The Spirit of Spearfishing

[spaghetti]

I thought to start a thread to collect some personal takes about the Spirit of Spearfishing.
Sounds complicated, but what I really mean is simply:
-How do you all feel about it?
-What's that something that makes you enjoy it so much?

I'm trying to focus on the subject since new years' eve, when i had dinner at my cousin's place.

This cousin of mine is planning to move one long step further into spearing competitions. He has already made arrangements to hire an ex national champion as his personal coach, and to train as a daily-base buddy with another national top 10 competitive spearo.

When he invited me to dinner together with these comp guys, I was afraid they would talk all the way about the usual competition crap: winning, losing, ranking, tactics, fish weight, fish size, depth, bottom time. In one word: quantity. A materialistic view of the sport.

Well, to my surprise, I was pleased to hear that none of that happened.

Never, in hours of discussion, they ever mentioned how big the fish, never mentioned how deep they went, never mentioned how long they held their breath. Never mentioned a fish's size or a bottom timing whatsoever.

Despite they're competitive spearos who won nationals, made world championships, travelled the world for tournaments, all they talked about was about emotion. How pleasant it felt to be there, how amazing those reefs, how beautiful those fish looked. Not how big: how beautiful!

Well, me I'm no champion of nothing, but that's my spirit too.

 

[Tunny]

Can't believe this has had 25 views but not one reply!

For me it is the beauty of a different world, one that varies so vastly to our own above the water.

It is also about the fact that when I am in the water nothing else matters it is like entering a new world where you have no problems they just drift away from your mind when you slip into the water.

There is always the excitement before a dive of what the visibility is going to be like and always the excitement of seeing or discovering something new.

The exhiliration of seeing a big fish let alone hitting it and taking it home for dinner.

Even when I come home without a fish I am never disappointed and always come away from each diving experience refreshed and rejuvenated - well my mind is anyway, my body totally knackered!

Just a few of the things I love about our glorious hobby...

Cheers

Ryan

 

[Killa]

well for me it's the adrenaline and skill that's needed, in one sentance : who's better, me or the fish

 

[Spiderman]

I snorkelled for quite a few years before I speared. Without spearing it was the beauty and peace of the underwater world and the joy of exploration with an adrenaline rush when something big or new turned up. Now it's all that plus an extra adrenaline rush when something edible turns up.

As for the spirit of spearfishing - I guess it's best recognised by instinctively holding my breath when watching youtube videos and getting goosebumps when that shoal of silver fish comes into view.

 

[foxfish]

For me it is simple - I can forget all life's worries when I am expecting to see that great grey battle ship of a bass at any second!

 

[spaghetti]

- I can forget all life's worries when...

Same for me, partly. But I'm split.
It's both a way out from this earthy world where I work and walk, and a way in to that watery world where I am an animal and can fly.

 

[t_barcode]

I come from a scuba background so for me i love the challenge.

The static breath holds, dynamic practice, pool sessions, lowering recovery time - then to spend those few moments underwater is like a huge achievement that is well earned.

And it also makes every fish i shoot feel like a trophy haha!

 

[Jonny250]

So where have you got to with this now spago?
As with many things there's a bit of a 'journey' as we develop skills and improve our awareness (and ability sometimes). People can find 'the zone' in many activities (just read mark beaumonts' "the man who cycled the world" and he talks alot about finding the zone and mental attitude). Perhaps the spirit of spearfishing is to do with becoming as relaxed/comfortable and 'in-tune' with the under-water environment so that we can fish/photo/watch what is happening around us and therefore get the most from the experience?
The stories that come back will then be all the more vivid for it.

 

[agbiv]

I hunt on land and I hunt in the water. I become more keenly aware in both situations. I also have the option to NOT kill when I chose and simply enjoy being there.

 

[acevedo joseph]

Spaghetti , thank you for starting this wonderful thread , when it comes to the "spirit of spear fishing" , im almost at a loss for words

Spearfishing , my day usually starts with a Family Prayer the night before the trip , and ends with a prayer over the dinner table , thanking god for the gift from the Sea

I live for this sport , and feal lucky to be a free diver and spear fisherman , Hunting underwater is the Only place I feel truly free


Joe

 

[Claudio]

Great thread!

Aside from forgetting all of my worries when I am in the water, and the feeling of total relaxation before a drop, what makes spearfishing so addicting to me are the fleeting underwater moments I experience first-hand when I am diving:

The way the torch's light made the bubbles look like they were glowing when I dove at night, the synchronized ballet of a bait fish school moving in the water column, the way the light reflected off the scales of the first Striped Bass I encountered in the shallows, the beauty of a wall-like school of large Striped Bass swimming around me at the bottom.

These scenes get engraved on my mind forever and reminiscing about them calms me down and makes me happy when I'm stressed. They are so beautiful they affect me spiritually.

