Spearfishing with a rebreather

[rigdiver]

Well let's see. We are allowed 1 AJ and 2 Red Snapper right. Does not matter what you use to harvest em. Pretty slim allowances all things considered.
My OC personal record include a Cubera @ 94 lbs, an AJ @ 91 lbs, and 3 Red Snapper over 30 lbs. Is my Inspiration going to make me any better? I don't think so.
Bill (not Bimini) NAUI 5709L CD

 

[donkeys4hire]

I like to spearfish. I also want to eat fish and bring more fish home. If I could use a RB legally I would no questions asked. "It's not too sporting" I want more fish thats it, any way possible.

As an O.C. hunter, I enjoy the challenge of the hunt. I personally don't shoot certain fish because I would feel a little guilty if I were just killing and not hunting, if that makes any sense.
It seems to me that a rebreather takes away from the challenge and I can't really understand
why anybody would really want to hunt on a rebreather. Is it hunting if you can swim right up to it, pet it and shoot it? To each his own but I just don't think it is very sporting.

Terri

I'm putting on my flame retardant suit.

 

[Biminibill]

The South Atlantic Fishery management Council banned the use of rebreathers for spearfishing in the South Atlantic EEZ many years ago. Rebreathers are illegal for any kind of consumptive harvest in Florida State waters and apply to ornamental harvest in Federal waters off Florida on both coasts under the "adjacent state waters rules apply" provision of the Magnuson- Stevens Act.

As for using rebreathers to spearfish or other harvest there are several reasons why this is a bad idea. First: Too much access to the resource both by the advantage of increased stealth and long duration will lead to overharvest issues both biologically and politically (divers vs. hook and liners). Second: Diving a rebreather requires steady attention to unit operation in order to be used safely even in the best of conditions. Spearfishing often increases task loading to the point that the diver will allow proper monitoring of the rebreather to be compromised. The "All's fair in love and war" statement is irrelevant and ignores reality. Fighting a big fish can lead to rapid depth changes, digging fish out of holes, etc, all things that require special attention to the rebreather that are not neaded for open circuit diving. Pre-occupation with what you're doing can lead to catastrophic events. Two deaths occurred on rebreathers off Broward County several years ago. The first was a guy collecting tropical fish illegally and the other was someone spearfishing illegally. While no one solved the mystery of what happened to the fish collector there is no doubt that the spearfisherman was the victim of too much task loading.

It takes a disciplined mindset to properly use a rebreather. It's not for everyone. Careful and detailed rebreather maintenance before and after each diving day at a high level is a requirement that doesn't apply to open circuit. There's an ocean of difference between strapping on a bottle on open circuit and donning a rebreather. There are many divers who, used to the ease of open circuit diving, will rush maintenance of the their rebreather unit or skip it altogether

If rebreathers are allowed for spearfishing and more people get into using them there will be more deaths which will end up bringing in unwanted government restrictions on ther use. If people use the stealth capability to pound the hell out of fish, particularly on popular dive and fishing sites the units will get a further black eye leading to still more government intervention.

Finally, if people spearfish for sport then consider that using a rebreather and parking your bubbleless tail in a cranny to wait for fish to dumbly swim up so you can pop them can hardly be considered sport. If your goal is simply to boat as many fish as you can as easily as you can then become a commercial fisherman. If hunting for the sport of it is your goal then hewn your skills to make yourself successful with open circuit. Leave the rebreather on the shelf.

Yes, I do own a rebreather.

Biminibill

 

[Hetland]

The idea that rebreathers are a valid threat to fish populations is flawed and maintained by hate,jealosy and mis-information.
Fortunately the fisheries agencies are now being legislated into using"best science" to develop regulations and limits.Rather than the mis-informed conehead knowitalls who used to have carte-blanche to impose thier asinine prejudices.

I can't tell you how many times I run into rebreather-bigots, boiling over with hate and jealousy. I'm sure that's why there are state and federal regulations against using rebreathers for spearfishing.

While I see valid points to some of your arguments otherwise, I can tell you that the larger fish, the ones responsible for making lots of baby fish, are the ones that have learned to stay away from bubble-blowing divers with long sticks in their hands. Allowing rebreathers to be used will make it that much easier for spearfishermen to target those larger fish and remove them from the breeding population. I guarantee you that more people would do it if it were legal, and I think the numbers would be significant despite the cost argument you have made. If people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on ice, diesel, and deco gas for 10 minutes of bottom time to shoot grouper at 400ft, then they will be more than willing to invest in a rebreather and the training required to operate them. For too many of our ranks, it's all about shooting a bigger fish than the guy next door. This is the true "danger" of spearfishing vs. hook and line. We can see what we're about to kill, and choose to shoot the biggest fish we can.

Before the flames start, I'll just say that I'm a spearfisherman, and I'm all about putting food on my table, and supporting the rights of others to do so, but there's no doubt that our fisheries are in trouble, and as long as we focus on killing all the biggest fish we can, we're not doing anything to help the situation.

 

[JDMerk]

If people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on ice, diesel, and deco gas for 10 minutes of bottom time to shoot grouper at 400ft...

Not to nit-pick but do you know anybody who has dove to 400ft just to go spearfishing for grouper? Or anything for that matter? Who dives to 400ft to get something you can get in 40ft of water?

Back on topic...no I don't think spearfishing on RB is sporting. But I have never seen a RB diver spearing so as far as I see its not an issue. The last thing we need is more useless legislation.

