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Spearing Product of the Year?/Favourite gear?
- Thread starterMr. X
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Looks cool. I wear a regular Seiko 5 watch -- I forgot to take it off & it survived so now I just leave it on. It only claims to be "water resistant" but it has been good to 20 odd feet so far.
The super-bullet snorkel looks pretty fancy:
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Just found this thread and although I haven't had as much experience as most of you, for what it's worth:
Imersion 5mm suit has to be the most necessary piece of kit, then
Mamba 90 - I still think it's amazing
hard sole boots for walking down over rocks here
float ( home-made with flag, straps for gear such as water bottle, catch bag etc.)
stringer worn around waist (beuchat but replaced with ordinary nylon line)
Must dash now to catch the low tide and perfect conditions ( sorry James and Spaniard!)
Imersion 5mm suit has to be the most necessary piece of kit, then
Mamba 90 - I still think it's amazing
hard sole boots for walking down over rocks here
float ( home-made with flag, straps for gear such as water bottle, catch bag etc.)
stringer worn around waist (beuchat but replaced with ordinary nylon line)
Must dash now to catch the low tide and perfect conditions ( sorry James and Spaniard!)
For spearfishing my list looks like this, for monofinning/freediving it would be different.
Mask- Marina, until it broke, now an Omer Alien- which fogs all the time. I have a new one on order- we'l see how that one works out?
Fins- Omer ICE- for speaing in the depths we fish in my area. In other places I might choose my C4's instead.
Snorkel- Old Scubapro Shotgun- first generation.
Wesuit- Elios, custom cut with the arms cut in overhead position- much more relaxing when holding a gun.
Scupper Pro dive kayak- to gt to all of my favorite places.
Gun- The custom wood gun, based off of a Riffe MTO, but made out of wood and has a camera mount.
Jon
Mask- Marina, until it broke, now an Omer Alien- which fogs all the time. I have a new one on order- we'l see how that one works out?
Fins- Omer ICE- for speaing in the depths we fish in my area. In other places I might choose my C4's instead.
Snorkel- Old Scubapro Shotgun- first generation.
Wesuit- Elios, custom cut with the arms cut in overhead position- much more relaxing when holding a gun.
Scupper Pro dive kayak- to gt to all of my favorite places.
Gun- The custom wood gun, based off of a Riffe MTO, but made out of wood and has a camera mount.
Jon
Hey Jon,
I've been doing a lot of LONG dives with my mono lately - 4.5 hours and therebouts. Always pulling my float around with the camera etc. on it. I have to add spearo-style float line to my fav gear list. This has almost completely eliminated line tangles for me - my old braided poly line used to get wrapped around my fin, caught in the heel - or on weights or whatever - this almost never happens with the float line.
Last sunday I swam around with the mono and a cyrano 970 - I see no problem spearfishing with the monofin - having the gun out front seemed, if anything, to help.
I've been doing a lot of LONG dives with my mono lately - 4.5 hours and therebouts. Always pulling my float around with the camera etc. on it. I have to add spearo-style float line to my fav gear list. This has almost completely eliminated line tangles for me - my old braided poly line used to get wrapped around my fin, caught in the heel - or on weights or whatever - this almost never happens with the float line.
Last sunday I swam around with the mono and a cyrano 970 - I see no problem spearfishing with the monofin - having the gun out front seemed, if anything, to help.
Where are you clipping your line off on your belt?
I clip mine off in the middle of my back, but it still gets tangles around the side of my blade on surface swims- no probelms underwater. Comfortwise I can wear me specialfins mono for hours without a problem. The footpockets on my NEMO mono are great, but the blade is a bit stiff for me.
I have a homemade floating line but maybe I need to up grade to something better. Are you using an OMER floatline?
Jon
I clip mine off in the middle of my back, but it still gets tangles around the side of my blade on surface swims- no probelms underwater. Comfortwise I can wear me specialfins mono for hours without a problem. The footpockets on my NEMO mono are great, but the blade is a bit stiff for me.
I have a homemade floating line but maybe I need to up grade to something better. Are you using an OMER floatline?
Jon
Chris,
I'm also wondering what your doing for long surface swims?
I find that it's much easier if I use a front-mounted snorkel with my monofin to surface hunt and get on site, but then I switch over to a traditional snorkel once I get to a place that I want to stay at for a while. This works fine for some stuff, but when your doing long surface swims, like around an entire lake, I find it too much hassle and prefer to just put the bi-fins on.
Jon
I'm also wondering what your doing for long surface swims?
I find that it's much easier if I use a front-mounted snorkel with my monofin to surface hunt and get on site, but then I switch over to a traditional snorkel once I get to a place that I want to stay at for a while. This works fine for some stuff, but when your doing long surface swims, like around an entire lake, I find it too much hassle and prefer to just put the bi-fins on.
Jon
What surface swims?
I do a series of dynamics along the bottom to get everywhere. Only exception is crossing the mouth of a marina - in which case I do the sideways style. A typical session is my pipeline run - the swim out 5 or 600 yards to the end of some old power plant cooling pipes. I swim the full length in a series of dynamics - snork hand-held - then dork around the old cribs at the end for awhile - then I'll angle over to the Marina breakwall - another 3 or 400 yards - same way and do a little diving over there - then back toward the entry point and, sometimes, back out along the pipe and back again.
