• SPEARFISHING LIGATURES AND KNOTS

        SPEARFISHING LIGATURES AND KNOTS VIDEO TUTORIALS     Those shown in these two videos are the most common knots used for spearfishing. They represent the basis for handle a speargun. We will show the constrictor knot to secure the eyelets in the bands, the knot to create the eyelets and the slip knot to create the loading handle for the rollers. The videos are made in a simple way to make learning easy for anyone. Enjoy them!          …

    • HOW TO SET UP A SPEARGUN VIDEO TUTORIAL

        HOW TO SET UP A SPEARGUN  A STEP BY STEP VIDEO TUTORIAL     Have you recently bought a speargun and don't know how to set it up? Not sure how to proceed and you would like some advice? Well, a speargun with a simple bands system, is a relatively simple weapon to set up. However, it remains clear that some precautions must still be taken in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Watch the video guide :-)      …

    • HOW TO PREVENT MASK FOGGING? OMER ALIEN WITH CAMERA CONNECTION BY NOOTICA

        HOW TO PREVENT MASK FOGGING?  OMER ALIEN WITH CAMERA CONNECTION BY NOOTICA           BY SURFING THE NET YOU CAN READ ABOUT SEVERAL METHODS FOR THE VERY FIRT CLEANING OF A DIVE MASK IN ORDER TO PREVENT IT FROM FOGGING DUE TO THE TRACES OF SILICONE ON THE GLASSES. IT IS THEN VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHO IS RIGHT SO WHY SHOULDN'T WE USE ALL OF THEM AT ONCE?   HERE IS A VIDEO TUTORIAL THAT EXPLAINS HOW TO SOLVE ONCE FOR ALL THE FOG PROBLEM IN 30 MINUTES.                 TAGS: FOG, FOGGING, MASK, DIVE, APNEA, SPEARFISHING, CLEANING, SILICONE, TUTORIAL,…

    • AQUASCOOTER COMER: HOW TO KEEP THE GAS OPEN

        AQUASCOOTER COMER  HOW TO KEEP THE GAS OPEN           Often during long journeys, particularly during the winter when cold water eases cramps, I found myself unable to keep the accelerator open because the hand got stuck or hurted. For this purpose, I tried to figure out a solution to deal with this problem and here it is made with spare materials such as a metal strip, a piece of plexiglass and a bit of line ... all things easily available in homes and that we all have one way or another, in short, a Mac gyver style thing.     TAGS: AQUASCOOTER, ACQUASCOOTER, COMER, MODIFICA, ACCELLERATORE, STAFFA,…

    • FISHFINDER ON THE SPEARFISHING FLOAT: HOW TO INSTALL

        FISHFINDER ON THE SPEARFISHING FLOAT GARMIN STRIKER 4 CV PLUS ON SEAC SEAMATE       We asked ourselves how to solve the problem of using afishfinder without having a dinghy or a boat and here is the outcome, enjoy then the video tutorial about the installation tricks of a fishfinder on a spearfishing float.     TAGS: ECOSCANDAGLIO, PLANCETTA, SEAC, SEAMATE, GARMIN, STRIKER, TRASDUTTORE, GPS, INSTALLAZIONE, TUTORIAL, FISHFINDER, FLOAT, SPEARFISHING, PESCA IN APNEA, TUTORIEL, PLANCHE, SONDEUR,      …

    • INTOVA MARINE GRADE X2: TIPS FOR SPEARFISHING

      INTOVA MARINE GRADE X2  TIPS FOR SPEARFISHING    Although its exceptional features this camera has a little problem that we have to mandatorily solve if we want to use it for spearfishing. A red led light placed at the top of the camera keeps blinking when recording and it only stops when we stop filming. This can dramatically influence the spearfishing action as it can disturb the fishes. For this reason we need somehow to overcome the issue. Don’t panic, we have been through several experiments and we found out what to do. The solution is as simple as it is efficient. Don’t use paint or nail polish as the light manages to pas…

    • SYNCOPE/BLACKOUT: THE SHOCKING VIDEO TO WATCH

      SYNCOPE/BLACKOUT THE SHOCKING VIDEO TO WATCH    We have lately heard the sad news about several spearo mates who passed away during their spearfishing activity. In most of the cases they were very experienced divers so the first thought that comes in mind is that experience is worth nothing if not accompanied by wisdom and by the knowledge of all those risks we usually underestimate because we believe they can be compensated by our experience. A few months ago I published an article about the risks connected to spearfishing off the coast with an aquascooter, underlining the time you need to cope with an emergency as follows:…

