Speargun for a teenager?

[Rick Murchison]

Re the loaded weapon on descent - I have made practice of setting the bands early after the coaching of some fairly experienced spearo's sharing with me some basic tricks. That has come back to be a friend in that when my bands broke this summer I was near enough to surface and get some new ones without much hassle. It would have completely sucked to have tried to set those bands at 60' when i had the hogs lined up like cows at a trough in front of me, which I have witness to, and have those bands break.

Good point. I've only had bands break on me once. All three at within 5 minutes because I was in too big of a hurry to check them on a gun I hadn't used for a few months. Lucky I had another gun on the boat. (that used shorter bands) But for me it's not so bad, like getting to 60 feet and having it happen, because I'm only free diving anyway.

Bands breaking shouldn't be a consideration on when to cock the gun during a dive. Bands are a pre-dive (pre-boarding the boat, for that matter) check item.
I do not recommend cocking the gun early in the descent for a beginning spearo. FWIW, in my own spearing adventure, there was a time when cocking came very early; now it comes later - either during the descent when I see likely targets on site, or, if I don't, then after "settling."
Rick

 

[CBulla]

Eh, hijacking aside here, the bands were checked 2 days prior to traveling to the keys. Both bands broke at the same spot which leads me to believe that something shifted on it and they were damaged inside or may have just been weakened by my checking before the trip. Also, the location we were at was the basically 'on site and settled' as it was 100' vis and the fish were visible from about 15-20' and down against the bottom, except the hoggies which blend in real nice until about 30-40'. With one person in the boat, one person shadowing me to watch and learn, I was in lead with no worries of anyone else around

OK, offa hijack.

 

[Speargirl]

I have a 10 year old who has been spearfishing since he was 7 at 6 he had a polespear at 7 a JBL now he buys his own guns He has his Cert. and I do take him spearfishing we both gear up and we both go down together. We are no deeper than 15' and I keep my gun loaded at all times, because you never know when there is going to be a shark around that might want you dinner. Denis can load his own gun but it does take him a few min. so mine is always ready for the unknown.
Question is would I ever let him go out on his own without me spotting? NO never not untill I feel he is ready. And being a mom that will probably be never

Spearfishing can be a fun sport and dinner on your table but it does take skill, knowledge and a level minded person to make it safe.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I've been messing with sharks for about 45 years. I wouldn't shoot one, because that would mean throwing away my pointy stick on the off chance that a single shot would get rid of them all, all with one shot. So the speargun is just as effective as a shark repellant uncocked as cocked, and much less likely that you'll jettison your best (only? last?) defense with an unwise or accidental shot if it's uncocked .
Here's a shot from the summer of '62...

Rick

I keep my gun loaded at all times, because you never know when there is going to be a shark around that might want you dinner.

 

[Speargirl]

Depending on where I am blue water or reef I carry P.P.D Beco .223 or a .357 never had to use it but if I ever did I would be ready.

 

[ONESPEED]

Everyone I know that started diving in the 60's and early 70's took spearguns on their first dive, and on every dive for quite a while. The reason to dive was to hunt.

It still is, isn't it?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Depending on where I am blue water or reef I carry P.P.D Beco .223 or a .357 never had to use it but if I ever did I would be ready.

The first bang stick I ever saw was the one we dreamed up and built in the early 60's. At the time we'd never heard of one... It was on the end of a 12 ft long pipe and used a 12 Ga shotgun shell - and was very effective.
Never carried a bang stick underwater on Scuba though... I have issues with it based on my prior experience, but if you want to carry one that's fine by me.
Rick

 

[fisheyeview]

The first bang stick I ever saw was the one we dreamed up and built in the early 60's. At the time we'd never heard of one... It was on the end of a 12 ft long pipe and used a 12 Ga shotgun shell - and was very effective.
Never carried a bang stick underwater on Scuba though... I have issues with it based on my prior experience, but if you want to carry one that's fine by me.
Rick

I was diving a wreck in the Gulf back in the late 70's. The owner of the shop that I got certified through was my dive buddy. He was a major spearo. (Back then he did a lot of the national & international competitions.)

A humungo cobia was swimming around us. He didn't want to waste time mearly spearing it, so he put is power head on his shaft and took a shot. The only trouble was that he forgot to remove the safety pin first. The last we saw of the cobia was is swimming away with the shaft and power head. That was the first time I ever experienced what it was like to laugh uncontrollably at 90'.

 

[Hank49]

I've been messing with sharks for about 45 years. I wouldn't shoot one, because that would mean throwing away my pointy stick on the off chance that a single shot would get rid of them all, all with one shot. So the speargun is just as effective as a shark repellant uncocked as cocked, and much less likely that you'll jettison your best (only? last?) defense with an unwise or accidental shot if it's uncocked .
Here's a shot from the summer of '62...

Rick

That's you in the middle, right?

 

[Rick Murchison]

That's you in the middle, right?

yep
Rick