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Old 05-02-2022, 9:19 AM
krypto99 krypto99 is offline
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Default School me on spearfishing while freediving

I am doing an overnight trip out to the Channel islands in 2 weeks and want to try my hand at spearfishing while freediving. I have a mask, fins, and a snorkel. My buddy is going to lend me his spear gun. I will start today practicing holding my breath. While snorkeling in FL I learned I need to shave my mustache or water leaks into the mask pretty quickly. I'm looking at getting a wetsuit as the water is still pretty cold (high 50's). Any tips? Suggestions? Things to look out for? This will be my first time attempting this so I know little to nothing about what I am doing.
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Last edited by krypto99; 05-02-2022 at 9:47 AM..
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Old 05-02-2022, 9:40 AM
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Just find a wetsuit and enjoy the sights. It’s not easy to get your gear dialed in without a mentor. Know what fish are legal and size limits. If you’re fairly water competent then you’ll need weights to enjoy the under water realm. How much depends on your body and your wetsuit. Best thing you can do is make sure your gear fits you well and get it dialed in before you get wet. Stay safe.
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Old 05-02-2022, 9:47 AM
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Gonna need a weight belt. With out it you will only get a few attempts in before you gas out and pop to the surface and be done for the day.
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Old 05-02-2022, 9:58 AM
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make sure you have your fishing license. white seabass are turning 0n now and wardens have been checking boats.

Last edited by edgerly779; 05-06-2022 at 6:26 PM..
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Old 05-02-2022, 11:06 AM
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I've spearfished every island off SoCal. What boat are you going on? What island are you going to?
Are you using an actual spear gun or a pole spear? Spear guns set up for large pelagic fish won't work well on the reefs.
Do you SCUBA dive? Most of the spearfishing is on scuba at the islands.

I started by aiming at pieces of kelp and seeing if I could hit it and then how far I could hit it from. My line is 21 ft and I had to aim over a foot high at that distance using an Omer 90. No fish is worth bending your shaft/spear so I passed on some big fish that I knew it in would go through them into the rocks. I learned that the hard way twice. I bent the shaft on a halibut and the rest of the trip the gun wouldn't shoot straight and I had to buy a new shaft. I shot a big calico in a hole and then spent an entire tank getting my shaft out, almost lost the shaft and the fish.

Make sure you have a license and know what kind of fish you are shooting at and that's it legal size. I sharpied my gun with different measurements because everything looks bigger underwater.

I mainly went for calicos. I could limit out on a dive, then I would go for rock fish, halibut, and anything else that tasted good. Lot of guys would only go for yellow tail or white sea bass. The majority of them wouldn't get any. They wanted the trophy fish and I just wanted to shoot as many as I could and always come home with fish.

It's a lot of fun.
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Old 05-02-2022, 11:55 AM
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Old 05-02-2022, 12:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cal3gunner View Post
I've spearfished every island off SoCal. What boat are you going on? What island are you going to?
Are you using an actual spear gun or a pole spear? Spear guns set up for large pelagic fish won't work well on the reefs.
Do you SCUBA dive? Most of the spearfishing is on scuba at the islands.

I started by aiming at pieces of kelp and seeing if I could hit it and then how far I could hit it from. My line is 21 ft and I had to aim over a foot high at that distance using an Omer 90. No fish is worth bending your shaft/spear so I passed on some big fish that I knew it in would go through them into the rocks. I learned that the hard way twice. I bent the shaft on a halibut and the rest of the trip the gun wouldn't shoot straight and I had to buy a new shaft. I shot a big calico in a hole and then spent an entire tank getting my shaft out, almost lost the shaft and the fish.

Make sure you have a license and know what kind of fish you are shooting at and that's it legal size. I sharpied my gun with different measurements because everything looks bigger underwater.

I mainly went for calicos. I could limit out on a dive, then I would go for rock fish, halibut, and anything else that tasted good. Lot of guys would only go for yellow tail or white sea bass. The majority of them wouldn't get any. They wanted the trophy fish and I just wanted to shoot as many as I could and always come home with fish.

It's a lot of fun.
Boat is a 24 foot skip jack. What island we go to will depend on weather conditions. Anywhere from Anacapa to Santa Barbra. Speargun will be whatever is handed to me, beggers can't be choosers. I do not plan on using scuba gear, as my head feels like it going to explode about 15-20 feet under the surface. I have a fishing license and know what I can shoot and size limits if there are any.
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Old 05-02-2022, 1:08 PM
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Might want to take Sudafed before diving. If your head feels like it’s going to explode you’re not equalizing properly. You need to equalize your sinuses as well as your ears. I wouldn’t dive with or push through pain, it’s asking for an injury.
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Old 05-02-2022, 1:22 PM
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Diving is not snorkeling just saying...... holding your breath to practice doesn't work.
You breath in a full breath then try to ad more air hold, them when you feel you have to exhale breath in more hold as long as you can and repeat. This will expand the capacity of your lungs All free divers do this in practice daily when they're serious. Meditation also helps you to get there because you do need to relax mentally.

