Yes, you can spearfish alone as long as you’re skilled enough to do it. Rank beginners will want to go out with experienced buddies at least a few times before they ever try to do this on their own.
If you’ve never gone before, then you shouldn’t spearfish alone. In many cases, it’s too dangerous and there’s a good chance that you might shoot at something that isn’t a legal target fish.
Getting a positive identification is one of the more challenging aspects of spearfishing, and you want to be sure that you’re up to that challenge before you go it alone. Even more hazardous, however, is the possibility of getting caught in a current that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to deal with yourself.
Assuming that you’re at least somewhat experienced with this, solo spearfishing can be a really rewarding experience. A few things can help to make it go that much more smoothly.
Take a free-diving course or get some practice in before you ever go out without someone else. That’s a great way to get started with not only spearfishing but water sports in general.
Planning to learn some basic first aid and bringing plenty of supplies along will also help to dramatically increase your chances of having a good time while you’re out alone. Some experts even recommend some core training before you start to regularly spearfish by yourself, because it helps to give you more balance in the water and decreases the risk of loosing your footing.
No matter how many precautions you take, though, there’s always going to be at least some degree of danger.
How Dangerous is Spearfishing Alone?
Solo spearfishing is much more dangerous than going with a buddy. If you were to get hurt or start to drown, then there wouldn’t be anyone else around to get you out of the situation you were in.
Shallow water blackout is the single biggest risk if you’re spearfishing by yourself. This problem is caused by low amounts of oxygen going to the brain, and it’s essentially like fainting while you’re in the water.
A spearfisher that gets SWB will fall suddenly unconcious at the end of an ascent from a deeper dive. If you’re going to be alone, then you want to make sure you’re using really good breathing techniques and you’re never hyperventilating.
Make sure to always take your snorkel out of your mouth while you’re diving and only do so when you’re in good shape and have rested properly. When nobody’s going to be around to save you, you’ll have to make sure that you’ve done everything to stop this problem from happening.
The chances of something going wrong increase sharply as the depths you’re diving do. Don’t go down anywhere near as low as you would if you had someone experienced going with you.
Entanglements can also be a big problem. Old nets and fishing lines litter the ocean shelf in many areas.
Invest in a decent fishing knife that you can store safely on your person while you’re diving so that you don’t run into any problems related to all the debris people have thrown down there.
How to Safely Spear Fish Alone
Sam “OXS” Price feels that never exceeding your limits is the first step to safely spear fishing alone:
Assuming that you don’t push yourself too hard, try these steps:
- Keep an eye out for passing boats and use a float-line or flag so they can see you.
- Check your speargun before usage to make sure it’s in good working order and that all moving parts are functioning as intended.
- Take the safety catch off only when you’re ready to shoot.
- Unload the gun before getting back on the boat.
- Get a 100 percent positive ID before taking a shot, since you’ll have nobody else around to check what you’re firing at.
- Un-tether yourself from your catch before moving.
- Look around for ocean predators who might be attracted to anything you shoot
- Take frequent breaks to keep your muscles loose.
- Drink fresh water after every each stint in the ocean.
- Prepare for strong currents before you see them.
When you run into trouble, it can be really tempting to panic if there’s nobody around. As hard as it might seem, you need to relax if this kind of thing happens!
When you start to fight an ocean current vigorously, there’s a good chance you could end up getting taken away by it. If there’s truly nobody around to help you, then it’s best to swim parallel to the shore in order to escape the current.
You’ll then be able to swim more effectively back to shore once the current eases. If you keep trying to paddle toward the shoreline, then there’s a risk you’ll just be hauled out the other way.
What is the Best Time to go Spearfishing Alone?
Go spearfishing when the tide is at its weakest. Check the skies for bad weather before you launch and make sure that you don’t feel any strong winds greater than 10-15 knots.
Popular beaches usually have the time the tides go in and out posted publicly, so you’ll know what the best window for spearfishing is. Take a look at any flags or banners before you launch and see if they’re moving back and forth vigorously.
Even if you can’t feel wind you could end up with stormy conditions if you don’t heed these very simple warnings. A good clear day with a gentle breeze might be the best for those who aren’t used to being alone on the water.
You want at least 50 feet of visibility, though it’s better to have even more than this. Don’t go out if the water is turbid or if you can’t see for any other reason.
Smacks of jellyfish shouldn’t be present, either. When large numbers are starting to show up, the time for pleasure diving and spearfishing might very well be over since they can quickly take over an area of ocean and make it inhospitable for humans.
