I have been looking into freediving for quite some time now and even working on my static breath hold. Now im just about ready to give it a go in some shallow water. As far as diving goes I have been down to 40ft with no fins before so I believe I may be ok to try and start working on diving in 30ft or so to get the hang of it.

Now I am set up for scuba spearing but i know life is a lot different when you dont have the canned air/noise emitter on your back. Will my 54" sea hornet be ok? Do I need a reel or floatline or both? Bouy/flag is a given but what about fins. Will my Cressi Rondine fins suffice for now? Do I need a different type of wetsuit? I have a 3/5 farmerjohn and a 7mil for winter diving but no full suit in a 3mm flavor.

I dont want to buy anymore than the "must have" Gear till I try it a few times and make sure that It's something I want to continue. I can and will buy what I need to just want some good info so I can make a list and start pricing

That being said I live in North florida so the freediving is not so great up here from what im told (shallow stuff that is) Is there anyone that could take me with on a freediving excursion once im set up and let me test the waters if you will. I'm fully capable running the boat and can clean boat/fish like i was born for it. I'll pay my portion of gas/ice/maint/After diving beer I would just like to see the other side of the sport I love so much.

I would like to try staying within 3hours or so of jacksonville...... But since Im newly single after 9 years of marriage Im not scared to take a 3day break in the week or weekend and drive down as far as the keys.

Dave

Dave, sorry to hear about the divorce man. As soon as we have this baby I'll be off the short leash and back to diving regualarly. I mostly freedive the gulf and often have extra spots on the boat. We have some 30 foot spots as well as some deeper stuff. Shoot me a pm with your number and the days durring the week that you may be able to dive.... and I'll let you know. -Grant

Dave where are you currently located?

Mandatory gear in my opinion for shooting in our area is Rubber weight belt, Reel OR float line, good low volume mask and snorkel a set of cressi 2000's and a wetsuit designed for free diving. The suite will be warmer and much more flexible and slightly less buoyant that a lines scuba suit. I think your gun will be fine until your ready to get something a bit more geared to free diving. The largest draw back with your gun and a free dive gun is going to be range and accuracy WITH a line setup. I just got Hammerhead Muzzles new 3ml farmer john suit and I must say it is SUPER nice and very comfortable.

Im in Jacksonville but I work a rotating 12hour shift so I get days off during the week as well as weekends. As far as how far I will drive. Hell If i know a few days in advance I can and will drive to miami or the keys if i have to. But that being said I would rather save the extreme trips 4hour+ for multi day outings

You don't really need anything... all of the specialized gear is really nice and makes diving eaisier, but like you said just to start out and make sure it is for you no need to get all decked out right off the bat unless you want to. No wetsuits needed for the next little while, but like Jeremy said... when you do get one get one that is made for freediving with the built in hood. They are so much less restrictive and easier to breath/move in. Unless you are extremely boyant you should not need any weight without a wetsuit on, the only reason I wear a belt in the summer is because that is where I keep my knife and stringer. The main thing you will be missing is some long fins. Get a pair of cressis you can use them for both scuba and freediving. Grab a piece of poly rope and you have a floatline... nobody in my area uses floats or flags as we stay fairly close to the boat and we rarely see another boat.

How much poly rope should I get? I know Im not going to be doing anything deep obviously but still need enough. Also what type of float should I be looking for? Also do I need a slip tip rig or will I be ok with my normal shaft and one flopper?

You should consider buying an expensive fancy pair of fins and a big blue water gun http://www.spearfishingplanet.com/showthread.php?t=2100....

But cressis are probably a better idea for now. If you want to come down to miami sometime, you can jump on my boat and play with all the dive junk in my garage.

jason

You should consider buying an expensive fancy pair of fins and a big blue water gun http://www.spearfishingplanet.com/showthread.php?t=2100....

But cressis are probably a better idea for now. If you want to come down to miami sometime, you can jump on my boat and play with all the dive junk in my garage.

jason

Thanks for the offer Jason! I may just have to take you up on that in a few weeks Ill pm you If i get an opening of a few days.

im in vero and we dive regularly between 20-30 ft. and can go all the way to 50 if you want. there are tons of places at depths from 7 ft-over 100. send me a pm and we can talk. maybe a ppd for a dive trip... :D

Make sure to get a pair of long fins.Don't go very stiff to start with.Maybe some Omer ice or something limber.If your diving to 30 foot get your weighting so you are neutral at 15 foot.You can use all your scuba gear but you need long fins.A float line is ok but they are a pain in the ass to deal with.I would however suggest you start with one for saftey reasons and cost.They are cheap and you can let go of your gun if need be.

Later
Nick

A couple of very important things to consider. Fins, mask, and proper buoyancy. You definitely should get some long freediving fins. Don't kill yourself your first time out with them, you will feel in the next day in the ankles if you do. Get a good low volume mask, and make sure to do all you can to fog prep it. Ensure that you are properly weighted. You'd be surprised how much of a difference proper weight makes in your breath hold. The more energy your exert getting down, because you are too buoyant, the less time you'll have to hunt per dive. I would say freediving fins, a good mask, and proper weight are some of the most important.

About the float line or reel question. Get familiar with freediving and spearfishing before you start shooting at huge fish that could possibly take your gear. Get some in the 10 to 15 lbs range, and work your way up to the massive fish.

