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How To Rig De-Multiplied Roller to Breakaway

De-Multiplied Roller Spearguns are some of the newest spearguns on the market. They are more complicated than your standard speargun, or even a roller speargun. They work on a principle of extremely long band pulls. When they are rigged properly they are magical. The range on these speargun are insane. The lack of recoil also makes these spearguns accurate on a disturbing level. With all that being said, these spearguns are daunting to rig properly and need a deeper level of understanding than an every day speargun.

How De-Multiplied Roller Spearguns Work

A De-Multiplied Roller Speargun works by multiplying the distance and number of bands on the speargun. To be a De-Multiplied Roller the bands need to connect around the mid point of the speargun and run back and wrap under the speargun to another connection point. This connection point works as a harness point for other bands and a wishbone similar to an inverted roller. The harness acts as the tension point allowing the speargun to be effectively overpowered while maintaining accuracy.

Rigging a De-Multiplied Roller Speargun

Rigging a De-multiplied roller is no simple task. There are a lot of moving parts to keep track of and maintain. It is not a beginner speargun by any stretch.

Rubber

The bands on a De-Multiplied roller are complicated. They are thick (19mm), in order to store more energy. The bands are long and they are numerous. The way the bands are routed is very particular. They also have to be loaded in a certain order to function at their best. When you first get your De-Multiplied Roller Speargun make sure to take a bunch of pictures and measurements of how it is rigged to replicate it in the future.

Shafts and Slip Tips

The shafts for these have to be very thick. The amount of force exerted on them makes any skinny shaft flex and causes inaccuracy. Most De-Multiplied Roller Spearguns take customized 10mm spear shafts. They need additional loading tabs to assist in properly loading the long roller bands. The question then comes down to if you use a flopper shaft or slip tip.  Some of that comes to user preference, some of it is what species you are targeting. 

Shooting Line

The shooting line needs to match the type of fish you are targeting. Spectra is generally the best shooting line for De-Multiplied Roller Spearguns. The reduced line memory allows for accurate, long shots. Cable can be a good option in the right conditions. The accuracy of the shot is reduced, but in some situations it may be the only way to land your fish. Cable shooting line is particularly important in waters with lots of sharks. The cable won’t help you land your fish, but it will help you keep the spear shaft while you get sharked. 

Floatline Breakaway Adaptor

There is no reason to use such a powerful speargun on the reef. That means that there is no reason to connect a reel to this speargun. The best way to connect your shooting line and spear to a floatline is with a floatline breakaway adaptor. It makes a streamline point of contact to keep your shooting line tensions on the speargun. It also allows for a quick and sturdy connection to your floatline and float.

Load Assist For the De-Multiplied Roller Speargun

Load assists are pretty much required for a De-Multiplied Roller Speargun. The size and power stored in the bands makes them almost impossible to get a grip on the wishbone on the riser without one. What is surprising with these guns is how easy they are t load once you start to get the band back. There is no way to avoid a multi-step laying process, but once you understand how it works they are pretty intuitive. 

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Changing Rigging and Tackle in Spearfishing

One of the key elements to landing big fish is to make sure your equipment is in pristine condition and that means changing rigging and hardware. That does not mean you need to change every piece of gear you own for every single dive trip. It does mean you should keep track of the condition of your dive gear and replace it well before it breaks. It is not the two pound snapper that is going to test your dive gear, but the big fish that are what we all hope we will see out there that will put your dive gear to the test.

Changing Rigging and Hardware

There are pieces of equipment that need to be replaced periodically. Any metal that is exposed to salt water should be given careful consideration, especially before big trips. The idea of spending thousands of dollars to travel to a foreign country, in addition to thousands of dollars on spearguns, shafts, slip tips, floats, floatlines, and bungees, and then having a trip ruined because you didn’t want to spend the money to replace a rusty tuna clip, shackle, or swivel. It is worth the 10 minutes and a few dollars to change rigging and hardware out on your float, floatline, or to replace your floatline adaptor.

Shooting Line

Shooting line can be a very sore subject for many divers. If you dive a lot in your home town, your shooting line probably looks terrible. All divers have a tendency to become complacent with their shooting line, but it is one of the most important elements to landing your catch. Old shooting line is often freed, which reduces its strength. If you use monofilament, the crimps corrode over time once exposed to water. This also reduces the strength of the line’s ability to hold tension. Stainless steel cable rusts. If you are diving several times a week this is a gradual reduction that you don’t notice. The problem comes in when a big, strong fish, tests your equipment. That is when the shooting line breaks.Save yourself the trouble and change rigging and hardware, like your shooting line and crimps.