For surface swims I pretty much like the sideways sort of 'eel stroke' - but I've never tried a front snork. With the camera I'll usually clip the snork back on my mask - an alternative is to jam it into my weight vest. I clip the float line off to a D ring on my weight vest - belt is probably more logical - in case I ditched it - but this rig is handy. I use a big nylon clip that is easy to use and that I could probably break if I had to.
One calm day I forgot my snork and did breathe-ups on my back - talk about relaxing!
I agree about the nemo pockets - I sometimes take the fin off after 3 hours or so - just to wiggle my toes - but as long as I allow a couple minutes for the bones to get back in the right places before I start walking around I've been having zero problems.
I'd like to try that stiff fin sometime - I hear you were trying to sell it?
I do a series of dynamics along the bottom to get everywhere. Only exception is crossing the mouth of a marina - in which case I do the sideways style. A typical session is my pipeline run - the swim out 5 or 600 yards to the end of some old power plant cooling pipes. I swim the full length in a series of dynamics - snork hand-held - then dork around the old cribs at the end for awhile - then I'll angle over to the Marina breakwall - another 3 or 400 yards - same way and do a little diving over there - then back toward the entry point and, sometimes, back out along the pipe and back again.
For surface swims I pretty much like the sideways sort of 'eel stroke' - but I've never tried a front snork. With the camera I'll usually clip the snork back on my mask - an alternative is to jam it into my weight vest. I clip the float line off to a D ring on my weight vest - belt is probably more logical - in case I ditched it - but this rig is handy. I use a big nylon clip that is easy to use and that I could probably break if I had to.
One calm day I forgot my snork and did breathe-ups on my back - talk about relaxing!
I agree about the nemo pockets - I sometimes take the fin off after 3 hours or so - just to wiggle my toes - but as long as I allow a couple minutes for the bones to get back in the right places before I start walking around I've been having zero problems.
I'd like to try that stiff fin sometime - I hear you were trying to sell it?
Sell it, or trade it for something softer. I still have my favorite fin that I use most of the time (Specialfins carbon mono). Since that fin cost more than twice as much it's a darn good thing I like it better. rofl Kirk mentioned switching out my NEMO for something softer, which would be great, but I haven't heard back from him.
I've done all of things you mentioned when just diving with my mono, and they work very well for freediving wrecks in Lake Michigan, but for spearing around here, in less than 25' of water, I find that I do much more surface swimming. I really don't need that much force from my fins- two dolphin kicks and I'm at the surface. I've even stopped using my stiffer bi-fins since the depths we spear in just don't require that kind of kicking- even in winter suits with a ton of lead on my belt.
As far as masks go, I just got back from swimming in the pool and, once again, I couldn't get my OMER Alien to stop fogging.:head:head:head
I switched to my backup Sphera and it has, once again, become my favorite mask- for the day. If the lenses would just hold up a little bit better I'd be set.:rcard
Jon
I've done all of things you mentioned when just diving with my mono, and they work very well for freediving wrecks in Lake Michigan, but for spearing around here, in less than 25' of water, I find that I do much more surface swimming. I really don't need that much force from my fins- two dolphin kicks and I'm at the surface. I've even stopped using my stiffer bi-fins since the depths we spear in just don't require that kind of kicking- even in winter suits with a ton of lead on my belt.
As far as masks go, I just got back from swimming in the pool and, once again, I couldn't get my OMER Alien to stop fogging.:head:head:head
I switched to my backup Sphera and it has, once again, become my favorite mask- for the day. If the lenses would just hold up a little bit better I'd be set.:rcard
Jon
Thats really weird about your alien. we've had no probs with a couple of different ones here. I'm just really diggin the whole body kick with the monofin. Its very interesting to me to refine the technique. In weeds or with a mucky bottom in shallow water it is completely miserable but I'm not doing inland lakes right now (though I have a nice one right across the street-doh!)
Cool if Kirk will let you switch that one out. Best I could do trade-wise would be a speargun - but I think you're pretty well set there.
Cool if Kirk will let you switch that one out. Best I could do trade-wise would be a speargun - but I think you're pretty well set there.
I have the same one as miles, theyre very warm and is blue and black. They are actually made by coral wetsuits for rabiteck...
Shark sheild just adds a bit of reasurance when in the water
And they are yamomoto neoprene have to love those suits:inlove
My Alien used to fog up all the time. The white toothpaste trick made no difference (never tried the lighter trick). It rarely fogs up now though - maybe something wore off. I now rinse it with sea water & then rub some saliva inside before diving & rinse in fresh water when I get back. Occasionally I wash it with eco-detergent (dishwashing liquid).
Hi Fondueset, what sort of floatline did you get? I've tried a few different things recently (cheap yellow poly, 4mm camo para cord, 8mm blue poly rope) but have returned to my old drab olive coloured RA poly float line - although I shorten it now. Aquarium air-line seems a popular choice over here - haven't tried it yet though.
Hi Fondueset, what sort of floatline did you get? I've tried a few different things recently (cheap yellow poly, 4mm camo para cord, 8mm blue poly rope) but have returned to my old drab olive coloured RA poly float line - although I shorten it now. Aquarium air-line seems a popular choice over here - haven't tried it yet though.
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Mine is some kind of blue plastic vinyl tubing with strong cord inside - sealed at both ends - it's the stuff bluewater spearos use - though I think you can can make it yourself much cheaper by buying some vinyl tubing and sucking the line through it with a vacuum - then adding hardware and sealing the ends.
It really stays out of the way nicely.
It really stays out of the way nicely.