Hello and New Gear from Mako

[graycon]

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself AND show of my new gear of course. Everyone like to show off their new toys, right?

I live in Alaska, and it's pretty chilly here as far as the water goes. I do have friends who spearfish a bit in the salt water with dry suits and scuba gear, but I am not a scuba person. I do hope to try fishing here this summer / fall but I don't' have that all worked out yet.

We tend to head to Hawaii on a somewhat regular basis. Last year I borrowed a spear gun, and shot a few fish, that all tasted great. That gun was a bit 'iffy' thought. The safety would hold the trigger out from an accidental bump, but if you pulled the trigger a couple times with the safety on, it just fired anyway. I did by a pole spear while there, with the 3 prong immobilizer tip.

Now up to today! My brother and I just made a purchase from Mako ( http://www.makospearguns.com/ ). We got 2 spear guns, a float, and some other gear. I also ordered the full reversible wetsuit. I'm a bit on the large size at 6' 1" and nearly 240 pounds. The XXL wet suit is listed for 220 - 240, so I was a bit nervous about fitting it. However the gear game in as you see in the attached pictures and it all fits very nicely.

I have always had big fins that I got from a scuba person. They are stiff but work well. So I was shocked when I got these one that are pictured. They are huge, but will be a lot of fun if my legs can handle it.

I have a weight belt, and 14 pounds of weight. I will experiment with the weight, and will start light for sure until I figure out what works best. I also will ONLY be diving with a buddy. My brother and I are very close and we will be keeping an eye on each other while we are fishing.

I've lurked around here for a while, and I look forward to posting a few video's and pictures later on. For now enjoy these few pictures of the gear.

Regarding saftey we took a spear fishing / free diving class on our last trip to Hawaii. So I will be cautious, and I don't know everything I realize!

Also I have to say that I emailed, and even talked with the Mako guys on the phone. The customer support was far better than I ever expected from something I ordered on line, and they seem like a really great crew. I chose to go with them because of the nice words I read about Mako on these forums, so I wanted to give a little shout out here in return!

Fins:

Everything:

 

[graycon]

Also sorry I am in my pajamas in that first picture. UPS didn't deliver the package until around 8:00 pm. They are busy this time of year I suppose.

 

[Mr. X]

And the float line & wetsuit match your Thomas the Tank Engine box too - bonus! Gear looks good - Xmas came early. If your wetsuit is 5mm thick then, for salt water, I'd would estimate that you will end up with a weight belt weighing around 20-24lb with a best guess of 22lb. But working up to it is a very good idea - better to have to little than too much when starting out, especially as you will be dealing with a lot of new equipment. Your going to have a great time

 

[Apneaddict]

It's always hilarious to see a person suited up in a house. With socks and glasses no less!! Love it.

I shudder to think about the cost of shipping lead to Alaska... Unless the USPS absorbs it. They should... You provide the oil they use to get it to you! LOL

The lead you use TOTALLY depends on the type and depth you plan on spearing at.

In a 5mm suit (in fresh water), I've use 24 lbs (negatively buoyant just with a duck-dive) to 4.4 lbs (negative at -14m).

You already know about safety... Good on you. Neither of you wants to explain what happened to the rest of your family. Stay vigilant. 1-gun, 2 brothers. Good formula!!

If you only catch one fish... Does the guy who shot it keep it?? Best to decide this stuff beforehand. LOL

 

[graycon]

And the float line & wetsuit match your Thomas the Tank Engine box too - bonus! Gear looks good - Xmas came early. If your wetsuit is 5mm thick then, for salt water, I'd would estimate that you will end up with a weight belt weighing around 20-24lb with a best guess of 22lb. But working up to it is a very good idea - better to have to little than too much when starting out, especially as you will be dealing with a lot of new equipment. Your going to have a great time

The wet suit is 2mm. I am hoping 10-14 will do it, but we will see. Do you think it will be enough? This is the suit:
http://www.makospearguns.com/Camo-Spearfishing-Wetsuit-1-piece-Yamamoto-2mm-p/m1ybg.htm

I picked that one because in a 3mm shorty I nearly get heatstroke! I am from the fridgid North you know! I had that 3mm shorty on and had to keep pulling the neck open to get more cool water inside.

