The great sport of spear fishing is gaining popularity these days as more and more people begin to migrate to the Hawaiian Islands. So what is so great about spear fishing? It is the sense of being in a whole different world. There are forests of coral and limu, and huge caves full of silver fish called aholehole. A multitude of colorful and edible creatures live in the ledges and cracks of our most beautiful Hawaiian reefs, but like a fish out of water, the diver is the outsider, and he must make the right preparations and bring the proper equipment when getting ready for a dive. A diver must also know the grounds (geographical environment), the fish he is looking for, and where the fish likes to live in.
Bringing the right equipment is essential to catching fish. The most basic equipment needed for a dive is a mask, a snorkel, some fins, a dive bag, and a three-prong spear. This is what a casual free diver may use to get a meal. With these five essential accessories a diver can catch almost any fish from the size of his hand to about three feet long. Anything bigger than that may give the diver some problems, as the fish tend to squirm a lot after being shot. In many cases, if a diver shoots a bigger fish and doesn’t kill it instantly the fish will twist its way off of the spear and get away.
A very simple but useful, piece of equipment is the weight belt. The weight belt is used to adjust the buoyancy of the diver by attaching lead weights to his waist. This helps the diver to glide to the sea floor without exerting himself and losing much needed oxygen. It also helps to keep the diver on the sea floor when he gets there. Many fish, like the Uhu or Papio, become curious when the diver lays prone on the seafloor or hides behind a rock. The fish will sometimes come closer to take a look at what the diver is doing, giving the diver a better shot at hitting it. This being said, the dive belt is one of the most important pieces of equipment in a diver’s arsenal.
When diving in water that’s a little deeper, there will be less coral heads and in most cases larger fishes. In this type of environment, a diver may want to use a spear gun, a rifle that propels a tethered spear using thick rubber bands. This piece of equipment gives the diver a longer range to spear a fish. Depending on how strong and how many rubber bands the spear gun has, and how long the gun is, a diver can shoot a fish up to twenty feet away from him. With this kind of range, a diver can catch almost anything. But sometimes catching a bigger fish is a problem in itself.
“Stupid fish dragged me down until I let go of my spear gun! I had to pay three hundred bucks to buy a new one.” Says Rodan Valmoja, when I asked him about the biggest fish he ever shot. Apparently, he shot a hundred and fifty pound Ahi (or yellow fin tuna) and it was so strong that it swam away with his spear gun. To avoid having this problem happen again, he tethered his spear shaft to a plastic buoy which prevents the fish from yanking the gun out of the divers hand and helps to tire out the fish as it fights against the floating buoy. This is called a tag line. The tag line is very useful for big and some times dangerous fish for example; sail fish or marlin. These types of fish have pointed snouts with which they use like a sword, hence the name swordfish. With a tag line, the diver would be to able shoot any type of fish and be relatively safe from getting hurt.
There are many other useful pieces of equipment and accessories a diver may use but I’m only going to mention one more. The final piece of equipment is the power head. The power head is a useful protective tool which uses the explosive properties of a bullet to instantly kill a bigger fish or an aggressive shark. Power heads come in as many sizes and calibers as bullets do. They are loaded and then attached to the tip of the spear. When the spear is shot and the power head comes in contact with a fish, the bullet is fired and the resulting explosion puts the fish down for good.
A major part of spear fishing and free diving is knowing what kind of fish you want and where you can find them. This is where fisher men become secretive. No fisherman wants to give up his secret spot but I was able to find out the types of places certain popular fish like to live. “Out in the blue water is where all the big ones are.” Tim Nakamura, a sponsored free diver, states while answering my question on where he likes to go diving. As a general rule, the deeper the water is the bigger the fish will be. The larger school fish, such as Ahi and Ono (Wahoo), like to hang out in the deeper channels near the islands. A deep sea diver would get the best results and probably the most fish by finding a state owned buoy. These buoys create an artificial food chain by providing a place for algae to grow. This algae feeds tiny shrimp, which feeds tiny fish, which feeds larger fish, etc. At the buoys the diver would expect to see anything from Ahi and the tuna family to mahi-mahi, Ono, sharks, and any other deep sea fish you might be looking for. A diver should bring a large spear gun to catch these fish as they are unlikely to let him come close enough to hit with a three pronged spear or a smaller gun.
A very popular fish that is not only beautiful but tasty as well is the Mempachi (big eye squirrel fish). These, like almost any other red fish are highly prized because of their fatty meat. These wonderfully flavorful fish enjoy dark caves or large cracks where they can hide from hungry predators. They are normally found at a depth of about ten feet or deeper and like to feed at night. Lobsters and many other delicious creatures can be found in the same spots.
Octopi are found in shallow, flat, reef areas where they can hide in many holes in the ground. They disguise themselves by changing their body color to match their surroundings and by piling rocks around themselves. These chewy but also very flavorful animals can be easily caught if they can be found. A great tip I received from Rodan Valmoja, an extremely experienced free diver, is to tickle the octopus with the tip of your three pronged spear until it wraps a few of its arms around the shaft of the spear. Gently pull it out of the hole and stab it to secure your catch.
Finally, a very important rule in diving is that the diver should have at least one partner with him because anything can happen out in the ocean, especially when the diver is out of his element. Although the diver is a hunter, he can easily become the hunted when a hungry tiger shark appears. Strong rip currents, large waves, and shallow water blackouts are all real dangers involved in free diving and spear fishing. Some dangers are unavoidable when going into the ocean but a trusted friend and partner can easily cut those dangers in half. A friend can give you confidence and the drive to catch bigger and better fish.
In conclusion, having the right equipment is an important part of going spear fishing. The three-pronged spear is a staple of the casual and professional diver alike. A weight belt will help any diver conserve oxygen and allow him to lay prone on the seafloor to attract curious fish. A spear gun will give the diver a longer ranged shot to catch the smarter more cautious fish whereas the tag line and power heads can be used to catch the larger more dangerous game fish and also to protect the diver. Knowing where to dive and who to dive with are also important parts of spear fishing. Hopefully these handy tips will have given some new divers a better understanding of the art of spear fishing.