Freediving books for spearfishing ???

[Cliffsharker]

Hey Guys,

Need a freediving book to help with breathholding techniques that would be recommended for a beginner for spearfishing: a book that is pretty straight forward and not complicated.

I have a few books that I have come across and would like to know which of these books would be recommended from first hand experience.


1- I.A.N.T.D. Student Manual & Workbook for Open Water Free Diver by Dan Hodgins, Kirk Krack & Nancy Romanica http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.a...fo&Topic=RichFX

2- Freediving ! by Terry Maas and David Sipperly

3- Manual of Freediving, Underwater on a single breath by Uberto Pelizzari

4- Mastering Breath-Hold Diving by Jan G Neal and Denise Morrisette http://spearfishingworld.com/

5- Freedive Made Easy- DVD by Terry Maas

I know that diving with experienced spearfisherman would be the best advice but I am asking these questions in addition to this.

I have read threads that seem to cover it briefly but perhaps well enough. Would this be adequate for a beginner or is a book or DVD recommended: http://www.spearboard.com/showthrea...ighlight=static

Thanks guys,
Charlie.

[Mr. X]

Not for freediving but for general spearfishing I love this book (actually more like a booklet in size & construction), which is available from www.spearo.co.uk & www.roballeneurope.com:

"Len Jones's Guide to Spearfishing"

It is cheaply made but it has tons of character, a retro vibe and for 4-5 pounds shouldn't break the bank. Wish I had this before I started out spearfishing last year. Still a cracking read though.

The book has a strong South African bias - nothing wrong with that -- just don't get your hopes up when looking at the fantastic fish species! I am surprised how concise this little booklet is -- Len has crammed it full of great advice and the surprising good drawings are full of useful insights too.

[Anybody read his other book: "Encounters with Sharks, Dolphins and Big Fish by Len Jones"?]

[Cliffsharker]

Hey Mr.X,

Funny thing is that I just ordered that book yesterday for the fun of it. I know its a classic .Does it mention anything about the breathhold part or is it mostly technique on the hunting part ??

Thanks for your reply. I believe Miles recommended the other book to me : Encounters with sharks....

Thanks for your reply . Hope to get other replies the knowledgeable people on this board.

Thanks
Charlie.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Cliffsharker

Does it mention anything about the breathhold part or is it mostly technique on the hunting part ??

A little. The last page covers basic pool training & advice on avoiding black out. The first page (I think) covers basic safety. Probably not the level of detail that you are after -- it is a very small book. It is more than enough info. to get started spearfishing though.

Free diving has turned into a specialised sport of its own, there is a lot more information out there now (probably not all of it good) -- you might want to look into that. I have decided not to, for now at least -- it would just tempt me to go too deep for too long I suspect. Perhaps when I have some more shallow water (i.e. less than 10m) spearfishing experience under my belt, and perhaps an opportunity to spear somewhere that requires longer, deeper dives (Africa?!). I am not in a rush; I used to do triathlons & looking back I realised that I had enjoyed them much more in the early days when I was learning than later when I started getting good times & knew what to do.

[Mr. X]

Also check out these threads: Spearo books?
and 'Book: "Manual Of Freediving: Underwater On A Single Breath (Freediving)"'