How can better gear improve confidence for new spearfishers?

The worst feeling whilst underwater is realizing that you have been caught out by something that you should have anticipated, something that you should have prepared for, something that you thought of prior to entering the water. And that something is the gear all the time.

For many new spearfishers there is a common feeling while diving underwater of feeling lost or underprepared for a situation. For half of this feeling of loosing control of a situation while diving underwater there is indication that it is caused by the half of the equipment that the diver is using for his or her dive.

It’s not just about catching fish

So whilst good gear alone won’t turn you into a better spearfisher overnight it does allow you to focus on the other more important points of your journey as an underwater hunter. Good quality equipment to start off with is of great importance as it will form you good habits. Yes in the short term this gear may cost more but in the long run it will be cost effective.

Good gear to a Spearfisherman doesn’t mean that he or she will instantly become a better Spearfisherman or that they will be able to catch more fish overnight. What good gear does however is remove a large amount of friction to a diver’s ability to learn and to progress as a Spearfisherman. So

What “right-sized” actually means for beginners

When I said good gear doesn’t make you a better spearfisher overnight I was wrong. Good gear will make your life so much easier whilst you’re learning to become a better spearo and that in itself will make you a better spearo in the long run. It removes the biggest amounts of friction from your dives, allowing you to be 100% focused on your technique.

A wetsuit is another piece of diving gear that can be very problematic if it does not fit the diver correctly. A wetsuit that is too large will not keep the diver warm and will mean that the diver has to cut short their dive in order to return to the surface to warm up. A wetsuit that is too small will be very uncomfortable to wear and may cause problems for the diver when it comes to breathing at the surface.

This also applies to all the other gear that divers wear such as Dive Computers, Scuba Tanks, Regulators and more.

• Fins that match your foot size and leg strength let you move efficiently instead of kicking twice as hard to go half as far
• A weight belt calibrated to your wetsuit thickness means you’re not sinking like a stone or popping back to the surface mid-dive
• A mask with a proper seal stops you from constantly clearing water and second-guessing your technique
• Gloves that actually grip help with loading a gun in choppy water without a small crisis every time

In the end, all the equipment that you have on your body has to work in perfect harmony. That’s why it’s so great when everything does work and you can just be.

What spear gun should I get as a beginner?

There is only one correct answer to this question. The answer is ‘it depends’. But depending on what, you ask. Reading up on various types of spearguns, it becomes apparent what might be the correct answer for any given individual. In the vast majority of instances, a shorter speargun will be more suited for a novice spearfisher. This is the case for a variety of reasons including: The use of diving in tight spaces when pursuing fish, being able to rapidly chase down fast swimming fish, increased diversity of potential shooting locations on each dive due to being able to repeat shots with increased ease. The key word in the above statement is ‘novice’. A shorter speargun can be less than ideal for larger fish in open areas with good visibility.

There is a rule of thumb with spear guns. Shorter guns are better for novice hunters as they are very easy to use in close quarters. Larger species of fish like Groupers, Wrasse and Parrotfish and other species that travel long distances and run off a long way when being stalked by a hunter require longer guns. Other species that are found in open water and you have good visibility in front of you also require longer guns. However, a shorter gun is typically easier for a diver of average stature to maneuver around underwater as well as to reload their gun.

When choosing a spear gun for a beginner, you need to consider a number of different things to find the right model. Once you have looked at the different models available and know what the specifications for each model are, it is a good idea to read about the power bands. There are many different models of spear guns available for sale at spear guns for sale. Find the right model for you before you buy.

One thing most beginners get completely backwards

Most new spearfishers are more focused on how to dive with spears than learning technique for diving in general. But to dive well and safely you must first learn to dive in general before applying your new found skills to spearfishing. The best way to form good diving habits is to learn to dive with gear that fits your body properly. Incorrect fitting gear causes the diver to form incorrect habits of diving which can be very hard to get out of once they have been formed.

Just as with a car, a new diver’s tendency to first concentrate on developing their technique whilst struggling in sub optimal equipment can result in developing a range of work arounds to cope with the shortcomings of their gear, rather than developing natural dive habits that serve them well in all circumstances. The resulting long list of ‘idiosyncrasies’ of the way a diver moves underwater can take months of dive practice to iron out, much to the frustration of the diver.

Correct wetsuit fitted for diver’s body shape. Learning to dive with spearguns for spearfishing. Get proper gear then learn dive technique.

Setting Up Your Gear For A Dive In The Ocean

Ever seen a deer run? They go calmly and quietly until the moment they sense danger and then they are gone – gone in a flash of brown. I have learned that the same holds true for the ocean – the sea rewards the calm diver.

Yes, there is always some degree of fear or nervousness when first starting out in any new activity, especially when the new activity is to take place in a strange and unfamiliar environment. And yes, as a spearfisherman you will be required to venture into a unique and alien environment and your brain will be required to function in a completely new and unfamiliar manner. And yes, there will be unusual sensations that your brain will have difficulty in recognizing and processing as you descend to depth for the first time as a diver. However, this does not have to cause you extreme anxiety and fear. Your gear can help to alleviate a large portion of this anxiety and fear.

(Another benefit to buying the best quality of Spearfishing gear rather than the cheapest is that it will last you much longer in the long run! A cheap pair of fins can break after a single season of Spearfishing. A bad mask will leak on your very first dive and leave you stranded on the beach for hours until you can retrieve another. A quality wetsuit can be very expensive initially but in the long run it will last for years, even longer than most people are actively Spearfishing! In the end it will save you money).

This brings me back to that poor speargun that I borrowed early on in my spearfishing career. I have no idea why I kept using it. In hindsight, I was completely blind. The poor quality of the speargun caused me so much stress and disorientation while diving and for a while, I even thought that the ocean was rejecting me because of my inexperience as a diver. But the truth is, the ocean did not reject me. It was my gear that failed me.

You probably do. Just get better gear first.