Kudos for getting a list of 12 - several of those are new to me. However I'll make several observations:
* Most are not solely or even primarily spearfishing stores - many are dive stores, which likely make most of their money on SCUBA and other marine activities (boat stuff, kayaks, freediving, water skiing, beach gear, training, etc.). I can think of 2 that distribute spear gear to other (mainly dive) stores/retailers/outlets (e.g. clubs/trainers).
* While I can think of 2 relatively well-stocked spear-gear suppliers (one on the mainland), I question whether the others are well-stocked with spearfishing gear. Even some of the better stock suppliers only hold stock "for the season" (e.g. one order per year, in Spring - if the stock is low).
* Some are part-time/hobby*/side businesses/side-lines (and possibly "for the love of it"/prestige/as a favour in some cases).
Yes I could well be wrong, but my gut feeling is that the few hundred figure is probably pretty close to the true figure for active spearos per year in the UK currently (which no doubt ebbs & flows somewhat, as people come into & leave the activity or become temporarily dormant from it). For anyone planning to make a business out of spearfishing, it might be important - it's something to consider/look into if putting together a business plan.
The £200 figure per spearo sounds reasonable & yes is probably a bit high (esp. as some folk will make the major purchases - wetsuit & speargun - abroad); assuming you don't include big-ticket peripherals such as RIBs/boats/engines, trailers, kayaks, roof racks, etc.. However, I expect the mark-up is often much more than 20%. VAT now is 20%+ UK overheads (various taxes, expenses, insurances, legal advice/coverage, rent, staff, staff benefits & taxes,...) - tough business?
*A local bank manager warned a friend who was about to buy a shop that most of the stores in his nearby village/town do not make money and are "the hobbies of rich mens' wives". (However, he was confident & signed the contracts but the seller welched on the deal and ended up compensating him thousands of pounds for breach of contract - a fairy tale ending?!).
All good points mate - I know they aren't really spearfishing specific shops but I was more trying to show the availability of gear in the UK - just showing that there can't be too low a demand with that many outlets.
As for numbers of people, in my opinion: proper, DeeperBlue-style spearo's - I doubt there are many at all in the UK, a couple of hundred maybe. Twice-a-year / give-it-a-go / impulse-buy spearos - I'd guess thousands.
When Spearo Dave actually ran a business, it was always the cheapo £45 spearguns that were always out of stock
I've met a ton of people on the beach who know someone who spearfishes / brought a speargun etc but have only ever once seen someone fishing a good reef with a float etc - I guessed it was someone from the forum just by the fact they had a float (it was denian).
I'm always starting up new little projects and gave serious thought to setting up an online Spearfishing shop a while back, importing some cool, hard to get gear but in the end decided that there just isn't the market for it in the UK.
