Spearfishing Gear for Beginners — What You Need To Get Started
Spearfishing has been around for centuries, and it’s a great way to catch fresh and nutritious seafood and spend your free time
Like any other hobby, you need the right equipment. What do you need for effective spearfishing? Read on to find out:
Speargun
You definitely need a spear gun to do spearfishing. Luckily, there are many of them in the market you can buy.
As a beginner, avoid long guns as they might be too big for your skill level. The best option as a beginner is a single rubber aluminum gun, less than 35 inches long.
For the material, buy a steel gun that will give you a long service.
Avoid a pneumatic gun, as it might be too complex for you to maintain.
To buy the best gun, take time to research and only buy from a reputable store such as Neptonics online shop.
Mask and Snorke
You need a quality mask that gives you the protection you want. One thing you should look out for when buying a mask is its profile.
Obviously, get a mask with a low profile and allows as much less air in as possible, so you have an easy time dealing with pressure underwater.
You also should consider the mask’s visibility. The lens you go for depends on the waters you will be diving in.
If fishing in clear water, go for see-through lenses, but if diving in low visibility areas, go for colored lenses as they increase the contrast in the water, making you see better.
If you want to hide your eyes, go for mirrored lenses that will hide your eyes and attract fish because of deflection.
Finally, you need to think about the mask’s fitting. As a rule of thumb, the mask should feel right on your face.
Masks come in different fittings ideal for different face shapes, so you will need to try out several of them before settling on the best one.
The snorkel makes it easy to breathe when underwater. And for this reason, you don’t need to be fancy about it—get a simple J-shaped snorkel, and you are good to go.
Stay away from snorkels with advanced features such as purge valves and splash flaps as they create bubbles that scare and scatter fish.
Spearfishing Wetsuit
Even if the water feels warm on the surface, it gets colder as you descend, which can be uncomfortable.
To protect yourself, you will need to wear a wetsuit.
While you can get away with a surfing wetsuit, a spearfishing wetsuit is the most ideal as it’s specially designed for that. For example, the spearfishing wetsuit has a built-in pad that makes it easy to load your speargun against your chest and carry it more comfortably.
One of the most important factors to consider when buying the spearfishing wetsuit is its thickness, which relies on the water temperature you will be diving in.
For warm short dives, a 1.5 mm thick wetsuit is enough. If you will be diving deeper into colder water, you need a thicker suit.
Your wetsuit should fit snugly and, at the same time, be loose enough so that you can freely move around.
Wetsuits come in different colors, but for the best look, go for a camouflage suit that blends flawlessly with the surroundings. This way, you hide from fish in plain sight, making it easy for you to ambush them.
As a beginner, you will be better off with a one-piece, lined wetsuit, as it’s easy to get on and off. The one piece is also durable, saving you a lot of money in the long run.
Besides the wetsuit, you also need a pair of sturdy, flexible gloves that will give you a good grip on your equipment and keep you warm.
Fins
Fins power you through the water, and you need to choose the right ones to get the most from them. There are mainly two types of fins:
The first ones feature a longer blade and add power to your kick. These slip right onto your feet, and it’s best to wear them with socks or booties to protect your feet from blistering.
There are also open back fins that need a pair of reef boots that slide into the fins. You strap these onto your boots. They don’t generate as much power, so you will need to kick harder.
When picking out the fins, ensure that they fit well, and aren’t too tight that you get blisters. They also shouldn’t be too loose that you lose them while fishing.
When it comes to the fin material, go for those made from quality plastic as they get the job done much better.
Weight Belt
You will need to wear a weight belt to compensate for the buoyancy of the wetsuit.
The weight belt holds lead weight together to wear the right amount of weight for your body to achieve neutral buoyancy.
While the most popular belts are made from rubber, there is no right or wrong belt. It depends on your tastes and preferences.
Spearfishing Knife
You most likely won’t kill the fish on your first try as a beginner. Spearfishing laws dictate you should kill the fish humanly and fast, and to do this, you will need a knife.
Even when you are an expert and have mastered killing fish on the first stab, you will still need a knife strapped to your body if you get tangled up in rope or seaweed.
For the best outcome, get a knife with a handle that gives you a good grip and is easy to hang when you are underwater. Of course, the knife should be water-resistant and sharp.
Experienced Friend
Ok, a friend isn’t a bit of gear, but they come in handy in your spearfishing arsenal.
You will need someone experienced to help you judge the dive site and water conditions. Your experienced friend will also help you improve your hunting skills.
For the best guidance, ensure that the friend you bring has been actively spear fishing for at least one year.