North Devon Spearfishing

I was hoping to get a new Eliossub wetsuit this year but have been put off by the much higher euro prices now (overly strong Euro due to strength of German economy lifting it up). By contrast the US Oceanos wetsuits look like much better value - and no extra cost for custom fit! However, on the mainland Britain, I wonder what VAT/random import duty HM Customs might add??

I'm getting bored waiting for the euro-zone to sort itself out though (bring back the Deutschmark!).

Take all the measurements several times, both sides of the body, hot & cold conditions. Discard any wacky ones & average out any differences. Leave a bit of extra space around the throat to avoid triggering swallow reflex.

Time invested in preparation is usually a good investment (compared to time spent sorting out mistakes later) -- and that's a life lesson you keep learning

foxfish said:

Mr x Diveskin (Oceanos) are based in Greece but use $ pricing!
My latest one cost less than £140 delivered to my house & that was a MTM camo design with black legs & arms.

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I didn't realise. That's good news as, presumably, the price incs. VAT & there is no import duty within the EU. The price looks quite a lot less than I was quoted by Elios (their price has practically doubled over the last 6 years...the real inflation rate) - pity, I've been really pleased with my Elios suit.

IsaacND said:

Hi Pav, thanks for the advice so far, was wondering if you could help me out as to where to buy a suit locally? Been looking online, but everything seems to be somewhat specialist, and I can't really afford hundreds.. Also, any idea where to buy a weightbelt and weights?
Cheers

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Isaac, My 2 cents worth: I reckon it is worth getting specialist spearfishing gear but you don't need the most expensive stuff. If you shop around, you can usually get a good deal on things.

For example spearfishing fins often cost £80-£120 but Beuchat make some that are usually sold around £40-65. Somebody sells some good looking Italian Seacsub spearo fins on eBay (I think it is Anthony at Venture Sports in Paignton, but I could be wrong) for around £25-£28 -- perfect for the beginner spearo I would think (maybe you could drop in there or call them?) - might get some myself (my Seacsub mask & snorkel are excellent). APnea.co.uk used to have a black Omer spearo mask for £18 & the Beuchat Tubair flexible spearo snorkel for about £9. Mikes (of Bristol) sell good wetsuit booties at reasonable prices on ebay (£5 or £6 I think last time I looked). A Rob Allen rubber marseille-style weight belt, if you can get one for around £15-£18 would be a good buy. I've seen new spearo knives on ebay for £7-£9 - but I think ebay have since banned knife sales :duh. Fish stringer - cheap but good Omer monofilament stringer from Apnea.co.uk - or the mega-robust RA stringer for 2 or 3x the price elsewhere. Cheap torpedo dive floats work well. Getting a decent float line can be tricky but need not be expensive (I eventually found some v. good English made washing line for £1 - similar but thinner & lighter RA's excellent & inexpensive Thai curry green polypropylene line). Scubaland.fr had a reasonable price on spearo gloves (if you join their free club, although shipping can be prohibitive). I like the Beuchat gloves -- the old 3mm ones fit great, the new 2mm ones are tight but stretchy over 2 sizes (e.g. Small-medium, medium-large), like a second skin (less warm tho').

It's worth making a small investment up front, the gear lasts years (I had a mask, fins and snorkel that were still perfectly usuable after 30 years). so you might as well get something you like and that works well. Most of us started out with surf suits - but as Foxfish said, only good for 1.5 hours - and not so good for that even (I often dive for 2-4 hours in my spearo wetsuit, competitions are usually 6 hours). Regular dive masks have too large of a volume, they may not shield your eyes from the sun/fish. Regular snorkels often have fancy gadgets and hi-viz bits designed for surface viewing that can be a hindrance when diving for fish. You don't need a fancy knife, Spearo knifes can be small but benefit from a sharp point for dispatching fish (alternatively just use the spike of your stringer - which is essential equipment IMHO) - chisel-tipped SCUBA knives are not ideal. Rubber spearo weight belts tend to stay in place better than webbing SCUBA belts, especially when head-down diving to the sea bed.