Basic spearfishing gear

Anything else is superfluous.

That pretty much covers it. I would add a computer but that's not really essential.

Suit lube! Sucks when you forget it.

I think you got it all.

We all did it. But not so fine.

Quote from Treebilly3

Suit lube! Sucks when you forget it.

You can jump naked in the water and put your suit in using it as a lube. :laughing::D:laughing3:

Thats a good list Dan. :thumbsup2:

This is only nitpicking but since you qualified the speargun as "without reel" you might want to qualify some of the other gear. For instance "low volume" for the mask or "two piece, unlined" for wetsuit.

Other than that I have personally grown to have a computer as part of my essential gear but it certainly not necessary for entry into the sport.

Quote from Marco

You can jump naked in the water and put your suit in using it aa a lube. :laughing::D:laughing3:

Ah the luxuries you warm water guys have. Some body parts would disappear if I did that.

This time of year I use hot water in my lube and later in the winter I'll put my suit on in the shower before I leave the house.

I almost always forget/lose my stringer, just string the fish through the float line :laughing:

I can see the benefit of having a dive computer/watch but I myself have never used one. I wouldn't say it's essential. Good list Dan.

sea whistle

I find my self using it more lately, very important safety tool when boats around

Once you start diving to certain depths, a freediving computer becomes essential for your safety. At least for me.

Nice list Dan but you forgot a dive buddy,

The use of state of the art / high quality spearfishing basic equipment can´t be stressed enough. The first thing to have a pleasant and safer spearfishing experience is to have the adequate mask, snorkel and fin configuration. I had had every single type/make of masks and the best are Riffe, cressi,sporasub and Omer in that order. Omer has the alien that fits perfectly but foggs as hell.
Snokels, go with the Riffe simple J. About the fins, I have still a pair of matrix black fiber glass fins beat up to death and still kickin´ I can´t say anything good about the c4 carbon fiber fins cause they lasted just one dive. But I guess there are really good ones around.

A lot of people would say that relatively cheap railguns are the way to go. I don´t think so. Those are great entry level guns, but spend a couple of hundreds more and get a real wooden gun, you won´t regret. Riffes have served me well.

Wet suits are so important. There are lots of good suits around. Speardiver are top notch, second to none. Colors don not fade with heavy sunlight and the stitches hold great. Really good sewn and properly cut. They are warm and confortable.

Lycra suits are so important in warm climates. I have an old full body lycra suit that has served me well for over 8 years. It´s colors have faded and it has some tiny moth holes al over it, but still is my go to suit during summer. Get yourself a nice full body lycra suit to deal with summer blazing sun and jelly fish.

Knife. I don´t really use my knife anymore, not to kill nor to cut shit. I just go for the gills and kill the fish with my bare hands (ok wearing heavy gloves I must admit ) even the larger ones. But a nice knife is a must. You know what they say: " better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it" The Speardiver/ Spetton/ Riffe / italian design is top notch and flawless. Low profile and sturdy.

Gloves: A must have Gloves is the one item that you consume a lot and spend the big bucks on, until you realize that a couple of sirty cheap mechanic gloves do the trick. Do not spend 30 bucks on a couple of Riffe overprized mitts that are going to fail anyway in just 4 more dives.

Floats. Rob allen rigids are hard to beat. Best spearfishing floats available. Riffes are nice but they fade away and get punctured a lot. 2 atmospheres? No way I prefer to spend that money on an helicopter.

Weight belts. Think about them as consumables. But don´t be fooled. Get the best you can afford. In spite of being potentialy wasted in case of a possibly upcoming samba or blackout. You will regret having a cheap weight belt poking through your kidneys on every single dive. Ouch!

Get the best equipment you can afford and keep in mind that is a risky / bloddy sport, just imagine getting your mask flooded at 70 feet depht or a failing fins shoe or a speargun not capable enough against a trophy fish, (Marco :laughing:) just kidding bro.

Dive safe!

Quote from monster slayer

A lot of people would say that relatively cheap railguns are the way to go. I don´t think so. Those are great entry level guns, but spend a couple of hundreds more and get a real wooden gun, you won´t regret. Riffes have served me well.

I would have to disagree on that bud. Wood guns are nice but have a different feel. First of all, you cannot honestly say that swimming with a heavy wood gun is more enjoyable than a nice streamlined pipe gun. The pipe gun just moves through the water so much smoother. Wood guns have their place, which I believe would be best suited for blue water where you're going to need more than 3 bands. On the reef though, 1 19mm band, 2 16mm bands, or 3 14mm bands is all you'd need and those options are really based on personal preference. Some guys want these huge wood guns with a lot of bands on the reef. For what? It's overkill. The recoil on a pipe gun isn't bad once you get used to the gun and the way it shoots and handles. I also feel that wood guns very pricey. And don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I wouldn't like to own a nice woody(rear handle of course) as a blue water gun. But once again, railguns can and have been successfully used as blue water guns given the proper length of course, but they do have their limits. What I mean is that if you're going after giant tuna, you're probably going to need a shooting platform able to handle a lot of bands, then I'd go wood.

Also, a buddy of mine owns 2 riffes. They're ok. But I think some of the nicer wood guns that I've seen that are reasonably priced would be Dan's at the Freedive Store. Very well thought out "functional works of art".

In closing, I think railguns can be great guns for beginners and advanced/pro shooters alike. Look at Marco, he does reef and pelagics with pipe guns, and a 110cm at that. He should be the poster boy for railguns! :thumbsup2:

My .02,

Chase

Chase, I can see your point and you´re not alone in these. A lot of people prefers railgun over wooden for those reasons you pointed out. But still I prefer a sleek wooden gun such as a Riffe Euro or comp. Wongs are not bad either. All the wooden guns that I currently shoot are 2 banded guns with the excemption of a larger BW gun that I seldom use anymore. I love my Cayman ET, but I think a wooden gun is a better compromise. Riffes are ok, but as you pointed out there are better options out there.

Thanks for your response.