Tuning Floppers

Most experienced divers share the opinion that it is important to tune your flopper shafts. It is true that a properly tuned flopper shaft helps land fish. If you are unfamiliar with what the term ‘tuning a flopper shaft’ means, we mean tightening the flopped on the spear. This is done to the point that once the flopper if forced open it remains open until forced down manually. Tuning a flopper is somewhat delicate and precise. If you over tighten the flopper it will not deploy on the other side of the fish. If the flopper is too loose the fish can struggle and the flopper can close and pull out of the fish. The best way to do this is to use a small ball peen hammer. Put the shaft and flopper on a hard surface and to make small adjustments until it is just right.

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Rigging Cable Shooting Line For Spearfishing

When it comes to shooting line in spearfishing stainless steel cable has some very specific applications. In most situations it is too stiff and can present safety hazards. With that said, it is the standard for very large fish in deep water. Stainless steel cable needs to be rigged very specifically and correctly to function properly. Many newer divers make some critical errors that result in massive gear failures. This is a step by step guide to properly rigging your speargun with cable shooting line. 

Step One: Gather the Materials and Tools

There are some important tools and materials you will need to rig cable as your shooting line.

Required Tools:

Required Materials:

Step Two: Strip Coating and Crimp to Shaft

Once you have all your materials together you need to strip away any coating that maybe on the cable a few inches from the end of the cable. If you crimp over the coating the shooting will not hold when a fish puts pressure on it. Once you have stripped the coating place one or two crimps on the cable and run the working end of the cable through the spear shaft. Double crimping is very important for larger fish species. 

Push the working end back through the crimps on the line. When you crimp the cable you want to crimp as many times as possible. Unlike Monofilament, you will not cut into the shooting line by crimping the edge of the crimp. 

Step Three: Wrap Cable on the Speargun and Cut to Length

Once the cable is attached to the spear shaft route the line up through the bands and wrap it as many times as is necessary. You want to have enough shooting line on your speargun as your speargun has range. Do not limit your range with your shooting line. If your speargun can shoot 20 feet your cable needs to be at least that long.

Step Four: Strip Coating and Crimp 

The final step in rigging your shooting line is a similar process to attaching it to the spear. The difference is in connecting it to either your reel or breakaway setup. Your shooting line needs to be tight, as well as whatever connection for your line. Make sure to cut your line to length and make the correct size loop. Too large of a loop creates drag in the water. If your loop is too small it becomes difficult to connect and disconnect your connection point. Just like before, you should use two crimps and crimp it for the full length of the crimp. 

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How To Rig Bluewater Roller Speargun to Breakaway

We designed the Neptonics Double Roller be the perfect bluewater speargun for travel. The 54 Double Roller has the equivalent band stretch of an 80” conventional speargun. It is perfectly ballasted in the water, and with a spear shaft it is 17g negatively buoyant.

Roller Speargun Basics

The biggest difference between rollers and conventional spearguns is the bands. Roller spearguns have the bands start underneath the speargun and move up to the muzzle. The bands have to have tension while at the muzzle to work properly. This is called pre-tension. It allows the spear to accelerate the entire length of the speargun. It also allows for more total band stretch. We tension the bands on out double roller to be pre-tensioned at 10%-20%. All of these things put together result in increased range and penetration in the water.

Shooting Line

Spectra is the best shooting line for roller spearguns because of the roller head. Shooting line flexibility is important to prevent entanglement on the roller muzzle. We always tie our spectra on with a double figure eight knot. It is the strongest knot for keeping  line strength. The weakest part of any line is going to be the knot or splice, so you need to be aware of the strength of your knots.

Be cause the distance these bands are pulled are longer the range of these spearguns increase. That means we need longer shooting line than a comparable speargun. Three wraps of shooting line to a double roller speargun does the trick. Two and a half wraps works fine if you have it rigged to a bluewater reel.

Floatline Breakaway Adaptor

The Floatline breakaway adaptor is our preferred method of connecting our shooting line to a floatline. We use a double figure eight on the end of spectra to make a good connecting loop. These are durable and reliable connection points that are easy to use. They make for the quickest way to change out shafts on your bluewater system when you bend your shaft on a large fish.

