DIR and Spearfishing

[matts1w]

I made a post elsewhere and began to think that perhaps I was "painting with too broad a brush." So let me throw these questions out here as I am very curious:

Do any of you guys spearfish? Is it possible to spearfish and stay within the DIR structure? Does GUE address underwater hunting and offer configurations, procedures, etc...?

Thanks for your responses in advance.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The one issue I see is that I've never seen spearfishermen hunting in a team. All the ones I've seen have pretty much been solo divers. Solo diving is clearly not DIR.

 

[Rainer]

Soggy and I went lobstering a week ago. Pretty DIR set of dives (planning, pre-dive, team-oriented, goal-oriented, etc). Had our usual equipment, including can lights. Only pulled one legal bug, but for this type of slow-paced hunting, I don't see it as much different than a camera dive. Same set of issues apply when we sometimes go for flounder. Hunting fish that actually swim around (sometimes quickly) could be much harder to manage, but seeing as I haven't tried, I don't have anything useful to add. For slow(er) moving targets, yes, IMO, hunting can be done DIR.

 

[Rainer]

The one issue I see is that I've never seen spearfishermen hunting in a team. All the ones I've seen have pretty much been solo divers. Solo diving is clearly not DIR.

Few times I had gone spearing for Tog we had done these as team dives (one spearing, the other lending support). I wouldn't call them DIR dives, though (and this was pre GUE training), since my attention was placed first on the fish, second on the team.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Do any of you guys spearfish?

Yes.

Is it possible to spearfish and stay within the DIR structure?

No.

Does GUE address underwater hunting and offer configurations, procedures, etc...?

Spearfishing and underwater hunting are activities that, except for the fact that divers do them underwater, are not addressed directly by any DIR texts that I'm aware of.

To the extent that you can no doubt perform such activities more safely by using extensive pre-planning and well-thought out, precision execution, then yes - you could say that DIR speaks to the thinking behind safer diving...hunting included.

But no, there is no duly approved location to carry your stringer in DIR. There are no DIR-approved procedures that identify when to load your gun, who reaches under the rock, etc. etc. Plus, many hunters DO hunt quasi-solo while actually hunting.

Not that anyone disapproves, but hunting simply isn't addressed directly by DIR texts AFAIK.

YMMV.

 

[Meng_Tze]

Let's keep this on focus of this forum. DIR has no allowance as far as I can see for spearfishing. I think that answers the OP's question.

Agreed?

 

[matts1w]

Yes.

No.

Spearfishing and underwater hunting are activities that, except for the fact that divers do them underwater, are not addressed directly by any DIR texts that I'm aware of.

To the extent that you can no doubt perform such activities more safely by using extensive pre-planning and well-thought out, precision execution, then yes - you could say that DIR speaks to the thinking behind safer diving...hunting included.

But no, there is no duly approved location to carry your stringer in DIR. There are no DIR-approved procedures that identify when to load your gun, who reaches under the rock, etc. etc. Plus, many hunters DO hunt quasi-solo while actually hunting.

Not that anyone disapproves, but hunting simply isn't addressed directly by DIR texts AFAIK.

YMMV.

Thanks for a clear answer, Doc and Meng Tze. That is pretty much what I was thinking. Feel free to close this thread.

 

[JeffG]

Let's keep this on focus of this forum. DIR has no allowance as far as I can see for spearfishing. I think that answers the OP's question.

Agreed?

Actually. I remember an old GI3 post talking about spearfishing. He did say it could be done, but no details were given.

Maybe its treated like a video dive. Usually a team of 3, where the video guy is treated like the "weak" diver.

 

[RTodd]

Let's keep this on focus of this forum. DIR has no allowance as far as I can see for spearfishing. I think that answers the OP's question.

Agreed?

Now this is just silly. DIR allows you to bring necessary tools. Its simple, when spearfishing bring the gun and use safest practices. A stringer is situation dependent -on the TX side of the Gulf you are hunting big stuff and only shoot one fish usually.

In general, it would only be one gun per team, since like photography, it is hard to keep the team organized otherwise. For big photo dives we load up and stage strobes, etc. that doesn't make it somehow no longer a DIR dive.

 

[JeffG]

Maybe its treated like a video dive. Usually a team of 3, where the video guy is treated like the "weak" diver.

In general, it would only be one gun per team, since like photography, it is hard to keep the team organized otherwise. For big photo dives we load up and stage strobes, etc. that doesn't make it somehow no longer a DIR dive.

Ha....See, even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.