Let's be real here. There are lots of people getting into Kona Spearfishing. The problem is few have any idea where to begin when it comes to learning to spearfish Big Island. Kona Freedivers has always been about education and improving both safety and your freediving ability.
Luck in spearfishing is when preparedness meets opportunity
Here are the 5 ways to Improve your Spearfishing:
Get the right Gear
Take a Spearfishing Course
Learn about your prey
Spend time in the water
Get a buddy or mentor or both
1. Get the Right Gear
It's important to have the right freediving gear and spearfishing gear when you set out. The wrong gear will leave you feeling cold, with blisters and a leaky mask. It will also be harder to get that fish because your focus is off.
What kind of spearfishing equipment will you need?
Spearfishing Gear for Beginners:
If you're new to Kona spearfishing go visit your local spearfishing shop. They are the ones that know the most about spearfishing gear and can make personalized recommendations for your situation. For example, they can recommend a thickness of wetsuit or help you figure out what foot pockets will fit your feet properly.
Check out our YouTube channel with all of the latest spearfishing gear reviews.
2. Learn to Freedive
Sometimes we get lucky and the fish swims right up to us, but most of the time we need to work for our dinner. This means diving down in the water column with your prey. Would you rather have more time down there to make sure you have the time you need to get the shot?
What you will learn in a level 1 freediving course:
Safety
Diving Technique
Breathing Technique
Gear
Physics
Physiology
Your freediving education begins with the level 1 course. This 2-day course builds your foundation of freediving knowledge and skills so if you want to go deeper or do more underwater you are ready. From there you can take a spearfishing course.
3. Learn About your Prey
Fish species
The best way to learn about fish is to get a book like this one from John Hoover. A comprehensive book is great for use in the field and should cover almost any fish you see out there. Once you become familiar with the different families and types of fish you can begin to home in on the individuals that are of interest to a Spearfisherman.
Behavior
Once you're able to identify an individual you will want to learn how to best hunt them. If you know where they live and what they eat you will have a much higher rate or success in hunting them. Part of Kona spearfishing is how you behave. This means knowing whether to chum, look flashy, or pretend to look like the reef. Herbivores require patience while carnivores can be drawn in with bait or lures.
4. Spend Time in The Water
Once you have the knowledge, gear, and understanding it's time to put the miles in. Diving is a great way to have some fun, get some exercise, and if all goes well bring home some dinner! Your first several sessions may be a bit disappointing so don't let that discourage you. It's normal to have a rough start. Conversely if you have a great session the first time it may give you overly unreasonable expectations. Sometimes it's about the experience and not the result at the end of the session. The more time you spend in the water, the more stories you will have to tell. Those guys who tell crazy story after crazy story have spent a lot of time to earn those tales. If you enjoy your time in the water with the right gear and a good buddy this will come naturally which leads us into the next point.
5. Find a Mentor & a Buddy
You want to be safe out there while in the deep blue. It can get dicey sometimes. It's always nice to have another set of eyes and gear out there. The current or swell can pick up, a shark can get really persistent, or you may find yourself tangled on the reef. These are all real scenarios that our attentive and well trained buddy can help us out with. A mentor can provide the guidance necessary to help you with your progression through the sport. Sometimes we put all of our focus and efforts into what's easy and what we like versus what we need to do to improve ourselves.
Places to Spearfish on the Big Island
Spearfishing Big Island can be both amazing and daunting. With our rough coasts and expansive coastline there's a lot of ground to cover! Looking for places where you can and can't go spearfishing? Check out our guide on places to spearfish on Big Island. When it comes to Kona spearfishing it's important to stay in those areas where spearfishing is allowed.
About Us
Kona Freedivers is committed to educating divers to be safer and more accomplished. We also provide some of the best spearfishing gear available for Freedivers and Kona Spearfishing. We often get new divers just getting into the sport coming into our shop. Many are looking to buy their first set of freediving fins. A new set of fins is a great tool for freediving but like any tool it's important to understand how to properly use it first. Giving someone a fishing pole will not make them a good fisherman. We are often asked what's the best thing to spend your money on when getting into freediving. We always tell the person to take a freedving course first. In the course not only will you learn to use the gear, you will also learn how to select and care for the gear. Check out our level 1 Freediver course.
Our spearfishing shop is equipped with experienced experts trained in servicing your gear and making recommendations for your Kona Spearfishing journey. We do our best to stock the quality brands and spearfishing gear necessary for spearfishing Hawaii. There's a lot to this sport. We also offer giveaways and events for the Big Island spearfishing community. Like and subscribe via your favorite media outlet and we'll keep you up to date on the latest happenings. Our shop is always changing too. We bring in the latest spearfishing gear and brands to keep up with the times. We do regular gear reviews on our Kona Freedivers reviews YouTube channel so check us out!
About the Author
Byron Kay is a freediving instructor and the founder of Kona Freedivers and owner of Kona Honu Divers as well as Kona Snorkel Trips. They stand out as Hawaii's top rated and most reviewed businesses among their peers having a perfect 5 star rating on google. To learn more about Byron and his latest goings on visit his bio page.