Lionfish Hunter PADI certification

[schuylerclark]

My wife and I have a week at Couples Tower Isle in Jamaica coming up in December, and while we're there with non-diving friends, we'll be diving every day we can. It seems that the resort is friendly to Lionfish hunting and they actually offer the PADI Lionfish Hunter certification. While I don't have any spearfishing experience, I'm curious about hunting Lionfish after watching a DM in Belize spearing and feeding them straight to the reef sharks.

My question is this: should I just do their "Lionfish hunt" for $65 or spring for the more in-depth study and certification ($165)? I'm not inclined to collect cert cards unless someone's going to ask to see them in the future, but it seems that some other locations may ask for it if LF hunting (Bonaire and Florida are specifically of interest). Also, I'm interested in helping with coral restoration in the future, and can imagine this might be of use in that pursuit as well (?). Basically, is the card worth the extra time and cost, or is this like a Fish Identification card?

Also, any recommendations for appropriate gloves?

 

[tursiops]

watching a DM in Belize spearing and feeding them straight to the reef sharks.

This practice has been shown to be a really bad idea. It has NOT taught the sharks to hunt and eat lionfish (the original intention); rather, it has taught the sharks to bother divers, hoping for a handout.

some other locations may ask for it if LF hunting (Bonaire and Florida are specifically of interest).

Yes, required in Bonaire, plus you cannot use a spear, you must use an "ELF" and dive with a local guide, not on your own.

Basically, is the card worth the extra time and cost,

You will probably know more and be a better hunter with the extra training; the card -- as you point out -- is not really the point.

 

[covediver]

Good question. Does the PADI certification course include a practice session before going out to actually shoot lionfish? Improper technique can cuse harm to the reef. This aspect was an important aspect of the training I received in Roatan from the Marine Park Authority at the resoirt where I was staying. We actually had a practice session spearing submerged coconuts which are about the size of a lionfish. The instructor hid them among the rocks and we had to shoot them correctly to get our certification and be issued our licensce and spear.

Does Jamaica allow spearfishing for lionfish without PADI or some other training? As I recall, in the Cayman Islands you had to attend the brieifing and the PADI card was optional. In that course, 15 of us were put on a reef with few lionfish and only two dive gudes. Not very effective.

In any event, practice or coaching by an in=water guide is very effective. It is not as easy as the videos make it out to be, especially given the tendency or new spearfishers to underestimate distance and overestimate the power of the spear in their technique, not to mention "buck fever" inherint in all newbie hunters.

 

[100days-a-year]

Not the lamest card on Earth but in contention. It seems an undue burden to require certification to spear an invasive species when certification is rarely required to spear other species.
Sounds like a money grab.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

This practice has been shown to be a really bad idea. It has NOT taught the sharks to hunt and eat lionfish (the original intention); rather, it has taught the sharks to bother divers, hoping for a handout.

That was my experience in Belize. On all dives I has at least one escort, a few times two.

 

[schuylerclark]

This practice has been shown to be a really bad idea. It has NOT taught the sharks to hunt and eat lionfish (the original intention); rather, it has taught the sharks to bother divers, hoping for a handout.

That was my experience in Belize. On all dives I has at least one escort, a few times two.

Makes total sense. We always had a few reef sharks in the vicinity.

 

[Belzelbub]

My question is this: should I just do their "Lionfish hunt" for $65 or spring for the more in-depth study and certification ($165)? I'm not inclined to collect cert cards unless someone's going to ask to see them in the future, but it seems that some other locations may ask for it if LF hunting (Bonaire and Florida are specifically of interest).

Definitely sounds like a money grab to me. Can't answer for Belize, but I've never heard of anyone asking for a LF Hunting certification in FL. Honestly, I can't really think of what they'll cover in that class that you wouldn't learn on your first LF hunt.

Also, I'm interested in helping with coral restoration in the future, and can imagine this might be of use in that pursuit as well (?). Basically, is the card worth the extra time and cost, or is this like a Fish Identification card?

I don't see how this card will help with coral restoration. There are plenty of outfits that do coral restoration, and they often ask for volunteers to help with planting or monitoring.

Also, any recommendations for appropriate gloves?

I like the HexArmor 9016, but they've been discontinued. I use them for spearfishing in general, not just for lionfish hunting. Honestly, you really don't need any special gloves for lionfish as there isn't really a need to handle them in the water. I like to use a short pole spear with barbless prongs, and have a homemade lionfish containment device. Lionfish is forced through a slotted funnel, and pole spear is removed. Since the prongs are barbless, the lionfish is caught by the funnel and stays in the unit.

 

[johndiver999]

Actually, learning how NOT to get stung by a lionfish is probably good money spent and learning how to supply immediate first aid if/when you screw up is worth even more.

 

[Jafo19D]

the

This practice has been shown to be a really bad idea. It has NOT taught the sharks to hunt and eat lionfish (the original intention); rather, it has taught the sharks to bother divers, hoping for a handout.

Yes, required in Bonaire, plus you cannot use a spear, you must use an "ELF" and dive with a local guide, not on your own.

You will probably know more and be a better hunter with the extra training; the card -- as you point out -- is not really the point.

I used to be 100% against feeding sharks, in fact there are probably some posts I made here saying that but recently I’ve been reconsidering.

How can it make sense that the reef sharks aren’t learning to eat the lionfish and then say that the sharks are learning to associate divers with food?

I also read an article saying that the sharks can and do learn to eat lionfish but that it’s not passed down to the other generations.

And oh by the way, a lionfish cert is probably the most ridiculous card I’ve heard of. I did several dives with a DM that likes killing them. Next time I go to Cartagena I’ll dive with him if he gives me my own Hawaiiana. No need for a card.

 

[Jafo19D]

Actually, learning how NOT to get stung by a lionfish is probably good money spent and learning how to supply immediate first aid if/when you screw up is worth even more.

Why not just ask the DM to teach you instead of paying for a card? The DM I dove with in Cartagena doesn’t put them in a container, once he spears it he quickly snips the barbs and hooks them on a line.