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Essential Spearfishing Gear – What is in Our Dive Bag

Every new diver has some important questions about essential spearfishing gear. What are the pieces of gear that you need in order to spearfish? This blog will go over the basics of what you need to start spearfishing. We also go over what you may want as you get more into the sport of freediving and spearfishing. This is what you will find in a Neptonics Staff dive bag for a normal day of diving. 

Masks, Fins, Snorkels, Booties

These are some of the most important pieces of basic equipment. Getting a quality mask and is one of the keys to having a good dive day. Fins make a huge difference in a divers ability to dive efficiently. Snorkels are under appreciated for being essential spearfishing equipment. Booties protect your feet and make multiple days of diving safer. 

Mask Fitting

Getting the right mask is critical for enjoying your dive trips. If you can you should try on the mask to make sure it is comfortable. If you are freediving or spearfishing it comes in handy to get a low volume mask. Low volume refers to the amount of air space in the mask. The lower the volume of the mask the less air you have to use from your lungs to equalize the mask. Comfort is the most important element of a mask. When you try on the mask make sure to push the mask against your face to see where the frame of the mask would come in contact with your face under pressure. If there are any uncomfortable points of contact with the mask on your face you should consider a different mask. A mask that fits well is essential spearfishing equipment. 

Fins

Fins are the only piece of equipment that can instantly improve a divers ability to dive deeper or more efficiently. Currently there are three types of fins available on the market. These types are differentiated by the type of material the fin blade is constructed of. Those types are plastic fins, composite fiberglass, and carbon fiber. If you are just starting out in the sport you may want to consider the plastic fins as a starting point. They are durable. Plastic fins are more efficient than your standard snorkeling fins or scuba fins, but there is room for improvement on efficiency. That is where composite fiberglass and carbon fiber fins come into the conversation. For a break down of kick cycle tests check out this other blog post. Do your research, and if you can test out a few pairs of fins if you can.

Snorkels

Freediving snorkels are generally pretty simple. You can get a snorkel that is more expensive, but there are some features you should be aware of. A purge valve has its benefits on a snorkel, but is is a moving part that wears out over time. Many manufacturers offer replacement parts for these types of purge valves, so it is not a huge hassle to replace them, but it may be worth keeping a spare in your dive bag if that is a feature you prefer. Many Freedivers prefer a simple j-snorkel that does not have a purge valve. The way you clear that type of snorkel is to just use more force from your lungs to force the water out of the snorkel. These a simple and inexpensive. 

Booties

A good pair of booties can save your feet from terrible blisters. Booties can also help fill in an ill fitting pair of footpockets on your freediving fins. Ideally, your fin blades are an extension of your foot. A proper fit with booties can make that happen. Booties prevent blisters by keeping a soft padding between your feet and the abrasive rubber of a foot pocket. When you are swimming you are putting a great amount of force on your feet and any give in the foot pocket and your foot can cause chafing and blistering. This is compounded by your skin getting soft while submerged for an extended period of time. If you want to keep your feet in good condition booties are without a doubt essential spearfishing gear.

Wetsuits and Weight Belts – Why They Are Essential Spearfishing Gear

Wetsuits

Spearfishing wetsuits do a lot more than just keep a free diver or spearfisher warm. They also keep us protected from abrasion in the water. Divers spend a surprising amount of time on the bottom of the ocean. There are rocks, corals, and countless other things that can scrape up a diver. If you are spearfishing there is also the consideration that fish themselves tend to be pointy. Most fish have spines that can be very painful on a divers, which fish have a way of wriggling while being handled that always seems to guarantee getting stabbed by the fish with its spines. A thick neoprene wetsuit helps prevent that. Wetsuits also help to ensure buoyancy. Proper buoyancy is critical to diving safely. A diver should be positively buoyant at the surface, and a wetsuit can help accomplish that. All of these reasons make wetsuits essential spearfishing gear.

Weight Belts

Weight belts are the other side of wearing a wetsuit. Divers should be negatively buoyant at the bottom of their dive, and neutrally buoyant at about 30 feet (10 meters). This desired buoyancy is based on shallow water blackout statistics. You need to ballast your self with lead weight to dive effectively and efficiently, especially with thicker wetsuits. New 5mm and 7mm wetsuits are so buoyant that it is almost impossible to dive underwater without ballasting from a weight belt and lead. 

