Want to Get Started? Here's What You'll Need

© cold_water_diver

To spearfish, you need a little bit more than excellent lung capacity.

If you're thinking of entering the growing world of freediving and spearfishing, make sure you hit a dive shop, like Austin's Diving Center in Miami, before you hit the water. There, you can buy everything you need from for spearfishing, including a mask, snorkel, fins, a weight belt and a speargun. If you do hit up Austin's Dive Center, make sure you talk to the manager, Dennis Dasinger. He's been spearfishing for 15 years and will give you tips, as well as a complete rundown of everything you'll need, including these five spearfishing essentials.

1. Mask

Like any underwater face masks, these eye guards allow freedivers to view underwater wrecks, navigate the reefs, and, most importantly, spot a snapper at 50' deep.  If you're at Austin's, Dasinger would direct you to the low volume, black silicone mask. What sets a low volume mask apart from the one you'd take to the kiddie pool is that it creates less air space between a diver's face and mask. Less air means a tighter grip, less resistance, low chance of pesky water seepage, and optimal visibility to score a catch.

2. Snorkel

With the mask, even the most experienced diver will use a simple "J-style" snorkel. Really any will do.  If you haven't ventured into diving, you may wonder the use for a few inches of breathing leeway when most divers head down at least 50'. The snorkel isn't for diving, silly!  Divers hold on the snorkel between dives so they don't have to break surface. Who knows what you'll miss if you pop your head out of the water for even a few seconds? Just remember to spit out the snorkel before heading south to avoid the danger of accidentally ingesting water.

3. Fins

Fins are a diver's tool to descend deep quickly, and thus, their best friend in the efficient use of each oxygen-gulping breath. A good set of fins (preferably 3' or longer) can significantly increase a diver's productivity. The more efficient the fin, the deeper the dive. 

According to Dasinger, three types of fins are available depending on a diver's preference. First of all, the simple plastic ones will suit a beginner or relaxed recreational diver just fine – especially if you're looking to save a few bucks. (Keep in mind that softer fin doesn't take much energy to kick, but you're not going to break any speed records.) Fiberglass fins are a step up from the regular plastic, and the top-shelf equivalent is the carbon fiber fin. The latter gives you a brief boost in speed, but on the flip side, takes more energy to power. And watch out, they could run you over $500. 

4. Weight Belt

A rubber belt around a diver's midsection (whether wearing a wetsuit or not) helps hasten the body into the deep. Dasinger explained that most experienced divers use weight belts to decrease buoyancy and further increase productivity in the water, especially in the first atmosphere - the most buoyant 33' of water closest to the surface. Usually in the second atmosphere, a realm frequented by most freedivers, a weight belt will help them glide down without much effort. It's also not so heavy to be a burden when coming to the surface. (So if you don't have a weight belt, don't substitute a brick around your ankle.)

5. Speargun

The speargun transforms a freediver into a spearfisher. It doesn't have magical powers or electronic gizmos to hone in on a fish (that's the diver's job), but unless you want to stab the finned fellow with a toothpick, a speargun does the trick beautifully. 

A speargun looks like a crossbreed of a slingshot and a harpoon that ranges from four feet long to double that size, and Austin's Dive Shop stocks the largest inventory of spearguns in South Florida.  Most American models start at 5 lbs and consist of a wood shaft, a twin-barbed spearhead, and surgical tubing (which powers the spear). Top brands in the states are Riffe (modern and popular), A.B. Biller (tried and true older brand), plus Cressi, Rob Allen, Omer, and many more that you can find at Austin's at competitive prices between $100 and $1,000.

The long, American style guns are very popular among beginners as they are easy to maneuver and allow you to keep significant distance between yourself and your fish (which are easily spooked by masked avengers of the reef). Euro style guns have been gaining popularity in South Florida, as this chic version has a thinner, shorter shaft, which makes it easy to spear fish in holes or rocks – actually earning the shorter guns the name "rock gun." Another option, the pneumatic gun, is powered by air pressure and is relatively new to South Florida after being used for years in Cuba.

Other alternatives to the typical speargun are also popular among sportsmen. Primitive tools, as the name implies, are the old school gear of spearfishers and are an inexpensive choice - if you're up to the challenge. Still used by the patriarchs of the field, younger divers up to task will take up these tools while others use them exclusively (at the admiration of their gun engaged comrades). Spears are propelled by simple elastic bands through a long, light pole shaft (polespear) or a short barrel (Hawaiian sling) – the latter being the only speafishing hunting apparatus allowed in the Bahamas. Both types of primitive tools are widely considered to be more difficult to wield, perhaps making the catch all the more respectable and gratifying. Though a 30-lbs grouper would make your day no matter how you brought it in.

To check out some of this spearfishing gear in action head to Coral Gables this Saturday for the Jack Kearn's Spearfishing Tournament organized by the South Florida Freedivers and to benefit the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation. If you can't make it to the tourney, check in here all day long on Saturday; we'll be liveblogging from the docks.