Competitiveness in spearfishing

Competitiveness in spearfishing can be a touchy subject but I think it's worth discussing. I'll state my opinion right from the start; I don't think competitiveness and spearfishing go well together. I think at worst competitiveness is dangerous and can lead to bad risk taking, at the least it can spoil a nice day on the water. I believe I can make this call because I have different kinds of diving to compare between. When I started spearfishing I was doing it alone and for a long time after too. I was completely free of competitiveness and the only thing that made me challenge myself was the environment in which I found myself. This means that if I tried to go deeper and longer it was because the circumstances demanded it not because I felt arbitrarily that I should be able to do it. While the two can appear the same in the end leading to the same thing, deeper and longer, I find that being influenced from the outside is much more draining. It's like doing something for the wrong reasons.

Coming to the US spearfishing became more of a social activity for me and inevitably brought competitiveness with other divers which I was naive about. It is something that I still have to deal with when I find myself in the company of competitive individuals. But worse than that it is something that I began to carry along even when I'm by myself. A part of the mental conditioning I do is to push that away back to wherever it came from and dive with a clear head. For this reason I prefer to dive with companions who are not outwardly competitive to the point that it throws off my day. A desire to do better born of camaraderie, difficult to explain, does not have the same negative effect.

I realize that these thoughts go completely against something as common as spearfishing tournaments so I expect a difference of opinion and welcome it. I just want to state my preference so as to be more open about myself and allow others who have the same ideas to relate to me. Very importantly when I think how competitiveness affected me, and I consider myself an experienced diver, I worry about how it affects beginners who have no other perspective and think that it's the norm.

Here's a little vid that I find ridiculous and think is pertinent in a round about way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLe81lUbPNg

Of all the things you mentioned MMA I'm familiar with. I've never considered it dangerous, scary yes, dangerous to the point of being life threatening no. Considering spearfishing a sport is another matter. I don't want to bore some of the guys here as I've already stated my views on the matter, there's a thread on one of the other forums about it, but spearfishing is not a sport to me. Under ideal circumstances it's an extension of my daily life. Just another pastime that puts food on my table. I do realize that it's not that way for everybody.

I think there's only been one death in MMA, a Russian guy in a poorly organized event as far as referees in Russia. I've seen the fight and it should have been stopped long before. The man was completely out on the floor and the opponent just kept beating his head. But now that you put it this way a lot does depend on the referee if you're losing in a bad way. But it is a sporting event and good refs and rules are an integral part of what's going on. I talk to a few guys that fight professionally, I'll ask them if they ever felt that their life was at risk going into these events. I can tell you that up until now I don't recall anyone thinking this way. However diving to depth death is always just around the corner.

I looked up the info and the fighter's name was Sammy Vasquez. Here's a relevant quote on the matter explaining the cause of death. Not trying to diminish the significance of what happened, I just found it illuminating.

Quote

Subdural hemorrhage is considered a rare injury in sports - even in boxing. Steve Sievert has some interesting facts in his article from an orthopedic surgeon regarding this particular injury.
Here’s a snip:[INDENT]“This type of injury is common in the ‘regular world,’ say when a person falls and hits their head…but in combat sports, this injury is very, very rare…I’ll give you a for instance…(Boxers) Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor fought in February. It went 12 rounds, and Kelly Pavlik landed, I believe, 278 blows to the head, and Jermain Taylor landed 164 blows to the head. At UFC 82, (Cheick) Kongo versus (Heath) Herring - which they are both known to be standup guys - six head blows between the two of them. You just don’t have that accumulation of head blows in MMA.”
[/INDENT]

I was also looking for the fight video but couldn't find it. Instead I stumbled on some vids about MMA accidents. Some of them are very interesting, enough to put you off MMA really I'll post the best ones later.

While I can't honestly say that today I'm a subsistence spearfisher like what I've seen in Cuba my mental approach is the same. Would you say that subsistence spearfishers are participating in a sporting activity? Does it depend on what part of their catch they sell? How much their livelihood actually depends on it? I knew guys who approached spearfishing with a similar mindset to mine. They loved it, but they also sold fish. If they didn't have enough fish to sell their world wouldn't end and they would still continue every other day. They had their own ethics about the fish they would and wouldn't take. One example is a spearfisher I knew who would take any fish if it had some meat on it but told me he doesn't like killing turtles. Now a turtle is worth more in Cuba than any fish, about $2/lb.

Where is the line between subsistence and sport? I think it's in the persons head and how they approach the whole thing. For me ideally it's: I'm going to go and cover a certain area that I consider my home waters. It may hold fish and may not on any given day. I'll take what I come across and if there's not much then that's what is in the cards for that day. However I know that almost certainly I will take something that will replenish the energy I put into the day's diving and some more on top. The ability to do this does not take any special training effort on my part. I try to squeeze sport somewhere into all this but I just can't find where to fit it.

In the quest for new grounds and more action a boat comes into the picture. Boating does change the equation, sometimes a little sometimes a lot. As a friend told me, once you start to use a boat you inevitably look to share resources. This brings other people into the equation. Everyone then feels that the effort put into the venture must be justified. An element of urgency to increase productivity is added. This sometimes makes it more competitive depending on who you're diving with. Does that make the activity more sporting?

In the end I know by feel the elements that come into my day that effect me negatively. I consider competitiveness and sport a couple of these elements. To each their own of course.

No need to look far for a 3rd world country. Cuba is the place where I can live this life. Some factors as you well know preclude that from happening. I appreciate you sharing your sentiment.

I buy it in the sense that I think he meant it when he wrote it. Besides I believe in the same thing. Apnea is all about relaxing, the pressure that comes with competition goes completely against that and is inevitable. I do find it curious though coming from Pellizarri, isn't he a very competitive freediver? I think there's a whole saga between him and Pipin Ferreras.

Maybe Pelizzarri figures that he himself can handle it but most people won't be able to