Surface hunt
Hey Stevie,
Besides strongly encouraging you to start diving more, I'd like to add some comments on the Surface hunt technique.
As an Euro diver, my personal opinion is that you don't really need anything bigger than a normal euro gun (90 - 100cm) and 18 (20 max) bands. In fact when you're between the rocks you don't even need a more than 75 cm gun. The fish on the surface is never calm and you don't have time for aiming and tracking a long gun.
To be frank - forget about all the Riffe, JBL and other big wooden multi bands macho guns taller than an average basketball player. Those are made by US, Aussie and SA spearos for US, Aussie and SA spearfishing... In Europe we have the Euro guns, and there's a reason for this.
The fact is that it's almost always a waste of time to just swim on the surface and wait for some fish to pass under you... Having also in mind that noticing the dark back of the fish and aiming well enough is really hard I'd rather say it's would be pure luck if you get anything. Now maybe in some warmer parts of the world they still can hunt that way but for Europe that time is long gone.
However there are certain species that you can hunt almost without diving under certain circumtances. For you those would be the mullets and the seabass (also bluefish sometimes) but you should know where to look for the fish and how to stalk it. The problem is you also need calm seas for that.
To stalk the mullets on the surface you must pick a spot on the very tip of a cape. The mullets (and also the bluefish and bonitos sometimes) travel in schools along the shoreline and usually the tip of the cape is the closes point to the shore standing on their way, so they pass really close to it and often just below the surface. You must hold on to the rock, stay still and wait with just the tip of your spear pointing towards the sea so you don't scarethe suckers. The fish will eventually pass by and you'd have a clear shot.
Check also the line where the waves break since the fish often swims through it because the water is richer with oxigen there. But be extra careful - you don't want the wave to smash you onto the rocks. If the waves are strong you better stay away, you won't find fish there anyway...
Now big flathead gray mullets you can find in less than 50cm of water very close to the shore, between the rocks in tiny coves without any waves. The fish goes there to feed early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Just pick a good spot and wait between the sea weed. The fish is extra cautious in shallow water!
The seabass visits all places where he can get easy pray (juvenile fish mostly) and this is often very close to the shore. Hunt it the same way as the flathead mullet.
One way or another, you should master the art of stalking silently, otherwise you won't get anything...
Oh... And you can always find better fish if you dive!
Ivan