Posts by Dan

  • RIP Michael AKA Outdoor Catholic.

    2 weeks later.. horrific ordeal for the family and friends.


    There was no mention in the article about whether he was entangled, it could've been a blackout. It would be macabre if he had the camera running.

  • 135cm pneumatic as a travel friendly BW gun

    Pneumatics work period. They have power and accuracy. I can't think of any situation where a good pneumatic would not suffice for fish up to 100lb, within the range of the shooting line. Except maybe in a big game situation where normally a 4-5 band speargun is used. But then that's what you're asking about specifically.


    There are two disadvantages with a pneumatic. First the discharge noise, which scares away fish. I know for a fact this happens on the reef. Not sure if it's a factor in bluewater hunting situation. 2nd, the complexity of the pneumatic speargun in comparison to a band gun, and consequently its potential for failure. While this is generally true, it's also true that pneumatics can function perfectly for years with zero maintenance. I once found a 90cm mares cyrano on the reef, that's been on the sea bottom for at least a year judging by the buildup of coral on it. It was still loaded and fired right there and then.


    One of the concerns is sand getting in the muzzle and behind the piston, and scratching the inner barrel when you load. This will cause an air leak. But when bluewater hunting sand in the muzzle is not likely to happen.


    The slide ring can get stuck on a worn butt adapter. It can be dislodged with a few taps. This is more of an annoyance than a failure.


    Another factor to consider is how robust the shooting line and float line attachment points are. While a lot of thought went into the design of the modern pneumatics, I find the attachment points as a rule to appear to be an afterthought.


    If the pneumatic in question has already been used for a while and functions properly, has oil and there are no air leaks, there's no reason why it should fail on you out of the blue. I would trust it on a trip. But I would trust a band gun more because I can jury rig most anything that would fail on it, while for a pneumatic you're bound to require parts. Anything that you'd do with a pneumatic will require letting out the air and oil, then of course pressurizing it again. I can't see myself doing this on a boat. For this reason alone I would relegate the pneumatic for use "near home", or near a repair facility. If it was the only potent gun available I'd use it no matter what. But logic dictates that if you're going on a bluewater trip, you have the resources to acquire a speargun that will virtually eliminate the possibility of disappointment.

  • Spearfishing wetsuit sizing help

    Speardiver "long" sizes are on the way. S-L (Small long), M-L (Medium long), and L-L (Large long). They will be based on the suit made for sdeisen which is the M_L. The long sizes will be available in the Pacific (green) camo pattern.


    Speardiver "kids" open cell wetsuits are also coming.


    Speardiver Pacific wetstuit

  • Aqualung buys OMER and Sporasub

    The French website apenea.fr announced the Aqua Lung takeover of OMER and Sproasub original article. Below is the article translated in English.







    Omersub, the well known brand in the spearfishing equipment market, was bought out by another famous company specializing in scuba equipment: AquaLung. Marco and Claudio Ciceri wished to retire and on July 31st 2013 they found a buyer. They have entrusted the future of the brands OMER and Sporasub to AquaLung.


    Market leader in recreational diving with a solid positioning in the military and professional sectors, the brand also known as "The Spirotechnique" had kept away from the spearfishing and freediving market. Besides some fitness and swimwear oriented products in the AquaSphere gamme, there was no place for freediving or snorkeling, a constant growing sector...so you can imagine how far it was from spearfishing considered to be too controversial.


    With the acquisition of Omer, the "100% scuba" period has just finished, setting a milestone in the market. A first ideological shift, as claimed by Jean-Luc Diainville, CEO of Aqua Lung Europe / Middle East / Africa: "The practice of this sport has evolved, the regulations are going in the right direction making spearfishing a more responsible activity." The change is also commercial, since the addition of a brand already known and consolidated to the Aqua Lung portfolio, allows us to face a market in which we had never entered before, with strong cards in hand. "We want to diversify, says Jean-Luc Diainville, but we will not revolutionize Omersub because the company has been very well managed. The brand has also signed a greatly appreciated partnership with Umberto Pelizzari.


    For the record, Omersub was created in Italy in the late 1970s by Valerio Grassi with, among its shareholders, the firearms manufacturer Beretta. In 1993, the brand is partially took over by Ciceri family, owner of the giant Beta Tools, manufacturing professional tools. In 1994, it completely takes over, separating itself from Mares equipement owning Sporasub and leaving the distribution of the latter in Italy. The following year, Sporasub falls into the hands of the HTM group which holds Mares. Omersub tries a breakthrough in technical scuba equipment. Despite his mastery of the industrial processes it turns into a failure. The company will then focus on its core business, consolidating its position and becoming one of the major players in the industry. Finally, in 2008, Omer buys out Sporasub from Mares to place it in the high quality range.


    Marco and Claudio Ciceri will lead for about a year to make the transition easier. They seem very happy to have sold their brands to Aqua Lung, a large group that will facilitate the settlement of Omersub and Sporasub in different countries.

  • Speardiver frameless two window mask

    The Speardiver two window frameless mask is the first of its kind; a frameless mask with two separate lenses. All other frameless masks actually have a single lens, with a piece of superflous rubber running down the middle giving it only the appearance of a two lens mask. Having two lenses means the mask will contour around the divers face, resulting in less internal volume and a better field of vision.


    Made entirely from hypoallergenic silicone, the frameless mask is great for those who feel the frame of a conventional diving mask push against some areas of their face, resulting in sore spots. The frameless mask is very soft and comfortable having NO HARD PARTS other than the two tempered glass shock proof lenses and the 3D swiveling strap buckles. The 3D buckles permit the strap attachment point to move up/down & left/right, for precise positioning of the strap on the head without pulling the mask out of position. The strap length is easily adjusted by pressing two buttons. The frameless mask is also a convenient backup mask as it can be folded and kept in a small pocket in a float or BCD.


    The mask is available from FreediveStore.com Speardiver Frameless Two Window Mask