BluewaterRocket
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miketsp:
I'll concede that if the crowded beach was tightly packed with standing wall-to-wall people and the gun was fired at close range at a low-angle trajectory, then this is scenario is plausible. The part about some numbskull walking on a crowded beach with a loaded speargun doesn't surprise me, even though it is akin to hunting deer on a school yard during recess. Lest we remind ourselves that common sense is not a required pre-requisite for purchasing and using a speargun. This is one of the reasons why I will not hunt with anyone whose hunting skills I am personally familiar with unless they have been vetted by one of my hunting buddies. I have introduced quite a few divers to the sport, but follow the same indoctrination process for divers that want me to spearfish with them on their first hunt:
1) Have them read Chapters 1-7 & Appendix B of B. Allen Patrick's book, Spearfishing and Underwater Hunting Handbook.
2) Spend approximately 30-60 minutes with them prior to the hunt, on land, reviewing safety issues, managing their equipment, and a review of what they need to do after they aim and pull the trigger. This interaction not only helps them, but reassures me that they did in fact read the book and comprehend the major safety issues discussed in the book.
3) If they're using a line gun, and most of the beginners I've dove with start off with a line gun, I have them practice reloading their shaft and wrapping their line until they can do it with their eyes closed. Although this doesn't simulate the effect of a neutrally buoyant gun and a potential rat's nest of line floating between the gun and the shaft, it does familiarize them with the process of what has to go where.
