What gear have you got... AKA Swap shop.

[ickledevil]

Hi all,
In keeping with the sharing of information and ideas on this forum... thought i'd start a thread for people to list what spearfishing/freediving gear they own. As well as being a nice place to show off that new bit of kit, im willing.. and sure many other members will be to let other forum users, borrow or try out bits of kit they may be looking to buy etc etc.
Well hope you all get the idea, Im based not far from Dorchester, Dorset.

So here is my current equipment list..

5mm Beauchat black suit. (cant remember model)
5mm picasso camo suit. (ditto)
5mm Omer med mimetic suit. (green and brown)
5mm Omer green mimetic suit. (aka the purple power ranger suit... dont ask)

55cm Cressi SL pneumatic with power reducer
75cm Picasso carbon (with 22mm bands :blackeye)
75cm Omer HF carbon
90cm Omer T20
110cm Omer T20 Carbon med mimetic (twin bands :blackeye)
130cm Omer Master America :head

Beauchat weight harness
Omer mono iki/stringer
SS fish hoop stringer

Omer techno float
100ft Omer blue float line

Omer laser USA knife

Omer Alien green mimetic mask
Omer Alien ocean mimetic mask

Omer millenium Ice fins
Cressi Gara 3000 fins

Mini Q40 torch
Mini Q40 LED torch
Underwater Kinetics SL6 Torch
Halcyon 18watt umbilical torch

Ocean Kayak Sit on top.
Zodiac 4.2m HD Inflatable
Mariner 20hp Outboard

Think thats the lot..oh and a few odds and ends..

Anyone in the area wanting to see/try any of the gear drop me a PM.
Joe

 

[glowworm]

Nice idea ickledevil i have the following kit i am willing to lend for people to try.

1 x Dessault Wahoo Mask
1 x Dessault Balaou Mask
1 x Dessault Quattro Carbone 90cm Gun
1 x Dessault Quattro Classic 75cm Gun
1 x Pair Dessault HD Performance Fins Size 11-13
1 x Seatec Weight Vest 4 kg

 

[ickledevil]

Cheers gloworm.. how do you get on with the seatec vest.. forgot to mention I have a Omer weight vest and dont like it at all. My harness is 7kg how does the 4kg work out?
Joe

 

[glowworm]

Must say i am a magpie for new kit but if i had to choose just one thing i have brought the weight vest is the one.Its so comfortable and has made a big difference to my diving.I have had back problems in the past and needed to take some weight off my belt.

Next thing though is to try my picasso nodo snorkel again.I hated it when i first brought it but if i forget to take my Cressi snorkel out of my mouth before i dive it makes alot of noise.

Maybe looking to dive friday if your about?

 

[ickledevil]

Currently about, although not definate PM me the plans and i'll see if her indoors will give me a dive pass!

 

[scottwilson]

My Dive gear


Wetsuit Spetton fishman 5mm :inlove


Guns
Cressi comanche 90cm speargun
cressi sub 60 with comp rubbers
sommap 45 ( first ever gun )

Fins Cressi Gara 3000 fins + fin retainers

mask cressi ponnicho(spelling) low volume

Snorkel seac flexable

FLoats
Spetton torpedo float with quick release clip
Beaver Torpedo
Dive hunter

Gloves Beaver 4mm

socks:
aqualung 5mm
typhoon 3mm
typhoon hard sole booties for clambering over rocks

Weightbelt beaver nylon

Camera vivitar 6200w 6mp

Knife ebay special "no name brand,cheap as chips, dont mind if I lose, cant live without" clip in sheath 8 inch knife

Kayak Rotomod Ocean kayak xt scrambler, 168 fishfinder, Day tripper paddle and homemade bits and bobs.

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If you guys are ever down my way and fancy loaning the yak you are always welcome just send us a pm

 

[ickledevil]

Nice, ive just discovered typhoon socks, cheap and good quality. Beats me ripping expensive ones to shreds all the time! I had a PM today about one of my guns so thought i'd add the reply here too for others. It was about the Cressi Pneumatic and my thoughts on it.