And yes the toys and equipment match. I let my boys look at and handle the spear guns, but had a very serious discussion about that they are not toys and should not be played with after I explained how they work.

It's always hilarious to see a person suited up in a house. With socks and glasses no less!! Love it.

I was sweating like crazy by the time I got that thing off. Ugh, I won't last long on dry land wearing that thing.

I shudder to think about the cost of shipping lead to Alaska... Unless the USPS absorbs it. They should... You provide the oil they use to get it to you! LOL
The lead you use TOTALLY depends on the type and depth you plan on spearing at.
In a 5mm suit (in fresh water), I've use 24 lbs (negatively buoyant just with a duck-dive) to 4.4 lbs (negative at -14m).
You already know about safety... Good on you. Neither of you wants to explain what happened to the rest of your family. Stay vigilant. 1-gun, 2 brothers. Good formula!!
If you only catch one fish... Does the guy who shot it keep it?? Best to decide this stuff beforehand. LOL

The lead wasn't too bad to ship, but yes I would have liked to have locally sourced it if possible, but as far as I can tell there were no tin-man pinch weights here, and I wanted those ones.
Also, it is 2-guns 2-brothers 1-polespear 1-friend 1-dad. Should be good times!
I would be interested also to know if you think I have enough weight?

 

[Apneaddict]

For a 2mm suit, you have more then enough weight for any depth.

It all depends on depth, but you may get away with at little as 2 lbs and as much as 6-8. Start light.

If you need 10+ lbs of lead... That's be because you want to lie on the bottom in 5m or less of water.

I take it you are STRICTLY a travel Spearo. 2mm won't cut it for Alaska.

How do you plan to take your gear? SportTube?

 

[graycon]

For a 2mm suit, you have more then enough weight for any depth.
It all depends on depth, but you may get away with at little as 2 lbs and as much as 6-8. Start light.
If you need 10+ lbs of lead... That's be because you want to lie on the bottom in 5m or less of water.
I take it you are STRICTLY a travel Spearo. 2mm won't cut it for Alaska.
How do you plan to take your gear? SportTube?

We did buy the a sportube 2. It should handle everything just fine. I just hope we can keep it light enough to not get charged excess baggage on it.

I do actually plan to test out my 2mm suit in Alaska! It realize it might be a bit thin, but I will be careful. I have several mm of insulation built in to my body, so that should help as well. Best as I can tell here you have to be in salt water, so I will head to some shallow bays and area's where the water will be a bit warmer. I have spent some time swimming in the water here, so I am looking forward to doing it again.

The only water I ever REALLY did not like was at a glacier lake. 3 of us were going to swim out to an iceberg, touch it and swim back. I got in to my knees and turned around, my brother got his whole body in, but didn't swim out really, and our friend who was with us, and was VERY fit, and swam a LOT, actually did swim out and touch the iceberg, but he told us his whole body was locking up and he nearly didn't make it back. We had a roaring fire going before hand, because we knew this was a bad idea, so we all warmed up and hiked back out! We were young and dumb, but don't worry, I am not as young anymore! ;-)

I will probably go ahead and start with 2-4 pounds per your recommendation. Then we will just go from there.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Wow Thanks for the pics and your support. My guess is about 6-10 lbs of lead for saltwater with the 2 mm suit, based on your weight. You want to float comfortably on the surface, that is the first and probably easiest criterion to check when adjusting your ballast. A second, general guideline is that you want to be neutral at about 30 feet (or at your hunting depth) if it is shallower than that.

 

[graycon]

Wow Thanks for the pics and your support. My guess is about 6-10 lbs of lead for saltwater with the 2 mm suit, based on your weight. You want to float comfortably on the surface, that is the first and probably easiest criterion to check when adjusting your ballast. A second, general guideline is that you want to be neutral at about 30 feet (or at your hunting depth) if it is shallower than that.

I was hoping 10 pounds would do it, but I would also hate to be on vacation, and wish I had a little more weight. I could waste a whole week if I had to order and get items delivered. I also figured I could get some lead over there if I needed to, but I kinda like the idea of all the weights being the same.