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10-15-2007, 09:47 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2
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how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
I was wondering how advanced you guys were in your scuba diving before you took up spearfishing. I just got certified this summer. At the dive shop where I was certified, there was a bunch of pictures of the owner spearfishing. Instantly, I thought how cool that would be. I am avid hunter and fisherman already. So, this is a natural progression for me. I have started reading this board just about every day. All of the fish you guys are spearing just looks like the best time.
What things should I work on in my diving that would help ease my transition into spearfishing when that time comes? |
10-15-2007, 09:51 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
forgot to add, that i am a native Houstonian. figure the Texas forum is where i should start.
-Jordan |
10-15-2007, 11:05 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Melbourne, Fl.
Age: 76
Posts: 3,818
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
Jordan:
Welcome to the board. There really is not a specific level you need to attain to start spearfishing. Get yourself a good gun and start. Hopefully some of the locals with mentor you so that your learning curve will be not quite as steep as it could be. If you are already a fisherman then you won't have to spend as much time recognizing fish species. You need to know which ones you can spear, how many you can take per day, and their size limits. This can be different from fishing. I can't stress enough how important good buoyancy control can be. I have a lot of new divers who want me to teach them spearfishing and it just does not work until they have mastered buoyancy control. You have to be able to shoot from a stable platform, and the platform is you. I do have a fair number of my students who begin spearfishing right after their Open Water certification (the next dive) so go for it. Also, if you are not Nitrox certified you might want to get the training. Diving on Nitrox means you can stay down much longer, have shorter surface intervals, and end up doing more diving each day which translates into more underwater (shooting) time. |
10-15-2007, 11:43 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Camarillo
Posts: 5,966
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
I have never learned to scuba. I don't really plan to either. I like the freedom of being free No muss no fuss, just put on your mask/fins/snorkel and weightbelt and jump in. One cool thing is when you dive down and hear "NOTHING"...and you cruise along and time seems to slow down and you melt into the underwater scene....Corny? maybe but that is what keeps me coming back...Tommy
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Each mans life is but a breath........Psalms 39.5 |
10-16-2007, 07:04 AM | #5 |
RFA member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Sweeny, TEXAS
Age: 46
Posts: 797
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
You need to be really comfortable in the water. The rigs here in Texas are great for spearfishing. You really need to know your gear and be really comfortable in the water. Cause diving and spearing is very tasked loaded sport. Everything would be going great and relaxing and then you squeeze the trigger and all h3ll will break loose. I suggest that you find someone to dive with that is already into spearing. Before ever taking a speargun on a dive it is good to get used to diving the rigs.
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Michael L. Baranowski Sweeny, TX |
10-16-2007, 07:55 AM | #6 |
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Austin Texas
Posts: 425
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
I suggest freediving first as well, even if it is in your local lake or river. The key is getting used to your gun and how to load it underwater as well as learning how to handle a fish and put it on a stringer while holding a speargun. I also highly recommend diving with experienced divers and never forgetting your speargun is a dangerous weapon, I have seen too many divers swing it around with little regard for the direction it is pointing. You have to use it with the same mentality as you would a shotgun or rifle.
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10-16-2007, 11:43 AM | #7 |
Underwater Point & Click
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Houston, TX
Age: 46
Posts: 214
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
I suggest reading the spearfishing safety forum http://www.spearboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65
it saved me from ever making mistakes I would never have thought would happen. Also, carry two knives, one on your leg and one on your BC. You might not be able to reach one if you get wrapped up in a rig (Like I did this past weekend!) |
10-16-2007, 12:11 PM | #8 |
Gifted
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Clearwater, FL
Age: 49
Posts: 704
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Re: how's it going guys? Total Noob here.
Get a gun, go kill some fish.
I was underwater with a gun my first open water dive. Granted it took a couple of trips before I started killing. You just have to get use to doing work underwater, once you got that figured out....................life is good. |
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