Essential Gear for Spearfishing

Spearfishing is an effective way to gather fresh and nutritious food, without causing some pollution or habitat damage. If you want to get out to sea and get yourself fed, there are requirements that you should have for the activity’s conditions. Here is what you will need to get started with such an activity in the water that could turn out your favorite:

Fishing License and Knowledge of the Regulations

Remember that most places require a valid sports-fishing license to allow someone to hunt underwater, so you might want to check your local agencies for this requirement. Take note that fines for fishing without license can be massive, so comply with the regulations.

Spear Gun

As a newcomer, it is best to begin with a smaller, less powerful gun. While there is a myriad options to go with, a 2-band, 90-cm wooden gun is a great starter, which can work for you just fine as you hunt bigger fishes in the future.

Diving Gear

Basically, you will need a wetsuit, pair of fins, mask, snorkel, pair of gloves and boots to start spearfishing. Spearfishing wetsuits feature a padded chest and camouflage patterns, and they can be a key to success in this activity because you will get cold quickly. While wetsuits made for surfing would work, one that is specifically made for spearfishing is ideal. As for spearfishing fins, they are basically longer and narrower than the ones you would use for body surfing. Diving of any sort with a leaky or foggy mask is miserable, so choose one that ensures a proper fit. As for the gloves and boots, these can protect and keep your extremities warm while fishing.

Weight Belt

Wearing a thick wetsuit can cause you to bob on the surface like a buoy, so you need to wear a weight belt to compensate for such buoyancy.

Knife

A dive knife is necessary when you need to quickly and humanely dispatch a fish. It is also a good idea to have this tool strapped onto your body should you become tangled up in some seaweed or rope.

Of course, you should never dive alone, especially when you are a beginner, and take it slow. Most probably, you will not be able to shoot in your first dive, so do not let this discourage you and instead try to learn every time you go spearfishing.