And yea if your head starts to hurt when descending clear your ears by holding your nose and trying to blow your nose your ears will pop just like in air flight.
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Old 05-02-2022, 2:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigboarstopper View Post
Gonna need a weight belt. With out it you will only get a few attempts in before you gas out and pop to the surface and be done for the day.
I agree. but make sure you have the proper weight it can be dangerous to have too little or too much.
Check out these sites:

https://bestfreedivegear.com/freediv...or-freediving/

https://openwaterhq.com/freediving/c...ight-yourself/

https://freedivingfreedom.com/recomm...eedivers-make/

Quote:
Originally Posted by cal3gunner View Post
I've spearfished every island off SoCal. What boat are you going on? What island are you going to?
Are you using an actual spear gun or a pole spear? Spear guns set up for large pelagic fish won't work well on the reefs.
Do you SCUBA dive? Most of the spearfishing is on scuba at the islands.

I started by aiming at pieces of kelp and seeing if I could hit it and then how far I could hit it from. My line is 21 ft and I had to aim over a foot high at that distance using an Omer 90. No fish is worth bending your shaft/spear so I passed on some big fish that I knew it in would go through them into the rocks. I learned that the hard way twice. I bent the shaft on a halibut and the rest of the trip the gun wouldn't shoot straight and I had to buy a new shaft. I shot a big calico in a hole and then spent an entire tank getting my shaft out, almost lost the shaft and the fish.

Make sure you have a license and know what kind of fish you are shooting at and that's it legal size. I sharpied my gun with different measurements because everything looks bigger underwater.

I mainly went for calicos. I could limit out on a dive, then I would go for rock fish, halibut, and anything else that tasted good. Lot of guys would only go for yellow tail or white sea bass. The majority of them wouldn't get any. They wanted the trophy fish and I just wanted to shoot as many as I could and always come home with fish.

It's a lot of fun.
I use a Hawaiian sling so I get close to my catch. It depends on where you are and what you want to catch.

Out in the Islands you'll have Rock Fish and Halibut in the sand just outside the kelp beds, and depending on your depth you never know what will swim by.

My gear consists of a wet suit, (one of 3 depending on the temp), booties, fins, (Cressi), Hawaiian sling, Belt (rubber, with weights), Game Bag, (mesh), Mask, and snorkel.

I use less breath getting down weighted properly and it's not a difficult swim back up. I've been over weighted and almost drowned before having to release my belt, and been too light and wasted energy and oxygen getting down with little time to fish.

I usually hold my breath for 100 seconds. If you can get down in 10-15 and up in 10-15 you can spend 70-80 seconds fishing.

I do most of my scouting from above before descending. good visibility helps.

Have a great/safe time. Never dive alone, while we've all done it, it's not smart. Last time I went out I had my cousin on his surfboard with a milk crate on the front of his long board I'd throw the bugs into. With a limit of 7 the milk crate was the perfect size.
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Old 05-02-2022, 3:34 PM
krypto99 krypto99 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NaClAddict View Post
Might want to take Sudafed before diving. If your head feels like it’s going to explode you’re not equalizing properly. You need to equalize your sinuses as well as your ears. I wouldn’t dive with or push through pain, it’s asking for an injury.
Interesting. My dad cant dive deep either due to the same pains. He told me it was hereditary, he said something about the way the bones are in his face? I’ll try the sudafed trick and go to the bottom of the pool to see if it makes a difference. I’ve had pain diving as long as I can remember, even as a kid.
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Old 05-02-2022, 7:17 PM
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Don't do it unless you have a dive buddy shallow water blackout is a very real thing.

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Old 05-02-2022, 9:26 PM
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You need a 5 mil freedive suit with hood. Weight belt, freedive fins, low volume freedive mask, snorkel, knife, booties, gloves. This gear is very specific to freediving. Repurposed scuba gear ain’t gonna work. You’ll also need to learn to clear your ears, the basics of shallow water blackout and the buddy system is kinda a joke in CA. I always lose my buddy and the most dangerous thing in the water is my buddy with a speargun and poor visibility.

Check out the local freedive shops. They will have all the gear you need. Just go to Neptonics, not a scuba shop. Scuba shops will sell you tons of crap you can’t even use.

I’ve been freediving CA for the last 15 years or so. When you do some research hit me up with any questions. Spearfishing is my specialty.

For the islands I have a quiver of custom built teak guns. I usually grab a 63” enclosed track mid handle, but I’ve taken probably a hundred wsb and piles of mahi with my little 40” 2 band mid handle. It’s fun to get close.