For what it's worth, I have put my BCD on one time since I started freediving.

You're going to love the freedom from so much gear.

Essentials in no particular order:
Long fins.
Rubber weight belt.
Low volume mask with black or other color opaque skirt.
Float line and float.

Pay much attention to being weighted correctly for how you like to dive. I like to be just slightly positive on the surface. You may want to be postive at 15ft? Take the wetsuit you are wearing into consideration.

There are better speaguns for freediving than what you have now. I doubt that you'll enjoy chest loading so that narrows it down considerably. For my purposes a Riffe C3X with a custom handle is good, an almost off the shelf speargun. If you want to go custom the deathstick is a good option but not with an Aimrite handle.

Dave,

We freedive off jax pretty regularly, you're welcome anytime we have an open spot. We've got all kinds of extra gear you can try out before buying your own too. Give me a call sometime, 904-537-3406.
Best,
Ryan

You might consider a perfromance freedving class, im sure youve heard about them, but they're well worth it.

Wow thanks for all the replys and offers! I will be in touch with many of you over the next few weeks/months. I would definatly like to go freediving off jax since thats my home base. How deep are you guys diving off jax?

I will definately be going for some longer fins first. I will get me a float line and make an way to attatch it to my gun. After that I should be good. Now about those weights. I have 15lbs of weights 1's 3's and 4's so i should be able to get myself right on weight pretty easy. I have a neoprene weight belt so i will start off with that and just check out everyones gear.

As far as the freediving class goes That is a definite. I just want to make sure im going to like it before I invest a ton in it.

Dave

Wow thanks for all the replys and offers! I will be in touch with many of you over the next few weeks/months. I would definatly like to go freediving off jax since thats my home base. How deep are you guys diving off jax?

I will definately be going for some longer fins first. I will get me a float line and make an way to attatch it to my gun. After that I should be good. Now about those weights. I have 15lbs of weights 1's 3's and 4's so i should be able to get myself right on weight pretty easy. I have a neoprene weight belt so i will start off with that and just check out everyones gear.

As far as the freediving class goes That is a definite. I just want to make sure im going to like it before I invest a ton in it.

Dave


We've got some spots where the structure comes up within about 50ft of the surface, but there's usually plenty of cudas, ajs, and spadefish to shoot at to make it enjoyable even if your not hitting bottom.
always looking for another guy to go....

Technically speaking, you could try it with your current gear. It may be a little frustrating in areas with your Scuba gear. But it could be done with what you already have...

Just weight yourself properly one day and jump in! main iffernce your going to notice first off is the limited time you have to shoot. Its going to be frustrating and your gonna get so mad cause you see a nice fish and you gotta surface to breathe!

just hang in there, try it and see if its your game. Then if you enjoy it, invest in some specific freediving gear. I have both freediving and Scuba gear. Im waiting to buy a Omer Freedive suit which will be my last addition. Then will come the BC, Regs and computer.

Hey shaftsliger , I think there are some pretty good springs in your area , I know that there is a deep one near Tallahasse , I think it go's to about 120ft . Most of the springs tend to be shallow , @ the most 20-30 ; but great vis.
and alot of fun to dive . the nice thig about fresh water is you don't have to wieght up as much . With a 3mm suit you my only need about 5 lbs depending on your prefrence . When going deep I like to wieght light cause after 75ft you start to move like a frieght train . I 've allready crashed in to the bottom of a 110ft dive cause of it . also if you ever get the chance , freediving with a scooter is one of the best experences I ever had , I had down times in the 3 min. range with no fear of a swb . And speaking of swb's make sure to never push your self beyond your limits , start slow and build your self up . And even then becareful cause most accedents happen to exepereanced freedivers pushing to long , and to deep . I'v done some dumb stuff before , and thankfully I had a spoter and a brain to learn from my mistakes . besides for me the most fun is with in 20-40ft .

ps I think there is a web site called floridasprings.com or .org , it has directions and specs on all of the springs in florida . have fun with it .

Enzo.

If you wanna enjoy some pretty badass freediving kinda close to jax, drive over to tallahassee and come freediving with us. Big mangrove snapper, lots of 10lb grouper, and the big cobia are just starting to come back through. We always have open spots on freediving trips. PM me your # and I will give you a call when we have openings.
-Chris

Well I went and got me a pair of Cressi 2000's yesterday and have my line and float all setup. Now I just need the weather to get better and its time to
:BoomSmilie_anim::2gunsfiring_v1:

for freedive spearfishing all we use is mask snorkel longfins speargun/pole and a floatline...so I think you have everything covered, you wearing socks with the fins?If your freediving without a wetsuit make sure you have like a rashguard or t-shirt on too for sunburn/jellyfish.

for freedive spearfishing all we use is mask snorkel longfins speargun/pole and a floatline...so I think you have everything covered, you wearing socks with the fins?If your freediving without a wetsuit make sure you have like a rashguard or t-shirt on too for sunburn/jellyfish.

I have a full rash guard and 2 differnt wetsuits so i should be covered. As soon as the water is good enough to get out on im looking to kill something.

I have a full rash guard and 2 differnt wetsuits so i should be covered. As soon as the water is good enough to get out on im looking to kill something.

sweet your all set make sure to take pictures and post up your kills:D