been all that bad. Sometimes it’s tough to find a good helmsman you can depend to operate a boat during a dive. Diving from a boat with a good solid anchor hookup is not a negative. There are plenty of good dives that can be made with an anchor out.
Ditto on not picking up a gun until you have many dives under your belt.
If you have the level head required for diving all you need to do is apply lots of time and cash and you will be ready to hunt mid way through next grouper season.
14’ Pamlico 140 Angler w/ rudder
Kayak, SCUBA, or both.
quote:
Originally posted by DillyDallyI don’t know man. I dive with an anchor out 90% of the time and it’s never been all that bad. Sometimes it’s tough to find a good helmsman you can depend to operate a boat during a dive. Diving from a boat with a good solid anchor hookup is not a negative. There are plenty of good dives that can be made with an anchor out.
This is exactly my point. It’s even worse anchoring with someone who is inexperienced. What does that inexperienced person do when you don’t come up…or you come up too far from the boat for her to hear you? Very rarely have I been able to make a dive deeper than 100’, swim a 300 meter ledge, shoot a stringer full of fish, and make it back to some arbitrary anchor- line. And why would you want to waste the air and deco-time doing such a foolish thing? Trust me on this and learn the “no anchor” method. It’s much much much safer.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
Oh I thought you were talking about dragging anchor while bottom fishing. We don’t use anchor when diving either. I don’t want my anchor to be stuck in a rock when I need to be picked up in a hurry!