Last edited by deckhandmike; 05-02-2022 at 9:38 PM..
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Old 05-03-2022, 12:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by krypto99 View Post
Boat is a 24 foot skip jack. What island we go to will depend on weather conditions. Anywhere from Anacapa to Santa Barbra. Speargun will be whatever is handed to me, beggers can't be choosers. I do not plan on using scuba gear, as my head feels like it going to explode about 15-20 feet under the surface. I have a fishing license and know what I can shoot and size limits if there are any.
Make sure you're not in a Marine Protected Area off whichever island you're at.
The backside of Anacapa has some great visibility but the fish know what's up and you need to be sneaky. I would always see big calicos swimming away and stay out of range.
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Old 05-06-2022, 2:31 PM
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Be careful if you unclip your stringer while adding a ling. Sucks when he suddenly springs to life and swims off with your stringer.... DOH!!
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Old 05-06-2022, 5:33 PM
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Have a buddy who shoots lion fish with his Glock in Florida its pretty bad *** to watch the videos lol
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Old 05-07-2022, 11:47 AM
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For mustache - use silicon grease and it will make a big difference. You can also shave only a small strip under the nose and combine it with the silicon. You won't seal it as well as if you were fully shaved, but it does work.

Remember, if you could keep the pressure inside the mask exactly equalized, there would be no leaks. The water leaks in when the pressure outside is slightly higher. The system has two competing ways to equalize, by letting a bit of water in, or by mask skirt compressing a bit. This is where the sealing kicks in. If it's good, the mask will just get a bit tighter. Otherwise, you'll get a bit of water. Either way, you have to add air into the mask through the nose and it's the air pressure that keeps the water out, not the seal (at least not directly).

Short version. No need to shave, use silicon grease, equalize mask more often, use a high quality mask, it's not bad at all with mustache.
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Old 05-07-2022, 8:41 PM
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I have a thick mustache and a good freedive mask. No leaks ever and I don’t use any crap on my face. I can’t stress enough to get a good low volume free dive mask. People on this thread are giving you scuba advice thinking it’s relevant to freediving and it’s not.

Last edited by deckhandmike; 05-07-2022 at 8:43 PM..
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Old 05-11-2022, 8:40 PM
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Default School me on spearfishing while freediving

Deckhandmike has provided some good info. A lot of the other advice seems to me well intentioned but Ill-informed or misguided.

Honestly this is WAY too big a topic to cover in a forum thread.

If this is your first time out, I hope you will have someone experienced with you. I never ever put a gun in someone’s hands unless they are TOTALLY dialed in on gear, the basics of freediving, and are completely comfortable in the water with their gear. There is a lot of **** that can go wrong when you’re underwater, and carrying a gun is just silly until you’re 100% dialed.

Your sinus pain is an absolute contra-indicator to successful and safe freediving. You need to get that figured out. There are several methods for clearing but if you can’t clear by “brute force” (pinching your nose and blowing) you should NOT dive more than a few feet from the surface. Very serious problems and infections can result. (I’ve seen some gnarly stuff over the years)

If and when you get your clearing problem resolved AND you’ve spent enough time all geared up with wetsuit, weights, etc AND have practiced smooth controlled dives, a little bottom time, and gradual ascents (feeling comfortable the entire time) then I suggest using a pole spear and targeting calicos and kelp rockfish. The former are more challenging, the latter make excellent fish tacos and are a great way to get started because they tend to hang out in groups and don’t spook as quickly as a legal sized calico. A pole spear will teach you to be a more stealthy hunter.

Please don’t shoot big sheepshead if you see them. They aren’t that good to eat and they grow slowly.

If you must use a gun, I highly recommend a euro style “pipe gun” or “rail gun” in around 100cm size as a starting point. I’ve taken literally thousands of fish all over the world with 100-110cm pipe guns with one or two bands. (Yes, including white seabass). Practice loading and shooting it in the water in a safe place before chasing fish.

Make sure you know where your knife is by muscle memory and can deploy it and use it underwater in the time it takes you to run out of breath and without looking. Getting hung up on kelp when you’re desperate for air does happen.

Practice climbing through kelp. At the surface, in the water column. Practice drops from the middle of a thick kelp bed. Practice ascents up through the middle of a thick canopy. Get comfortable with it. Find out if any of your gear (like fin straps) are hanging up and eliminate the problem if possible.

Know how to ditch your weight belt. Make sure nothing obstructs it. Put the strap where your dominant hand can reach it without looking and make sure you’re using a rubber belt designed for freediving (NOT a nylon SCUBA belt!)

Freediving is an amazing sport. I’ve been doing it since the 80’s (though I’m not as gonzo as I once was). I’ve taught a lot of people the sport (including my two kids) and these are just some of the things I focus on. Prior to switching 100% to freediving in the 90’s I was also an avid SCUBA diver (divemaster & assistant instructor). I love the peace and “oneness” with the ocean that comes with freediving, especially once your bottom time gets good.

Good luck, have fun, and be safe.


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