Relatively New Spearo Looking to Upgrade Equipment

[Greekman]

Hey i have been spearing the whole past summer in Greece when i go on vacation. I am now wondering what equipment i should definately upgrade to.(ie gun,wetsuit, fins,) This past summer i used a no name brand 85cm gun with one 16 mm band(I think it was 16 mm) I found that the power was pretty lacking and that i didnt have much range. Also, i had a short wet suit up to my knees and elbows and I often got cold after a few hours in the water. My fins were pretty basic and pretty short as well and did not give much power.

So i am wondering if anyone has some recommended gear that would suit my needs and that isnt TOO expensive.

 

[Alison]

For a cheap and good value wetsuit have a look at the "Goods for Sale" section, then look out for a post started by Spiros, he sells nice freediving suits at really good prices, Good value fins can be had too, have a look at those made by Imersion or Cressi, they would certainly get you off to a good start as would a gun by someone like Omer, Esclapez or Beuchat for example (best off if someone local to you gave you advice here) but check Spiros out, you wont go far wrong

 

[portinfer]

Hey
You are 15 yrs old right ?
That means you are growing still if my memory serves me right - get saving for a decent custom Elios suit or some such thing - but in the meantime wear what you can to stay warm.
Were you cold in the other suit ?
To what extent ?
If you werent cold then just use the old suit and save money.
Do you wear gloves and socks ?
These help...

As far as a gun goes I guess a good starting point is a Picasso Century
(http://www.scubastore.com/shop.asp?id_familia=6&id_subfamilia=22)

Wont break the bank and they are quite good.

How tall are you ?
If you have the cash and are tall enough go for a 75cm / 82cm or maybe 90cm but you might have trouble loading the 90cm in my opinion...

The fins Alison mentioned are good - I started with the Sporasub Dessault so I will continue to bleat on about these - cheap - replaceable blades ... yada yada yada
(http://www.scubastore.com/shop.asp?id_familia=6&id_subfamilia=22)

Do you have broad or narrow feet ?
What size ?
High arch or not ?

Different fin manufacturers make different types of foot pockets.

I have wide feet with a high arch and the Sporasubs are fine for me.

Wear them with socks...

Hope that helps - good luck with the amberjack - I would love to catch one !

Ed

 

[Greekman]

Portinfer:
Yes i was a bit cold in the other suit after a few hours because it was not a full suit: it went only to knees and elbows and i believe was only 3 mm. But the coldness was nothing unbearable. I do wear gloves but not socks

I am about 5'7 and i would say i am built very strongly, i also had no problem at all loading the 85 cm gun i have.
I am about size 11 in US sizes and i guess u would say i have a narrow foot with not much of an arch.
I guess the sporasubs will be fine for me as well.

Thanks for the info guys

 

[portinfer]

Greekman
I guess you have to make a budget and stick to it.

As far as wetsuits go ... I think this is one of the most important things.
By keeping cold out of the equation you go a long way to ensuring happiness in the water.

If you are warm but not catching fish then at least you can still enjoy yourself - if you are cold it is just all round misery no matter what the fish are doing.

So I would get something that will keep you warm - either that or become a cold-tolerant yogi-master like some higher level members on this site...

The fins and the gun are not so important in my opinion - I used to use a 50cm or 60cm ancient foot loader gun that was my brothers... you learn very good technique in order to bring a fish home !
(I shot a bass on aspetto and ended up grabbing it by the head and shoving the spear through - it only went in to the start of the flopper ... underpowered ? I'd say so ! Yesh, not really good technique but effective )

Mind you - you are young enough still to go for the dependency option and plead poverty - get a parent/uncle/brother to buy you the wetsuit...and then blow your own budget on the gun and the fins !
Sneaky but it might work.

As far as guns go you might be able to buy a nice Euro wooden gun in Greece ? They run at about 300 euros... so maybe not. Totemsub / Dapiran / Abellan all make wooden guns - or spend half that on an aluminium gun and have something to appreciate and pine after for later on...

Alot of people favour circular bands (continuos rather than single screw in bands).
From my own experience of having both types i would recommend the circular bands - they are less prone to splitting at the screw join.

A rail gun of about 90cm or 100cm should see you right but really any decent gun of about 90cm should be fine.

Hope that helps - Ed

 

[portinfer]

Oh - get a float too - make yourself visible and stay safe.

(Inflatable) floats are vital - I used to dive with a guy who didnt use one - really hard to find in a swell... he has one now and hopefully he will bl**dy use it !

