Pole Spears and Hawaiian Slings

Pole Spears and Hawaiian Slings

If you're going to the Bahamas, or just looking for a more challenging way to hunt, then you should do some research into pole spears and hawaiian slings.  A Pole Spear is a long spear that can be made out of a variety of different materials. It is propelled through the water by a long band which is looped through the back end of the spear. The energy of a pole spear is stored by the diver stretching the band toward the front of the pole spear and grasping the spear with the same hand that is holding the band.  A Hawaiian Sling is essentially an underwater slingshot: a tube with a band connected to it. The band has notch in the back of it which holds a spear designed to slide through the tube. 

Generally, the choice of one over the other comes down to personal preference, although pole spears have garnered a larger share of the market more recently. There are countless varieties in design and quality of both types of devices, but they all tend to be pretty similar, which is one of the reasons they are frequently clumped together into the broad categories of "polespear" or "hawaiian sling".

 

Pole Spears

Polespears have made some of the largest technological jumps of any spearfishing equipment in the past decade. This is especially true for their overall quality. The materials, precision, and technological innovation have allowed pole spears to land some fish species that no one would have dreamed of landing with a pole spear in the past. However, polespears have a couple big drawbacks.  One of the biggest challenges is range.  Even the longest pole spears only have a lethal range comparable to about a 45’ or 100 cm speargun.  That being said, in that range they tend to hit the fish and penetrate it better than a speargun of that length at those ranges. But, range is a limitation for both pole spears and hawaiian slings. In order to combat the range issue, an innovation that has developed recently is the roller polespear, which utilizes a roller band similar to that of a roller speargun to extend the effective range of the spear. The drawback to the roller is that it isn't as snappy or quick as the traditional pole spear, which makes it less effective for hunting quick fish in close quarters on the reef. The benefits of using a polespear or hawaiian sling is that you are forced to become a better hunter. Because of the range limitations of either, you are required to get better at stalking your prey, and close the distance more.  If nothing else, it adds even more challenge to an already challenging sport.  

 

Pole Spears

Hawaiian slings use a traditional shaft instead of a slip tip, and are generally freeshafted, although you can also attach a reel. They don't have as much punch as a polespear, but move faster through the water and are easier to aim, easier to fix if broken (just grab a different backup shaft or band), and cheaper. Because of the free shaft, there is a risk that the fish will slide up the shaft and off the back end of it.

 

Pole Spears and Hawaiian Slings - Legal Limitations

One of the biggest reasons to use these is that some places ban the use of spearguns to spearfish.  The Bahamas and Bermuda have chosen to protect their fisheries from spearfishing by limiting spearfishing equipment to just pole spears and hawaiian slings.  These countries, and other like them have certainly helped to create a culture of using polespears and hawaiian slings and have resulted in a number of people that prefer pole spears to spearguns.  

So if you are planning a trip out of the country, remember to check their regulations, and remember to get some practice with your pole spear or hawaiian sling before your trip. If you want to challenge yourself to become a better spearo, pick one up. Force yourself to close the distance a bit more.  After you get good with a pole spear or sling, a speargun will almost feel like cheating.