Safety tips when spearfishing along rocks, multiple people

    Hi all, I usually spearfish alone (I know, bad) and I will be taking a friend along with me. He has never spearfished. We will be hunting along a rocky coast, staying close to the rocks. We were wondering how we should be positioned for safety reasons, one in front of the other with enough distance were we can see each other, same alignment but with enough distance were we can't shoot each other (but this means we may not see each other), parallel to each other where we can see each other, etc?


    I would like to be able to keep an eye on my friend so I was thinking having him in front of me as far as possible were I still see him, that way we can still both hunt along the rocks. Also sometimes in parallel so I can go deeper once he has the hang of it (we are going several days).


    We will both have buoys.


    Thanks,
    Gabriel

    Quite, we have been on a test run in a big lake sunday, I wanted to be sure he was comfortable with it. I wanted to explain the base tips for diving and test his equipment before we go. We dove about 5-7 meters, visibility was good for the first 3meters then it degraded fast. Everything went well and he enjoyed it. He just needs new flippers and a new mask strap.

    Comfort in the water is paramount. If he is a good swimmer I would try to maintain a good distance between you where you can stay within the bounds of the viz on that day. You will be able to spot him on his dives and he will be far enough as to not interfere with your dives


    When ever I have a newb with me it is one up and one down. Even if they can't save me at least they won't accidentally shoot me :)

    i like to spear fish

    The biggest concern I can foresee is entering and exiting the water. When you say rocky coastline, I assume you mean the ocean? If so, you will have waves to contend with when entering and exiting. That combined with slippery walking surfaces from smooth stones and algae or kelp covered rocks, poses the biggest threat. Spear tips down when walking out! Sea Urchins are also another factor to consider. When swimming in, keep tips pointed back toward the ocean. Don't be afraid to do the "crawl of shame" when getting out. Better that then breaking an ankle trying to navigate rocks after having been in the water for a couple hours and having your equilibrium all screwed up.


    Before entering, scout the area to see if there are protected coves or pockets where entering and exiting will be made easier by natural barriers protecting against waves and surge. I also suggest timing the waves and sets, and counting how many waves in a set. Enter and exit accordingly. Check with your local tidal charts to see what time the tide changes are and how much of a rise or fall is predicted. This will also help you to be able to gauge visibility. A fast long drop usually creates dirty conditions. A slow rise will usually be indicative of cleaner water and better viz.


    As far as how far apart you should be, the best answer is within sight, while under water. Obviously that a hard thing to do. I usually try to go for yelling distance, and always try to get a visual when coming up from a dive.

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