Diver shoots hand with own spear gun

[Johnoly]

All I've got to do is take off the 12' TETHER

That should leave you enough room for the underwater GPS/fishfinder combo!! I just ordered the waterproof VHS radio for mine, but I had to special order the back light so I can see it below 100ft where the sunlight from above is pretty useless.

You have to pay a little more for good quality electronics. My cheepo MP3 player actually leaked at 120ft!!! Being narc'd, shooting fish, in the middle of BeeGee's concert on 80% helium is no time for equipment failure!!

 

[billtodive]

Being narc'd, shooting fish, in the middle of BeeGee's concert on 80% helium is no time for equipment failure!!

BeeGee's? There would be a reason to get hit with a spear.

 

[Santa]

4 of us were hanging at about 20' doing a deco stop for about 10 minutes and an additional 15 or so for our comps to get back into the green, not realizing this guy was hurt up top.

.

I've thought of this before. One thing that almost never goes into the predive briefings is the boat signal for all teams to return, yet it is of highest priorty should someone surface prematurely showing symptoms of DCS or whatever. It's a simple negligence that could arrest any rescue.

regards

 

[Atticus]

...You wouldn't go into a supermarket with a gun to buy some milk...

I do. I'll bet a significant percentage of the readers do too.

 

[Wayward Son]

So do I, as does my wife.

But I doubt Gargoyle and his neighbors do, as I think he's from the British Isles.

 

[mello-yellow]

Ive never seen a spear gun yet alone dived anywhere with one or on a boat where anyone used one and i hope to keep it that way. They strike me as an all round bad idea.

I did, once in California. The lady was carrying a speargun and a sizable bag of dead bleeding fish -- hoping a large predator would show up (none did). Back on the boat I asked her if this baiting technique ever works. "Sure, I got a 150 lb shark just last week!"

I was not worried so much about her shooting me, as about her intended prey...

 

[String]

I thought that in the UK that spear fishing was illegal with scuba gear.

I dont think its illegal (except in marine reserves) just a very bad idea given typical conditions. Theres a culture difference in play here. British people far less inclined to hunt/shoot things above or below water. Most divers tend to be limited to craw,lobster,crab and scallop hunting.

I went an asked the coastguard and the police and both of them didn't know.

Id be very careful with UK law carrying the thing on land. Im fairly certain it would be classed as a firearm and therefore illegal (in the same way air guns are). Even if not you could easily fall prey to the carrying a dangerous weapon laws. Technically even walking around with a dive knife on your person is illegal without a very good reason (going diving!)

The scary thing is that at best there is only 5m vis and this is a very popular spot with no 'big' fish. It would only take one miss and you could be a kebab! The idea of going into the sea with a other divers and a loaded gun is mad. You wouldn't go into a spuermarket with a gun to buy some milk.
Maybe this particular person was trying for the Darwin awards.

1-4m vis and a spear gun really doesnt sound that safe to me (for other divers and swimmers alike). As i said though, ive never seen one used or even stored anywhere in the UK what so ever so its not really an issue.



EDIT:- Ive just checked it isnt illegal in the UK just thankfully incredibly rare.

 

[String]

So do I, as does my wife.

But I doubt Gargoyle and his neighbors do, as I think he's from the British Isles.

Correct. If he did he'd be arrested under the firearms act.

 

[Gargoyle]

Many Thanks String for your information.
Just to let you know that down here in Cornwall it is so easy to get a spear gun from the LDS. There hanging on the walls and anyone can buy them. The other day I saw a group of lads trying to buy them and the scary thing was they couldn't put a sentence together. They just wanted to shoot fish as it seemed more macho than fishing with a rod.

 

[String]

There hanging on the walls and anyone can buy them. The other day I saw a group of lads trying to buy them and the scary thing was they couldn't put a sentence together. They just wanted to shoot fish as it seemed more macho than fishing with a rod.

Quite possinly non-diving chavs that wanted to carry it around the street trying to buy one of those as they discovered they couldnt buy an air gun in a shop.

Not that i recall ever seeing them in cornish shops ive certainly never seen one on any dive boat or even shore sight.