Pre-Dive Nerves

[scubAfr33k]

Jim (dumpsterDiver) and I have a lot of spearing experience all over FL, and I agree with most of his comments, except the fish bag. I don't believe they work and they slow you down hugely compared to using a good hoop stringer with a spike. Floats for each fish work very well as he's described, a technique developed for his area, SE FL.

My uncle once told me that he used condoms with strings as lift bags for his fish when he was diving in the Philippines, what's your take?

 

[Johnoly]

.....the only thought running through my head is "what if?"......

You need more training to be able to know what to do. You should contact Chad Carney hear on SB who specializes in spearfishing instruction.

 

[Chad Carney]

Thanks for the plug J!

Johnoly is another SE FL spearo & bug man, he's always reporting good catches.

Sounds like your uncle's a character! However most Gulfstream spearos today use cheap safety sausages, and add a sharpened brass clip to hook the fish in the lip, then send it on up with a quick puff from their regulator. I've video'd it and it works great.

I doubt you need to float fish in moderate depths up there though.

Chad

 

[scubAfr33k]

Thanks for the plug J!

Johnoly is another SE FL spearo & bug man, he's always reporting good catches.

Sounds like your uncle's a character! However most Gulfstream spearos today use cheap safety sausages, and add a sharpened brass clip to hook the fish in the lip, then send it on up with a quick puff from their regulator. I've video'd it and it works great.

I doubt you need to float fish in moderate depths up there though.

Chad

You're intuition is good, my uncle is a bit of an odd one! The trip with the condom lift bags was the same trip that he speared a pufferfish and an eel...the combined toll of which got him thrown off the boat. I could definitely use the safety sausages; I need at least one anyway and I love dual-purposing things!

 

[BluewaterRocket]

Shark Shield -> I've been spearing with one for the past 5 years. Keep it turned off until I start stringing up fish. The last two trips I chose to not wear it, hammerhead on one dive and a gray reef shark on the second. No big problems, got bumped by the hammerhead and he swam off. Made some noise and got aggressive with the gray reef shark and he swam off. The SS gives me some piece of mind. When I don't wear it, I'm generally looking over my shoulder every minute or so if I've got some fish strung up. With the shark shield on I don't even think about sharks.

It does work. I was on a safety stop without any fish and a bull shark showed up to check me out. I turned the SS on and he scooted.