Spearfisherman :: Fishing Sports Papers

Spearfisherman As a student in the scuba certification class here at State, I have been taught that if you would like to keep all of your limbs, it is best to keep your hands to yourself under the water. This means that if I saw a 52 pound fish, I probably would not try to stab it with a spear, or play a game of cat and mouse. So what makes a spearfisherman? How does one go about spending their recreational time chasing after fish as big as them? Since the 1940’s, spearfishing, the art of hunting prey without a line, in its own environment, has been a popular sporting activity. How do you learn to spearfish? You must first decide what type of a fisherperson you would like to be. Would you want to hunt with scuba equipment making it easier to dive to greater depths? Or would you like to stay close to the surface without the heavy gear? There are two types of spear fishermen, the people that are freedivers, who dive without the gear, and people that require an air supply, otherwise known as scuba method. The freedive has very little equipment; a mask, optional snorkel, fins, and the speargun of your choice. It is the simplest form of spearfishing, and yet it is said to be the most challenging (Allen Patrick 6). A diver must hold his breath on the surface, â€Å"pike dive† and descend, while trying to clear his ears and equalize pressure(6). The ears must also be cleared with the scuba method, so this is no t only for freedivers. The scuba method, much more gear intensive, first and foremost requires that you have a recreational diving license. Diving by in itself requires skill and education, so it is advisable for a aspiring spearfisherman to obtain a diving license before heading down to the local speargun shop. You must have a mask that properly fits their face, fins, an air cylinder with a regulator that makes it possible to breath, the appropriate weight belt to decrease and increase buoyancy, along with the buoyancy compensator, that holds you cylinder in place (Patrick 11-13). Now that you are in the water and have your gear, you need a weapon.