Thanks in advance for your time and patience with more noob questions.
In my intro I mentioned that my family (wife & 8 year old) are moving to Ambergris Caye in about a month. We recently returned from there after a 3 week trip and decided to sign a one year lease on a condo, so I'll be in the water quite a bit. Spearfishing is something I've always wanted to do but the circumstances were never very practical for me to get into it....now that's changed!
For the last couple months, I've done as much as I could to see what's out there, read and compare gear objectively and try and figure out what's practical for me.
At least for now, I think most of the spearfishing will be on the reef, but I've got a few friends living there, and they are in the blue water often so I anticipate joining them. For the reef and the species I've seen, I plan on getting a Crist pole spear, probably a 6'...I've done a fair amount of pole spearing and if I need something longer it's not going to be a problem to get one.
What I'd like to hear suggestions on is a speargun. Realizing that one size won't fit all, I still would like to find a gun that's sized for the reef and maybe even tackle some pelagic species.....I've been seeing posts that mention 100-120cm. As far as brands, I was looking at Rob Allen ( searching that brand name lead me here ), Cressi, Pathos and when I landed here...Speardiver.
So if anyone can offer suggestions, my initial questions are:
1) What would be a good length to cover the reef and occasional trips for pelagic fish? I realize that there's limitations and I have a responsibility to not shoot at anything I cant harvest humanely
2) Will I need a reel for blue water shooting?
3) One wrap or two
So what I'm leaning toward is the Speardiver phantom 110 w/ 2x16mm w 7mm spring shafts.....not to curry favor or anything.:) The phantom just screams quality and I think the handle is one of the best designs I've seen. Additionally, I plan on buying a spare shaft or two, maybe spare rubber and a reel if necessary.
I just want to buy something that is moderately priced but is also well made....not a gun that I want to upgrade right away. One thing I always do is buy right the first time as much as budget allows.
I realize it would be better to get my hands on different guns and shoot them, but I don't have time. The island has a good dive shop, but besides not having the brands I'm favoring (RA & Sd) it's super expensive. Of course I can order and have it shipped, but at 30% duty tax, I'd rather try something I brought in and then buy the primary gear while I'm here in the states.
There it is for now. Again, I appreciate any feedback...and you've been warned. There will probably be a couple follow up questions.:D