By: Capt. Chad Carney
Holding a speargun on your shoulder or in front of your face
- Spearguns can kick back strong & cause severe injury. Spearguns are shot like pistols, with a straight arm & locked elbow, & maybe wrap a second hand. You can “thumb-shoot from beside the hip,” for close ups & rocked-up fish & pull the gun back to clear the muzzle.
Lack of gun familiarity before diving
- Don’t load your gun on land. Stop just an inch away so you know the bands are right. Wear spearfishing gloves & a chest pad or hip grip. Practice replacing the shaft, wrapping the line & pull test that the mechanism is locked. Keep your hands outside of the line wraps and never in-between them.
Leaving the safety on
- Safeties are before hunting. Underwater point the gun only at your target. Fish are gone in a flash when you choke the shot.
Too much gear slows you down
- Keep equipment simple. Long fins and streamlined dive gear. Scuba with freeshafts or a short bungee & fixed line. Watch your gas level. A reel or float-line is more common for freedivers.
Not starting out by shooting small bottom fish
- Big powerful fish can break gear & hurt you. Master techniques & equipment on small legal-size fish, i.e., hogfish.
Short underpowered spearguns, Hawaiian slings or polespears
- The saying goes “Big fish, big spear!” Water density slows short & underpowered spears. A longer spear has the best range and impact for the habitat you hunt.
Descending before loadinga speargun
- The best shot is often in the descent. Experienced shooters load while descending and polespear or Hawaiian sling spearos ready to pull back and fire.
Swimming near the bottom
- Get high and drop silently on fish. It relieves pressure on fish, and gravity speeds the shot & pins a fish to the bottom. Jerky movement and chasing fish are fish spookers, so slow down, relax and blend into the underwater environment.
Fish ID
- Go to my fwc.com & learn shapes, markings, skin appearance of prey.
- Shooting undersized fish. Learn size regulations and check often.
- Don’t shoot marginal fish. Be sure you’re proud of all fish you shoot.
- Shooting from too far away.
- Learn the flight distance of fish. Hogfish allow close shots, but snappers and groupers are spooky.
Target shooting
- Spearguns, Hawaiian slings and polespears need repeated in water firing from various angles/distances. Think about a shot & you’ll miss it. I shoot flattened aluminum cans or what’s on the bottom. Try dropping cans & shooting as they sink.
Letting a sling or speargun drift away after shooting
- Hawaiian slings, free shaft guns, bluewater guns or riding rig guns can easily float away while a diver is busy. Loop a buoyant sling or gun over your arm after a shot.
Pulling on a speared fish
- A spear will often tear free. Swim to the fish and keep it pinned, while knifing it. Dragging wounded fish to the surface is risky so have a buddy back up.
Spear removal before stringing the fish
- Almost always is a lost fish. String it first, kill it second.
- Bagging fish is difficult to do & wastes time. It creates huge drag & doesn’t conceal fish from predators.
Not having a small narrow beam dive light
- A spot beam light can shoot in dark holes, but a diver w/o a light can’t nor pursue wounded fish in dimly lighted areas.
— Captain Chad Carney – Diving Instructor & Journalist
mobile: 727-423-7775 | e-mail: chad.carney@yahoo.com
www.floridaskindiver.com/spearfishingphotos
www.deeperblue.com/beginners-guide-spearfishing