new equipment help please!

[weetsie]

hi, i was planning on going snowboarding this year but it turns out i cant afford it so im thinking i might buy a spearfishing setup and go down to cornwall for a week instead.

equipment wise i have a wetsuit and a snorkel :t so everything else i need to buy.

now, im pretty clueless about what gear to buy but ill do my best to describe what and where ill be using it and hopefully you can help me buy the most suitable gear.

the locations i intend to hunt are usually pretty shallow, i doubt i will be diving much deeper than 5m and the visibility ranges from poor to ok. the fish i would be going after would mainly be seabass and mullet or similar. its mainly sand but sometimes rocky on the bottom.

the speargun i was looking at is the Cressi Geronimo Elite and i am intending to buy everything off that site as it seems very cheap, unless someone knows better.

now firstly do you think that's a suitable gun/best for the money and assuming it is what size should i go for? 85/95/105/115? my gut instinct would be to go for the 95.

now it can take two bands and comes with one, im assuming its a 20mm band but im thinking maybe i could buy two 16mm or similar bands for more flexibility but i cant work out which bands/other parts i would need to buy or even if they have them for sale, i would like to buy everything in one go as shipping is expensive even on small items.

i would also like a spare spear as i have bent one in the past, i don't know how universal they are, would this one fit? cressi tahitian spear competition 6.25mm

oh and last thing on spearguns, what is the reel for? i have been spearfishing in australia, spain, greece and england and i have never see one before, what do they do?

for fins i am looking and these cressi gara professional and for a mask im thinking of going with this mares essence liquidskin the FOV looks good and as im not going too deep i assume it will be ok? i know you should really try a mask on before you buy but out of all the masks i have borrowed in the past they have all fit well.

other than a cable thing to put fish on and maybe a knife, is there anything else i might need?

thanks in advance for those who take the time to read or respond!

 

[spaghetti]

Gun: get the 85 Gerry Elite with single band. The S45+ rubber it comes with is good, and perfectly balanced with the shaft.

Mask: the problem is the fit to your face. Mares Liquid Skins have the softest sylicone for comfort, but they tend to leak a lot if the fit is not perfect. Get a Cressi Matrix if you have a medium-big face, or a Cressi Occhio Plus Evo if your face is medium to thin. Their silicone is still comfortable, but less floppy than Mares Liquid Skin.

Fins: the Gara Professional are stiff for a beginner. Get the softer Professional LD (LD stands for "long distance", softer for long surface swims).

You will also need a weightbelt and yes, definitely carry a knife. Cressi Killer you cant go wrong with that.

You will also need a buoy with diveflag, and a little dry box for the keys of the car.

 

[Claudio]

Hi weetsie,

I think you are on the right track. You can't go wrong with Cressi equipment. The quality of their equipment is great and the prices are very reasonable. If you have the chance, try the Cressi masks to see if one of them fit you well as your friend's Mares... their masks are really good.

Regarding the Geronimo, I hear a lot of spearos in England go with the smaller gun size since water visibility there is not always great. The 85cm seems to be a good option then. I've had a chance to shoot a Geronimo and it is an awesome gun. One 20mm set of bands is more than enough for it.

6.25mm shaft is what comes standard with the gun so it is a good start. I think this gun would also be awesome with a 6.5mm shaft and a single 20mm band, or if you feel like experimenting later on, a 7mm shaft and double 16mm bands.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Claudio

 

[spaghetti]

Which makes two votes for the 85! (Claudio, great minds think alike).

The rationale for this is that English spearos all use guns between 75 and 90. I've always heard an 85 might be a good allrounder for english waters.

 

[weetsie]

ok so thats the gun length sorted!

Mask: the problem is the fit to your face. Mares Liquid Skins have the softest silicone for comfort, but they tend to leak a lot if the fit is not perfect. Get a Cressi Matrix if you have a medium-big face, or a Cressi Occhio Plus Evo if your face is medium to thin. Their silicone is still comfortable, but less floppy than Mares Liquid Skin.

i think i will try to find somewhere that sells masks so i can try a few on thinking about it.

Fins: the Gara Professional are stiff for a beginner. Get the softer Professional LD (LD stands for "long distance", softer for long surface swims).

i figured that might be the case, reason i selected those is im quite big, 6'2" and do alot of hiking so my legs are quite strong and i intend to grow into them so i figured they would be better in the long run, saying that if you still think softer fins would be better i'll go for them.

You will also need a weight belt and yes, definitely carry a knife. Cressi Killer you cant go wrong with that.

the knife is sorted then, great. regarding the weight belt when you buy them you are just buying pockets on a belt? if so i think i will make my own.

