Laser Pointer - ?

[garett]

How efficient this thing? Can it be used to target fish? And what beam color is the best, red or green?

All comments are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

[foxfish]

Laser sights have been through the DB washing machine several times before. lt would seem this type of technology is too much for some members to deal with.
Red lasers are useless underwater, green lasers are supposed to work?
Personally I think it is a good idea to pursue any method that helps me catch my tea. Water proof green laser pointers can be found on the net for about $350.

[garett]

But why lot of red beam underwater pointers on sell
http://www.island-scuba.com/page/001/PROD/ACCDL70
"...Some fish are even attracted to the red light and will chase the beam!"... - from description.

But I think maybe I found the answer in same forum just now while tried to search in yahoo for pointer

- http://forums.deeperblue.net/forum108/thread58770.html

will read this first

[rowankimberg]

I tried applying for a permit to develop a laser sight but the dept of fisheries in NSw Australia rejected it as illegal!

[rowankimberg]

Perhaps it has some merit as my tests proved it can work quite well in a few different visibilities.

[foxfish]

[quote=garett]But why lot of red beam underwater pointers on sell
http://www.island-scuba.com/page/001/PROD/ACCDL70
"...Some fish are even attracted to the red light and will chase the beam!"... - from description.

Garett. Old Man Dave & myself brought that very same laser! We carefully fitted them to our guns & excitedly tired them out in the water. As I said they dont work!!! You can see the beam very nicely out of water but at 6'' underwater you could not! I contacted the company in question to complain but they never replied.
Not surprisingly I am reluctant to buy the same company's green model in fear of that not working either. However I am lead to believe that green lasers do in fact work underwater??

[foxfish]

Originally Posted by rowankimberg

Perhaps it has some merit as my tests proved it can work quite well in a few different visibilities.

Hi Rowan, can you give us some more info please.

[Shadowkiller]

Red light is absorbed very quickly in water, hence the lack of red below 5m, and a near total absence below 10m.

That company seems to have mistaken a cat for a fish when they did their product testing on dry land.

[Chad Carney]

Simply put, you don't need a lazer to aim a speargun.

Spearfishing is done in relatively close confines, so even from the hip, the angle of the shot is easy enough to figure out.

What does work, is a light attached to a gun so you can see where to shoot fish in dark places, such as under wrecks or in holes, etc.

See http://www.mobilescuba.com/Quiver.htm

Chad

[Pastor]

Originally Posted by foxfish

Personally I think it is a good idea to pursue any method that helps me catch my tea. Water proof green laser pointers can be found on the net for about $350.

The ultimate conclusion of this approach is pair trawling If you need to resort to gizmo's like these then there is something wrong with your basic skills (a generalism, not aimed at you mate )

Originally Posted by Chad Carney

Simply put, you don't need a lazer to aim a speargun.

Spearfishing is done in relatively close confines, so even from the hip, the angle of the shot is easy enough to figure out.

Maybe Chad and I belong to the dinosaur club, I don't know, but for me the fun is in my skills not in the guarantee of a fish on the table every time I pull the trigger, not that I miss many.

[foxfish]

Originally Posted by foxfish

Laser sights have been through the DB washing machine several times before. lt would seem this type of technology is too much for some members to deal with.

I did warn you Garett!

[Almostafish]

Lazer sights are not worth the time for many reasons.. One is they cant be seen very well at all ( Like Foxfish I have tryed ) and the second one is spears dont fly lazer straight..

If you want to look like a special forces op then thats fine, but for proper spearo just stick with what you got!

[foxfish]

It looks like lasers are a very controversial subject with DB members. However I would be interested to here Rowans experiences because I can see how a aiming device which you dont actuality have to look down would be a great asset, at least for my style of hunting.
I can imagine the traditional archery fraternity had split opinions when compound bows with telescopic sights proved to be so devastatingly accurate. I am sure there will come a time when technology overtakes us oldies & a search of the net proves things are advancing towards more high tec spear gun design.
For the benefit of the members questioning my interest in the potential use of a laser sight I would like to point out I am not a blue water hunter chasing large fish, I target 18'' to 24'' fish in difficult conditions. During my 35 year of spearfishing I have followed the changes in fins, suits, masks, weights etc. I use the most up to date equipment I can afford including a Mamba air gun. I guess there will always be traditionist but I dont think many spearos use scuba suits & fins just to make hunting more difficult & uncomfortable?
At present there does not seem to be a laser sight system that works but there will be!

[Shadowkiller]

Controversial? Maybe, more like a waste of money.

Situation 1: Shooting moving fish where you aim ahead of them in order to hit them. Laser is useless...

Situation 2: Fish moving slowly or stationary within 1-2m of the tip of the gun. Do you really need a 300 buck laser pointer to hit them?

Situation 3: Fish is more than 2m away. Good luck finding a laser with a focused enough beam that it wont diffract into nothingness. Now hope for perfect viz as any particles in the water will deflect/reflect the beam.. Laser is pretty useless...

The transmission of energy through dense, moving medium, like water, is very, very different to air.

[wet]

Originally Posted by Shadowkiller

Controversial? Maybe, more like a waste of money.

Situation 1: Shooting moving fish where you aim ahead of them in order to hit them. Laser is useless...

Situation 2: Fish moving slowly or stationary within 1-2m of the tip of the gun. Do you really need a 300 buck laser pointer to hit them?

Situation 3: Fish is more than 2m away. Good luck finding a laser with a focused enough beam that it wont diffract into nothingness. Now hope for perfect viz as any particles in the water will deflect/reflect the beam.. Laser is pretty useless...

The transmission of energy through dense, moving medium, like water, is very, very different to air.

My spearo experience is limited to a 5-pronged harpoon with rubber band and no fish. IOW, a novice.

But I'm curious about if any company has ever used the dolphin sonar echolocation method, rather than light? Some kind of micro-chirp transmitter-detector? Isn't that what boat depth-finders use?
Just wondering if its been tried. DDeden