I also think that spear guns are unsporting...pole spears require much more...finesse. But I dive and hunt with spear gun users and don't think any less of them, I just chose to go about the same task differently. So why not leave well enough alone?

 

[Hetland]

Not to nit-pick but do you know anybody who has dove to 400ft just to go spearfishing for grouper? Or anything for that matter? Who dives to 400ft to get something you can get in 40ft of water?

Yes.

Do I shoot or do I run!!! - Spearboard Spearfishing Community

 

[CaveMD]

The South Atlantic Fishery management Council banned the use of rebreathers for spearfishing in the South Atlantic EEZ many years ago. Rebreathers are illegal for any kind of consumptive harvest in Florida State waters and apply to ornamental harvest in Federal waters off Florida on both coasts under the "adjacent state waters rules apply" provision of the Magnuson- Stevens Act.

As for using rebreathers to spearfish or other harvest there are several reasons why this is a bad idea. First: Too much access to the resource both by the advantage of increased stealth and long duration will lead to overharvest issues both biologically and politically (divers vs. hook and liners). Second: Diving a rebreather requires steady attention to unit operation in order to be used safely even in the best of conditions. Spearfishing often increases task loading to the point that the diver will allow proper monitoring of the rebreather to be compromised. The "All's fair in love and war" statement is irrelevant and ignores reality. Fighting a big fish can lead to rapid depth changes, digging fish out of holes, etc, all things that require special attention to the rebreather that are not neaded for open circuit diving. Pre-occupation with what you're doing can lead to catastrophic events. Two deaths occurred on rebreathers off Broward County several years ago. The first was a guy collecting tropical fish illegally and the other was someone spearfishing illegally. While no one solved the mystery of what happened to the fish collector there is no doubt that the spearfisherman was the victim of too much task loading.

It takes a disciplined mindset to properly use a rebreather. It's not for everyone. Careful and detailed rebreather maintenance before and after each diving day at a high level is a requirement that doesn't apply to open circuit. There's an ocean of difference between strapping on a bottle on open circuit and donning a rebreather. There are many divers who, used to the ease of open circuit diving, will rush maintenance of the their rebreather unit or skip it altogether

If rebreathers are allowed for spearfishing and more people get into using them there will be more deaths which will end up bringing in unwanted government restrictions on ther use. If people use the stealth capability to pound the hell out of fish, particularly on popular dive and fishing sites the units will get a further black eye leading to still more government intervention.

Finally, if people spearfish for sport then consider that using a rebreather and parking your bubbleless tail in a cranny to wait for fish to dumbly swim up so you can pop them can hardly be considered sport. If your goal is simply to boat as many fish as you can as easily as you can then become a commercial fisherman. If hunting for the sport of it is your goal then hewn your skills to make yourself successful with open circuit. Leave the rebreather on the shelf.

Yes, I do own a rebreather.

Biminibill

A. too much access to resource/over fishing--well gee lets think about that profoundly deep well thought out argument for a second, we have these things called bag limits. Using a Air/Nitrox etc does not magically make you any more bound to following the bag limits than using a rebreather.

B. Special attention to maintenance--Hmm where can I possibly find a flaw in this statement? I am all for making laws to protect me from myself because I just can't think for myself or be responsible without big brother to kiss my booboo when I fall. Spearfishing also has this crazy thing you can do where you don't have a line attached to the spear...I hear those whacko's call it freeshafting...they also do this other crazy thing where they let the fish fight a float at the surface instead(yea I know not very sporting )

C. Pre-occupation can lead to catastrophic events...well damn I think you hit the nail on the head with that one...while we're at it why don't we ban driving to work in the morning and listening to music while working out too. You know because that one person got in a wreck or dropped a weight on his toe because he wasn't paying attention, all the rest of us are highly likely to do it as well.

D. Two deaths occured in broward county while using rebreathers...well in broward county there were 253 traffic fatalities in 2007, and 227 in 2008, clear evidence of my earlier position that we need to ban driving, if driving were illegal and they weren't breaking the law they obviously wouldn't have been killed
FARS Encyclopedia: States - Crashes and All Victims

E. "Finally, if people spearfish for sport then consider that using a rebreather and parking your bubbleless tail in a cranny to wait for fish to dumbly swim up so you can pop them can hardly be considered sport. "
well going by this flawless logic I need to quit hunting on land too, damn can you believe all those sportless idiots on TV deer hunting and turkey hunting? they don't even have any air bubbles coming from their tree stand's or ground blinds...for fvck sake most of them even wear clothing to blend in with the background and clothing to conceal their scent...pathetic bastards.

I await your quality rebuttle

 

[diverlen]

BoneDoc, I am sorry but I have to agree with BiminiBill and despite what you say, "You are an absolute idiot of the purest form." , I respectfully have to disagree with you.

 

[Biminibill]

BoneDoc,

When an idiot calls me an idiot I don't lose sleep over it. Your arguments are so vulnerable to deconstruction I was annihilating them before finishing each sentence...and that was before my first cup of coffee.

Rant on...maybe you can get a job subbing for Rush Limbaugh.

Biminibill

 

[rigdiver]

BoneDoc;
You are right on. We do not need more laws protecting us from ourselves.
Looking forward to SF on CCR soon. And, to you others I'll do it in a state where it is legal.
Bill C.