Ed

 

[Pekka]

Greekman,

If your gun shoots straight and has enough power to penetrate your fish that is within say 3m away... you should be ok with it for a while.. dont think name means anything.. your gun can have signature from the sultan him self but if the hand that holds the gun is not steady you will not get the fish..
small gun will teach you many good lessions about fishing, you'll develop good technique and "instinct" but then agin if you have not worries in the financial department go for the more expensive brand names and with recomandations from local spearos..

my 2c..

Pekka

 

[Greekman]

Thanks for all the replies and information guys. For me, budget is not an issue because i do ridiculously well in school and my parents reward me often I am definately going to purchase a full 5mm wetsuit to keep me warm as opposed to my 3mm shortie. Illl probably end up purchasing a decent 90 cm euro such as an OMER or Beuchat and wait till i gain more experiance and a year or two to buy an excellent wooden gun.

Thnaks again
Greekman

 

[Greekman]

Thanks for all the replies and information guys. For me, budget is not an issue because i do ridiculously well in school and my parents reward me often I am definately going to purchase a full 5mm wetsuit to keep me warm as opposed to my 3mm shortie. Illl probably end up purchasing a decent 90 cm euro such as an OMER or Beuchat and wait till i gain more experiance and a year or two to buy an excellent wooden gun.

Thnaks again
Greekman

 

[portinfer]

Depending on the water temperature you might like to go for a 3mm tailor made elios - warm and flexible and you will need less weight - probably warm enough for Greece in the summer (depends on water temp...).
But you might still be growing...

However - the Elios are not too expensive and you could get it shipped to your place in Greece ? www.eliossub.com // http://www.eliossub.com/html/enl_news.php then check out the tailormade link at the top - all kinds of neoprene - all kinds of finishes etc - A custom fit will give you (arguably) better warmth than an off the peg suit unless the offthe peg suit happens to be perfect for you.
If you were a little chilly in a 3mm shortie I bet you would be toasty in a 3mm freediving suit.
Hood...proper fit....etc = warm.

the guys at elios are friendly and will be able to advise and sort out what you need and give you a quote that you can compare to a shop suit. For example a mate has just bought an olive green 5mm (our water temp is 8C to 12C for most of the year and over the summer peaks at 18C - I would switch to a 3mm at about 14C for shorter length dives or at 16C and above for longer dive sessions) suit with kneepads - opencell inner and olive green nylon outer - pretty good for spearing and a perfect fit...and alot cheaper than an off the peg spearing suit locally.

Personally i think a 5mm would be overkill and you might get frustrated with the amount of lead you had to lug around. But I am guessing that the water is above 14C ?

About the gns - buy what you can afford - a nice gun is a nice gun Any gun will catch fish (I have proved this to myself) - some are nicer than others. If you are into a nice looking length of wood and have the cash then why not !

If you are thinking of going many times then you may save money on the eventual upgrade - I bought an expensive wooden gun after using some of my mates aluminum guns for a while. I dont regret it and am going to buy another wooden gun or hopefully make one if I can work out how to have 34 hour days.

Wooden guns are addictive in a way that I dont find with metal mass produced guns - just my personal opinion... I would be tempted with a nice Totemsub Pelagos 90 (http://www.totemsub.it/indexarbaen.htm) but that is my own personal recommendation and if you feel you should buy a metal gun my opinions should not sway you !

Get a knife too - this is as much for safety as for killing the fish - get a solid one that you feel comfortable enough to lose... Yes - you may drop it. If you get snagged in a line underwater you can cut the line, this happened to me a day after I bought a knife, and now I use a knife whenever I go even if only diving and not spearing.

I hope that is helpful.

 

[Greekman]

portinfer: thanks for all the great advice and ill take your word for it on the custim elios suit

 

[GALADION]

Hey Greekman,
If your spearing will only take place in Greece and only during the summer a full 3 or 3.5mm suit is all you need. Don't spend too much money on it yet, as you are still growing and most probably the suit won't fit you next year.

A 90cm euro gun is all you need for now. With a 6.5mm, 130cm spear and 19mm bands, the gun will be able to wack most of the fish that come past your way.

A reel on the gun, though it seems to be a hassle, it may serve you well in many occasions and you will also learn how to use it (which will be very helpfull when you'll start using llarger guns.

All major euro brands (when I say "euro" I reffer to the type of the gun, not the origin) make something good in that size of gun.

As for the fins, I agree with Ed (AGAIN) that Sporasub's are a suitable fin to start with.
However Omer, Beuchat, Imersion e.t.c. also make reliable and inexpensive fins.

Gloves and socks are also an essential part of your equipement, as the keep you both warm and safe from minor injuries.

 

[Greekman]

thanks for the info galadion ill try and get a reel too