    • ACQUASCOOTER COMER FLOODED: HOW TO REPAIR

      ACQUASCOOTER COMER FLOODED: HOW TO REPAIR   Sometimes it happens that our beloved aquascooter for several reasons floods, throwing us into a panic. You need to know that if you act promptly, the problem can be resolved without no repercussions. You can often read about very weird procedures but here's what it really needs to be done to correctly recover it.   First of all, once you realize it is flooded do not try to start the engine, bring the aquascooter out of the water and empty the air-box as much as possible. Then you need to get the following things to proceed:   Oil for 2-stroke engine (the same one used for the m…

    • SPEARFISHING WITH AQUASCOOTER

      SPEARFISHING WITH AQUASCOOTER OFF THE COAST: SUGGESTIONS AND HINTS This type of spearfishing is practiced by many people (experts and beginners) but in my opinion often without the necessary consciousness of what it entails. This article aims at providing all those who are starting to approach this kind of activity with a list of helpful tips and tricks to solve different problems that usually occur. Some suggestions may seem obvious and make you smile but bear in mind two fundamental laws of the sea :   • A simple thing on the ground can turn into a quite complicated one  in the  water (tie or untie a knot, put a fin , e…

    • ROLLER UP: THE LOW TRAJECTORY SOLUTION

      THE LOW TRAJECTORY SOLUTION ROLLER UP     I have been seeing and testing different roller spearguns for years. They are powerful and performing but they all have the same problem: a low trajectory. In some cases it is not that important but in others it makes the easiest catches impossible. It is probably for this reason that such a kind of speargun has not had the success it should have.   Lately I decided to study the matter in order to figure out what generates the problem and how it could be possibly solved and in the end I succeeded. I found the cause of the low trajectory and with a few changes I solved the problem. Here…

    • HOW TO BUILD AND INSTALL A PEE SYSTEM ON THE WETSUIT

      HOW TO BUILD AND INSTALL A PEE SYSTEM ON THE WETSUIT A DUCK BILLED SOLUTION   In recent years, manufacturers of wetsuits have been increasingly requested by their customers to apply  the so-called "duck-billed" pee system on the suits pants. It 'a very simple device for the expulsion of urine during dives that efficiently avoids any infection problem.   In fact, besides the bad smell and skin irritation, peeing into the wetsuit frequently causes infections of the ear canal. Several devices have been invented in order to prevent this to happen, including the use of the “uridol”, a kind of condom held in place by an adhesive or Vel…

    • HOW TO SET AND REPLACE THE BARBS

      HOW TO SET AND REPLACE THE BARBS ILLUSTRATED GUIDE   The barbs on the commercial shafts (besides those from sigalsub) are not always regulated as it should. Often they are too loose or the opposite and in any case do not make what they should properly. When the barb is properly regulated then? (Fig 1)   To check the barb functioning shake the shaft (forward-backward) and verify, with the help of one hand, that the barb remains open and that it is difficult to bring it back in place without using your hand. If this does not happen maintenance should be carried out with a hammer as small as possible, in order to be accurate.  …

    • ORAL HEALTH AND SPEARFISHING: THE SHOCKING SNORKEL CLEANING

      ORAL HEALTH AND SPEARFISHING  THE SHOCKING SNORKEL CLEANING     Everyone knows that it is very important to always wash one’s spearfishing gear after diving. Most Generally spearos just do it to avoid the damages caused by the corrosive sea water, that according to an old local saying "eats everything".  In particular, everyone (especially those who use wetsuits with no urine expulsion system) definitely wash or at least rinse the suit at home. What is done instead for our snorkels and masks?     Probably many divers are convinced that a quick rinse under the tap, is sufficient for cleaning both the mask and the snorkel, as…

    • HOW TO MOUNT THE MIDLAND XTC 200 ON THE GOGGLE

      HOW TO MOUNT THE MIDLAND XTC 200 ON THE GOGGLE     Since 2008 I have been filming my catches with the subjective technique by mounting the camera on the speargun. Although it might be amazing, this way of filming is in my opinion too static and does not allow to record all the phases of the dive, losing as result the possibility to frame the prey from the first sight to the moment of the shoot. It’s quite straightforward that if you want to avoid this, you should wave your speargun in an unfruitful way to catch fishes.   I have recently changed my camera (with under water case) with the XTC 200 and I have figured out its submergibl…

    • HOW TO TIE YOUR BANDS: CONSTRICTOR KNOT

      HOW TO TIE YOUR BANDS: CONSTRICTOR KNOT   In order to tie a constrictor knot around a speargun band you need to get 30cm long cord and create two circles taking care to put the ends on a different side. As shown in picture 1 the "B" circle's end is infront of the cord while the "A" circle's one is behind it. Once you have done so, you simply need to cross the circles by placing the circle "B" behind the circle "A"  as shown in picture 2 and pull to adjust the size as shown in picture 3. Another very important feature is represented by the cord's characteristics as it must be neither too thick nor with a large section. The best cord is m…

