Palm Beach Dive Thread

[MrChen]

It's a nice gun > Deadly Accurate as they say.

Go to your local Petsmart/Pet store and for just $7 you can engrave your own dog tag so if you do leave your gun behind, another diver will know who to return it too. I got one for @CosbySweater and there are plenty of stories of gear being returned cause the phone number was on it. Like all kinds of diving, you'll make changes that are easier for you personally !

Congrats on the mutton !!

I put ID stickers on it, hopefully that's sufficient?

 

[MrChen]

I would have liked to have been your buddy on that dive with my GoPro rolling! Glad everything turned out in the end and that you didn't wind up with your snapper eaten by a shark, goliath or eel!

hahahahaha Honestly, I would have loved seeing me crawling up current behind it and taking the shot. The best part would be that my wetsuit zipper broke, so my 5mm was unzipped on all 3 dives. Luckily it was a warmer water day.

 

[johndiver999]

That's as close to a perfect shot as you are going to get. Shouldn't have given you too much trouble after that. If you want more fun, aim for that black bullseye- that's what it is there for you know.

 

[Belzelbub]

This was my chance! I crawled up current and when I was around 15 to 20ft away, it turned to look at me and I took my shot. I nailed it. My first fish! Now I need to learn how to handle the gun after getting a fish. I was a little all over the place. I struggled to get my knife back in the holder on my leg since I couldn't see it and didn't want to stab myself or lose the knife. I didn't have my float/stringer easily accessible and couldn't get it free to float the fish. I ended up shoving it in my zookeeper, but it hardly fit. I then left my gun behind and had to swim back to get it. I'll work out the process as I catch more fish.

First, nice shot. Can't complain with that shot placement at all.

To ease the learning curve, see if you can find "The Barebones of Spearfishing." It offers some good tips on gear setup, fish behavior, and the stringing process.

As far as what to do with the speargun after shooting, it will vary a bit depending on the type of gun. Some float, some sink. Sounds like yours sinks, so placing down, or handing to a buddy work. If it floats, slipping your arm through the bands ensures it won't float. On my daughter's first successful shot on a fish, she didn't heed my advice to slip her arm through the bands. When she got the fish under control and on the stringer, the gun was nowhere to be found. It floated to the surface. Luckily, her friend was on the boat, saw it come up and swam over to get it.

 

[MrChen]

First, nice shot. Can't complain with that shot placement at all.

To ease the learning curve, see if you can find "The Barebones of Spearfishing." It offers some good tips on gear setup, fish behavior, and the stringing process.

As far as what to do with the speargun after shooting, it will vary a bit depending on the type of gun. Some float, some sink. Sounds like yours sinks, so placing down, or handing to a buddy work. If it floats, slipping your arm through the bands ensures it won't float. On my daughter's first successful shot on a fish, she didn't heed my advice to slip her arm through the bands. When she got the fish under control and on the stringer, the gun was nowhere to be found. It floated to the surface. Luckily, her friend was on the boat, saw it come up and swam over to get it.

Thanks for the advice! I never thought of using the bands! My gun floats but with the shaft, it sinks. My gun was floating in the water column, but the shaft had it weighted down in place. This actually made it very easy to find, but in a strong current, I imagine it would work as a sail and drag the shaft along until it snagged something like an anchor. With the shaft locked in, the gun is only slightly negative. I'm definitely going to use the bands idea. I like this idea a lot.

As for the Barebones of Spearfishing, I actually came across an old SB post with a link to buy the digital version. Unfortunately, the checkout process is completely broken. It won't accept my credit card as valid and the PayPal option results in a blank screen after logging in. It felt like I fell for a scam, but all the URL's look legit as far as I can tell (Vimeo.com, paypal.com).

 

[Johnoly]

As for the Barebones of Spearfishing,

Another very good book is from Palm Beach County spearo, Chiefy. Several of us on SB know & dive with him. His book has been carried by Force-E, ScubaQuest, Diver's Direct and many other local shops($25). It's a great reference & I own a copy. It's also available on line.

