Spearfishing is kinda dangerous

Hello ALL

Im a newer diver . Had 15 dives under my belt befor entering a spearfishing tournament.

I had been spearfishing one other time and entered a tournament for the fun of it. I did some reading and learned how important it is to have a knife ,basics of what to do and not do with a spear gun.

I was diving from shore in a nearby lake. The visability was about 8-10 feet. Temp of water was 80's . Calm water nice day.


I brought a small blunt nose EMT knife and a side cutter /pliers with me . Kept it on my BC to cut line etc . I had also brought a 8 inch blade (RAMBO) divers knife with that strapped to my leg.
After doing my first dive I decided to not cary it. It was to big.

I went down for my second dive and was searching around for fish. It was getting close for me to finish up this dive. I only had two hours left in the tournament. I came across a couple walleye and got them and tied them to my stringer. Sitting at about 30 ft and had been there for 5 minutes when two big Fish came right in front of me. I took aim and hit the bigger of the two.
I hit him surprising myself and him I didnt really think about it and Shot him.
I hit him right behind the head in the middle of the body.

He hit the end of the lanyard with extreme force. ( I wast really ready for that ) Pulled gun out of my hand . Luckily I had the strap on my wrist . Maybe not?

Anyways I pulled him back to me or me to him and tried to hold on and get the spear. He wrapped around me . I feared he would wrap me up more and I grabbed the arrow on both sides . By this time he had almost freed himself by pulling the shaft and barb through his body. I didnt want to lose him.

I pushed the arrow through him and grabbed the other side. and held on. He was spinning me around and around. I got dizzy and felt sick. I had near zero visability . I held onto the other side of the shaft so he would not escape and tried to grab my knife. I got my blunt nose serrated blade Rescue first responder knife and attempted to cut into the fish to no avail. I shoved the blade into its Gills and it didnt do anything.

I felt Dizzy and was very disorientated by this time and decided to ascend.

I kicked up and came up reasonably controlled ,looked at my air and was at 500 and spread arms out and surfaced..

Came to top and was wrapped up in dive flag line and also lanyard was wrapped around tank valve and my arm.





It was fun and exciting but really introduced my (FAST) to the dangers of diving alone and spearfishing.


I got 3rd place with the 23 3/4 lb fish but want some tips on handling fish underwater .

Fast Kill ?
How attaching them to self.
What to do with
Dive flad Buey.
etc.

I am definetly Hooked on spearfishing.

TIps and info about spearfishing would be appreciated.

I think Im gonna get a spare air or alternate source of air since I dive solo while doing this.

A few thoughts:

You only have 15 dives.....

......why are you diving solo?

......why are you spearfishing?

With this level of experience, you need to be concentrating on improving your abilities as a diver. The fish will be there in a few years when you have 50 - 100 dives experience. It is a good idea to dive with a buddy even when spearfishing. One you do have more skill as a diver and venture into spearfishing, start small and gradually work your way to bigger fish.

I guess Just wallowing around in the water wasnt all that exciting to me in these parts./

Vis isnt all that great/

I liked the idea of going in the water to do something.

I am also interested in Salvage and Underwated welding etc.

I know I need more Dive experience and will get more every weekend. Until Snow and Ice cover the lakes around here .

Sounded like you handled yourself pretty fair for a starter, you were diving shallow in a lake, with other participants in the area, so you weren't alone, you were smart enough to carry shears and a knife, which you found saved your bacon, as far as a spearo you have good instincts, you hauled in your catch.
You have doubtless found that your solo diving has also forced you to think about your diving, and improving your skill. You didn't panic, which says a lot for you.
If you dive solo, when you go to a new site, that is a new environment, research it first, ask the local dive shops about the conditions, and what to beware of. The problem with being new, excited and bold, not to mention going solo, is putting yourself in a situation that you are not prepared for, with an unforseen danger, that might overwhelm you. For instance, I spearfish in Morro bay, just inside the harbor. If you dived in this location during low tide, you could get swept out to sea-not good. However, if you dive during slack tide, it's no problem.
If you trided diving Monastery Beach (Monterey) during rough surf, you would probably drown, during calm seas you would have a great dive.
Since you solo, STUDY the site FIRST, avoid putting yourself in an environment that will suprise you, spare air is a good idea cheers ~zeN

"with other participants in the area, so you weren't alone"

He was alone, if he needed help, he would not have received it.

"The problem with being new, excited and bold, not to mention going solo, is putting yourself in a situation that you are not prepared for"

You just defined an unexperienced diver going solo.

"spare air is a good idea"

It's a great idea for helicopter pilots and bridge workers. It's inadequate and gives a false sense of security to divers.

www.spearboard.com

You'll get advice, not a lecture....

I hope you filleted, froze, and gave those walleyes to your friends. Otherwise you are eradicating fish which really never had a chance.

Crispos:

How can spearfishing eradicate a fish any more than hook and line if regulations are adhered to? Or are you just opposed to spearfishing?

Sound like you handeled everything pretty good. I have spearfished the oil platforms in the Gulf for many years. The fish here can be very big, 100#'s +.
You have learned how strong even a small fish can be when speared. If it is a large fish try to make a shot that will kill it instantly.
Carrying wire cutters is a must and two would be better, you could drop one of them. Carry two small knifes and an ice pick. The ice pick is better than a knife when trying to subdue a fish.

Here we use what is called a riding rig on the speargun. It is a short length of rope attached to the spear only with a loop on the end. The spear is not attached to the speargun in any way. The loop is held in one hand and the speargun in the other hand. If you cannot subdue the fish you let go of the rope. That way you will only lose the spear not the whole gun. Never attach the spear to yourself only the gun. Also do not put your hand through the loop and have the loop around your wrist. Put the loop around your thumb then pass the rope around the back of your hand and then into the palm of your hand and close your fingers around it. This way all you have to do is open your fingers to let go and the loop cannot accidently slip over your wrist. Also don't attach the gun to your hand, attach it to your BC, that way your hand will be free to subdue the fish.

Good luck hunting,
Captain

A handy type of knife to have is a stiletto, it lets you poke the fish in the "kill spot" where their tiny brain is located, a short distance behind the eye along the lateral line. That's also the spot you should be aiming for when spearing.
I also suggest using a pole spear, and having a detachable tip doesn't hurt if you're whacking fish over a couple feet long.
I used to drag a small inflatible raft along to toss the fish into, keeps the blood out of the water & saves effort if lugging a pile of fish.
If you have a buddy you can take turns lugging the raft/float around.
Forget the spare air, with a little shopping you can rig yourself up with a pony bottle setup for less $$ & give yourself several times the air of the spare air.
If you're not eating everything you spear, have someone lined up to take them off your hands. (be nice & clean/fillet them, eh?)
If you don't have enough friends & family check out the local old folks homes, I used to drop off my surplus catch at one & fresh fish is always appreciated.
I take it your 23&3/4 lbs was for total weight?