Spearguns and Pole Spears -Essential Spearfishing Gear

Obviously you need some type of device to actually harvest your fish underwater. That is where spearguns, pole spears and Hawaiian slings come into the conversation. Nowadays there are so many different options that one blog post simply cannot cover everything. This will be a simple overview referencing some other articles you can check if you want more information on specific types of spearguns. 

Spearguns

There are countless options for spearguns available. Broadly speaking they can be grouped into a few categories. There are Euro Style Spearguns, which are streamlined, but tend to lack power. There are American Style spearguns, which tend to be bulkier, but are more accurate and have more power because they can be powered with more bands. Then there are roller spearguns. Rollers are new to the game, but are increasing in popularity because they increase a spearguns range while keeping the speargun shorter in length. Spearguns are popular all over the world. Overall, spearguns are essential spearfishing gear for most of the world. There are a few places where spearguns are illegal to use. Because of that, and an interest in increasing the challenge of hunting, other options have become popular.

Pole Spears and Hawaiian Slings

Over the past several years there has been a dramatic increase in the use of pole spears and Hawaiian slings. There are several reasons this may havre come about, but undoubtedly some of these reasons include the creation of a separate category for world records take with pole spears and Hawaiian slings. That shift is only of the leading factors in improved pole spear technology. Now there are pole spears on the market with the range of a 45” (105cm) speargun, and more power than that same speargun. There is little doubt that we are currently living in the golden age of pole spears and Hawaiian slings. In places like the Bahamas, where these tools are the only legal options, pole spears and Hawaiian slings are essential spearfishing gear for sure. 

The Dive Bag Itself

Dive bags are an often overlooked piece of essential spearfishing equipment. Having the right bag keeps you organized and efficient from the start of the day to the end of the day. The Neptonics Speargun Bag is the ultimate solution to traveling with all of your dive equipment in a protective bag. The bag is designed to take up to three spearguns, all of the shafts, wetsuits, fins, and all of your other dive gear anywhere in the world. It is even meant to be taken on the boat to keep all of your equipment organized. These have been tested all over the world from Belize to Tanzania and everywhere in between. They are used on Pangas to mega yachts. Keep your essential spearfishing gear safe in the essential travel bag. Paired with the Tri-Fold Rigging Bag there is no better way to keep all of your equipment organized. 

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A Break Down Of Modern Pole Spears

Over the past decade there has been a greater use of pole spears. There are several reasons we can attribute the rise of these devices. The creation of a separate division of world records by the International Underwater Spearfishing Association (IUSA) certainly created an appeal for using pole spears. Increased traveling to the Bahamas probably made some appeal as well. The challenge which forces you to be a better hinter and focus on fundamentals may have increased the use of pole spears. 

History of Pole Spear Use

Pole spears have been around for ages. Odds are they were the true origin of spearfishing in pre-history. Shaping a sharp stick to skewer fish sin the most complicated of tasks, although modern ones are a bit more advanced. In the 20th century if you wanted a pole spear you were mostly looking a a short, fiberglass, pole with a three prog tip. It was a good way to start out as a kid shooting small fish in shallow water, but it was difficult to land anything of size. Later in the 20th century and early in the 21st century a few metal ones started showing. These were not much longer than the fiberglass spears, but could usually break down for easier travel. They also had more force and durability that the small fiberglass spears. It was the start of a new age. 

IUSA World Records

It is hard to narrow down one factor that influenced the modern surge in popularity of pole spears. If there is one factor that pushed the advancement of these tools it has to have been the IUSA creating a separate division for them. Up until this separation all spearfishing world records were grouped together, regardless of how the fish was taken. Pole spears were starting to improve around the same time as this transition, so it is hard to say which situation caused the other. Riffe was early on the creation of quality ones. After the creation of the separate categories there was a notable shift in the quality of pole spears being introduced to the world of spearfishing, for the better. 

The Transition to Modern Pole Spears

There are several qualities of modern pole spears that differentiate them from the past. Probably the biggest difference has to be the the length of modern spears. A Pole spear’s range is pretty much the length of the spear itself. You may be able to reach out slightly further with smaller fish, but if you want to penetrate the fish you have to be pretty close to the target. That is why modern, high quality, pole spears are as long as they are. Most of them are eight or nine feet long. They also tend to be made out of either aluminum, composite, or Carbon Fiber. These three materials have their benefits and problems. With the improved technology, the cost of these tools has gone up. All break down pole spears are perfect travel pole spears. 

