It occurred to me that there are many people who spearfish, and I may run in to them from time to time. What is the protocol for non spear fishing divers in proximity to spear fishing divers?
Spear fishing is something I have absolutely no interest in. I'm mostly concerned about my own safety. Is it common for spear fishing divers to dive with no spear fishing divers? If yes, how does that usually work?
That's a good question. I dive with spearos all the time, as I spearfish myself probably 90% or more of the time I'm in salt water. But, I know the divers I dive with and they know how to act on the boat and in the water.
In most cases, the spearos will steer clear of other divers on a charter, so you'll likely never see them. There are a couple of behaviors that you can easily to identify that let you know that you have a novice spearo.
1. Diver loads the speargun on the boat. By loading, I mean pulling back the bands on a bandgun (spear in barrel is OK), or inserting the spear in the case of a pneumatic. This is generally frowned upon, and something that should be brought to the captain's attention right away.
2. Diver hands up a loaded speargun at the end of dive. (See #1 for definition of loaded.) This is a big issue, and very dangerous. Notify captain right away.
3. Diver hands speargun up at the end of dive with spear pointed up. This one is not as severe, but the vast majority of spearos recommend handing gun up butt first. With the butt first method, the guy on the boat is not at risk of getting poked due to wave action.
If you see these behaviors (esp 1 & 2) you have very good reason to believe you have a very inexperienced spearfisher on the boat. Use caution around these divers, and bring the transgressions up to the crew if they don't address them right away.
During the dive, the loaded speargun should never be pointed toward any divers. Chances are, the spearos will keep their distance, so you likely may never see them during the dive.
