Offended??????

Do you get offended if you see Divers with Spearguns on a cattle boat (Dive Charter)??? If yes--why!!

Only if they point them at me.

Well, all of those dead fish can kind of smell on the deck.

I wouldn't say I get offended.
If anything I become concerned that I stand a chance of taking an errand spear during the dive though. On a cattle boat where there are going to be many divers in the water I don't think that spear guns should be allowed, of course this is just my opinion so take it for what is worth.
Getting speared can really ruin a good dive....

I would only be offended if they shot all those fish and allowed them to go to waste. Basically if you eat what is in season, and what you can catch, go for it!

My only concern is that they maintain situational awareness and prefer safety over getting "the big fish".

Just like with hunting, it's not the presence of a speargun that makes it dangerous, but rather that of the operator.

I've got a few good friends that I'll never be around again if they are holding a firearm or a speargun.

"I wouldn't say I get offended.
If anything I become concerned that I stand a chance of taking an errand spear during the dive though. On a cattle boat where there are going to be many divers in the water I don't think that spear guns should be allowed, of course this is just my opinion so take it for what is worth.
Getting speared can really ruin a good dive...."

Ditto. I think that an operation would be concerned about the liability.

agreed rj.

There should either be two different kinds of trips (like smoking vs non-smoking), or at least there should be two different drops VERY far apart.

1) some of us non-hunters are even vegans and find the whole "hunt" offensive to be around. if they don't watch the HUNTING program on TV, why do they have to watch a fish gasp to death on the boat?

2) some of us are interested in LOOKING at the pretty fish, no matter how ugly someone else thinks they are. I don't wanna interact with some neat fish and then fin away only to come up on the boat later and find that fish flopping around bleeding on someone's spear.

3) some of us don't want powered weapons of ANY kind around (handguns OR spearguns). On the last dive trip I was on, the spearfisher stumbled and stabbed my buddy in the foot. It was superficial, luckily.

4) some of us StILL have paranoid fears of big sharks looming up out of the dark. And for some, that's the ONLY reason we don't spearfish ourselves - because we don't want to put a bloody flailing creature in the water within a MILE of us. So the last thing we want is to see 3 spearfishers jump in on the same reef as us.

You asked for honest answers. As you can see, there are MANY reasons why someone could be opposed to having spearfishers on a dive boat. I, personally, am not a vegan, and I do own a weapon or two. These are just some I've heard from family and/or friends. However, I do strongly agree with reason #2. When I dive, it's to get AWAY from my work life and get closer to nature. But that's just my .02 cents.

And I totally understand people who hunt for their food. But having seen how dumb and slow some of these fish are, I don't see how you can call it a "sport". It looks like sitting on a fence and offering grass to cows, then shooting them in the head. I think it requires as much skill, if not more, to get just as close to a fish (bear, tiger, eagle) and get an incredible close-up photograph of it. Plus, it's a win:win because you get the trophy (the pic) and everyone ELSE gets to enjoy it too when you sell it or frame it and put it on your wall. Plus, I think the photographers who do this unarmed, have more balls than any of us. However, this belongs in some flamewar thread about the ethics of hunting or something.

You simply asked about spears on a dive boat. I wouldn't want them there. But no I wouldn't be personally offended because I'd simply know that the spearfisher has just as much right to be there as I do, until the boats accept hunting vs non-hunting reservations.

alemaozinho:

Do you get offended if you see Divers with Spearguns on a cattle boat (Dive Charter)??? If yes--why!!

Click to expand...

The concept of spearguns on a cattle boat doesn't offend me.

The concept of me being on a cattle boat ... now that's offensive ...



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

For the record, I do spearfish.

I don't think spearfishing is appropriate on a cattle boat unless it's exclusively spearfishing, or the captain makes a special drop for the spearfishermen. There are simply too many divers in the water and too many different levels of experience, and this is a recipe for an accident.

Besides, there's too many people to invite to the fish fry afterwords