Spearfishing with a rebreather

[Wayward Son]

TN had (has?) similar regs. When I lived there we could spear in fresh water but only non-game species. In FL, you can't spear in FW at all. You can't even have spear fishing tackle on a boat in FW there. I think some spearing may be legal in FW here in Alabama, but am not sure & there is not water clear enough to try near me in any case.

Regs vary widely from state to state. Don't assume anything, check the regs.

 

[ECVdiver]

My thinking behind all this is that if you are on a rebreather and hunting with or with out a spear you can
A:stay longer and find nice size game that has had time to reproduce more than once in its life.
B:you are stealthy enought to get a better shot and not (or at least less likely to) leave a fish that is wounded.
I live in california to the best of my knolage there are no restictions on rebreathers that do not apply to OC. all are state regs refer to SCUBA and that covers rebreathers as well.

My opinion is that the "board" opinion shouldn't matter when it comes to your actions, but you ask.
I believe that if you are taking dinner while you dive, it shouldn't even come to play if it is a "sport" or not. It is what it is: Taking a fish/mollusk/or even seaweed

I am not looking to be infueneced I have my opinion and feel that it is valid others have theirs and I am sure they feel that there valid. Thats what makes up a discusion

 

[Ana]

I am not looking to be infueneced I have my opinion and feel that it is valid others have theirs and I am sure they feel that there valid. Thats what makes up a discusion

You are correct, it is a way to get a discussion going.
It seems to me, that it should come to looking at a mirror at the end of the day, and don't feel regrets about your actions. Your background along with what you learned through your life provides the boundaries, it is helpfull when the laws around you agree with those boundaries.

If you go out with a RB, post how it went. Like it was mentioned before, I'm willing to bet it is not any easier that using scuba.

 

[Wayward Son]

Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing RB's mentioned in the fishing regs fro AL. Our saltwater regs are pretty simple: If you can catch it on H&L, you can spear it. Same bag limits. You are required to have both a SW fishing license and a spear fishing supplement that costs about $4, but that's about it.

I'm much closer to diving in FL & rarely see SW in AL, so i haven't paid a lot of attention to the regs. This has me curious though.

 

[HowardE]

Actually I beleive it is not allowed now in federal waters off the east coast of Florida but is allowed in ferderal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and definitely prohibited in Florida state waters

I thought you were the one who told me :laughing:

 

[Wayward Son]

Here is a massive set of docs on it:

http://fac.dos.state.fl.us/faconline/chapter68.pdf

A summary someone posted:

For Florida spearfishermen:

In Florida state waters, it is illegal to recreationally spearfish on a rebreather. Florida commercial regulations also prohibit the use of a rebreather for tropical collection.

In the South Atlantic EEZ (i.e., federal waters > 3 nm from North Carolina/Virginia border to a line extending south near the Dry Tortugas, Florida) it is illegal to use a rebreather to spearfish those species in the Snapper-Grouper FMP (i.e., snappers, groupers, triggerfish, porgys, jacks, tilefish, grunts, spadefish, hogfish, and sea bass).
Other target species like dolphin, wahoo, mackerel, cobia, etc. are legal to spear in the South Atlantic EEZ on a rebreather.

In the Gulf of Mexico EEZ (i.e., > 9 nm off Florida; either 3 or 9 nm seaward of other Gulf states), there are no prohibitions specific to the use of a rebreather.

Regardless of the regulations applicable to spearfishing and rebreathers, the next question one needs to ask is if one's diving would benefit from a rebreather - beyond that of a cost savings. Fast descents/ascents on rebreathers are more problematic compared to open circuit; if you are doing short/fast, deep bounce dives, these might not be what you are looking for due to the need to establish your setpoint, buoyancy issues on ascent, etc. You have to be vigilant when using these, make sure it is operating as it should, as the repercussions can be severe. Unless you want to be risky and are planning to follow an alpinist approach, you will still need to carry an open-circuit bailout tank (e.g., AL40 typically slung under your arm), so the overall package will be less streamlined and bulkier than a single steel tank with pony bottle. Depending on what unit you are considering, you will also have more clutter on your chest. Your vision will also be a tad more limited, as the loop doesn't allow you to swing your head as freely or as widely compared to open circuit. Extra protection of the unit on the boat deck will also be required, as a spear tip or spine from a fish sliding across the deck can give you a big headache. Also keep in mind that there will be no bubbles to disuade sharks from running in on you out of nowhere (i.e., they might not circle or take time to check you out), so you better be good with your PPD and have eyes in the back of your head
These are just a couple issues that are apparent.

 

[stu_in_fl]

And AJ happen to be one of those really, really stupid fish. They''re in the running to be the stupidest fish out there.

maybe hogfish take the prize for the stupidest....when you miss a shot they stop and watch you reload before slowly swimming off turning their bodies to give you the biggest targets possible.....and yes, I still miss the shot (but they are really tasty)

i don't think a rebreather would help my spearfishing

..now photos may be a different thing though....

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing RB's mentioned in the fishing regs fro AL. Our saltwater regs are pretty simple: If you can catch it on H&L, you can spear it. Same bag limits. You are required to have both a SW fishing license and a spear fishing supplement that costs about $4, but that's about it.

I'm much closer to diving in FL & rarely see SW in AL, so i haven't paid a lot of attention to the regs. This has me curious though.

They are prohibitted in spearfishing within AL as well.

Alabama's short little strip of coastline has several thousand sites, honestly, more than PCB can offer and with similar water conditions.

 

[Wayward Son]

Maybe so, but it's just a bit too much farther away from me for day trips.

 

[cowdog77]

I'm a lousy shot, so I don't attempt it very often. I guess I've developed a bad attitude hanging with a bunch of Blue Water breathhold Hunters.

_______________________________
Lucky you....neat group of purists to hang with.
And cool to watch too......grace.