I got the cressi for night/low vis diving and use it alomost exclusively for that. It has the power regulator which means I can turn the power down (handy when shooting against rocks at close range) The effective range is probably 3x the gun plus a little more (I have three wraps of line on mine) but spearing in those conditions the range im shooting is usually point blank! Its easy to load, and very easy to manouver. My only regrets of it are firstly the spear is not the nicest of materials and now looks rather grubby, although still straight and strong. The spear tips however are useless, soft and not made from any sort of marine grade metal (go rusty after a dive or two. I now use Omer spear tips on it as they are good quality stainless. Its accurate and I have taken bass up to 11lb with it (big fish for the UK), and no im not divulging when and where! On these guns (and most with screw on tips) the tips will unscrew naturally with use. You could secure them on permanently (loctite etc) but having double floppers it is easier to remove the tip to retrieve the fish. So I just check it is fully screwed on each time I load it. Over all Im really happy with it. A friend has a 50cm Omer pneumatic, which has a better spear and handles/shoots much the same but doesn't have the power regulator. I'd say whatever pneumatic you go for if availiable get the regulator as when needed you can turn down the power and maybe save a spear tip or shaft from damage on the rocks. Would recommend my Cressi to anyone, but would definately advise them to upgrade the speartips.
Hope that helps.
Joe

 

[ickledevil]

Oh and scott, im looking for a new camera and want one I can get a housing for how do you find yours?

 

[scottwilson]

ickledevil its not the best camera and the quality is not brilliant infact im looking to buy a better one myself. the bonus is you dont need a housing for it as its waterproof. I use rechargable batteries and they last 1 1/2 hours constant record. taking close up pictures is near enough impossible as they always come out blurred.

I have been looking into the gopro hero 3 as the video quality is supposed to be very good and thats more important to me than stills.

scott

 

[ickledevil]

mmmm ive been thinking about stills, as for video I had an idea a year or so ago I never tested. There is a company that makes small 'action' cameras (think thats what they are called) they are shaped like a battery but a little bigger and record to a internal memory stick. I remember them being fairly cheap and pretty resiliant (designed for extreme sports) my idea was to get one and house it in an old underwater torch body then attach it to my mask strap for diving footage. Not sure what the practicalities are but feel free to use the idea! Lol.

 

[scottwilson]

ickle ive thought about getting a cressi star 70 for reef diving as my camanche 90 is way to long for shooting bass when they holed up. As far as im aware they come with stainless steel shafts so no rust. do you reckon I should go shorter?

I know what you mean about the cressi screw tips they rust like theres no tomorrow, but at under £3 each its not the end of the world.

 

[ickledevil]

Well depends on wheat you'll use the gun most for, as an all rounder I wouldn't go shorter. My 55 only gets used at night and in real low vis where a 70+ would be useless. I fortunately have a 75 and some bigger guns I can use in those conditions. So if its going to be an all round gun then 7o would be ok but shorter might have you swearing when you see bass in the open. My spear shaft might be stainless but is covered/coated with some sort of electoplate stuff (almost bronze coloured) this is now very grubby and seems to be discolouring but not really rusting as such although the discoloured areas do have a definate texture. The cressi tips I was going through at least one a dive, more if i was shooting fish on the bottom or against rocks, even at a couple of quid a pop that got expensive. Now use the Omer ones with double flopper think they are the Delta ones but fairly sure they are a larger size but definately same style. Current tip has been on my gun for 20+ dives, only replaced once due to me loosing one (unscrewed and dropped). Fairly sure they set me back about 4 or 5 quid a pop. One bit of advice dont try the mini inox tips, ordered one of those for starters.. clue should have been in the name but it looked good in the catalogue was infact very small and thin (floppers about 2cm long!) current ones are definately a bit more butch. WIll take some pics later and post them here.
Joe