Spare Air to Shoot Fish

[BigRichP]

I can free dive to 40' although I can't do much else once I'm down there. If I take the 3 cubic ft of air down with me, will it be enough to get me that fish?

 

[diver 85]

I would think something's better than nuttin'..........

 

[kelemvor]

Are you scuba certified? If not, you may not know what to do on the way up. Lung expansion injuries are no joke.

Personally I'd think a small pony bottle attached to a harness, or even a belt would be more convenient than holding a bottle of spare air from your mouth.

 

[drrich2]

Are you wanting to use it like a mini scuba tank to let you hunt around down there, or free dive & if you see a good fish, switch to it to go after that one?

I'm not a spear fisherman. So take this for what it's worth, and in the context of sincere concern please. If memory serves (I can't find an old link searching, so I'm drawing on old recall), over the past years there was a post about a staff member from a dive boat in Belize who was free diving, encountered a scuba diver at, oh, maybe 30 or more feet deep (?), took a breath from the friendly diver, and headed back up.

But he was free diving, accustomed to breath holding. And had taken a breath of pressurized air at depth.

He died.

I know scuba diving involves some task loading. A fairly minor change in gear or environment can throw a person off more than anticipated. I would think free diving + spear hunting would also involve task loading. My concern is that if you try to juggle breath holding, hunting, spearing, grabbing your catch if successful, breathing off a Spare Air and heading for the surface exciting about your success...you could forget you have to exhale.

I'm not suggesting you don't do it. Just that you think about it.

Richard.

 

[Allison Finch]

In areas where you MUST be on snorkel gear to spearfish, this would be illegal.

 

[flots am]

I can free dive to 40' although I can't do much else once I'm down there. If I take the 3 cubic ft of air down with me, will it be enough to get me that fish?

It will be enough to get a court appearance if you're in a place that doesn't allow SCUBA. And if it does allow SCUBA, a spare air is just a swift kick in Darwin's balls.

Unless you're trying to escape from a slightly submerged, crashed helicopter, the Spare Air really has no purpose in life.

It's just enough air to run out twice on the same dive.

flots.

 

[BRT]

It will be enough to get a court appearance if you're in a place that doesn't allow SCUBA. And if it does allow SCUBA, a spare are is just a swift kick in Darwin's balls.

Unless you're trying to escape from a slightly submerged, crashed helicopter, the Spare Air really has no purpose in life.

It's just enough air to run out twice on the same dive.

flots.

Everybpdy is welcome to their own opinion but the second time you ran out you could be a lot closer to the surface.

 

[victor]

As a freediver breating air under preasure is very dangerous as all your experience and training teaches you to hold your breath. See Drrich2 post above.
I sugest you take an Open Water course and you will understand why it could be a very bad idea.

The Spare Air has a poor reputation here.
A divers spare air is normally on thir buddys back or the have a redundant air source with enough volume for a slow ascent to get them to the surface breathing normally and including a safety stop.

 

[djtimmy77]

taking a freediving class probably isn't much more expensive than the spare air, will get you just as much time if not more, and you won't have to get fills.

 

[redacted]

It might be just enough to let you "sleep with the fishes".