    • STIRRUPS FOR THE MASK

      STIRRUPS FOR THE MASK GO PRO FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE  Thanks to action cams like go pro and midland, it is now possible to take into consideration a different shooting angle from the one you get by placing the camera on a side of the speargun. I personally like very much the output video of this technique but I noted there are a couple of limits. First of all brandish might be affected by the presence of the case (rather less with small sized action cams but always present) and then the vision of the whole spearfishing action is restricted to a smaller portion of the whole scenario. In several DVD's in fact, in order to provide a bet…

    • STIRRUPS FOR SPEARGUNS

      STIRRUPS FOR SPEARGUNS MIDLAND GO PRO AND UNDERWATER CAMERAS Building up a stirrup to mount a camera on your own speargun is actually a very personal artwork, designed on the basis of one's own needs and speargun model. For this reason it is easy to understand that it is not possible to create a stirrup that can fit all models and all needs. However we can list few points to bear in mind to build up a good one. 1. Materials should be as light in weight as possible like aluminum or Plexiglas 2. Speargun must be usable even if you do not mount the camera on. So if the stirrup is mounted directly on the gun it has to be very smal…

    • HOW TO PRESERVE THE SPEARED FISHES

      HOW TO PRESERVE THE SPEARED FISHES TECHNICAL ADVICES TO PRESERVE QUALITY   Eating fish is strongly recommended by all experts as it is a supplying source of some essential proteins and fatty acids for our body. However these elements can only be assimilated from the fish if the latter is correctly preserved so what should we do in order to accomplish such a goal? On the internet we can find a lot of advices but they are not always correct so this article is aimed to provide a guideline on the topic in order to destroy the false myths available in chats, forums etc.  KILLING AND GUTTING The first step to take into account for a…

    • IS MIMETIC EQUIPMENT USEFUL?

      IS MIMETIC EQUIPMENT USEFUL?   Today using a mimetic water suit is quite common and some experts have developed many theories about the dimensions of the colour stains in relation to the whole spear fisher silhouette while others have focused their attention on the kind and amount of colours to be used but the matter is still not clear. Several marine life forms do use camouflage but it fully works only when they are still and when they move we can see them. The theory of image splitting is based on the concept that fishes are short-sighted so they cannot see properly the contours of silhouettes but its truthfulness is questionable becau…

    • SPEARFISHING EQUIPMENT: WETSUIT

      SPEARFISHING EQUIPMENT: WETSUIT MATERIALS, ADVICES, MAINTENANCE       ADVICES  Neoprene, is a synthetic rubber enriched with gas cells (nitrogen). This feature together with the thickness of the rubber provide a great thermal insulation and it’s for this reason that this material is used for suits manufacturing.  The outcome of neoprene production is actually a mass of rubber to be cut in sheets from 1 to 8mm thick. This operation obviously cuts some gas cells so the result is a sheet with a porous surface called open-cell (or lined) neoprene. This kind of material provides a better adherence to the skin s…

    • GUIDE TO UNDERWATER SHOOTING EQUIPMENT PURCHASE

      GUIDE TO UNDERWATER SHOOTING EQUIPMENT PURCHASE     To anybody whishing to start shooting their own fishing actions I would like to give some advices about how to buy the proper equipment and which criteria to take into account. First of all we need to choose between cameras and video cameras on the basis of the fact that the price for a camera is much lower and even if technology contributed a lot in reducing the dimensions of video cameras they have always a greater volume and weight unless you purchase a model with  low video quality. For this reason I feel to suggest them to experienced free divers and to people who can affor…

    • SUBJECTIVE TECHNIQUE: HOW TO MOUNT A CAMERA ON THE SPEARGUN

      SUBJECTIVE TECHNIQUE HOW TO MOUNT A CAMERA ON THE SPEARGUN    Several years ago I had the idea to mount upon my speargun a video shooting device by watching some DVDs by several experts in which they explained how they managed to install a videocamera on the speargun and give to the  audience the spearfisher's view. By the way a waterproof cased videocamera had such a great volume that inevitably brandishing the speargun would have been affected negatively. Later on, I found a french spearfishing website (normandy based) in which I found a video that explained how to mount a camera on a speargun and I got so impressed by the fact tha…

    • SUBJECTIVE TECHNIQUE: MAINTENANCE OF THE WATERPROOF CASE

      SUBJECTIVE TECHNIQUE MAINTENANCE OF THE WATERPROOF CASE    If you decide to mount upon your speargun a camera you need to be well endowed with great patience for the final result, as the maintenance of the case is quite laborious and needs a lot of care and attention. A very important component of the case and then the one that needs more attention is the o-ring. Before every use you need to remove it with a toothpick and wash it with fresh water, after that you need to wipe away any kind of powder or salt crystals from the o-ring housing. Before placing the o-ring back in its housing you need to protect it with silicon g…

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