You will also need a buoy with diveflag, and a little dry box for the keys of the car.

done, no car keys though, i wish

Regarding the Geronimo, I hear a lot of spearos in England go with the smaller gun size since water visibility there is not always great. The 85cm seems to be a good option then. I've had a chance to shoot a Geronimo and it is an awesome gun. One 20mm set of bands is more than enough for it.

6.25mm shaft is what comes standard with the gun so it is a good start. I think this gun would also be awesome with a 6.5mm shaft and a single 20mm band, or if you feel like experimenting later on, a 7mm shaft and double 16mm bands.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Claudio

regarding the bands and spears i would really like to order some bits now so i can get it included in one shipping cost even if i don't use them for years. apart from the bands, what other parts do i need to buy to use the bands? i would assume i would need one of these but how would i attach it to the band?

thanks again for your help, its much appreciated.

 

[Claudio]

Hi Weetsie,

I would say, there is really no need for you to experiment with the shaft/band setup until you get the feel for your new gun. The original setup for the Cressi Geronimo Elite is the best way for you to start. If you want to order an additional shaft, a 6.5mm shaft would work very well with a single 20mm band at this configuration is very popular for European spearos.

This is the only immediate modification I would make. Personally, I would only make further mods if I was was going after larger fish in other type of conditions than those found in UK waters.

For instance, I dive in Rhode Island, USA, where the prize fish are 30-pounds-plus Stripped bass. For that size fish, a double set of 16mm bands and a 7mm shaft would be more appropriate since the double bands and higher mass shaft lead to increased shaft penetration on these large fish.

But that being said, if you want to order everything at once, and since the Geronimo Elite is set up for double circular bands, you have two options if you are set on trying the double band setup offered by the gun:

1. Buy the circular bands with threads that Cressi sells already assembled (this is the easier route) and buy this type of wishbones... or

2. Order the rubber for the band in bulk and learn how to tie your own bands. You can use either dyneema line wishbones or the type of metal wishbones you reference on you post above (here is a tutorial for that)

Option 2 if really for when you are in deeper into the obsession .

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Claudio

 

[weetsie]

ah i see what that wishbone without the threaded plastic bits is for now, great i will go for a bit of 16mm rubber and have a go at tieing my own bands, doesnt look too hard and works out cheaper, i also think i will get away with a single 16mm band given that last time i went in the UK the biggest fish we got was about 4lbs.

ok so right now i have:
85cm geronimo elite
gara professional fins (still undecided wether to get the softer version or not)
cressi killer knife
cressi matrix mask (watched some videos and im pretty sure it will fit)
1m 16mm band
cressi articulated wishbone
inflateable buoy
neoprene boots/hood/gloves
fish stringer
and weights, not sure how much weight i will need, if im 11 stone and using a 5mm wetsuit and not diving very deep 3KG should be good?

 

[Claudio]

11 stone, hum? I never heard the expression but thank god for Google. I guess that makes you 154 pounds?

If that's the case, the LD (softer) version of the Gara Professional fin would work well for you. Regarding the appropriate weight for your 5mm wetsuit, 7 kilos is more appropriate for the shallows. Here's a handy calculator (in French) if you want more info on that.

 

[Jason W.]

I think you should heed Claudios' advice about purchasing the softer fins. There will be plenty of time later to purchase stiffer fins if you still feel the need.

 

[weetsie]

ok so 7KG weights and the softer fins!

im going to a diving shop next week to try it all on to get the right sizes and buy what ever items they are competative on.

i think i know everything i need to know to buy some gear, thanks alot for all your help, you have probably saved me 10 hours of research.

happy hunting all!

 

[Mr. X]

When are you planning to go down to Cornwall? If you are thinking Feb./March I would think again (but perhaps the locals would disagree?) - bass tend to leave our shores for the winter. April is still pretty early but you might get lucky. May-Nov would be your best bet.

85cm sounds good to me too.

MASKS
Omer make (in Taiwan) a variety of masks intended for spearos (e.g. Alien, Bandit, etc.), and I expect they now make the Sporasub Samurai too. But I'm currently using the Seacsub X-lite Combat (made in Italy), which comes with a decent mask box. Shop around, prices vary quite a lot; Apnea.co.uk usually have one of the Omer masks in black at under £20 - unfortunately they no longer do free shipping . The Cressi Matrix is a nice mask, I've tried it in a shop. - & the Cressi Superocchio was one of the original spearo-masks. Some spearos get quite excited about Beuchat & Technisub masks too.

 

[weetsie]

i went to a shop and bought a cressi matrix, tried on about 20 masks and it was definately the one

made an order with scubastore for the rest of the stuff.