there is a problem with the gun safety, there have been incidences where a person has been shot in the back by the spear, i personally know people taht have been scuba diving and instructing a class that almost got hit by a spear.
just by spending time in the water with the fish does not mean that u suddenly learn what fish is illegal to catch and what is not. ive been diving for a couple of years now and i cant identify most of the fish i see myself.
Ah, lucy_goosey, you're taking away needed income for your wildlife department. Wildlife enforcement officers in Oklahoma check for illegal catch. If you possess an illegal fish, you pay a big fine and donate all your dive gear, maybe your boat, and maybe the vehicle you pulled the boat with (depends how many fish you've taken). And to make sure you understand your offense. . . go directly to jail, until you've bailed out. Most spearfishermen in our area get the message before they hunt.
When fish are being hunted by new divers, they thoughtfully keep their distance. When a new diver sees a fish they can hunt, they focus, or look straight at the fish and that tips off the fish its being hunted. Two beginning divers won't get in range of each other because of this reaction. Us old, moldy divers can usually get much closer, and we can tell by the reaction of the fish, if there is another diver anywhere nearby.
I've been around spearfishermen for 40 years, with many contests with over 200 competitors, and never heard of a diver being speared by another. A couple of divers have handled their own guns, and shot themselves.
You see a problem and want to help make spearfishing safer. . . that's good but unless you have a particularly foolish group of new divers, it's not as risky as an outsider might perceive.
NO! Stop the madness!!:shocked2: Leave the fish costume home!:goldfish:
And if not... Force majeure!
