Taking up spearfishing?
Here’s some of the kit you need, recomended by Laith Dajani, who manages Spearfishing.co.uk
You can get yourself fully kitted out for as little as £425.
That buys you:
Wetsuit
Laith recomends a Jak Boeno jacket and trousers as the best budget option for wetsuits. There are many other good brands available, such as Cressi. Whatever brand you buy, choose at least a 5mm wetuit, which is good for most of the UK, all year round, says Laith.
Speargun
75cm-90cm is right for the UK. The worse the visibility, the lighter your gun, so you can move it rapidly on to fish as they appear in the gloom. Good conditions favour longer, heavier guns. Laith recommends the Rob Allen Snapper speargun.
with twin 14mm bands £174.99 from Spearfishing.co.uk
Rail Light Black Speargun, £99.99- £109.99 from Spearfishing.co.uk
Fins
Picasso fins are the basic plastic choice. They are tough, rigid, and difficult to break on rocks. They will cost around £70. You can get better composite fibreglass fins, which are more efficient. Carbon fins are better still: more brittle but more efficient than fibreglass. Top of the range are DiveR carbon innegra fins. Prices for fins range from £70 for plastic to £700 for carbon innegra.
£48.74 from Spearfishing.co.uk
Modular Carbon Free Diving/Spear Fishing Fins £99.95 from Amazon
Flatboard float
This fulfils the same function as a backpack – and more. It flats above you when yu are diving, it holds extra kit such as freshwater, and the flags you fly from it will tell other water users what you are doing.
£51.99 from Spearfishing.co.uk
Ideal for Diving, Freediving, Spearfishing, Snorkeling £83.41 from Amazon
Diver down flag
This red-and-white flags tells boat users and other traffic that you are a diver in the water,
Alpha flag
A blue-and-white flag tells other water users that you are a slow-moving object.
Weight belt
No knowing how much weight you wll need each day. Just get lots of small 1kg weights, start with four, and add weight until you are comfortable. Rubber belts are best for spear fishing. Nylon belts ride up and down and are uncomfortable.
Knives
Knives are essential, both for filleting/gutting/descaling fish and for cutting yourself out of a net. So either keep it on a belt or on one of your legs.
Mask
Masks are entirely your choice. Some will fit perfectly – many won;t. It depends on the shape of your face. You need to try them on. If you can put a mask on your face and hold it there by sucking in the air through your nose, you have the seal you need.
Watch
Spent your budget and have a little left over? Treat yourself to a Salvimar One Plus Freediving Watch, will help you manage your surface intervals. If you are diving for a minute, you need to be breathing evenly for two minutes, prevents shallow water blackouts.
£114.99 from Spearfishing.co.uk
£92.04 from Amazon
BSA Membership
Join the British Spearfishing Association. Click here