Aluminum

Aluminum is one of the first materials to make quality pole spears. They were some of the first improvements from the cheap fiberglass spears. They are denser and heavier than fiberglass. That extra weight makes them move a little slower once you release them, but it means they have more force when you hit the fish. The only issue you have with aluminum pole spears is that aluminum can corrode if you don’t take good care of it. You need to make sure you give everything a good fresh water rinse after every dive trip to keep it is good working condition. There are several manufacturers of aluminum pole spears including Riffe  and Neritic. Because these break down for easy travel, you can easily adjust the length of the spear. You can use the three foot sections to make a 6 foot spear, or add another two or three foot section to make an eight or nine foot pole spear.

Composite 

Composite pole spears are several levels above the classic fiberglass spears. Headhunter has revolutionized this type of pole spear. With improved durability, and solid construction they have made these spears capable of landing some truly gigantic fish. There have been Tunas landed that are well over 200 pounds with the Headhunter Nomad. These are fast and still manage to hit hard. The composite construction is extremely durable. This essential when you are targeting large fish. Because these break down for easy travel, you can easily adjust the length of the spear. You can use the three foot sections to make a 6 footer , or add another two or three foot section to make an eight or nine foot spear.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber is an amazing tool that is getting used more and more in spearfishing. It is a very strong material. The down side to carbon fiber is that it is more brittle than aluminum and composite material. It is very fast, but is not a dense as composite or aluminum. Because of this, they can have a little less power when it comes to penetrating fish. Riffe makes a great carbon fiber spear at a fair price. Because these break down for easy travel, you can easily adjust the length of it. You can use the three foot sections to make a 6 foot pole spear, or add another two or three foot section to make an eight or nine foot pole spear.

Roller Pole Spears

Most manufacturers now offer roller pole spears to complete their traditional models. Rollers have the benefit of increasing the band pull distance to aid in acceleration. With that being said, the rollers accelerate slower than a traditional models initially but accelerate faster towards the end. One of the benefits is they transport more easily because the band doesn’t act like a giant loop on the back end of the spear.  Whether you believe in them or not they have landed quite a few big fish. When it comes down to it, if you believe it helps you then in a way it does. 

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Picking The Right Lobster Gear For Your Trip

Lobstering is a time honored tradition all over the world. These marine crustaceans have been a food source for humanity from the beginning. The technology and equipment used have dramatically improved over the past century and having the right gear can give you the edge you need to catch lobsters (or crayfish if you are from Australia). 

Lobster Bags

A lobster bag is an often overlooked piece of equipment that may be one of the most important elements to catching lobster. A good lobster bag is how you keep the lobster once you catch it. Rather than returning to the boat after getting your hands on every lobster, just use a solid bag to hold them. There are a couple different lobster bag options. There are Heavy Duty Lobster bags that have one way entries to make sure you can put your entire limit in without any lobster escaping. These are one of the best pieces of lobster gear out there.

Traditional Catch Bags

Traditional catch bags are also a good option. The benefit to the traditional catch bag is that it can be used for more than just lobster. Traditional catch bags are great if you can get both lobster and fish on the same dive. These catch bugs can be great for other activities, like catching scallops, or picking up trash on dives. Catch bags are even great for transporting smaller amounts of dive gear. 

Mutiny Lobster Bag

Another option is the Mutiny Lobster Bag, that acts as a belt with a quick release. You can easily stuff lobsters in a net-like apron that is around your waist. The quick release is easy to use in case the net gets caught up on the reef. 

Lobster Snares

Grabbing lobsters by hand is hard. The best way to catch lobster while freediving is with a lobster snare. There are several types of lobster snares on the market. There are lobster snares that act like lassos the you manually pull shut which work great. They are sturdy, and easy to use. There are also spring loaded lobster snares that automatically shut. These are also very popular. Both are good options for pulling lobsters out of holes. They both work on the same principle of getting the loop behind the lobster and getting the lobster to walk back into the loop. Once that has happened the lobster is easily puled out of the rocks. 

Gloves

Gloves are easily the most important piece of equipment for lobstering. It is difficult to express how important a sturdy set of gloves are for lobstering. Lobster are sharp and do everything they can to slip away. Lobster also tend to be in rocks and around coral. A good pair of gloves is important to keeping your hands intact. 