Catching the Spear-it! The ABC's of Spearfishing - Chiefy

Over 100 pages of Spear Tips and Chiefy stories giving the reader an easy-to-remember publication worth reading again and again. You will never forget the 3 R’s and 4 S’s of spearfishing including a comprehensive section on spearguns and speargun components. There is even a section on hunting...

chiefy.net

 

[Belzelbub]

Thanks for the advice! I never thought of using the bands!

I can’t take credit for that, just glad to pass it along. I learned it from Kevin Bruington. Probably in one of his seminars, but it could have been in Barebones.

My gun floats but with the shaft, it sinks. My gun was floating in the water column, but the shaft had it weighted down in place. This actually made it very easy to find, but in a strong current, I imagine it would work as a sail and drag the shaft along until it snagged something like an anchor. With the shaft locked in, the gun is only slightly negative. I'm definitely going to use the bands idea. I like this idea a lot.

Lineshafting? I admittedly used to let the gun float while stringing a fish when I linshafted. That’s reasonably secure at least until you remove the shaft from the fish. It took me longer than it should have to get over my fear of losing a shaft before I tried freeshafting. With spare shafts affixed, the gun will definitely be negative. I still bring a line attached in case I need to lineshaft, but it’s rare that I use it.

If lineshafting, the line needs to be considered to avoid entanglement, but it’s usually not a big problem unless you get a less than optimal shot.

Oh, and just below your fingers in the pic is the best place to grab the fish. Gloves highly recommended as gill plates are sharp. Grabbing the throat of the fish gives you a lot of control without worrying about dorsal spines.

As for the Barebones of Spearfishing, I actually came across an old SB post with a link to buy the digital version. Unfortunately, the checkout process is completely broken. It won't accept my credit card as valid and the PayPal option results in a blank screen after logging in. It felt like I fell for a scam, but all the URL's look legit as far as I can tell (Vimeo.com, paypal.com).

Not sure if this link might work better. I know it says gloves, but the video is at the bottom of that section. This one is definitely legit as that’s Kevin’s website.

Gloves & Shirts | Ocean Rhino

www.oceanrhinospearguns.com

Though, it doesn’t appear that there is a direct link on the website. Kevin is usually pretty responsive by email or phone, so he can undoubtedly point you in the right direction.

 

[PBcatfish]

Also important, in addition to shot placement, is shot angle. If you shoot from behind the fish & the spear tip goes up in-between the scales, it is much easier to penetrate the fish compared to a frontal shot.

I used to dive with guys who had the biggest guns they could find & used 2 or 3 bands at a time, including a ridiculously strong "grouper band" that I wasn't able to set. Then, one day, I watched a commercial spearo knock off half a dozen groupers in less than 5 minutes while free-shafting with just a single standard band on each shot & just using a medium sized gun. I learned more about spear fishing in that 5 minutes than I learned from the other guys in a couple of years.

Technique means a lot.

 

[Johnoly]

... I watched a commercial spearo knock off half a dozen groupers in less than 5 minutes while free-shafting with just a single standard band on each shot.....

As we always say...........Guns don't kill >> Accuracy does.

 

[Belzelbub]

I used to dive with guys who had the biggest guns they could find & used 2 or 3 bands at a time, including a ridiculously strong "grouper band" that I wasn't able to set. Then, one day, I watched a commercial spearo knock off half a dozen groupers in less than 5 minutes while free-shafting with just a single standard band on each shot & just using a medium sized gun. I learned more about spear fishing in that 5 minutes than I learned from the other guys in a couple of years.

With an enclosed track, you can kind of get away with overloading like that, but with a standard speargun, adding more bands can kill accuracy. It introduces flex in the shaft which leads to shaft whip that robs power and affects accuracy.

The efficiency of those commercial freeshafters is definitely something. I'm nowhere near that fast, but get a little faster each time.

My gun has a muzzle that can support 3 bands. I only have 2 loaded, and really only load a single band. Second band is primarily backup in case one breaks. I also load that first band to the first slot leaving me the option of loading the second if a fish is staying just out of range. I don't have shafts bouncing off a fish. Keeping shafts sharp helps a lot.