Cheers,
Claudio

 

[acevedo joseph]

Claudio , thanks for sharing that , its post like this that keep me
coming back to deeperblue !!

Thank you ,,,Joe
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Salehthefish]

Great Thread Spaghetti!!! For me spearfishing has many points:

1- I feel comfortable in water.
2- I can understand my body more and it is kinda competitive for me.
3- I like free diving as it is own and i started to enjoy it more since i joined freediving courses.
4- Aiming and fishing techniques are exciting and most entertaining for me.
5- I am learning many things about sea (Affects of moon and currents etc...)
6- Enjoying the sea life (Corals and nice looking fish).

Note: First of all i was catching any eatable fish even if it was small but now i am choosing big size fish only ( We need to keep ethics involved all time)

All best

 

[acevedo joseph]

Spaghetti , heres another example of a Comp Diver that has a true passion for the ocean [ame=http://www.vimeo.com/8464624]The World Spearfishing Competitions of the Past on Vimeo[/ame]

I was lucky enough to speak to Mr. Wern on the phone yesterday , at 80 plus years old he still has the passion:inlove

I cant wait for the Legends event

I thought to start a thread to collect some personal takes about the Spirit of Spearfishing.
Sounds complicated, but what I really mean is simply:
-How do you all feel about it?
-What's that something that makes you enjoy it so much?

I'm trying to focus on the subject since new years' eve, when i had dinner at my cousin's place.

This cousin of mine is planning to move one long step further into spearing competitions. He has already made arrangements to hire an ex national champion as his personal coach, and to train as a daily-base buddy with another national top 10 competitive spearo.

When he invited me to dinner together with these comp guys, I was afraid they would talk all the way about the usual competition crap: winning, losing, ranking, tactics, fish weight, fish size, depth, bottom time. In one word: quantity. A materialistic view of the sport.

Well, to my surprise, I was pleased to hear that none of that happened.

Never, in hours of discussion, they ever mentioned how big the fish, never mentioned how deep they went, never mentioned how long they held their breath. Never mentioned a fish's size or a bottom timing whatsoever.

Despite they're competitive spearos who won nationals, made world championships, travelled the world for tournaments, all they talked about was about emotion. How pleasant it felt to be there, how amazing those reefs, how beautiful those fish looked. Not how big: how beautiful!

Well, me I'm no champion of nothing, but that's my spirit too.

 

[Claudio]

That's a great video Joe. I love to watch spearfishing footage of that time period. Can't stop thinking how the water was much cleaner and the big fish more plentiful then.

I grew up with my father telling me stories of how much fish and lobster he would see even in the shallows when he spearfished in Cabo Frio in the 60s.

Thanks for posting!

Cheers,
Claudio

 

[Salehthefish]

Nice video and thanx for sharing buddy!!

 

[SpearAddict]

I love the little anecdote about the champion souper. And i totally agree with that spirit. I freedive and Spearfish since more than 15 years and i don't have a clue how long i can't hold my breath. As long as it's enough to see or catch sometings i'm fine. There is two main things that makes me love spearfishing.
1-It make me feel so free and self sufficient. Years ago i was stuck with no money in costa rica but i was eating like king all the time(lobster,oysters,fish)
and i could exange fish for beer. Could I asked for more!!

2-When I see some nice edible prey, NOTHING in the world can get in my head(Money, bills,women) It's me, the spear and the prey.
I pumped up with adrenaline butt so calm and relax in the same times.

I'm a real predator. I like to hunt, set traps, fish with lines or spearguns. It might sounds rough, but I like to find a prey, sneak it, kill it and eat it.
I feel like i diserve that meal.
If you find that cruel. I would answer:
When you eat a steak, somebody killed a cow.


May the carp taste like crabe! :friday Amen

 

[trevchee]

Same for me...it's the closest thing to flying! Longtime spent in the water and I forget when I'm holding my breath or not.

I just came back from a month in East Indonesian islands (Sulawesi, Ambon and Bandas). Spearing every single day catching fish, trading them with the locals for other food items, giving many away. It was a way of connecting to the locals in these remote island locations. Priceless is seeing the smile on the face of an 80yr old woman after giver her a 3kg red grouper for dinner instead of the same small tuna fish she eats everyday. Amazing is it to strike up a conversation and burst out some laughs at the local fish market bringing in our catch (sometimes big sometimes small) and being swarmed by the villagers. Something special about providing for yourself without participating in any part of the capitalist food chain food industry.

 

[omega3]

I think with all the spiritual, mumbo jumbo etc. aside, that you may find it is generally boys satisfying their hunting instincts!!


Sorry!

 

[spaghetti]

I think with all the spiritual, mumbo jumbo etc. aside, that you may find it is generally boys satisfying their hunting instincts!!


Sorry!

Generally.
But why then the urge to go underwater for hunting? There's more to it. There must be more than only satisfying hunting instinct. We could do that on land were it just that.