Flashlight and Gauges

Lobster hide under ledges and in holes. That makes a quality flashlight important to finding these critters in their environment. Some divers prefer a streamline and bright light to easily maneuver around under the ledges. Other divers prefer a larger light. It all comes down to personal preference. A great addition to a quality dive light to help with lobstering is to add a Mutiny Lobster Gauge to the light. With the adjustable hose clamp these lobster gauges are easily put onto any light head from one inch diameter to a five inch diameter. 

Nets and Tickle Sticks

The classic method is to getting lobster is with a tickle stick and net. The basic strategy is similar to the lobster snares. But with a few extra moving parts. The idea of using a net and tickle stick is to get the net behind the lobster and to use the tickle stick to get the lobster to try and swim away. The way lobsters swim away is to propel themselves back ways with their tails. If you have your net behind them they effectively launch themselves into a trap. Then you just need to bring the net down to the bottom and you can control the lobster. 

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Getting Into Freediving For Cheap

Freediving can be a very expensive hobby. With that being said, there are plenty of high quality, low budget options to get you started. Here are some easy ways to stay within you budget for a new hobby. Additionally, we have some recommendations for gear and training you shouldn’t compromise on. This is a simple guide on getting into freediving for cheap while staying safe. 

Mask and Snorkel

Masks are an important piece of equipment you should prioritize. That does not mean it has to be super expensive. Your mask needs to fit well and be comfortable. Comfort should be your number one priority. There are few feelings that will make you want to call your dive day early than your mask pushing in on your forehead in an uncomfortable way. Make sure to try out your mask in a shop. Try to push it into your face and see where it will put pressure on your face as you go deeper underwater. Snorkels, on the other hand, can be on the cheeper side. There are nicer snorkels on the market, and they can be worth the money, but overall a simple snorkel works well. 

Freedive Fins

Fins are the only piece of freedive gear the you can spend more money on that increases performance. Plastic fins are the least expensive fins on the market. They are the lowest performing fins, but they are the most durable. If you are just starting out  plastic fins are a great option for getting into the sport. If you find that freediving is your favorite hobby you will eventually upgrade to carbon fiber fins. You can re-use some foot pockets with other blades. 

Weight Belt and Lead

The difference between high quality and a cheeper weight belts comes down to the stretchiness of the rubber or silicone. Stretchiness doesn’t sound that important until you start diving deeper. A higher quality belt will conform to your body as you dive deeper and your lungs compress. Nylon weight belts will stay the same size and can fall up around your ribcage as you dive down. 

Wetsuits

Wetsuits can be a big investment when you are first getting into freediving. There are some great, top of the line wetsuits on the market. With that comes a bigger price tag. There are other, less expensive wetsuits available as well. These suits tend to be of a lower quality, but still do the job. If you buy a high quality wetsuit you are buying a suit that will keep you warmer for longer. They also tend to be stretchier and have better durability.

The biggest factor on buying a wetsuit should probably be the amount of time you spend diving. If you are in the water a few times a week you may want to spring for the better wetsuit. If you are only diving a few times a year you can probably deal with less comfort for the time you are in the water and buy a less expensive wetsuit. 

Freedive Training

It is easily one of the biggest expenses in getting into freediving. Training is also one of the most important investments you can make. An introductory freediving class will certainly help you learn the basics of freediving, but the real benefit comes form the safety techniques and strategies you learn in the class. There has been a massive increase in freedive instructors over the past few years as the sport has grown. There are good instructors and bad instructors. Do your research, make sure they are working through and accredited and insured training agency. Part of that increases the cost of your instruction, but it also insures they are teaching to a standard. 

Getting Into Freediving For Cheap – A Review

Some of the big takeaways from this post are that you should find a comfortable mask rather than a cheap or expensive mask. You can keep your snorkel simple rather than expensive. Fins can improve your performance, but starting out plastic fins work fine. A freediving weight belt is important, but you don’t need to break the bank on a weight belt starting out. Wetsuits can be expensive, but can be worth it depending on how much time you are spending in the water. And last, but certainly not least, freedive training is very important and you should invest your time and money in quality instruction through a certifying agency.

Stay safe out there and have fun!

Metal Speargun 600 Large Canvas

Getting Into Spearfishing for Cheap

Once you have the basic freediving equipment you may be wondering about the best way to get into spearfishing. There are countless options on the market with a wide range of price points. Every diver has different goals, and those goals should help determine your priorities. Spearfishing adds a new element to freediving, and the minimum required equipment does not have to break your bank account. 

