Why are you a spearfisherman/woman?

    Since the ethic controversy of the S.B. thread pertaining signing a "stop dolphin slaugther petition" , i was intrigued by the reasons or motivation of certain people to become a hunter/spearfisher. What are yours?


    My main three reasons are:


    1) I like fish meat a lot


    2) I love to put delicious hormone free meat on my daughters table in (almost) a daily basis


    3) I love to kill fish, a fish dying and fighting agonically, impaled by a steelly shaft turns my blood thirsty nature on.


    And it´s way more complicated than that, but I love both the game and the hunt. And I am aware that sometimes it is a risky and bloddy sport, but If I ever die doing so, I would be happy to go that way. I respect and love sea life, but I do harvest from it.


    Guilty as charged ..

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    Nothing beats spending the day with friends on the ocean.(let the gay comments begin:hi:)


    Bringing home dinner is an added plus:D

    i do it because I have a very strong sense of the primitive man , the hunting urge. i just need to kill something to be ok. it can be a fish , a hog or a quail , it doesn't matter. I just like to be part of narture, and to be so you are either a pray or a predator and I'll rather be la later. with respect to all , that's how i see it.

    I see it pretty much like you Sergio. Others like spearfishing for the trophy and I respect them. I feel the same joy hunting a mojarrita that i can toss to the frying pan in the beach, just as going after pelagic fish in the deep blue.

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    being in the ocean is great, being in the ocean with friends is better, being in the ocean with friends shooting fish is awsome:D

    I had this conversation the other day with a friend. The Ocean has always brought me happiness. As soon as I am near it, in it, or on it, I am a different person. Add fishing of any kind, and I am whole. I feel the same way about snowboarding. I've done some Back Country stuff, up to 13,500', and sat at the top after a long way up. You sit there and stare in awe. You feel humbled and at the same time empowered.
    We are all part of this Earth. Whether you believe in evolution(evolved from earth) or Adam(made of earth) and Eve, when we are truly close to it, we feel the true essence of who we are.

    I agree with everyone here. It's a primal thing. Men have hunted since day one wheter alone or in groups. It's brings camaraderie, competition, pride, etc. The thrill of the hunt and also knowing that you could be the one hunted adds to the excitement. The ability to put fresh seafood on the table and the feeling that comes from knowing that you can provide for your family. To me spearfishing just feels right, being in the water in contact with nature, messing around with friends or sometimes alone is just awesome. We might spearfish for different reasons, some for fun others to support their families but we all agree that spearfishing is just plain BADASS.:thumbsup2:

    If I don't go diving for a long time I feel like I'm going crazy. No other outlet balances me so completely like huning in the water. I suppose other people find the same thing in other pursuits. I've tried a lot of activities but found nothing that comes close to spearfishing. Sometimes I really look forward to diving and enjoy every minute of it. At other times I get frustrated spearfishing and hate it, it becomes like hard work. But I always go back to it anyways because I don't like being the kind of person I become when I haven't been in the water for a while.


    It's not so much about taking a life for me. I like the fight but I know I will win so there's no mystery there. I understand that I'm getting my rocks off at the expense of another living thing and I don't relish that idea. I guess it's a weakness of sorts but I've learned to desensitize myself or psychologically skip the killing part. It wasn't always like this for me. In the beginning I was too consumed with wanting to get the fish (which I wasn't able to do always) to care. Now that I'm confident in my skills the drive went down and gave room to compassion.

    Quote from pargo

    If I don't go diving for a long time I feel like I'm going crazy. No other outlet balances me so completely like huning in the water. I suppose other people find the same thing in other pursuits. I've tried a lot of activities but found nothing that comes close to spearfishing. Sometimes I really look forward to diving and enjoy every minute of it. At other times I get frustrated spearfishing and hate it, it becomes like hard work. But I always go back to it anyways because I don't like being the kind of person I become when I haven't been in the water for a while.


    It's not so much about taking a life for me. I like the fight but I know I will win so there's no mystery there. I understand that I'm getting my rocks off at the expense of another living thing and I don't relish that idea. I guess it's a weakness of sorts but I've learned to desensitize myself or psychologically skip the killing part. It wasn't always like this for me. In the beginning I was too consumed with wanting to get the fish (which I wasn't able to do always) to care. Now that I'm confident in my skills the drive went down and gave room to compassion.


    Could not have said it better! I also like the exercize that freediving gives you and its easy to motivate yourself as long as there is fish around.:toast:

    Edited once, last by christo: sp. ().

    I just love the freeedom of the sport and the hunt. Concentrate in the hunt and all his aspects. forgetting about the daily problems. at work and family problems. It just helps balance the stress for some of us. Nothing better then going hunting all day then sit daown and have a beer. and relax. then enjoy an awesome meal that by the way you caught yourself. That for me is paradise. ( Priceless). Spearos are one of a kind.


    Peace:D

    I think you guys should check out the book "Meditations on Hunting " by the Spanish philosopher Jose Orteg y' Gasset . Another one is "Harts Blood" by Dave Petersen .



    Essentially, these two books capture exactly why we go out into the wild places . It's not something that is always easily explained , but these two do a very good job.


    It's always done for more than just the kill .... otherwise I'd just go buy a pig and stick a spear into it in the backyard. The kill is the end result... but there is so much more.

    Thanks for the recommendation Aaron.


    I thought I'd mention that fish for food is not a big reason for me to spearfish. I'm not crazy about eating fish and apart from the occasional craving I'd rather have a good steak any day, and it's the same for my wife. I think when I do get the idea to eat fish it's more the association with past fun meals in good company that motivates me. Then again fresh trigger fish marinated in Italian dressing grilled on the BBQ is pretty good, it's just I can't eat fish every day. I've met a few spearfishers, some who are good, that feel the same as me about eating fish. But there's always someone who will appreciate the fish I get.

    Aaron, José Ortega y Gasset, was a "ratiovitalist" , a term incepted by him, that means that you have to work rationally to solve your sourrounding circumstances. That means that human life is composed by an interaction of life itself, reason and history. Hunting as a primal way of being it should be considered as esentially human as well. The one who denies it, denies life itself .

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    Quote from pargo

    Thanks for the recommendation Aaron.


    I thought I'd mention that fish for food is not a big reason for me to spearfish. I'm not crazy about eating fish and apart from the occasional craving I'd rather have a good steak any day, and it's the same for my wife. I think when I do get the idea to eat fish it's more the association with past fun meals in good company that motivates me. Then again fresh trigger fish marinated in Italian dressing grilled on the BBQ is pretty good, it's just I can't eat fish every day. I've met a few spearfishers, some who are good, that feel the same as me about eating fish. But there's always someone who will appreciate the fish I get.


    I really like your sincerity. I love fish, and that has to do with memories as well. Every time a fish was served, something great had happened recently, therefore I grew up associating fish with happiness and good things.

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

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