Spearguns For Getting Into Spearfishing

The most popular method of harvesting fish is by using a speargun. There are countless options of different spearguns on the market. The trick is to find the right speargun for you. Once you have figured out the type of speargun that suits your needs it comes down to finding the right speargun for the value. If you are new to the sport and want to figure out if you will enjoy the sport you may want to look a Euro style rail spearguns. They tend to be less expensive, but some brands are less durable. If you know that spearfishing is your sport you may want to spring for a more durable speargun. Going a little more expensive can save you from buying more spearguns than you need. It comes down to the ‘Buy Once, Cry Once’ idea when making important purchases. 

Pole Spears

Pole spears used to be the cheap way of getting into the sport and getting better at hunting. Now there are several high quality pole spears on the market that are more expensive than some spearguns. These pole spears have similar range and more power than some smaller spearguns. You can still find a few inexpensive pole spears on the market for starting out, but you will quickly outgrow them. The cheap pole spears are still great options for people still getting comfortable in the water, or kids just getting into spearfishing. 

Accessories

There are some accessories in spearfishing you can save some money on. For example, you don’t need a super expensive dive light. The nice thing about not using a dive light is that you won’t even see the fish you are missing in holes and under ledges. If you are not great at picking up at satirical wording, I am saying you probably want a dive light if you hunt reef fish. Other than safety equipment like knives and gloves, most accessories are designed to just make your life easier. So if you life your life to be a little more comfortable there are tons of accessories on the market for you. If you want to spearfish with the minimum equipment you better be tough. Just remember to maintain all of your safety equipment at a minimum. Being frugal is one thing, but your safety should always your top priority. 

Picking the Right Speargun Track

Open Vs Closed Track

Picking the Right Speargun Track

Enclosed Track VS Open Track Spearguns

Spearguns can be divided into an endless collection of categories. One of these splits is enclosed track and open track spearguns. Divers need to pick which style speargun track they prefer.  Divers can have strong opinions on what they prefer and why. We will be breaking these down and looking at the benefits and problems with each. Both have their place and value. Choosing one compared to the other can have big impacts on how the speargun shoots, and how a dive has to aim. 

Enclosed Track Spearguns Benefits

Enclosed tracks are more accurate than open track spearguns. This is the result of shaft whip. Shaft whip is the result of the back of the spear shaft trying to catch up with the front of the spear shaft as soon as the trigger is pulled. With an enclosed track the shaft has nowhere to flex. All of the energy is force to where the speargun is pointed. These benefits are increased as more power/ bands are added to the gun. So, once you have three or more bands it becomes very important to have an enclosed track. That is why most bluewater guns have enclosed tracks.

Problems with Enclosed Tracks

There are only a few problems with enclosed tracks. One of the biggest complaints is that they are harder to load than open track spearguns. This really only applies to starting the loading process. Once the spear shaft is in the track it slides directly into the trigger mechanism. The other issue can be an actual issue with the function of the speargun. If you are using an enclosed track speargun in confined spaces you need to make sure the spear shaft clears the entire track when you pull the trigger. If the spear shaft is still in the track and inside a fish the track can get busted apart by a struggling fish. 

Benefits of Open Track Spearguns

The main benefit to open track spearguns is that you don’t have to worry about shooting a fish at close range and the fish damaging your gun. Open track spearguns can be easier to load than enclosed track spearguns. With that being said most loading challenges are easily overcome by being familiar with your own equipment. Newer divers will take longer on any type of equipment they are reloading, where experienced divers will be quicker, especially with their own equipment. 

Open Track Problems

Spear shafts flex on open track spearguns. This is called “shaft whip”, and is similar to archery in its mechanics. Basic concept is that as soon as the trigger is pulled, the back of the spear shaft toys to catch up to the from of the spear shaft before the spear starts to accelerate forward. As it straightens the shaft can be pointed in a different direction than where you initially aimed the spear shaft. This issue gets compounded on more powerful spearguns, meaning spearguns with more bands. Shaft whip is why larger spearguns, with more than two bands need an enclosed track. The exception to this is spearguns that take extremely thick spear shafts. Some spearguns take 3/8” spear shafts, or even 10mm spear shafts. At that point the rigidity of the spear makes shaft whip less of an issue.